Now more than ever it is important for the library to be as accessible as possible to our community. We have strived to fulfill this responsibility while upholding the safety of our patrons and staff. We know that the library adds value to each dollar invested here. But how do we do that?
If you think of each item as an investment, then the value is multiplied each time a patron checks that item out.
Take the “Favorite Authors” Program for example. Joining the waitlist for your favorite author is easy. Just select your favorite authors, like John Grisham, Janet Evanovich, Nora Roberts, and more! Submit them at the front desk and the library will reserve new hardcovers by those authors and notify you when books are ready to be checked out.
Currently, the latest John Grisham hardcover (Fear No Evil) costs $14.50. Four patrons have checked it out since it became available this December and five more are on the waitlist. By using the library, the cost of that title has been divided by the 9 patrons, not including any other times that title is checked out in the future.
We at the library keep track of the value that we provide to our community with the services we provide and the materials we offer.
$238,900 is what the community would have paid if they had to buy books rather than borrow them.
$182,900 is what the community would have paid for in children’s books if they had to buy them instead of borrow them.
$85,380 is what the community would have paid to purchase DVDs.
$37,188 is what the community would have paid to download audiobooks.
We also provide copy and computer services, which amounts to several thousand in savings, providing resources for patrons who do not have their own computers and printers.
This doesn’t include the value provided with our community programs like story times and writers groups and crafting groups; the list goes on!
And there will continue to be even more value provided in the future as our staff works to maintain Newport’s legacy through the services of a staff historian, and enriching the collection by acquiring in demand materials through grants and our budget.
