Future Forward

The next chapter

 

Planning for a growing community like Round Rock isn’t just about roads and water supplies. It’s just as much about quality of life amenities like parks and trails.

Smack dab in the middle of the many things that make Round Rock such a special place is our Public Library. Located in the heart of Downtown, the library is a hub of learning for Round Rock. With programming designed for kids to adults to small business, the library stays on the cutting edge of information sharing and is an incredibly valuable part of the community.

Don’t take our word for it. The Library recently received the 2018 Texas Achievement of Library Excellence Award from the Texas Municipal Library Director’s Association. Only 51 libraries out of 548 public libraries in Texas – less than 10 percent – achieved this recognition. And the Library’s Biz.ability workshops have been recognized by the U.S. Small Business Administration for helping local entrepreneurs.

It’s not just luck or the waving of Harry Potter’s wand that have created such a forward-focused institution. The Library follows a Strategic Master Plan and is well-prepared for Round Rock’s growth. After a longer-than-anticipated search for a site for a new, larger library, the City Council in April purchased property just north of the existing library for its new home.

The new, expanded library will offer much needed space to grow the Library’s many popular programs and growing collection. How popular? Here’s some data from the recently-released Library 2018 Annual Report.

Summer Reading Program

  • 166,055 books read
  • 51,794 hours read
  • 11,591 attended programs
  • 217 meals fed
  • 178 programs held

Adult Services

  • Adult Programs – 646
  • Attendance Adult Programs – 6,601

Reference

  • Research transactions – 34,086
  • Public Internet Computer Use – 61,728
  • Technology training – 13,130
  • E-Resources Use – 23,906

Collection

  • Print Volumes Added – 20,913
  • Number of Print Books in the collection – 225,903

Check-Outs

  • Interlibrary Loan – 3,673
  • Circulation Total Digital Formats – 96,831
  • Circulation Total – 1,229,141

Speaking of value, the community receives a return of $8 for each dollar invested in the library. If you think that’s impressive, check out the table below. It shows the retail value of the services provided by the library, based on a calculator developed by the Massachusetts Library Association. Check out that bottom line – it shows the incredible value for the many services provided by the Library based on its budget.

Use Library Materials, Services Value
324,056 Adult Books, Movies, CDs Borrowed $5,939,188
782,946 Childrens Books, Movies, CDs Borrowed $13,310,082
3,673 Interlibrary Loan Requests $91,825
96,831 Digital Books, Audiobooks Downloaded $1,452,465
21,708 Music Downloaded $21,708
6,601 Adult Program Attendance $99,015
1,167 Young Adult Program Attendance $14,004
38,469 Childrens Program Attendance $269,283
61,728 Computer Use (per session) $740,736
23,906 Database Searches $476,924
34,086 Reference Assistance $238,602
  Total Value $22,653,832
  Total Expenditures, Fiscal 2018 $2,747,477
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