Ocean Shores Library reports heavy 2025 usage, expands programs and partnerships

Ocean Shores library staff reported high usage and a number of new and returning programs during the board's February meeting. The staff member presenting said the library recorded roughly 66,000 checkouts in the year and described July as “one of our busiest months,” with the library collection totaling about 21,000 items.

The presenter said the library logged an estimated 42,000 door visits for the year, about 1,200 meetings in its rooms attended by roughly 14,000 people, and ran 340 library programs that drew about 7,300 participants. Active library cards were cited at about 3,900, with roughly 6,500 inactive accounts on file. Staff emphasized these figures to illustrate steady community engagement and to justify ongoing program development.

Trustees heard about specific offerings planned for March and beyond: a teen “anti-Valentine” zone with a Godzilla screening; a meet-the-author series featuring local authors Brian Anderson, Diaz and Jerry Knack; a rose-pruning workshop with Master Gardeners; and two pickleball equipment sets, funded by the parks foundation, that the library will loan and demonstrate at the pavilion.

Staff also described new outreach and collection efforts: the library obtained DVDs of recent award-winning films when available, maintains two discover passes for loan, and will participate in the Washington State Towner Book Awards for children's nonfiction. The foundation purchased sets of the ten nominated books so the library and a local elementary school can host voting and classroom engagement.

Board members discussed the library’s strategic plan, agreed to keep the plan’s language general to avoid frequent edits, and asked staff to report back quarterly on implementation progress. The board will present the strategic plan to the Ocean Shores City Council on March 10 and deliver a trustees’ presentation on April 14.

In reports from library volunteers and supporters, the Friends of the Library raised $581 in January and reported 127 members. Becky, acting as the Ocean Shores Library Foundation liaison, described outreach to Seabrook to promote library use; trustees discussed payment options and concluded the existing nonresident fee structure would remain in place because Seabrook residents do not pay Ocean Shores property taxes.

The meeting closed after routine business; no formal policy changes or funding votes were taken at this session.