Looking Back, Forward Thinking – Our Annual Report
This is a great time of year at the library because we are gearing up for some exciting changes and have some pretty powerful information to share with you, our customers and community. The impressive numbers of 2014 tell the story of our place in the community. We welcomed almost one million visitors to the libraries last year, and over two million items were borrowed! The library is a place people turn to: they visit the branches, and they access the services online from home with their library cards. Online access is evidenced by the 54,000 e-books loaned, and the 90,883 songs downloaded from Freegal in 2014. The library is part of people’s lives, part of their homes.
We are proud of these numbers, and will of course continue to curate a collection of materials Spokane will enjoy. We are also looking forward to increasing our STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) and digital literacy programs in addition to our traditional offerings. Last year we hosted the Discover Earth exhibit and extended the reach of Tincan’s digital literacy training by deploying additional classes throughout the library system. We also reframed our mission statement last year to more accurately match what the community wants from the library:
A variety of quality educational opportunities only serves to better our whole community. The educational work we do at the library is geared to making Spokane the best place it can be by giving citizens as many opportunities as possible.
Besides storytimes for our youngest customers, and our online coursework offerings like GaleCourses and Microsoft IT Academy, we offer hundreds of workshops every year in all kinds of subjects. For those who like to independently guide their learning, the library is the place they turn.
In 2014 we made turning to the library far easier by increasing hours at the East Side, Hillyard and Indian Trail libraries. This was done with funds provided by a library-specific levy, approved by Spokane’s voters in February 2013. The results of those additional open hours have been amazing. (See box)
The library is a department of the City of Spokane. The majority of our budget comes from the city’s general fund. We also receive revenue from fines, fees and contributions, though that revenue is a small percentage of our overall budget. The four-year levy that was passed is also a part of our budget, and it is that funding that has allowed us to expand open hours.
We’re proud to be an active part of the City of Spokane. When Mayor Condon recently presented his annual report, The State of the City, the libraries were prominently included. The story of our city and how libraries are part of that story is important. You can see the Mayor’s message online here or hear from the Mayor directly at these upcoming presentations at the libraries:
Wednesday, March 18 at 6:00 PM – South Hill Library
Wednesday, March 25 at 6:00 PM – Indian Trail Library
Tuesday, March 31 at 6:00 PM – Hillyard Library
Wednesday, April 1 at 6:00 PM – Shadle Library
We hope you’ll join us so you can learn more about how the library can help you, and how the library fits into Vision 2020: Safer, Stronger, Smarter – making Spokane the city of choice. Regardless of how you use the library we’re here for you, in person and online!
