By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Though far from scientific, the popularity of the Wood County District Public Library can be measured in its worn carpet and the long wait-list for Michelle Obama’s new book. And the support for the library can be seen in the library’s ability to buy new carpet and stock up on 10 more copies of Obama’s book, “Becoming.”
Wood County District Public Library Director Michael Penrod has more traditional methods for measuring the health of the library.
And lately, the vital signs are looking very healthy. For example, the library:
- Paid off its loan early for the renovations at its Walbridge branch.
- Created a new capital projects fund to ensure that unexpected repairs would not short the funding for new materials for library patrons.
- Spends more than most libraries on new materials.
- Charts continued high numbers of books and other materials being borrowed by patrons.
The rule of thumb is that when the economy is good, people buy their own books rather than borrow them from libraries, Penrod said.
But Wood County District Public Library has seen no drop-off in usage.
“In 2012, we hit a record level in terms of items borrowed by the community. We’ve been able to continue that,” Penrod said. “During the great recession, we were busier than ever.”
The library has been able to stave off threats of obsolescence. The internet and e-books have not rendered the facility antiquated.
“We can compete against Amazon,” Penrod said with a grin.
For example, last week when Penrod was notified by staff that there were 16 holds on Obama’s new book, he decided to not make patrons wait.
“We went ahead and bought 10 more,” he said.
While the library has to buy e-books, it is able to lease hard copies of books. So there have been times that the library has leased 40 to 50 copies of best sellers, then returned them when they are no longer in great demand.
Nationwide, libraries spend an average of 11.5 percent of their budgets on new material.
“Bowling Green deserves better than that,” Penrod said.
So the Wood County library spends close to 16.5 percent.
“We’re very proud we’re spending a lot of money on new material,” he said. “I say ‘thank you’ to the state. I say ‘thank you’ to our voters. I say ‘thank you’ to Schedel,” where the library holds an annual fundraiser.
Penrod looks for ways to save money elsewhere in the library, such as converting over to LED lighting. He admits to being cheap in some areas – but never when it comes to books.
“If I can find extra dollars, I want to buy more books,” he said.
The numbers tell the story of a well-used library. In 2017, borrowing of traditional books, e-books and audiobooks was strong, hitting a total of 643,915. That is a 45 percent increase since 2002.
That number can be broken down to:
- Bowling Green library, 469,778
- Walbridge library, 50,802
- Bookmobile, 29,342
- Wood County Jail Library, 19,599
- E-books, 74,394 (up 18 percent)
Also in 2017, the county library held 1,594 programs and events attended by 30,793 people – which is up 11 percent. There were:
- 279 adult programs with 4,368 attendees.
- 1,315 youth programs with 26,425 attendees – which is up 12 percent.
Other numbers from 2017 that tell the story of a well-read library include:
- 22,832 items added to the collections.
- 110,864 questions answered by the staff (up 7 percent).
- Foot traffic averaged 4,260 visitors per week.
- 26,287 cardholders (up 3 percent), not including 6,000 eCards distributed to Bowling Green, Lake and Northwood schools.
At its most recent meeting, the library board of directors agreed to pay off the $600,000 loan early for the Walbridge library renovations. In the long-run, that will save money for – you guessed it – books.
“It’s just nice to get that off the books,” Penrod said.
The board also agreed to create a capital projects fund for 2019.
“I don’t ever want the board to get into the position that for a few years they wouldn’t be able to buy books because we didn’t plan ahead,” he said.
The library will be spending about $85,000 to put new carpet in hallways and high traffic areas.
“If the carpet looks pristine, what are we doing wrong,” Penrod said. “We want this building to get worn out.”
