ANTONIA KRUPICKA-SMITH
Library Director
In July we began a new fiscal year which is always very exciting because it also means new projects begin and we get to reflect on the previous fiscal year and draw conclusions from the statistical reports on the impact we have had in the community and make adjustments. As I dig into the numbers more through the state reporting process and the compilation of the annual report to City Council, there will be more examples and data of impact, but here are some very high-level conclusions that can already be drawn.
The library is a very busy place! When comparing FY24 (July 2023-June 2024) and FY25 (July 2024-June 2025), the library saw an almost 40% increase in the past year in visitors through our doors. That number feels mind boggling, but it is supported by increases in computer sessions, meeting room usage, teen room visits, and makerspace room usage.
Community members are checking out and using our resources! When comparing FY24 with FY25 we see an increase in physical circulation by 6,000 checkouts, we also saw an increase in digital checkouts via our Overdrive/Libby platform. These increases are being seen in adult fiction, youth fiction, and youth graphic novel checkouts. There was also a noticeable increase in use of our Newsbank resource which houses the Daily Nonpareil newspaper with an additional 1,500 uses over last year. Not only is our community using these resources, but other communities are also engaging with us through interlibrary loan more with an increase of 314 transactions.
The community is engaged and interacting with us through our programming! Adult programming provided more programs than the previous year and saw over 1,000 more community members attend programs than the previous fiscal year. Teen programming also provided more programming by adding in regular Saturday programming and they saw over 2,000 more teens engage in programs. Youth programming evolved as well with the introduction of registration programming which allows for more hands-on activities and they also saw an almost 3,000 patrons increase in attendance overall at their programs.
We are visiting community members where they are and increasing involvement in the library! Our Kiosk opened and we circulated over 1,000 items from that location in the first year. Our Homebound program continues to grow and we have increase enrollment and service to 100 more patrons in FY25 over FY24. We have also increased the number of volunteers at the library for both teen and adults which resulted in a 27% increase in hours volunteered at the library.
All of these numbers paint the picture of a vibrant, engaged, and well-utilized library that services the community where they what with what they are looking for. As we dig deeper into the numbers, we will of course make adjustments where they are warranted both budgetary and personnel wise so that we can continue to make the greatest impact that we can in our community. Look for a more detailed look at our impact when we release our FY25 Annual Report later this year. We have been busy, but are eager to turn to what is next!