King County Library System says Covington patrons drove 180,000 visits and millions of checkouts last year

David Wright, regional manager for the King County Library System, told the Covington City Council on Sept. 9 that library use in Covington remains high and that the system’s emphasis on programs and digital access has expanded reach across the city.

Wright said KCLS recorded 677,000 active cardholders systemwide in 2024 and 90,000 student and teacher e-cards automatically distributed through local school districts. He said the Covington branch recorded about 180,000 visits between June 2024 and July 2025, nearly 13,000 unique community members used a Covington library card at least once during the past year, and 2,300 people signed up for a library card in Covington for the first time over that period. “Curiosity isn’t quiet,” Wright said, summarizing the system’s new promotional campaign.

The presentation highlighted circulation numbers: 11.5 million physical checkouts and 10.9 million digital checkouts systemwide in 2024; Wright also reported that the Covington branch loaned roughly 360,000 physical items and 340,000 digital items in the past year. He told council that KCLS’s digital collection is among the top circulating collections nationally.

Wright reviewed local and system programs that generated the usage figures. He noted the summer reading program at Covington had 985 registrations as of July 16 and that 305 participants completed their reading goals. He described recurring and seasonal offerings planned for the fall — monthly STEM “Super Tuesday” events through December, a Page to Stage performance on Sept. 20, spooky-season matinees for teens in October, a canning demonstration in September, and an November program to help demystify AI tools such as ChatGPT.

Council members asked how the system promotes youth events to schools and whether the library accepts sponsorships for refreshments; Wright said KCLS librarians visit local schools, post event information on the system website and in-house flyers, and that the Friends of the Covington Library can handle sponsorships. He also said the removal of late fines has increased circulation and encouraged returns and that automatic renewals have been well received while honoring holds.

Wright answered questions about Sunday hours in Covington, saying the system is considering expanding Sunday service next year and that Covington is under consideration for that expansion. He said the system will share details about the October movie lineup and other program specifics once they are finalized.

Wright closed by saying the library will continue to support community learning and outreach, and council members thanked him for the report.