Report: Nearly 1 Million Items Checked Out from Library Last Year
Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer
Anderson County Library Director Annie Sutton wants to spread the word that service to the community and the number of patrons using those services is continuing to grow.
A new community report details how the library, funded by taxpayers, continued to provide benefits to the entire community during the past year.
Last year witnessed more than 375,000 visits across branches, with checkouts topping 999,000 — nearing a million, Sutton noted hopefully — and 84,000 library cardholders, about 40 percent of the county’s population. Physical books led checkouts, trailed by digital ones, but non-traditional LEAP station items flew off the shelves: museum passes to Greenville’s Children’s Museum or Roper Mountain, state park admissions, fishing poles, and seeds from the seed library, stocked through a partnership with Anderson County Soil and Water Conservation. In total, patrons saved more than $7 million using these services, nearly matching the budget, by borrowing rather than buying.
The new Iva branch, front and center in town, has been a hit, hosting events and drawing crowds greater than expected. A vending machine for materials at the Food Lion on Highway 24—15 miles from any branch—also proves popular, especially its book drop, which is picked up weekly. Busiest spots beyond the main Anderson branch are Pendleton and Powdersville, with smaller outposts like Belton also punching above their weight.
Programming spans children, tweens, teens, and adults, including the year-long Chapter Chasers reading challenge. The Electric City Makerspace hums with access to many creative endeavors, including custom T-shirts, vinyl decals, and sewing—saving folks from buying machines outright—plus notary services for everyday needs. A fresh bookmobile, replacing a 2004 Bluebird bus, now provides for kids, adults and seniors in underserved spots, delivering materials where driving 15 or 20 minutes isn’t feasible.
Post-Hurricane Helene and the more recent ice storms, the library stayed open as warm, powered hubs, in partnership with Anderson County Emergency Management.
In this year’s survey, which is expected to be released soon, patrons rave, rating the library 4.7 out of 5 in surveys. Sutton said the year ahead aims at even higher engagement with after-hours family Fridays this summer, strategic tweaks for accessibility, and summer reading program to fend off the learning slide.
Sutton also continues to hold out a challenge to increase the number of library card holders in the county. If signups, which are simple, requiring ID and address proof, reach 95 percent of the county’s population, she promises to publicly shave her head to mark the occasion.
For more information on programs and how to get a library card, visit here.
