Library is starting point for hitting the road to success

In the words of W.E. B. Dubois, “It is today that we fit ourselves for the greater usefulness of tomorrow.”
This is always a goal of ours, to help people find access to what they need to become successful.
Library usage statistics from last year show that during times of economic downturn such as we are experiencing – public libraries become more important than ever.
Libraries are one of the places where economic recovery can begin as the unemployed seek our assistance with resumes, job searches, job applications, work skill improvement, and access to information they need to improve their lives and those of their families. Libraries are the one-place families can get resources they need, irrespective of their financial standing. Our new Mother Goose on the Loose Thursday morning program for babies birth to age three is just one of the ways we help families get their children off to a healthy start. Here are some highlights from our last fiscal year, which ended June 30.

Attendance
Our yearly attendance topped 79,313. June was our busiest month with 7,906 library visits. Sixty-nine percent of our county residents are registered library users. More than 78,700 books were checked our last year. Throughout the whole Marion County Library System, an average of 275 people a day use library facilities.

Children
More than 478 kids got library cards last year and started out on their lifelong learning adventure. A total of 9,366 children and teens participated in library programming events during the year. Be Creative at Your Library was filled with very popular summer reading activities.

Public Access – Internet and Electronic Resources 24/7
In addition to providing Internet access, our public network of computers provides our residents access to electronic resources 24 hours a day, seven days a week. More than 36,965 computer sessions were logged last year, nine percent more than the year before. Our users have access to 38 licensed databases of full-text reference books, periodicals, and newspapers and information on all subject areas, including the most heavily used ones -- health, science, business, investments, current events, and popular culture. So from home or business locations, through our web site at www.marioncountylibrary.org and the library is just a few keystrokes away. For the 40% of our population who does not have access to a computer at home or work, the library is where they can come and connect to everything they need.

New Library Website
We launched our new website this past March and in just four months, we had 6,135 hits. From this new website – all the resources of the library, plus pictures and videos of library events, news columns, library brochures, historic photos and maps, and much more are just a click away. The pages change every day, so check back often!

Adults
More than 148 adults benefited from the library-provided programming. We work hard to reach families through our family literacy programming efforts for pre-school and school-age children. We enrich the lives of young people either in the library or through outreach programs. Parents and grandparents are encouraged to use the library with their children and to make lifelong learning a family habit.

Bookmobile
For those living away from population centers, the bookmobile serves as their doorstep access to library resources. Over 3,223 bookmobile visits were counted last year. Some of our elderly shut-ins read as many as 25 books a week. The bookmobile staff provides important social contact and their visit is an important event.

Interlibrary Loan
Interlibrary loan is a popular service – if we don’t have what you are looking for, we can get it for you from another library. Our patrons have access to all the resources of our Marion County Library system – more than 90,197 volumes, as well as all the resources of our Palmetto Library Consortium comprising the public libraries of Chester, Darlington, Dillon, Georgetown, Marion, Marlboro and Sumter counties. We borrowed more than 1,215 items for our patrons through interlibrary loan, and loaned out more than 742 to other libraries.
Audio
One-Click Audio is a new service that the library is bringing it to our customers through a subscription with Recorded Books, the audio book publisher that our listening patrons have always known and loved. The beauty of eAudiobooks is that now our library cardholders have anytime, anywhere access to hundreds of titles including popular fiction, self-help, inspirational, and mystery, as well as children’s and young adult categories. Another marvelous feature of the One-Click service is that an unlimited number of our patrons can check out the same title at the same time; no more waiting for those audio bestsellers by Jodi Picoult, Stephen King, or John Sandford. Users can check out up to ten eAudiobooks at a time, and they are automatically returned to the library at the end of the three-week checkout period which means no overdue fines ever on an eAudiobook. Look for the Online Resources tab on our website and click on eAudiobooks in the drop-down.
Moving Forward
No matter how difficult the economy is, no matter how few are the resources you have, the public library is the one place that connects us all – old and young, rich and poor – to the world around us . . . for free. We continue to grow and we invite you to come grow with us.

To find out how you can be a part of the library’s Capital Campaign to enhance all of our library facilities, call the library at 423-8300, ask a library staff person, or
Go to our website www.marioncountylibrary.org and click the
Expansion Project tab.