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Data show mall pop‑up lifted checkouts 41% and Spanish circulation rose about 60% at Escondido library
Summary
A library presentation compared two 120‑day periods before and after the temporary mall move and found a 41% increase in physical checkouts (about 6,600 more), a roughly 14% rise in unique borrowers and a 60% jump in Spanish‑language checkouts, with children’s and teen materials showing the biggest gains.
The library’s data presentation on Thursday showed measurable changes in patron behavior after the temporary move to a mall location: physical checkouts rose 41%, unique borrowers rose about 14% and Spanish‑language circulation increased substantially, Reno, the library director, told trustees.
Reno said the analysis compared two 120‑day periods—Nov. 1, 2024–March 1, 2025, and June 1–Sept. 29, 2025—and focused only on physical first‑time checkouts in the building (auto renewals and online renewals were excluded). "Checkouts during these two periods increased by 41%. That's an additional 6,600 checkouts," Reno said. He added that approximately 95% of patrons who used the downtown main library before the move continued to use the mall location and that returning borrowers checked out more items per visit (an increase Reno reported from roughly 7.5 to about 10 items per visit).
Reno highlighted collection trends: the largest gains were in children's materials and teen collections, adult fiction and nonfiction rose modestly, and Spanish‑language checkouts rose by about 60%. He said Spanish materials had historically underperformed relative to the community’s needs and attributed part of the gain to better visibility and deliberate budgeting and shelving choices to make Spanish items easier to find.
Trustees asked whether the increase could be driven by online registrations or auto‑renewals; Reno said the report’s primary comparisons were physical, in‑person library card registrations and that some dashboards include online 'pack reg' cards that will require further breakdown for a fuller explanation. He recommended follow‑up analysis and outreach (surveys and targeted reengagement campaigns using marketing tools such as Orange Boy and Messagebee) to better understand motivations and retention.
What’s next: staff said they will refine the data, produce more detailed breakdowns of online vs. in‑person registrations and consider follow‑up surveys to learn why patrons borrowed more at the mall. The trustees praised the findings and urged staff to keep using the results to guide collection and outreach strategies.
