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Library director reports year three of levy: 800,000 visitors, expanded programs and digital services
Summary
Library Services Director Angela Ocana briefed the Eugene City Council on year three of the local library option levy, reporting increased visits, program expansion, digital-equity work and operational changes including leaving the Hoopla digital platform over content concerns.
Angela Ocana, Eugene's library services director, presented an overview of year three of the local library option levy (covering July 2023'July 2024) at the City Council work session July 16, reporting increased usage, expanded programs and several policy and digital-service updates.
Ocana said the levy was renewed in 2020 with 76% voter approval and described the library's priorities as hours and access, programs and services, and materials and technology. She reported the system saw "over 800,000 visitors" during the year, operating 160 hours each week across three locations.
The director highlighted targeted services at branch locations: Sheldon focuses on older adults and adults with developmental disabilities; Bethel emphasizes early literacy and Spanish-language outreach; and downtown youth services concentrates on reading proficiency and youth confidence. Ocana also described expanded programs such as increased weekly story times, a philosophy circle, outreach to the Lane County Mission and the return of drop-in tech help to address the digital divide.
Councilors asked about program specifics and operations. Councilor Zelenka noted additional metrics, saying the library had "2,800,000 circulation" and a collection of "1,800,000 items," with "1,400,000" digital and "436,000" physical items; Ocana confirmed the library has been seeing steady gains and emphasized the shift toward digital content and diversified services.
Ocana described new and continuing initiatives: the Bibliomatico book vending machine (a partnership with the Lane County African American Black Student Success program) dispenses inclusive books via tokens given to community partners so youth may keep the books; a "library of things" allows checkout of maker items and community-use equipment; and the library added a free monthly notary service at the downtown branch and Spanish early-literacy programming at Bethel.
Ocana also addressed national- and platform-level issues that affect local collections. She told councilors the library ended its relationship with the Hoopla digital platform, citing concerns that "Hoopla's inability to, take out works that we would consider fiction that are shelved as nonfiction, so anti Semitic works, as well as their inability to control artificially created books that then end up on their platform," and said those concerns informed the decision. She said national conversations at the Oregon Library Association conference included federal court decisions about whether libraries constitute government speech and the emergence of AI-authored materials; the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) funding and Dolly Parton's Imagination Library were also discussed in the broader funding context.
Councilors praised the library service and asked about operational impacts. In response to a question about ordinances limiting unauthorized camping near the downtown library, Ocana described that council action as "essential" and said it improved how the library operates, while also emphasizing that long-term downtown vitality (housing, development, partnerships) contributes to a safer, more accessible library.
No formal council action was taken during the work session on levy policy; Ocana noted the library will engage in upcoming levy renewal work for 2026 and encouraged council follow-up and partnership outreach.
