By Pam Wright, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Chatham Voice
By the numbers, the Chatham-Kent Public Library system continues to be one of municipality’s most enduring assets.
In 2023, physical visits to C-K’s 11 library branches increased nearly 50,000 over 2022, to 271,305, while the number of active library cardholders went up by 4,500 to a total of 38,535.
Another significant hike was observed in the number of electronic items downloaded in 2023, which went from 211,410 in 2022 to 235,609 last year.
As part of the library’s annual report by CKPL’s manager of marketing, outreach and programs to municipal council on Nov. 4, last year marked a “full return” following the disruption of the pandemic.
According to Sarah Hart Coatsworth, visits to the library are rebounding but have still not reached pre-pandemic levels.
However, more program and outreach services are being offered, with outreach attendance increasing to 20,694 instances in 2023 from 9,103 in 2022.
Several highlights from 2023 were pointed out by Hart Coatsworth, including the ConnectCK initiative and the library’s RFID technology.
ConnectCK – a partnership with the Chatham-Kent Ontario Health Team, the municipality’s employment and social services, Habitat for Humanity and community navigators – offers wi-fi enabled Chromebook laptops and iPads.
“This helps residents in C-K bridge the digital divide,” Hart Coatsworth told council, by allowing them to access the Internet through borrowing a device or obtaining a free refurbished laptop through employment and social services.
According to Coatsworth, state-of-the-art RFID technology was installed at all branches in 2023, enabling CKPL to improve their customer services through express checkout, noting it allows staff to “spend more time with patrons.”
Other successful programs include the Clash of the Classrooms Reading Challenge which saw 86 classes from 36 schools in Chatham-Kent read a total of 521,924 minutes. The winning class at Blenheim District High School also won a cash prize through the program.
The CKPL Grows Seed Library also proved to be popular, with 8,637 seed packages borrowed.
The library’s Spice Club was enhanced, offering 620 kits that include recipes and a spice sample.
Gaming programming was also enhanced in 2023 with a total of 9,736 items checked out.
The Ask CKPL service was expanded. Some 13,274 questions were answered by staff by phone, text and Facebook Messenger.
