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Library director previews spring fundraising, programs and circulation trends
Summary
At a regularly scheduled Guthrie Library Advisory Board meeting, the library director reported on holiday staffing, an upcoming Friends of the Library book sale, program attendance increases, and circulation and card-account trends tied to shared statewide digital collections.
Ken, the library director, reported to the Guthrie Library Advisory Board that December and January are traditionally slow months for the library and that holiday closures reduced some usage statistics but did not change broader trends.
The director told the board that the Friends of the Library will hold its annual book sale on Feb. 8 at the Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall; a members-only preview sale will be held the day before, Feb. 7, with a $5 admission for members. He said volunteers are currently sorting donations and that students from Job Corps will help with setup and teardown on the sale day. The Friends’ book sale, he said, is the library’s largest fundraiser and supports programs throughout the year.
On programming, Ken said story times have grown and staff hosted several seasonal programs, including a visit by Santa and Mrs. Claus and a tween gingerbread-decorating event. He highlighted continuing clubs and recurring programs—the anime club, Lego program, a Dungeons & Dragons group that completed a campaign and has begun a new one, and a “Lights, Camera, Guthrie” film showing featuring a movie largely filmed in Guthrie. He said a Jane Austen tea party was fully booked and that staff plan to schedule another tea event.
Ken reported the library ran its sixth annual cookie contest in December with about 35 entries; the winner was a professional baker who has agreed to serve as a judge for next year’s contest. He also noted the Friends hosted a members’ meeting and sale-related events.
On collection and circulation data, Ken said the physical collection is “very slightly” larger than before—more items are being added than withdrawn—but that a major weeding project was not completed in December because of staffing and closures. Visits and in-person program participation dipped in December, which he characterized as normal for the season, while e-book and shared-digital checkouts remained steady.
Ken explained how the library’s participation in the Oklahoma Virtual Library and OverDrive Advantage affects holds and wait times: the Oklahoma Virtual Library is a large statewide shared collection administered by a regional librarian, and Guthrie purchases additional OverDrive Advantage copies to reduce long wait lists for new releases. He said the shared collection and short-term lending models can produce high initial availability followed by longer waits later, and he advised patrons to contact staff if their hold times seem inconsistent.
Ken also shared quarterly social media metrics, noting especially strong growth on Pinterest and a 15.7% follower increase on TikTok tied to a single post. He said the library’s total card counts and active-account verification practices changed around 2020 when the library began verifying cardholders to control vendor pricing tied to account totals.
The board had no substantive questions beyond clarifications about sale logistics and program schedules. The discussion closed when a board member moved to begin the strategic plan discussion.
