By HOLLY GASKILL
The use of nearly every resource at the Wells County Library increased in 2023, reported Director Sarah MacNeill.
In an annual update to the County Council Tuesday evening, MacNeill said circulation of physical materials increased by 14% in 2023, and electronic materials, like ebooks and audiobooks, increased by 19%. Dustin Brown, appointed to the library board by the council, was also present.
Attendance in library programming increased by 38%, prompting Council member Brandon Harnish to ask, “Some of these numbers are significant. What do you attribute these increases to?”
“We just have really cool programs,” MacNeill grinned. While that statement remained, she also recognized there seems to be a correlation between increased participation and economic factors. “I think you usually see a pattern with library use and the economy — gas prices are high, people aren’t going to maybe do as much in the summer … library programs are free, and it’s something fun that your child can do.”
MacNeill also emphasized the library had 27 families finish the 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten Program in 2023, and 42,227 books read in total. MacNeill said this was a promising number as there are discussions about early childhood literacy statewide. She also complimented the families’ dedication to fostering early reading and recording each book.
The library has had 372 finish the program since it began in 2011.
Other growth at the library included meeting room use (15%), study room use (15%), book-a-librarian requests (44%) and notary services (12%). In total, 33,543 patrons were recorded visiting the library in 2023.
The only decrease MacNeill reported were supervised visits, down by 3%.
Additionally, the library reported several notable developments, including overnight pick-up lockers at the Bluffton and Ossian branches and Southern Wells Jr./Sr. High School, which allows people to pick up materials outside operating hours. The library also assisted 354 patrons during tax season, hosted a pro bono day with Sprunger and Sprunger, offered various workshops, and added the Brainfuse database for learning and homework help, among other items.
Altogether, the council commended these efforts on the part of the library’s staff and leadership.
Information regarding the library’s resources, programming, and more is available on their website, wellscolibrary.org.
holly@news-banner.com
