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47 °F Forecast | Road Cams Tuesday, May 10, 2005 Today's News | Shop Our Valley | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery | Contact Us SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend May 5, 2004 Medford library use soars Patronage climbs 30 percent in April even with fewer hours, staff By DAMIAN MANN Mail Tribune Despite a 19 percent reduction in hours, the new Medford library has posted a 30 percent increase in patronage in its first month. Last April, the old Carnegie library had 40,000 visitors compared to the Central Library’s 52,000 this year, even though there are only about 20 full-time positions — 11 percent fewer than last year — manning the 80,000-square-foot building. Because of budget reductions, the library had to cut 11 of its hours of operation each week. The library has seen a marked increase in patronage in every department and relatively few problems, said Ronnie Budge, director of Jackson County Library Services. "I’m surprised and pleased that the library is being used in all the ways we envisioned it would be used," said Budge. Advertisement The number of schoolchildren visiting has jumped 579 percent and the circulation department has seen an increase of 38 percent. "We love this library," said Medford resident Jane Roberts, who brought her son to the library Tuesday. "They’ve got a wide selection of everything." Talent resident Christa Foti, who brought her two boys to the children’s section, said, "Everybody is really helpful today." Children’s librarian Patt Colwell said a lot more teachers have decided to take advantage of the new facilities. "We’re getting classes from farther distances, like Central Point and Gold Hill," she said. But with fewer employees, the library has had a difficult time keeping up with the demands of patrons. "There has been a little bit of a trend toward self-service," said Budge. "Less staff means longer lines at the checkout desk," said Meghan O’Flaherty, library manager. But Budge said the lines now are generally shorter than they were the first two weeks after the library opened, when as many as 100 people a day asked for new library cards compared to 20 or fewer last year. Some patrons have complained the library doesn’t have a curbside drop box, but Budge said it would require the equivalent of a half-time person to empty it, particularly on weekends. "If we had the extra money, the public would be better served with extra hours," said Budge. The streets surrounding the library aren’t designed to have a drop-off box that would be easily accessible to a driver. The parking lot was considered but ruled out because a drop box would impede traffic. There have been no problems with patrons bringing in coffee (allowed for the first time at the Central Library), except that some people don’t throw away the cup when they’re done, said O’Flaherty. The library is looking into installing seven more Internet accessible computers to complement the 31 already available. "They are always full and we need more," said Budge. With three conference rooms compared to none at the old facility, the new library has filled about 75 percent of the days in May with bookings. "It has been somewhat difficult to keep up with the demand," she said. Patronage is up, but Budge has noticed another trend: "One thing that is happening is that people are coming in and staying longer. At the old library, people would come in and get out as fast as possible." The library is still looking for volunteers. Call 774-6423 for information. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail [email protected] Central Library hours Monday through Thursday: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. (last year’s hours: 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.) Friday and Saturday: Noon to 5 p.m. (last year’s hours: 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.) Rogue Community College Library hours (part of the library is open to the public): Monday through Thursday: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. 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