Memberships on rise

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Here at Airdrie Public Library (APL), numbers play an important role.

Each year, we produce a report for the public, which lays out such statistics as memberships, annual visits, program attendance and so on.

This gives the community a chance to see our substantial growth trends over the years, indicating what the future will probably bring.

Our recent Report to the Community 2011 has just such numbers to ponder.

For instance, even though in 2010 and 2011 we deleted from our system library cards, which had not been used in two years – 4,605 of them – the number of cardholders went up from 16,227 in 2010 to 16,376 in 2011. (And that’s up from 7,363 five years previously in 2007.)

When it comes to program attendance, 22,917 people attended, up from 21,598 in 2010 and 9,045 in 2007. Annual visits? In 2011, 143,318 people came through our doors, up from 131,206 in 2010 and 64,867 in 2007. As for circulation, the numbers have been increasing on a steady basis: from 141,758 in 2007 to 301,766 in 2010 and 355,355 in 2011.

The report also provides information on our income and expenses, so the public can see how APL is funded, as well as where our money goes. The overview of the library includes fun facts, such as:

• Our preschool literacy programs logged 10,131 child/caregiver visits, while our summer Reading Program tallied 2,371 child visits over the course of the seven-week program.

• Information services staff served 4,399 community members, answered on average 112 questions per day and assisted with computer logins 70 times per day

• On average, circulation staff checked out 996 items per day.

• Visitors accessed our website 77,222 times.

We are excited to be able to share such information with the public on a regular basis. We have copies of the report available in the library and online at www.airdriepubliclibrary.ca