Castleton Public Library
2012 Annual Report
Library Usage and Materials
Population: 1,473
Registered Resident Borrowers: 655
Registered Non-Resident Borrowers: 837
Library Visits: 14,248
Reference Questions: 3,848
Programs: 168
Program Attendance: 1,503
Website Visits: 62,079
In- House Computer Users: 1,638
Hours Open: 1,820
Total Circulation: 22,517
-----------------------------------------------------------
Print Collection:
Adult Fiction: 3,617; Nonfiction: 2,806
Children Fiction: 6,452; Nonfiction: 3,095
Other:
Videos: 1,516
Periodicals: 15 subscriptions
Digital Collection: 16,022
eBooks: 11,059
Audiobooks: 4,635
Videos: 328
103 Years of Service
The Castleton Public Library provides information services to the Village of Castleton-on-Hudson and residents of the Town of Schodack. During the past year, the library has provided to the community a greater number of high quality programs than in years past, which has sparked a significant increase in the attendance at library events as well as an increase in the number of visitors to the library. This increased activity has subsequently resulted in greater circulation of library materials, particularly the electronic collection, consistent with national trends. The Library Director and Board of Trustees recognize that the needs of the community are changing along with the way information is stored and shared. We have made efforts to increase and promote our virtual presence and with that have seen an increase in the number of reference questions and requests we receive online through the website and Facebook. We are constantly adapting to the latest technology and the ever-changing needs of its patrons. This ensures that the Castleton Public Library will continue to provide high quality, accessible, and current information and education services to the community.
Library Materials
The Library provides a broad selection of informational materials to the community including books, periodicals, audiobooks, DVDs and downloadable content (i.e., eBooks, audiobooks and videos). The circulation of the total library collection increased 8% over 2011 while eBooks circulated 40% more in 2012 than in 2011. With the increased demand for eBooks, the Upper Hudson Library System (UHLS) and member libraries continue to collaborate to offer a robust and diverse digital collection to residents of Albany and Rensselaer counties. Since 2010, the eContent collection more than doubled and currently has a total of 16,022 electronic titles that are available to Castleton Public Library users.
Library Programs
The Library hosts and promotes a number of regularly scheduled programs for families, teens and adults. Four of the popular programs are listed below:
Weekly Story Hours
• Weekly Story Hours provide families with tools to promote literacy development at home beyond a weekly story hour. Attendance for this program has more than doubled this year; this has been made possible by the efforts of the dedicated library volunteers.
Family Movie Nights
are hosted by the Friends of the Castleton Public Library. Once a month, the community is invited to watch a family movie at the library.
Monthly Lego Club
offers a safe environment for families to come and build with Legos. The Library provides attendees with a growing Lego collection and an opportunity for children to interact with each other and apply their creativity to build amazing things.
- Castleton-on-Healthy is a popular weekly program that provides an educational environment where attendees can share knowledge and develop skills to achieve and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Through these weekly meetings, attendees have shown interest in hosting other programs that support healthy living such as meditation and relaxation workshops, a sleep apnea presentation, a nutrition-focused tour of a grocery store, and group walks.
In addition to the regular programs of 2012, the library hosted financial workshops, digital literacy programs for teens and adults, a scrapbooking event, book discussions, and provided space for other community organizations to meet.
Conclusion
Throughout 2012, staff, volunteers and the Board of Trustees worked hard to improve the community’s access to information. Because of the vast variety of information resources and the diversity of tools used to access those resources, the Library is constantly adapting to meet those challenges, which it has done so efficiently and with excellent customer service. The Friends of the Library provide significant financial support for programming and connect the Library with dedicated volunteers who are always willing to help the Library serve the community.
Castleton Public Library
Email: library@castletonpubliclibrary.org
Website: castletonpubliclibrary.org
Location: 85 South Main Street, Castleton-on-Hudson, NY
Phone: 518-732-0879
Facebook: facebook.com/castletonpubliclibrary
Twitter: @castletonpl