Improvements, economy boost SBC library use
Helped in part by a stalled economy and despite near-stagnant
residential growth in 2008, the San Benito County Free Library had
what can be called a banner year, adding 2,400 card holders and
increasing its circulation by 25 percent.
Improvements, economy boost SBC library use
Helped in part by a stalled economy and despite near-stagnant residential growth in 2008, the San Benito County Free Library had what can be called a banner year, adding 2,400 card holders and increasing its circulation by 25 percent.
“Historically when there’s an economic downturn, people turn to libraries,” said Nora Conte, who has been the county’s librarian for two years. “There’s not enough money for entertainment and some parents who don’t have the funds to hire a tutor for their children take advantage of our free homework club. Starting in 2006, we looked at what the community wants and how we can use our resources to maximize our impact.”
The library had 22,604 registered borrowers in fiscal year 2007-08, a jump attributed to outreach efforts in local schools.
While the amount of library staff remained the same, the number of materials circulated jumped by more than 25,000 and the number of visitors increased by 13 percent from the previous fiscal year.
Conte presented the information in her annual report to the county Board of Supervisors last month. The report paints a portrait of a vibrant community resource that over the course of a year expanded the number of virtual visitors to its Web site by nearly 8,000 and increased the number of programs it offers from 258 to 341.
“This is an 11,000-square-foot facility,” Conte said. “It’s really small considering there are 55,000 people in our county. We need to get out to those people. We’re really looking at how to find ways to get outside the walls of the library.”
Library staff and volunteers perform outreach activities to promote the services available at the Fifth Street library, from visiting schools to participating in parades.
“Gas has been so expensive there are individuals who have not come to the library because they don’t know what it has to offer,” Conte said. “It’s important to share with the community what we’re doing so we can respond to their needs.”
In the past two years, the number of computers at the library has nearly doubled – to 15 – and remote access to its resources has been enhanced by an upgraded Web site. Wireless Internet is also available in the facility.
“Computers in the library are free and our learning lab has a homework center,” Conte noted, adding that the library’s Web site also has tutorials available through www.tutor.com.
“If you don’t have what the public needs, then you’re not fulfilling your obligation,” she said. “We need to stay on top of the needs of the community.”
The library expects to have its bookmobile delivered by June, Conte said, which will allow outreach to rural areas as well as San Juan Bautista and Aromas.
The Friends of the Library group, which includes more than 160 members and sponsors who promote and help support library activities, helped raise money for the bookmobile. Others, such as the county Board of Supervisors, First 5 San Benito, local businesses, the City of Hollister and local foundations contributed to the $100,000 fundraising effort.
“It has become a real community affair,” Conte said. “It’s about collaboration and partnership. The community is really proud of its library.”
Conte encourages library patrons to offer their feedback, either face-to-face or through a comment box at the front of the building.
“They tell us what we need to do better or what they appreciate in the library,” she said. “All feedback is appreciated because you’ll only get better.”
The library has put a particular emphasis on outreach to young people, as evidenced by allowing children under age 5 to obtain a library card with their parents’ permission.
“We have children coming in; we have Gavilan College students coming in; we hold book talks at San Benito High School,” Conte said. “We’ve also enlarged our teen area with classic collections to support some of the reading assignments at the high school.”
At a recent community presentation, Conte said she and her staff card and book kids, but in a good way.
“We give them cards and we give them books,” she said.
The library’s vibrancy has created the need for more tutors and volunteers, according to Conte.
“Right now I have 14 people on a waiting list [for English language tutoring] and when our mobile library vehicle arrives, we’ll need library ambassadors to go to back-to-school nights and school open houses to help promote our programs,” she said. “It’s challenging, but it’s a joy. This community appreciates, values and supports its library.”
The Board of Supervisors’ investment in the library has shown “wisdom and leadership,” Conte said. “All of this investment is returning. It was a wise investment.”
Supervisor Jaime De La Cruz said he agrees that the county’s financial support is bearing fruit.
“I’m very excited that more members of the community are beginning to understand the value of the library – especially in today’s economic times,” he said, noting that library staff routinely “go above and beyond their job descriptions.”
“Not only do they take their jobs seriously,” De La Cruz noted, “they take their role in the community seriously.”
Conte said she is pleased with the progress the library has made during her tenure, though she is quick to credit her staff, volunteers and library patrons.
“We’re not where we should be but we’re not where we were before,” she said. “Someday, San Benito County will have a facility that meets its needs. It’s been two years of a lot of networking and marketing. The community has never ever disappointed any of us.”
