Jefferson County libraries report 985,350 circulations in 2024, estimate $19 million in community savings

Library directors reported to the Jefferson County Board that the county’s nine public libraries circulated 985,350 items in 2024 and provided an estimated $19,000,000 in value to residents who used borrowing services rather than buying materials.

Manetta Leppert, director of the Dwight Foster Public Library, presented the Bridges Library System and county library annual report and said, “In 2024, the 9 public libraries in Jefferson County circulated 985,350 items, which is a a lovely, healthy, strong number.” Leppert told the board the libraries calculated the replacement-value savings figure annually to show the system’s community value and that the estimate for 2024 exceeded $19 million. She also described program and facility improvements across the county, including a world-language collection in Cambridge, teen theater in Lake Mills, a silent book club in Watertown, and memory cafés for people experiencing memory loss and their care partners.

Leppert also noted several service and space upgrades: Jefferson Public Library added a holds locker for 24/7 pickup; the Dwight Foster Public Library added accessible devices and large-print keyboards; Johnson Creek Public Library added an outdoor courtyard; and Whitewater began a renovation and expansion project on Sept. 9, 2024, with anticipated work continuing into 2025.

Why it matters

The circulation and program figures demonstrate sustained library use and a broad set of services — from GED and memory-support work to community programming — that public systems say deliver measurable economic and social value for county residents.

Sources: Annual report presentation by Manetta Leppert, Dwight Foster Public Library; Bridges Library System noted in meeting presentation.