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Kent District Library reports increased circulation, summer meal program growth and a Narcan life save
Summary
Lance Warner, director of the Kent District Library, reported on 2024 operations and 2025 updates to the Kent County committee Sept. 23, highlighting 7.82 million circulations in 2024, expanded summer meal distribution and an on-site Narcan administration that revived an overdose victim.
Lance Warner, director of the Kent District Library, presented the KDL’s 2024 annual report and 2025 updates to the Kent County Community Health and Safety Committee on Sept. 23.
Warner told the committee KDL circulated 7,820,000 items in 2024 and recorded about 2,400,000 visitor visits that year. He said ebook circulation rose about 17% and that KDL’s programs drew more than 320,000 attendees in 2024.
Warner emphasized the library’s summer food work to address childhood food insecurity. He said KDL distributed more than 23,000 meals to kids in the summer of 2024 and over 28,000 meals in the most recent summer; since the program began in 2018, the library has distributed more than 100,000 meals.
Speaking about on-site emergency response, Warner described administering Narcan at the Byron Center branch last Friday to a man who had overdosed. "I ran out and I yelled to call 911. We got the Narcan and we administered Narcan," Warner said. He said emergency services arrived and that KDL staff have also used first-aid resources to save lives; Warner said the library’s efforts have saved five lives via first-aid interventions to date.
Warner also noted honors and partnerships: KDL earned the National Medal (the highest honor in the library industry), operates regional talking and braille book services covering four counties, and used the 2023 Klein Award winnings to fund local building projects and two $5,000 scholarships (one traditional, one nontraditional) in 2024.
Warner described ongoing branch projects in Walker and Rockford and said the system operates 20 branches that serve 27 municipalities and 17 school districts. He explained that Kent District Library was created when the county library system transitioned to a district library; he referenced the District Library Establishment Act as the enabling state framework for district libraries.
Commissioners thanked Warner for the presentation. Warner closed by saying, "We exist to further all people through kindness, sympathy, and love. We meet people where they're at."
