Post-pandemic people are flocking back to Windsor Public Library branches across the city.
At the Windsor Public Library Board meeting on Tuesday afternoon, statistical reviews for 2023 at a number of branches were presented and discussed.
Data was given for the Chisholm, Forest Glade and Fontainebleau branches, along with the Budimir and Riverside branches.
Circulation count of books, overall gate counts, new memberships, internet use at the branches and programming attendance numbers were all up and in some cases considerably.
Numbers are either back to pre-pandemic levels or above, with only the Forest Glade branch reporting a negative number of new memberships (-1% from January to December).
Officials say dedicated staff at all locations embraced the opportunity to once again fully engage with customers without any pandemic-related limitations, offering a range of creative programming options for all ages.
Acting CEO Michael Chantler says it was interesting for him having come in at the end of 2023 to go back and look through data for a year he wasn't in charge.
He says going through 2023 with staff and managers was exciting and the numbers show things are heading in the right direction.
"We're excited to have a bunch of creative programming coming fourth from our employees who come with these ideas, implement them, and carry them out. Those numbers going up is really great because it shows that people are coming out to the bricks and mortar branches and supporting that programming. And in addition, we're doing really well on the E side, the e-audiobooks, the e-magazines and the downloads we're seeing. That's really positive as well," he said.
Chantler says people wanting to be back out and about following the pandemic years is one reason for the numbers, but they're going to work to make sure 2024 is a positive year as well.
"Certainly anytime the bar has been set high it's a challenge and I think the staff and management are up for that challenge. We're going to continue to be creative, we're going to continue to partner with people and organizations in the community, and we're going to try and grow those numbers. That's what we want to see."
Chantler says they already have some goals in mind for this year, and he believes they've got the staff to achieve them.
"I think it's important for us to achieve goals across the board. There's not any one particular area that I think is more important to grow, I think we need to look at all facets of the business and grow on all accounts," he stated.
Goals for 2024 include seeking out opportunities to forge meaningful partnerships with local community groups, businesses and residents, aiming to increase overall circulation by five per cent over the course of the year, and continuing to collect hourly data to better understand customer use patterns.