The pandemic’s continued challenges couldn’t keep the Moose Jaw Public Library down in 2021, as it used those experiences to meet the community’s various needs, its board chair says.
“2021 was simultaneously a year of change and a return to normalcy. With guidelines and restrictions constantly changing, staff had to adapt frequently in order to serve the community while also keeping patrons and each other safe,” Sarah Simison said during the April 11 regular council meeting while providing the library’s annual report.
Early in the year, staff continued with work from 2020, including providing curbside pick-up and allowing limited in-person browsing, she continued. The library continued to re-open in the spring as COVID-19 cases fell, while it allowed patrons to browse the stacks in June and provided vulnerable people with a place to cool off in the summer.
“We had heard several comments from patrons about how much they missed being able to find books for themselves,” Simison remarked.
A year in review
With the library re-opening to the public, staff answered 21,421 questions last year, compared to 15,837 in-person questions in 2020 and 25,427 inquiries in 2019, Simison said.
There were 56 kids’ programs throughout the summer, which attracted 4,561 attendees. Moreover, 51 story-time gatherings attracted 1,009 attendees.
Meanwhile, the library held 98 adult programs during the summer, with 1,007 people attending the events. Also, 66 youth-related programs attracted 271 youths.
Overall, there were 271 programs that the library hosted in 2021 that attracted 6,848 people.
In comparison, the library hosted 255 programs in 2020 and attracted 3,783 people, while in 2019, those numbers were 541 and 8,873, respectively.
There were 14,946 active cardholders in 2021, compared to 14,350 active cardholders in 2020 and 14,756 active cardholders in 2019, said Simison. Meanwhile, 64,320 people walked through the library doors last year, an average of 24 people every hour.
The total number of digital and physical materials the library circulated last year was 260,886, compared to 187,155 physical and digital materials during 2020.
Accomplishments
The library accomplished several notable things last year, she continued, such as:
- Holding a first Movie Club Monday gathering that attracted 19 people
- Working with the crystal meth strategy committee to offer three programs during National Addiction Awareness Week in November
- Providing materials to four care homes, with over 35 residents attending programming each month
- Distributing over 80 “Take ‘n’ Make” kits per month to Moose Jaw Family Services, while more than 100 such kits were made per month for young readers
- Responding to users’ needs by creating decodable phonics-based kits for kids who struggle with reading
- Reaching 734 kids through the summer reading club
- Helping less tech-savvy residents with their vaccine passport requirements
- Eliminating overdue fines so the library could serve everyone equally
“If anyone out there has been avoiding the library because you thought you had fines, feel free to come back and visit us because we’ve missed you,” Simison said.
Visitor counts reached 10,000 people in August after the library re-opened its stacks and allowed the use of computers, she added. Furthermore, digital circulation increased since patrons consistently used digital materials. Checkouts of e-books and audiobooks increased by 14 per cent over 2020 and 43 per cent in 2019.
Council understands the importance the library has played during the pandemic and its role in ensuring the social health and well-being of the community, said Coun. Crystal Froese. The number of active cardholders will likely jump now that overdue fines have been eliminated.
The fact almost 65,000 people passed through the library’s doors last year is also commendable, she pointed out.
“It goes to show how well used the library is and the quality of programming provided there,” Froese added. “I can see why people wanted to go back to borrowing books. It’s such a beautiful building to go sit and read.”
The next regular council meeting is Monday, April 25.
