On November 4th, I spoke in front of the City Council, to give them all the facts and figures of the big changes our library has gone through recently. I wanted them to know how wonderful the Princeton Community Library has become, what the public reaction has been, and all the changes we've got in store for the immediate future. And I really think you all should know what I told them, because the numbers are really quite amazing.
Since I started working here, we've grown at a phenomenal rate. Membership has DOUBLED (from 504 patrons in Jan to 1006 in October). The new patrons who've joined in the last nine months is equal to the total card holders for the previous 8 years - so we've done 8 years worth of growth in just 9 months!!! We've got new card holders EVERY WEEK, and the frequency of new members per month has increased each month. And the majority of newcomers found us on the web. (This last fact is important, as you'll see below.)
In the same time period, Daily Use has TRIPLED. In January, there were an average of 10 people using the library a day. In October, the average changed significantly to 30 people per day. Some days we get over 60 people in here. And the type of use has changed - there's been an increase in check-out verses computer use (used to be most people came in to use the computer, and not much was getting checked out) - use of the computers is much more serious now (job searches, maps, house-hunting, medical, business, etc) instead of just checking emails or using myspace - and there's been a definite increase in printing and faxing (even though it costs money!). From all accounts (patrons, volunteers, past workers) there use to be a huge increase of visits in the summertime when school let out, but the rest of the year it was extremely slow; well, not this year: we are busy in the daytime now, as well as after school lets out. We've even had patron requests for later hours and additional days.
Our Monthly Circulation has increased by 500% (from 273 in Jan, to 1556 in Oct!). Our yearly total has tripled from last year and the year's not over yet. Book check-out has increased: before it was 1 person in every 12 who visited the library that actually checked out some books, but now it's 1 person in 3. In Juvenile check-out, it gone from 1 in 24 kids who check out a book, to 1 in 5. And we've had an increase in patron responsibility, with decreases in theft, damage and loss. People really like our library - like our selection - and want to keep coming back and want to see what we'll get in next, so they're not doing anything to jeopardize their membership.
Now, there are several reasons why we've had so many more people joining up and coming in on a daily basis. First and foremost is this year's collection enhancement. When I started in January, there were about 50 DVD's and 200 VHS in very poor condition (scratched, pitted, dirty and broken cases, and some that didn't even play), whereas now we have over 700 DVD's (and counting) and 400 VHS all in good condition. We now have current movies from 2008, and foreign movies, and independent films, and classics, and movies that patrons have requested. People were just not checking out our movies because no one wanted to watch the ones we had. I went to Half-Price books, on my time off, and spent hours and hours without getting paid, searching for good and new DVD's to get patrons excited about checking-out movies at our library; and I did it using the same exact budget that had been used before.
And the books were in just as sorry a state. According to quite a number of patrons, requests for books were ignored. That was the first thing to change. Also, some of the books that we did have were so old that when you took them off the shelf, the pages fell out. Or the covers were torn. Or stained. Or the pages were unreadable. And sometimes the book was in great condition, but it was book # 7 in a series of 15, and we didn't have any of the other books in that series at all. Not many people wanted to check-out books, and some gave up looking after finding books in such poor condition. Our book charisma was very low. ;) I went through and repaired what I could, cleaned where possible, and started buying replacements for the most popular titles. I also started trying to find the books that patrons were asking for - and asked patrons if there were any books they would like me to get - and got books that Oprah talked about, and books that were extremely popular in Allen, McKinney, and Plano, and books on display at Barnes and Noble, and books that I knew we needed (from years of reading and discussing books with friends and going to college to study all about them).
So, our Patron Request Program has been a great success. Out of 387 requests, I've acquired 364 books, and they've been checked-out 2823 times. Getting books that patrons have specifically asked for actually makes them excited to come back, and tell other people about the library, and makes them feel heard and part of something that gives to the community. People have remarked that they think of coming here first when they hear about a book that sounds interesting, and they feel confident that they will have a good experience at our library, and that they'll now come here instead of going all the way to Mckinney (it may be bigger, but it's not better).
