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Digital library use jumps 72%
by Rick DeClue · News · November 29, 2013
Library Director Nick Shimmin wants West Branch Public Library to continue to evolve, he told the City Council last week.
He said the library’s numbers continue to be good, with growth in circulation and programming. However, changes in library use and its position in the community are currently driving him and his staff.
The subject most people ask about is electronics, he said. While still only 4 percent of total library activity, electronic use of library materials increased 72 percent last year. In addition, electronic materials now represent approximately one-third of the library’s collection.
Though books remain the predominant form of circulation, the library added a collection of Cricut cartridges — metal forms to cut shapes in paper — that can be checked out by teachers, crafters and scrapbookers.
Future plans for unusual circulation include cake pans and a seed exchange — Shimmin is not making this stuff up.
The Ely library had the first seed exchange in this area. The North Liberty library has the best Cricut cartridge collection around. As the Cedar Rapids library rebuilt after the 2008 floods, they installed a workout area with treadmills and bookstands. The Williamsburg library has relaxation reading areas built around a fireplace.
These changes are in response to user needs, he said. Libraries have also taken on many aspects of a community center or been built as part of a community center, such as in North Liberty.
This feeds Shimmin’s other major focus for West Branch – library expansion or relocation. Physical space needs changed as library use changed. He said the library board made progress this past year in site consideration and initial design work, with lots of public input. Continuation of this effort, plus fundraising, will be the key this year.
Shimmin said he believes the West Branch library has exceptional programming for a town this size.
Programming at the library increased 26 percent last year to 8,285 participants, and doubled in the past five years. Along with the successful summer reading programming, users gather for discussions on subjects ranging from gardening and sustainable living to financial planning.
Showing that books remain the focal point of library usage, summer reading provided special events and incentives for 280 children, 59 teens and 85 adults.
Shimmin also invited the council to stop by on Tuesday evenings or Friday mornings for story time, if they wanted to see a crowd.
The library shares joint programming with the National Park Service and the city’s Parks and Recreation Department, as well as the school district. Shimmin has tried programming off of the library premises with mixed success. Programming works best where the library’s collection is available, he said.
To serve its purposes of community, learning and interaction, the West Branch library will continue to evolve and look for the best way to meet its space needs, Shimmin said.
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