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Library reports uptick in visits, programs and circulation; dashboard shows post-pandemic recovery
Summary
At the July 15 meeting trustees reviewed a new statistical dashboard showing year-over-year gains in building visits, program offerings and circulation; staff credited multiple factors and asked for further analysis rather than attributing the changes to a single cause.
Lexi Riling, the library director, presented a new statistical dashboard July 15 showing year-over-year gains across multiple measures including building visits, program offerings and circulation.
Lexi said, "We served 331,425 patrons in our buildings this fiscal year," an increase of more than 10% from the prior year. She said the library offered 1,387 programs in the fiscal year and reported 34,589 program attendees. The dashboard also showed 4,413 new cardholders added, bringing the total to about 48,000 Davenport residents with library cards (about 48% of Davenport residents), and 6,674 room bookings, up about 11% year over year.
Circulation showed a small increase after several years of decline: Lexi reported the system checked out 526,507 items this year, a roughly 2% rise from the prior year. She said the adult collection accounted for the largest share of circulation. Lexi told trustees the dashboard is intended as a year-over-year comparison and that no single factor explains the gains: she pointed to more programs, policy changes such as going fine-free, increased outreach and improved access to spaces and maker equipment as likely contributors.
On technology metrics, Lexi said public-computer logins rose to 43,098 while WiFi use declined slightly; IT staff attributed the WiFi drop to increased use of 5G cellular connections and to a recent decision to disable WiFi from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. to reduce nighttime congregation. Trustees asked clarifying questions about how visits are counted; staff said new people counters better capture patrons who pass through lobbies and meeting-room entrances.
Lexi said the special-collections reading room had a soft opening and will move to regular hours starting Aug. 1, and that the dashboard will be updated with raw data tables for trustees who want to see the source numbers.
Why it matters: the dashboard is the libraryadministrationtool for tracking usage and informing budget and programming choices; sustained increases could affect staffing, hours and outreach strategies.
Ending: Trustees requested staff provide the underlying tables after the meeting and asked staff to keep reporting year-over-year trends as the library moves into the next fiscal year.
