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Pleasant Hill Library reports record visits, expanding programs and outreach
Summary
Library manager Patrick Reamer told the City Council the Pleasant Hill Library saw more than 310,000 visitors in 2025, a 16% rise in new library cards and 740 programs serving 64,000+ participants, while the city and volunteers helped the library weather vendor disruption after Baker & Taylor's bankruptcy.
Patrick Reamer, the library manager for Pleasant Hill Library, told the City Council on Tuesday that the library’s usage and programming continued to grow in 2025.
"We had 310,000 plus visitors," Reamer said in his annual presentation, citing a 16% increase in new library cards and a 4% rise in combined borrowing. He credited city operations staff, volunteers and the Friends of the Library for helping the facility accommodate high demand.
The presentation detailed program growth: 740 programs across all ages and more than 64,000 program participants in 2025, with story times the library's busiest days and steady participation in after-school enrichment and maker-space activities. Reamer described recent investments in makerspace equipment, including a 3D printer funded by the Friends and the Pleasant Hill Community Foundation.
Reamer also described a disruption to book supply chains last year after distributor Baker & Taylor filed for bankruptcy. "They imploded last year, and that left libraries all across the country starved for books," he said, adding that the library has shifted to new vendors and is still recovering.
Council members asked about efforts to increase youth library-card ownership. Reamer said the library pursues a multi-pronged outreach strategy, including second-grade visits, talks to sixth graders at Pleasant Hill Middle School, planned College Park visits, and an online educators’ landing page so teachers can request visits and classroom materials. He noted parental signature requirements and technical work to pilot e-cards as obstacles to automatic enrollment.
The presentation also thanked volunteers and the Friends of the Library, whose bookstores and activities—Reamer said—generated more than $140,000 in 2025 to support books, equipment and programming. Council members recalled earlier fundraising that paid for furniture and fixtures when the library was built.
The council did not take formal action on the update; Reamer concluded the presentation and answered council questions. The library and its partners plan a series of cultural and youth-focused events in 2026, including the Tinkers and Thinkers 10th anniversary and returning community favorites such as Free Comic Day and Lunar New Year programming.
