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FY2012: A year of library service.
(All statistics are from July 1, 2011 to June 31, 2012, unless otherwise indicated.)
Visits
This past fiscal year, libraries in Mecklenburg County were visited by individuals over 3 million times.
The Library’s web sites were visited more than 32 million times.
Reference questions
Library staff helped people by answering nearly 2 million reference questions.
(1,984,626 were answered in person and by phone, 2,779 though NCKnows and 2,488 through Ask-A-Librarian).
Programs
The Library encouraged the love of reading and learning by offering 743 unique programs, delivered 8,677 times, reaching 440,385 attendees.
Borrowing
The Library lent 5,535,780 items.
Digital downloads
This past year, the number of digital downloads increased by 82%, thanks in large part to the popularity of digital devices like e-readers. 108,583 digital items were downloaded this past year.
Self-service checkouts
Most checkouts are now self-service. 74% of items borrowed were checked out using the Library’s self-service checkout option, which allows staff to spend more time with customers who need personal assistance.
Computer use
The library continues to be the county’s largest provider of free computer access, with 868,028 uses of computers in Libraries, and 193,698 uses of wireless internet access.
Volunteers
Volunteers make an important difference, now more than ever! This past year, 1,029 volunteers contributed 59,290 hours of service in libraries.
Teen Summer Volunteers
From June 12 – August 10, 2012, 196 Teen Summer Volunteers contributed a total of 6,698 hours of service in libraries. When surveyed at the end of their volunteer experience, 82% of teens stated that they were very likely to apply to volunteer with the library again next summer. Teens also often noted how volunteering at the library helped them develop or improve the following skills, which are directly related to success in the workplace: organization, teamwork, time management and customer service.
Library members
We welcome new faces every day. 40,109 people became new library cardholders this past year. 245,947 people are active library users, meaning they have used their library card within the past two years.
Teachers and students
Educators and students are using libraries. 1,152 teachers checked out materials to utilize in their classrooms in the past year. 5,253 students used the library’s online homework help resource Tutor.com.
Job help
People turn to libraries when searching for new jobs. 4,077 people used the resources of the Job Help Center at Main Library, which offers career counseling resources, resume assistance, practice interview sessions, and help filing online applications.
Customer Satisfaction
In our annual customer satisfaction survey, 97% of customers agreed to statements about quality, timeliness, communication, courtesy, respect and safety.
Summer reading: building on school-year success
Libraries encourage kids to keep reading during the summer break, when they’re most at risk of losing academic gains made throughout the school year.
- 13.8 MILLION TOTAL MINUTES OF READING!
22,167 individuals signed up for the Library’s 2012 Summer Reading program -- a 26% increase over last year! Participants documented more than 230,318 hours read; that`s over 13.8 million minutes of reading!
- 20 MINUTES OF READING PER DAY
Adults, school-age children and teens who read, did so for an outstanding average of 20 minutes per day.
- SCHOOL-AGE READING
This year, 14,930 children and teens signed up for the Library’s Summer Reading program, documenting more than 152,427 hours read.
- ADULT READING
4,299 adults signed up for Summer Reading, as well, reading 73,914 hours. Adults who read serve as models of good reading habits for the young people in our community.
- YOUNG CHILDREN LEARNING TO READ
The Library also offered a program for pre-readers, called "Wee Read", which attracted nearly 3,000 participants. Wee Read encouraged parents to build early reading skills by reading daily to their little ones, an activity that is so beneficial in preparing young children for kindergarten and later academic success.
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Facilities
20 locations, including:
Main Library
ImaginOn, a library for youth
6 regional libraries
12 community libraries.
Staffing (as of June 20, 2012)
367 staff members (282 full time and 85 temporary)
Collection Size (as of July 19, 2012)
Physical collection: 1,112,481 items
Digital collection: 14,834 (ebooks, eAudio, and video)
Total: 1,127,315
Budget
See the Library Budget Information page.
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