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Robert Trail Library reports rising visits and service cuts in annual update to council
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Summary
Robert Trail Library reported roughly 150,000 local visits in 2025 (up ~3%), increased circulation and 78,000 systemwide program attendees; county budget cuts mean suspension of the Hoopla digital service and winding down of Wi‑Fi hotspot checkouts in 2026.
Terry Rumpsters, branch manager of the Robert Trail Library, presented the library’s 2025 summary to the Rosemount City Council on Feb. 2, 2026.
Rumpsters told the council the branch saw nearly 150,000 visits last year, an increase of about 3% from the prior year, and noted a similar 3% rise in items checked out. He said Dakota County libraries reported roughly 78,000 attendees at library programs systemwide in 2025 but that the county does not break that figure down by individual branch.
Rumpsters described several 2026 service changes driven by county budget cuts: the Hoopla digital service (an ebooks/audio streaming provider) was suspended due to funding limits, and the library is winding down a Wi‑Fi hotspot checkout program that began during the pandemic; hotspots will remain available through February 2026 while the reduction is implemented. He also said the branch is managing small facility updates (roof work, new doors) and that a full county review of branch remodel priorities could happen in 2027–2028.
On staffing, Rumpsters said circulation supervisor Peter Aldahl resigned earlier in the year and was replaced by a new circulation supervisor, Megan, in December; library director Margaret Stone resigned last September and the deputy director, Jen Rickard Simpson, was promoted to director. Rumpsters highlighted signature programs such as the student art display, a "Meet the Author" series supported by RACC, a winter reads program and a summer discovery kickoff that drew more than 600 attendees in the previous year.
Rumpsters closed by thanking county staff, library administration and the Friends of the Robert Trail Library for their support and invited council questions; none were raised.
