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Record Patron Visits and Increased Circulation Highlight 2005 Activity at IMCPL
January 12, 2006
A record 5.4 million patrons visited the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library in 2005, according to final patron usage statistics released today.
The figure represents a 5.6% increase in the door count over 2004 at IMCPL’s 23 Marion County locations.
Large increases in circulation of materials occurred as well, with neighborhood branches reporting the largest circulation increases. The East Washington Branch, 2822 E. Washington Street, saw a 69% increase, and the Flanner House Branch, 2424 Dr. M.L. King, Jr. Street, noted a 66% increase. Over 40% increases were reported at the Brightwood Branch, 2435 N. Sherman Drive; Fountain Square Branch, 1066 Virginia Avenue; Haughville Branch, 2121 W. Michigan Street; and West Indianapolis Branch, 1216 S. Kappes Street.
While books remained by far the most popular format, accounting for 62% of materials circulated in 2005, DVDs accounted for nearly 20% of circulation, up from 7% in 2004. The increase reflected the Library’s commitment to provide more items in this popular format to meet patron demand.
Overall, IMCPL experienced an increase of 4.3% in circulation, resulting mainly from the implementation of a new collection development plan to make available more copies of in-demand materials and get them into the hands of patrons more quickly. Over 12.2 million books, books on tape, CDs, DVDs and materials in other formats were checked out.
IMCPL also noted a 17% increase in the number of library cardholders, totaling over 394,000 in 2005 and representing over 47% of the population in the Library’s service area.
Patrons continued to take advantage of the Library’s technology service offerings. Over 4.6 million items were circulated via IMCPL’s web and telephone renewal systems. An average of 70% of the Library’s 450 personal computers were utilized at any given time for patrons to conduct job searches, do business research, access community information, and perform online and e-mail communication. During a one-month time frame in the third quarter of 2005, patrons spent 1,415 hours visiting 43,000 web sites while searching for jobs. Educational websites, including online coursework, were accessed over 460,000 times during the period.
New self-check technology also proved popular in 2005, as patrons checked out or renewed over 1.5 million items on their own at 10 IMCPL locations where self-check is available. Self-check, which frees branch staff to help patrons with other library needs, represented over 29% of the total circulation at those branches.
Patrons can review the Library’s catalog of over two million items, as well as request and renew materials, by visiting the Library’s website. Items also can be renewed by dialing the Library’s Telecirc service at 269-5222.
