Castlegar area residents borrowed more than 92,000 items from the Castlegar and District Public Library during 2021, according to the library’s annual report released at this week’s annual general meeting.
There were more than 71,500 physical visits to the library last year, which is 18,000 more than 2020. The library added 403 new cardholders to its roster and saw 1,757 people attend special programs.
“As COVID continued to put limits on in-person programs at the library, our staff offered online and outdoor story time, making good use of the library amphitheatre in all kinds of weather,” said library director Kimberley Partanen in her report.
Partanen pointed to a number of successes during the year including children’s programming and a hybrid online/outdoor summer reading program. Librarians prepared 3335 grab-and-go craft kits for families during the year.
Digital resources continue to be popular at the library with almost 20,000 eBook and audiobooks and 2500 digital magazines checked out. The library’s public-use computers were used 2,845 times.
The library benefited from a one-time provincial technology grant purchasing 18 lendable educational tablets and a new self-checkout system.
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betsy.kline@castlegarnews.com
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