Participation in library programs skyrockets

By Geoffrey Woehlk | February 5, 2025 |

SUBMITTED BY THE MARYVILLE PUBLIC LIBRARY
Maryville Public Library Building (copy)

MARYVILLE, Mo. — Attendance at Maryville Public Library programs went through the roof last year and library usage in general continues to go up, Library Director Stephanie Patterson reported last week.

MARYVILLE PUBLIC LIBRARY BY THE NUMBERS

FY 2024 Program Statistics:

18 learning programs held for adults on site
24 notary acts performed 38 events for youth held on site
62 literacy-focused programs held for children on site
74 free conference room rentals 80 books delivered to homebound adults
82 library outreach visits to local schools and daycares
473 new library cards issued
3,207 logins on public PCs and free wireless internet
3,444 current cardholders 4,047 total event attendance
7,280 prints, copies and faxes/scans made for the public
68,971 checkouts (28% electronic)

SOURCE: MARYVILLE PUBLIC LIBRARY ANNUAL REPORT

Patterson presented the library’s annual report to the Maryville City Council during its regular meeting last week.

Attendance at library programs and events was 4,047 for Fiscal Year 2024, which ran from October 2023 to the end of September 2024, according to the report. That’s up from 3,401 the year before, which was up by more than 800 over the year before that.

“Library use remains strong, it’s just more diversified than ever,” Patterson told the council.

Digital use has gone up nearer to its pandemic highs, Patterson said. But it’s the library’s programming and events that have continued to grow each year and bring in people of all ages from across the county.

MARYVILLE PUBLIC LIBRARY PROGRAM ATTENDANCE

FY 2022: 2,590

FY 2023: 3,401

FY 2024: 4,047

SOURCE: MARYVILLE PUBLIC LIBRARY ANNUAL REPORTS

For kids, the library held 62 storytime sessions on-site and 82 outreach sessions at local schools and daycares, in addition to learning sessions like stop-motion animation classes, Lego Club, the Children’s Business Fair and field trip visits from schools.

The Summer Reading Program was a particular focus for the library this year and it paid off with the most participants in the 10-year history of the program: 376 kids ages birth to 17 and 91 adults.

The library also held 18 adult learning opportunities during the year, expanding its programming for adults with events hosted by Nodaway County Economic Development and other local organizations.

For the current fiscal year, Patterson said the library is focused on raising money to restore or replicate original windows on the historic 1912 building, updating public spaces and protecting the building foundation, in addition to maintaining the high program participation rates.