Page 54 - Middleborough 2024 Town Report

M I D D L E B O R O U G H
PUBLIC LIBRARY
collection currently stands at 40, including everything from a
karaoke machine and a light therapy lamp to a birdwatching
kit, pickleball racquets, and a wheelchair.
Take-and-make crat kits, including the holiday book candle
kit, were another hit with adult patrons this year. Many
enjoyed it so much that they asked for extra supplies and
even made a few for the Library to use as decorations.
Working with the Summer Reading theme of “Find Your
Voice,” more than 40 adults registered and participated in 16
diferent themed reading and Library activities. Nearly 90
people attended our three summer programs, including “A
Garden Walk with Eleanor.” Actor Carol Cohen portrayed
Eleanor Roosevelt in our outdoor garden area, and then
everyone moved inside to the meeting room, where Cohen
gave a presentation on Roosevelt’s Victory Garden eforts.
Our guests enjoyed cookies and lemonade.
animal shelters in February and March. We had our
first-ever luggage collection drive for the Middleborough
Elks Lodge #1274 from May to June. Patrons brought in over
30 pieces of luggage/baggage that were then distributed
by the Elks to veterans and homeless folks in need. We also
collected toiletries simultaneously, which amounted to a
full shopping cart full of necessities such as toothpaste,
brushes, socks, shampoo, etc. Our end-of-the-year drive,
Toys for Tots, was another success, with a collection of over
225 donations to local children in need. A public place for
these collection sites is vital to maintaining a healthy
community, and we are proud to ofer that at our Library.
Thank you to everyone who donated.
We invested heavily in our e-book collections, ofering
our patrons more digital books and audiobooks than ever
before. More than 1,100 diferent patrons checked out more
than 3,400 books for all ages from our OverDrive/Libby
digital collection.
The Museum Pass use has been impressive throughout the
year, with patrons checking out our passes 552 times. The
heaviest use of our passes occurs during school vacation
weeks and the summer months. Our passes range between
a savings of $5.00 and $20.00 per person. We also ofer
passes for every season. Whether you want to view an art
collection indoors during the winter or laze around on a
state park beach or beside the Middleborough Pool in the
summer, we have the pass for you!
We continued writing, designing, and distributing our
popular bi-monthly e-newsletter, “Library Lines.” In addition
to Social Media, it’s become one of the most important ways
we stay in touch with patrons, with an average of more than
1,400 patrons reading each issue. That’s up 3% over last year
and is 5% higher than the industry average.
CIRCULATION
Book clubs increased from 3 groups to 6 groups during the
year. Our Circulation Department worked with the groups
to secure titles for all their members throughout the year.
We ordered over 750 titles for our book club members,
constantly rotating their monthly selections. The largest
group has over 25 members, and the smallest group has six
members. They range in genres from Mystery to Sci-fi to
Nonfiction and member’s choice selections.
At the beginning of the year, we ofered free new Library
cards to patrons. They were designed to showcase an image
of our Library. The response was favorable, with over 2,500
people swapping their old cards for the new design. We
continue to issue cards for everyone for free.
The Library remained a community hosting site for various
social drives to benefit local groups. The Girl Scout Troup
82171 collected several bags of food and supplies for our local
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