INDIANOLA, Iowa — In a world of cell phones, tablets and televisions physical books may seem like a thing of the past, but for one public library books are flying off the shelves.
The Indianola Public Library celebrated its 140th anniversary of being open, which makes it one of the oldest public libraries in the state. According to library staff, the last five years have been really good to the library, seeing record checkout numbers fall one after another.
“We’ve seen a record in not only checkout, but door count,” said Michele Patrick, the Library Director at Indianola Public Library. “The number of people coming into the library and also program attendance.”
Just under 190,000 books have been checked out in 2024 with more than 80,000 people physically going to the library. Patrick says that the success is due to a mix of people still loving an actual book copy and the programs offered by the library.
“A lot of our circulation is driven by children. And for those you’re going to read them a book, you’re not going to pull out your phone and read them a bedtime story,” Patrick said. “Also we do know that the younger generations, those in their twenties and thirties, they prefer a physical book. Our programs are attracting people from all ages and they’re coming to the library. And then once they get here, they discover all the different things we have they might not realize the library has.”
Patrick credits the growing community in Indianola for a peaked interest in the programs. The Indianola Public Library has traditional book clubs and adult programs like puzzle competitions, murder mysteries, and escape rooms. There are teenage programs that are popular, like hangouts after school. And for children, the story times are the most popular program, but there are still a lot of other programs for children.
The library has plans to expand in 2028 with a new library closer to the center of town. Patrick said the growth numbers over the last half decade certainly help when pitching a new library location.
You can view the programs and events happening at the library on the Facebook page or the library’s website.
Leave a Reply