Longmont Public Library strives to provide plenty of services with 'little means'
Apr. 30—The Longmont Public Library was a popular place with all ages last year as library card holders checked out more than 936,000 materials.
The library's 2023 annual report shows that of the total, more than 235,000 of the materials were children and teen books and more than 201,000 were adult books. The Longmont City Council discussed the 2023 annual report at a study session Tuesday.
The vast majority of materials checked out by users came from the Longmont Public Library's collection, although some were brought in from other libraries. In addition, more than 5,100 new library cards were issued by the Longmont Public Library last year.
"It is really amazing ... what is all accomplished with little means as far as staff capacity and space and even circulation materials," Mayor Pro Tem Susie Hidalgo-Fahring, who is the council liaison to the Library Advisory Board, said during Tuesday's study session.
The library also was a busy place for events in 2023 — more than 21,200 users attended children and teen programs in the facility for example. Library officials now plan to close the children and teen services section from May 6 to May 17 for renovations — new shelves and additional seating.
"I think a vibrant library is an essential service to the city," Councilmember Diane Crist said during the study session.
The report findings come after Longmont voters soundly rejected Ballot Issue 3C during the November 2023 election, which would have increased taxes to pay for a new $25.7 million branch library as well as the operation and maintenance costs of the new facility and the existing library at 409 Fourth Ave.
The library was built in 1993 and is roughly 51,000 square feet. It was "sized to accommodate a population of up to 68,000 residents" and "likely didn't consider the need for personal computers, wifi and the emergence of the library as serving a significant population of (unhoused) people," according to the Longmont Public Library Feasibility Study Phase II was completed by Sieger Consulting SPC and finalized in November 2022.
About 100,000 people live in Longmont.
In other news, the City Council met in executive session prior to Tuesday's study session to talk about "the potential acquisition of real property interests for city parks and natural resources, transportation and water projects," according to the agenda.
Executive sessions are closed to the public and city officials may take no formal action while having one. No other details were immediately available about the executive session at press time.
