Kietha, library director for the Ocean Shores Public Library, told the board on Aug. 12 that July brought notable increases in library use and program attendance, and she outlined a slate of fall events including an Oct. 4 local author fair and a school-focused library-card campaign.

The director said the six-month average for materials checked out from January through July was about 5,300 per month and that July’s total rose to about 6,300, “a 20% jump.” Door counts averaged roughly 3,400 over six months and rose to about 4,300 in July, which she described as “a 27% jump.” Program attendance and room use also increased: the room averaged about 99 visits per month (115 in July), and overall attendance averaged about 1,200 with about 1,700 in July, a 13% increase.

“These numbers show the library is definitely a city of Ocean Shores community place,” Kietha said, adding that the July spike corresponded with a larger slate of children’s and adult programming. She told the board the summer reading program runs nine to ten weeks and costs roughly $5,000, funded by the Friends of the Library.

Kietha reported a Summerfest turnout of about 300 people and said the library gave away close to 200 hot dogs at the event. She described outreach plans for September: a “get a library card” campaign with flyers and in-person tabling at local stores where elementary students can complete mini-applications to receive prizes, and staff outreach to the homebound to enable access to digital services such as Libby.

Staff-led youth offerings announced included the teen planning committee (replacing the earlier “teen advisory board”), a Reading Rangers program, an art program shown on-screen during a recent event, and recurring story times that will be evaluated with a two-times-per-month survey. Kietha said staff member Nico will run the story-time surveys and that Mitchell led the Reading Rangers and art sessions.

Upcoming programs listed for fall include the third annual local author fair on Oct. 4 (two sessions, 10 a.m.–noon and 2–4 p.m.), a wildlife program presented by Wolf Haven, a “rewilding” presentation, two separate mushroom-identification programs (including author Langdon Cook), public-health drop-in screenings, WorkSource orientation and master-gardener houseplant presentations. Kietha said the library will also host a “nature backpack” for family day hikes that will include a Washington State Parks discovery pass and expects that item to roll out by spring.

Kietha also noted the library’s current patron card inventory at 6,477 cards as of the Monday before the meeting, acknowledging some are inactive but remain valid. She said staff will report back with survey results and a more detailed summary of summer programs at future meetings.