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Oldham County Public Library reports jump in visits, highlights Goshen branch use and services
Summary
Library Director Julie Wilson told the fiscal court the system’s Goshen branch opened in January, visits and program attendance rose and the library continues to expand meeting space and digital services for teens and adults.
Julie Wilson, director of the Oldham County Public Library, told the fiscal court on Sept. 2 that the library system now operates three branches (LaGrange, Crestwood and Goshen), that the board set a compensating tax rate of 3.9¢ and that the Goshen facility — which opened in January — has seen substantial immediate use.
Wilson said the Goshen branch increased meeting‑space capacity with a variety of room sizes and has already drawn steady attendance for programs and meetings. She reported the library system offered roughly 1,000 programs in the last fiscal year with about 46,000 program participants, a 23% increase over the prior year. She said more than 1,500 children completed the summer reading program; the system recorded more than 182,000 visits and circulated over half a million items.
On finance, Wilson said the library finished the building project close to projections and kept operating spending under budget by roughly $150,000. She told the court the library had meaningful investment income in the period (she reported approximately $450,000 in interest one prior year and another $272,000 in the current reporting year) and that construction grants remain part of the library’s financing plan: the LaGrange construction grant is nearly complete and grants contributed roughly $280,000 per year in the reporting period.
Wilson reviewed services for all ages, including expanded teen programming tied to countywide mental‑health initiatives. She highlighted an upcoming “Be Kind to Your Mind” event scheduled for Sept. 18 that the library is staging with the health department, extension, and local partners. She also noted free notary service (about 1,400 notaries performed in the year) and continued growth in electronic circulation — roughly 30% of total circulation is now digital formats such as audiobooks.
Magistrates complimented library staff and leadership; Wilson thanked volunteers and the Friends of the Library and noted a strategic‑plan survey available on the library website for community input.
The court did not take a formal vote on the library presentation; Wilson asked the court to share the strategic‑plan survey with constituents and said she would provide branch‑level statistics on request.
