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Library director shows 29% jump in physical checkouts from 2023 to 2024
Summary
Mitchell Public Library reported a 29% year-over-year increase in physical item circulation in 2024 and growth in program participation, summer reading minutes and Wi‑Fi usage; director Kevin Cancal attributed growth to expanded programming and outreach.
Mitchell — Library Director Kevin Cancal told the Mitchell City Council on Feb. 4 that total circulation of physical items rose 29% from 2023 to 2024, reversing a multi-year decline and lifting total checkouts above 150,000.
Cancal presented the library’s 2024 annual report during the citizen comment portion of the meeting and displayed circulation and program participation charts. He said physical checkouts (books, movies, board games and similar items) rose from about 116,769 in 2023 to more than 150,000 in 2024, and that ebooks and downloadable audiobooks totaled nearly 48,000 checkouts in 2024.
“We’ve been trying to…have innovative programs and encourage people to read,” Cancal told the council, citing a return to in-person programs after pandemic years and new programs such as Bookopoly and an expanded summer-reading schedule. He said the library’s annual programming participation has averaged just under 14,000 over the last three years, compared with roughly 6,500–7,500 pre-pandemic in the prior nine-year trend.
Other details Cancal provided to the council: - Summer reading participants recorded more than 500,000 minutes read in the 2024 program. - The library has 81 non-county cardholders who pay an annual fee for service; Cancal said library cards are free to city and county residents. - Wi‑Fi usage data (sessions and hours) appeared on a chart that had an incorrect title in the staff printout; Cancal told the council he would correct the title and resubmit the report for posting.
Councilmember John (first name used in the meeting) asked why circulation increased; Cancal attributed the rise to programming, outreach and a return to in-person offerings that drew users from outside the county during pandemic-era online events. A council member who spoke from the audience also recounted a patron who traveled from nearby Spencer to bring grandchildren to library programs, illustrating the library’s regional draw.
Cancal closed by noting that library accounts remain active for patrons who renew each year and that the library verifies contact information annually to ensure records are current.
The presentation drew brief applause and no formal council action; council members thanked Cancal for the report.