Another way I thought might get people excited about reading is our Book-to-Movie Program. We already had people checking out our movies faster than I could put them back, and since a lot of movies that come out of Hollywood are based on books, I decided to point out the books behind the movies. We actually had a few of the books already, and I worked hard to find all the rest - so now we have over 124 books that match with our movies, and they've been checked-out 1027 times. Folks have been curious to see if there's more to the story (there always is) and have remarked that the book is better than the movie (it usually is) and have started talking to each other about the books, suggesting titles to fellow patrons, and sending other members of the family in to read the books as well. If you don't already know, the DVD's on our website are marked with stars if we have the book, and there's also a list of titles on the wall next to the DVD kiosk, or just ask me. :)
Along this same vein, I've also taken a more active roll in getting to know what people like and keeping track of it all in my head in order to make suggestions for their next visit. I notice what books they pick for themselves, inquire if they enjoyed them, tell them about new books we're getting in by the same author, ask them if there was anything they couldn't find or were wondering about, and let them know that this is their library and that I am very passionate about it being full of the things that they like (only makes sense, right?). I pass along suggestions from one patron to another, and keep track of what books we have (and where they're located), as well as already having quite an extensive list of books in my head and in the heads of all my friends, and constantly adding to it by doing research in multiple venues, basically spending quite a lot of brain power thinking and talking about books in order to make this library better.
Along with all this revamping of the collection, we've also had that very nice face lift in June thanks to the Tocker Grant we received and our building being remodeled. The new comfy seats and privacy-giving cubicles, as well as the more modern/matching/beautiful/professional aspects of the books shelves and furniture (see previous blogs), has not only helped to make a great first impression, but had a hand in people coming back. But good looks only go so far - especially when your goal is to get people excited about checking-out our materials.
Aside from the state of things within the library itself, the other problem that needed addressing when I got here, was that most people didn't even know that Princeton had a library! It is theee most common thing that folks will say to me when they step inside their very first time. I made flyers and handed them out to anyone who came in and had a laundry at their apartment complex. I gave flyers to a patron who delivers pizza. I drove around (on 2 separate occasions - again unpaid) and not only hung up flyers, but spoke personally with the employees about us (like: free internet and faxing, free computer and job search help, free movies and books, and the only place in town that has a copy machine or fax for public use) and where we were, at the VF Hall, churches, gas stations, stores, and restaurants; I wanted everyone in town to be able to tell people all about the Princeton Community Library.
Then one of the patrons told me how there were people online trashing Princeton to prospective new residents, saying we were such a dysfunctional town we didn't even have a public library; I set them straight. And that's when I noticed that if you did a google search for our library, the ISD's website came up instead, and there was no mention of us whatsoever on their site. People nowadays search online for things before they'll even get in their cars to go look - and with gas prices so high I don't blame them - so how were they ever going to find us if even google didn't think we existed? So I gave us a website, for free, and took pictures to make it look interesting, loaded up all of our movie titles & a sampling of our books so people could get an idea of what we had, explained how to get a library card in detail, and wrote complicated and precise directions on how to find us since the outside of our building looks nothing like a library. And then I wrote us a blurb on Wikipedia with a link to our website, and started this blog with links to our website, and put us on flickr, and google, and librarywebcats, and anywhere else we could post a link to our website for free, so that after a month of hard work we finally became the first listing on google when someone does a search.
In addition, I told the City Council that the library's website gets over an average of 500 hits per day, and over 64% of our new patrons have found us this way (and been convinced to come visit because of it). So it's definitely been a success at raising our online presence. But the website functions as much more than a PR vehicle. New patrons can sit down at the computer to get a "virtual tour" and figure out just where everything is located, and current patrons use it to see a full list of our DVD's by rating & list of our most recent acquisitions. Plus, it's a much quicker "catalog" than the one we currently have.
Speaking of which, with all the new business I can hardly keep up, so to help everything go a little faster we're applying for another grant from the Tocker Foundation to get us automated. It will put our entire catalog online, as well as automate check-out and our patron information. New cards will be processed faster, and I can pull up patron records with the touch of a button, as opposed to the 20 minutes per person it takes now. You'll also be able to look up books from home, and call and reserve them for when you can get here. We're definitely growing, and catching up with all the modern conveniences. There's no reason whatsoever that anyone can cite the library as proof that Princeton is not someplace you'd enjoy making your home.
