State of the Library

Last Thursday, April 25, the Santa Barbara Public Library and its board hosted a “State of the Library” presentation, an event that discussed the current state of the library system, revealed places where improvement is needed in the future, highlighted some goals for the coming year, and fielded comments from the public. The system, which is overseen by a board appointed by the City of Santa Barbara, included two city libraries and six branch libraries that are operated through contracts with the County of Santa Barbara and City of Goleta.

For starters, library director Irene Macias noted that the system has much to be proud of. Despite recent budget cuts, the library still operates at full force, with 84,299 items checked out and 66,540 visitors between July 1, 2012 and March 31, 2013. Circulation rates have been steadily increasing since 2001, debunking the popular belief that libraries are becoming increasingly obsolete because of new age media.

Nonetheless, the library is increasing efforts to narrow the digital divide by offering a variety of services that aim to promote a tech-savvy community. Free services like technology assistance provided by the reference staff cover everything from downloading ebooks to working a computer mouse, while adult literacy programs and children’s learning computers allow people of all ages to keep up with technological trends.