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Pleasant Hill librarian reports major circulation gains after remodel
Summary
Daphne Metpath, library media coordinator, told the Pleasant Hill School District board that a summer remodel and genre-based re-shelving have coincided with large increases in student borrowing: department data presented showed a 33% year-over-year rise, and month-to-month gains of 62% (January) and 108% (February).
Daphne Metpath, the library media coordinator for Pleasant Hill School District's middle and high schools, told the board the remodeled library and a volunteer-led re-shelving project have driven substantially higher student use.
"We had to pack up 1,000 books in boxes, and I personally re-sorted just shy of 3,000 fiction books by genre," Metpath said. She credited the change from author-order shelving to genre-based organization for making it easier for students to find books and for a marked rise in circulation.
Metpath presented the district's circulation numbers: a 33% increase comparing last December to this past December, a 62% rise in January, and a 108% increase in February, which she characterized as "more than double" the previous year. She said the most popular categories were graphic novels and fantasy.
The librarian said the district's Education Foundation paid for new book displays and updated nonfiction health titles; Metpath noted the previous health books were "20-plus years old." She also credited the district's cell-phone policy, implemented Jan. 6, with increased face-to-face interaction and higher library attendance.
Metpath outlined programming changes that accompanied the remodel, including monthly themed interactive activities (for example, "March Mammal Madness" and a blind-date-with-a-book feature) and noted typical daily attendance (about 15 before school; middle school lunch 20'0; high school 15'0) with peak days reaching 55 middle school students and about 35 high school students.
She said she received a scholarship to attend a regional library association conference in April and thanked the Education Foundation and district staff for support. "Libraries are thriving and the renovations had a very positive impact on the students," Metpath told the board.
Board members asked brief follow-up questions about applying for conference scholarships and were directed to the district contact Metpath named during her remarks. The board did not take formal action on the presentation.
