Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Library Operations topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Ocean Shores Library reports higher 2024 circulation, new hires and expanded programs; foundation funds staff travel
Summary
Library director reported a 7.2% increase in 2024 circulation, new staff hires and steady program attendance; the Ocean Shores Library Foundation is underwriting staff travel to the Washington Library Association conference and the library will close two days for staff attendance.
The Ocean Shores Library director reported that circulation rose in 2024 to 67,726 checkouts, a 7.21% increase from 2023, and described new hires, ongoing popular programs and foundation-funded improvements.
The director said the library recorded steady in-person use in 2024, citing an average of about 27 patrons per opening with the library open 34 hours per week. The director also reported the library’s active cardholder count at 3,776 as of December and noted 1,137 meetings held in the meeting room with 13,550 attendees during the year.
The director introduced two staff members, Hannah Rayberg and David Bernard, who have worked at the library about six months. Hannah Rayberg, new library staff, said she volunteered at the library during high school and later completed an MLIS; she told trustees, “Working here so far has been really amazing.” David Bernard, new library staff, described work on the adult collections and the library’s movie collection and said he was “super excited” to be on staff.
The board heard that the library hired an 11th-grade page, Cameron McAfee, to begin Feb. 18 and extended a conditional offer to another page, identified only as Autumn. The director also said the library’s AARP tax assistance program served a large number of patrons, and that tax-aid volunteers completed roughly 57 tax returns per day on their first two days of service. From February through mid-April last year, the director said, 1,426 patrons used tax assistance.
Library programs highlighted by the director included story times, a summer reading program, an author fair with about 60 authors, Lego events that drew dozens of children, Dungeons & Dragons sessions that attract 25–30 participants, and ongoing movie and virtual-reality offerings. The director said subscription services (identified as Washington Anytime and Canopy in the report) remain well used.
The trustees were told that the Friends of the Library funded 14 new public computers, a new team unit, a neon bulletin board and other equipment, and that the Ocean Shores Library Foundation paid for the library to send staff to the Washington Library Association (WLA) conference in Tacoma. The director said Nick, Nico and David will attend the Friday–Saturday portions and Hannah and another staff member will attend a Thursday preconference session focused on teen programming; the foundation will cover travel and registration and no city funds will be used.
Because of the conference plans, the director said the library will close for two days (a Friday and a Saturday) to allow staff to attend. She said operational coverage has been scheduled so core services remain available the rest of the week.
The director closed by offering to share the full packet of 2024 statistics on request.
Ending: The board scheduled its next meeting for Wednesday, April 9 at 3:00 p.m., and the director said she will circulate the full 2024 numbers and follow up with attendees about the foundation-funded conference reports.
