Roseburg City library reports steady usage, highlights staffing limits and digital strategy

Director Chris Wiley presented Roseburg City’s 2023–24 annual library statistics and a strategic-plan update at the commission’s meeting, saying the library serves a population of 24,258 and that volunteers and a small paid staff sustain most services.

Citing state-compiled comparisons with 24 similarly sized Oregon libraries, Wiley said Roseburg’s paid staff “is small and mighty,” reporting eight paid staff positions (including part-time posts and 10-hour positions) and about 1,200 volunteer hours. He told the commission the library was open about 34 hours per week during the fiscal year, compared with an average of about 49 hours among peer libraries.

The statistics matter because lower staff and service hours affect circulation and programs, Wiley and staff said. “We add about 4,000 items every year” to a collection of roughly 80,000 physical items, Wiley said, and the library checked out about 78,000 physical items in the year measured. Per-capita first-time circulation was…