32 Facts & Figures from Darien Library’s Annual Report for 2015

What did Darien Library win awards for in the 2014-2015 fiscal year? How many books circulated? How many visits were made to the library? 

____________

See also:

• Darien Library Keeps Building on Success: Annual Meeting 5 PM Saturday
• Darien Library’s Annual Meeting Features Darien Author Kristen Hirsch
• More of Darienite.com’s coverage of Darien Library 

____________

The answers to these (and questions we’re sure you never thought to ask) are in this list of facts and figures about the library from its recently published annual report for 2015:

A night view of the fountain

1. There were 351,676 visits to the library.
2. Wireless service was accessed a total of  130,323 times.
3. Library users asked 123,692 questions of librarians.
4. Library computers were used 104,931 times by users.
5. Programs were attended 58,364 times.
6. Study rooms were reserved 6,136 times.
7. A total of 2,603 times, library users made use of a Bloomberg terminal
8. The “Media Lab/T|E|A Room” was used 955 times.
9. Users read a microfilm 199 times.
10. In the past year, according to a part of the annual report from Jen Dayton in the Collection Development office of the library, “[O]ur patrons borrowed 181,677 adult books, 104,203 DVDs and 16,207 eBooks/eAudiobooks. In particular, patrons embraced our new streeming service ‘Hoopla,’ downloading 2,049 movies and a total of 5,395 movies, music albums, TV episodes and audiobooks.”
11. Children at the library read or checked out 233,432 books in the last fiscal year. The most circulated titles: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul and Fancy Nancy and the fabulous Fashion Boutique.
12. A total of 3,862 young adult books circulated and 1,500 teens attended library events.
13. The library ordered and received 24,049 new items (including books, books on CD, DVDs and magazines).
14. Interlibrary loans involving Darien Library were up 10 percent, with 737 books borrowed from other libraries and 1,477 books loaned to other libraries around the country.
15. Employees in the Materials Management department reshelved 457,871 returned items and pulled 21,348 items to fulfill online requests from library patrons, a 10 percent increase from the previous year.
16. A total of 3,584 people asked for book advice and 540 patrons gave the library (at the request of librarians) their recommendations for library materials.
17. There are 130 reading groups registered with the library, which circulated 4,493 books to them.
18. The library had 552 “programs” (classes, single events and services) in the past year. A total of 1,041 patrons got their passports through the library on the days when that service was offered. Another 255 patrons filed taxes at the library, and 121 had a one-on-one consultation about their resume. A total of 840 people attended one of the technology classes.
19. Reference librarians helped with more than “7,000 in-depth questions this year,” according to Sally Ijams of the Knowledge & Learning Services desk. A total of 13,500 questions were asked, sometimes requesting help with computers, software and digital resources. Patrons used ancestry.com to do 21,600 individual searches.
20. Notary services increased 28 percent in the last year, with the library’s seven notaries on staff processing 1,529 documents.
21. October’s “Makers Day” program for kids at the library had 950 people in attendance.
22. Library lighting was converted to LED lights, reducing the amount of light replacing and energy costs.
23. “The first bi-polar ionic air purification system in a public building in New England was installed here in September. It removes harmful VOCs (volatile organic compounds) as well as particulate matter, odors and germs from the air,” said Lois Calka in the “Facilities & Materials Management” section of the annual report.
24. A glass enclosure was installed around the interior return conveyor, reducing noise.
25. Darien police provided librarians with a building security assessment “and followed up with presentations to all library staff on workplace safety and security,” Calka said.
26. “Twenty-four staff members were certified in CPR and use of the Automated External Defibrilator,” Calka said.
27. Meeting room use by community groups was up 33 percent over the previous fiscal year, increasing library room rental income by 37 percent.
28. The library switched to a new phone system.
29. In digital technology, the library upgraded networks and servers and completed replacements of laptop computers to more modern thin devices. “These new desktops are more reliable, easier to maintain, and are one hundred times more energy efficient than traditional desktop PCs,” wrote John Blyberg, who works in “Technology & User Experience” services at the library.
30. Five new LED panels were installed in the Main Street area on the first floor for signage displays. The library won an award from the Connecticut Library Association for its digital signage.
31. The library launched a new website, darienlibrary.tv to help people get access to the library’s video archive. A new online series of videos, edited by Manny Perez, presents day-to-day activities at the library, some of it behind the scenes that the public would normally see.
32. The library won an award from the Connecticut Library Association for the library’s Fairfield County Minecraft Server initiative at fcminecraft.org.