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Guthrie library reports strong summer program attendance and higher reading-completion rates
Summary
Library staff told the board that summer programming drew high attendance across age groups, hotspot donations increased digital access, and the library’s summer reading completion rate rose to 51% from 23% last year.
GUTHRIE, Okla. — The Guthrie Public Library reported strong attendance for summer programs and a marked increase in summer-reading completion during a routine Library Board meeting.
Library Director said the library hosted a busy slate of events this summer, including a Chamber Coffee, weekly scavenger hunts, field trips, a ceramics event funded by the regional library, a youth Lego derby, tabletop-gaming sessions and expanded story times at Mineral Wells Park. "It was really great seeing the library full of people that weren't screaming children at story time," the director said.
The uptick in programs translated into measurable gains. The director said the library’s summer-reading completion rate rose to 51% this year from 23% last year, and that the average minutes logged per participant increased to about 513 minutes from roughly 437 minutes the previous year. Teens were the most likely to finish the program, with a reported 60% completion rate; adults completed at about 48.75%.
Staff and trustees credited several factors for the increases: moving story time to a larger park, collaborations with organizations that provided supplies and presenters, and a donation of internet hotspots that boosted digital access. The director said the library received a large donation of hotspots and has cataloged additional devices; that change will appear in upcoming monthly reports.
Board members and the director also discussed collection and interlibrary-loan issues: some items do not appear in regional catalog searches because of a software limitation, and staff sometimes fill requests by purchasing items directly or shipping via interlibrary loan. The director noted the library’s percent-on-shelf rate for children’s materials is lower than other parts of the collection because those items circulate very quickly.
The director highlighted volunteer and partner contributions, especially from the Friends of the Library, and encouraged community members to join the Friends or volunteer for programs. She said some programs drew consistent weekly attendance and others—like ceramics and certain teen events—ranked among the busiest activities of the year.
Looking ahead, staff will include the newly cataloged hotspots and other donated resources in next month’s statistics and continue outreach to expand attendance for day-time and after-school programs.
