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Carson City Library trustees review usage snapshot: audiobooks and digital collections rising; workforce development hiring discussed
Summary
Board members reviewed a usage snapshot showing higher OverDrive (ebooks/audiobooks) use, discussed purchasing strategy and costs for audiobooks, patron-count methodology and outreach, and heard an update on staffing and workforce-development hiring tied to a GOED grant.
The Carson City Library Board of Trustees reviewed a usage snapshot and packet at its Dec. 11 meeting, hearing from Library Director Joy about rising use of digital collections, outreach activity and staffing needs.
Joy told trustees that OverDrive (the library’s ebooks and audiobooks platform) showed increased usage in fiscal year 2025 and that the library is investing more in the digital collection to meet patron demand. "We're making a good decision there," Joy said of devoting Friends and grant funds to digital collection development. She noted audiobooks are particularly popular and often more expensive to license — sometimes costing $60–$100 per title — and said some digital audiobook licenses are metered for time or number of checkouts, constraints outside the library’s control.
Trustees pressed for clarity on the packet’s figures. Joy confirmed the numbers presented were for Carson City only, not consortium totals. Board members asked whether higher audiobook checkouts were driven by buying more copies; Joy said purchasing decisions are guided by holds, user requests and demand but that consortium lending and initial heavy holds on new releases can still create wait times. Trustees also asked for clearer breakout tables showing print vs. digital checkouts; Joy agreed to provide more explicit breakdowns in future reports.
The board discussed patron-count methodology. Joy explained the library periodically purges inactive patron records (accounts unused for five or more years) to keep numbers representative of active users; a purged patron who later re-registers is counted as a new patron. The director also said winter-reading signups stood at 250, with program minutes read exceeding 39,000.
Trustees reviewed programming and outreach data. Joy defined "active" programs (staff- or facilitator-led) and "passive" programs (materials or spaces provided without continuous staff facilitation), and listed outreach partners including city parks and rec, schools, the farmers market and radio stations. Trustees requested a written list of outreach partners and clearer figures for school outreach to help inform the board’s five-year planning.
On staffing, Joy said the library is nearly fully staffed but still recruiting for an unclassified workforce-development coordinator position; she described hiring challenges and noted cross-training with the GOED grant project manager, who currently performs statewide project duties. Joy said the board’s grant and staffing decisions aim to fill local gaps in access to workforce development services and that the library will continue outreach to Spanish-speaking communities as part of strategic-plan engagement.
Joy also reported that a new senior library assistant, Bill McAlpin, will start tomorrow and announced two community workshops on the strategic plan (first to be held Jan. 7). Trustees asked for a fuller report on vendor transition (Ingram replacing Baker & Taylor) and suggested waiting about 90 days for a more complete assessment.
The board did not take action on these items; Joy committed to more detailed breakdowns and follow-up materials at future meetings.
