This summer has been a very busy one for the Thompson Public Library. In fact, the library experienced the highest circulation rate of books for July since 1990 and their highest month ever since 1996.
In the month of July, 7,129 items were borrowed from the library. In July 1990 by comparison hat number was 6,117. The highest month for circulation ever at the facility was October of 1996 when 7,362 items were borrowed.
Cheryl Davies, administrator at the Thompson Public Library, says she thinks the main reasons people have been coming to the library so much this summer include consistency in hours of operation, various programming, advertising, a full-time front desk clerk and the atmosphere that people encounter when they come to the library.
Davies also said cooler than normal cloudy weather in July may have been a factor in boosting the monthly circulation numbers as outdoor summer activities were less appealing than usual.
"We've had consistent programming and I think it's been building. I think over this last year we've really sort of been building that consistency. We have programs running weekly," she explains."We say to parents that if your kid needs to run around, just keep it to a dull roar. And we sort of have one area way at the back where people will sit and work, but usually it's not noisy back there."
Some of the programs the library has on the go include a coffee house for teens, a book club for adults, story time for kids, daytime programming for younger children and more.
This summer the library also changed their seven day loan books to 14 day loans, which she says has led to more people checking out the books.
Davies says she expects the library to stay a busy place this fall and winter, thanks in part to all the different use the facility offers for the community, including hosting events like the Reel North Film Festival and Home Routes.
"We have a lot of group use," Davies says. "We have daycares that come for movies, daycares that come for story time. During the summer we've had the City of Thompson summer camp come here for movies. So you know, the facility is starting to get used."
According to Davies, another reason many people frequent the library is because of the range of books and other materials it offers.
"People might be surprised at the selection of the materials here - the fact that we have DVDs and audio books and computers for Internet use, and books on every subject you can think of," she explains. "It's an incredibly welcoming place, and if we don't have the book you want, we can try to get it."
Davies also mentions that the library does not try to compete with the movie theatre in Thompson, but tries to bring in movies that are from film festivals and other lesser known genres.
"We're really trying not to bring in Hollywood blockbusters, except maybe for the kids, because we do get some funding and that's one of our collections. So we might do that for kids, but we're not trying to compete with the movie theatre. We're trying to bring in the stuff that a library should bring in and people are still taking it, so it's neat."
Davies says she encourages people to come to the library and find out all it has to offer - whether in the heat of summer, the crisp air of fall or the cold winds of winter.
