The Estevan Public Library was a busy place once again in 2017, according to a report released at the March 12 meeting of Estevan city council.
According to a series of documents from the meeting, the library has 2,735 active patrons, which includes those who have used their library card at least once in the last two years. Estevan accounts for 14.6 per cent of the 1,785 active library patrons in the region.
A total of 556 new patrons registered last year.
Circulation numbers released to council showed a total of 41,201 items were checked out last year, which was down from the 44,008 items seen a year earlier, but it was still the third straight year in which circulation was above 40,000. The circulation had been beneath the 40,000 mark for the previous eight years.Â
Circulation totals not only include books, but the other materials that people can sign out from the library. Â
Much of the report was dedicated to the variety of free courses and programs the library offered last year, including cooking programs, social nights, crafts, do-it-yourself sessions and health and fitness classes.
A total of 808 programs and activities were offered last year, or more than 15 per week, and that number was up from 791 programs in 2016. Children’s programs accounted for almost half of the activities last year with 378, followed by adult programs (202), promotions (88), teen programs (84) and services (56).
Total program attendance was 4,526 people, which was the highest number in the last eight years. It’s also the first time the library has cleared 4,000 program participants this decade.
The average attendance was nearly seven per program, which was better than in 2016, but down from the previous years.
There were some unique programs last year as well. Young people participated in aerial balloon mapping with visiting artist Maria Michaels, who will use the photographs gathered to create a photographic map of Estevan.
The library also hosted a visit from the Saskatchewan Science Centre late in the summer.
The annual ScreamFest was held at the library in late October as part of its Halloween celebrations. Nearly 40 teens were involved with the setup and execution of the haunt at the library, and it attracted large crowds each night.
