DES MOINES, Iowa — Libraries across Iowa are transforming into community hubs and one Creston library is seeing more community support because of it.

During this fiscal year, the Gibson Memorial Public Library in Creston has seen some positive changes. Starting last October through September, material checkouts are up by 300 items, library visits are up by 13%, and program attendance is up by 23%. Their door count, or the number of people coming into the library, is also up by 2,000 this year.

Library Director, Danielle Dickinson Thaden said there are many reasons why this is the case. One is that more people are returning back to libraries following pandemic restrictions. Another is the changes they made to remove barriers, like removing fines so that patrons wouldn’t feel discouraged to come back after having late books.

They also transformed their space into more than just an area to store books. Dickinson Thaden said they turned it into a community hub.

It started three years ago with adding new carpet and a mural, within this last year, they created a playroom for kids. With a grant from the South Central Iowa Community Foundation, the library purchased playroom equipment, like a toy train, a play kitchen, a coloring station, STEM games, and a reading area.

The goal was to give families another option to have play dates or to stay longer after story times. She said in recent years, there’s been a major shift for users as they’re not just coming into the library for the collection, but rather the community connections and programs.

“I really love this component to the library, because we all have Amazon [and] we can get e-books on our Kindles or whatever, but having a place to interact, especially if you’re a young parent or an older person in the community… I think that’s just a huge benefit of having libraries,” said Dickinson Thaden.

Many libraries are also following this trend in becoming community hubs. The Norwalk Easter Public Library announced earlier this year its plans to build a new, larger facility to make space for their growing events.

The State Library of Iowa’s data shows that there were over 9.8 million library visits across the state during the 2023-2024 fiscal year.

The President of the Iowa Library Association, Sam Helmick, provided this statement on this year’s library growth:

“Libraries continue to be community anchor institutions as they provide equal opportunity to access and information to all. In Iowa alone, public libraries continue to be an asset to the communities they serve through both physical and digital resources, workshops, and learning opportunities – experiencing over 9.8 million visits alone each year.”

Sam Helmick, President of the Iowa Library Association