The library has one million reasons to celebrate the start of a new year. For the first time ever, it finally broke the milestone of loaning out at least one million items during a calendar year.
“We’re the million circ library!” exclaimed library director Peter Bailey, proudly referring to the new seven figure circulation statistics.
It reported that there were a record-breaking 1,001,030 items that had been loaned out in 2014, averaging nearly 3,000 per day. He said that the St. Albert Public Library was already one of the best performing libraries in Alberta in terms of loans per capita and this marker is just the icing on the cake.
Circulation was just below the one million mark for the last few years and Bailey is much relieved to have finally broken that somewhat anti-climactic streak.
The library has approximately 188,000 items, both physical and electronic, that are available for loan. That second category is what really helped push the envelope.
“We’ve been emphasizing for a few years now that we’re much more beyond books,” he said, suggesting that modern libraries are now more like community centres and physical books play only one role out of many. “One of the things that really helped us get over the million was digital resources like Hoopla.”
Hoopla is a free digital streaming service that offers music and movie content online. It represents only a small part of the total circulation but it’s also the fastest growing segment.
“The phrase I always use is ‘The library is not only about the things we have. It’s about the things we do.’ There’s a focus on services and programs. That’s the figure I’ve been really proud of for the last couple of years, the growth in program attendance like STARFest and the summer reading game.”
Library board chair Charmaine Brooks added her gratitude to the library team for their continuing efforts to make every year better than the last.
“On behalf of the trustees, I say a huge thank you to the staff who seem to squeeze more and more each year out of our limited space. This record-breaking year confirms that St. Albertans value their library, and we look forward to welcoming everyone in 2015,” she said in a prepared statement.
Overview
Library increases during 2014<br />• 16 per cent increase in the number of programs for adults, children and teens, with total attendance of almost 45,000. <br />• More than 1,400 people took in STARFest events. Attendance figures have more than quadrupled since the inaugural STARFest in 2011.<br />• 27 per cent more children – 2,700 – played the summer reading game than in 2013.<br />• 62 per cent increase in individualized, one-on-one tech training sessions, and 19 per cent more group tech classes.<br />• More than 3,500 additional reference enquiries dealt with, bringing the 2014 total to 51,358.<br />• 57 per cent increase in public computer use and a 24 per cent increase in use of the website.<br />• A general increase in the use of the Career Resource Centre.
Infographic
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