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Fairfield library boasts highs in youth programs, digital downloads
Southeast Iowa Union offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
FAIRFIELD – The Fairfield Public Library had a lot to be proud of in 2024, and saw its number of visitors take a big jump from the prior year.
Fairfield Library Director Alecs Schmidt Mickunas delivered his annual report to the Fairfield City Council at its only meeting in December, and that’s when he reviewed the library’s accomplishments in the past 12 months and how library services are changing in the digital age. Schmidt Mickunas said he’s thrilled with the large number of youth programs the library is able to offer, and the number of downloads of electronic books has exploded in just the last couple of years.
The pandemic caused a major decline in the number of people visiting the library, but the staff are working hard to bring that figure back up. Schmidt Mickunas noted that in 2009, the library received about 150,000 visitors. After COVID hit in 2020, the library switched to curbside pickup only, and then slowly reopened to in-person visits. Schmidt Mickunas said that in 2023, the library had 60,000 visitors, but in 2024 that number grew to 80,000.
That 80,000 figure doesn’t tell the whole story, though. That’s because a lot more people are taking advantage of the library’s online services. Schmidt Mickunas said that e-books, which can be checked out over the internet, started an upward trend in popularity in 2016 and have grown every year since.
“We were seeing maybe 10,000 downloads back in 2016, and now we’re seeing over 100,000 downloads of e-books every year,” he said.
The library offers three electronic resources the public can use to check out e-books, audiobooks and movies, and those are the apps Libby, Hoopla and Kanopy. Schmidt Mickunas said the library’s foundation has donated to allow patrons five free downloads per month, and the number of downloads is twice what the library expected.
“In any given month, Hoopla has over 850,000 titles available, which is more than four times our total collection at the library,” Schmidt Mickunas said.
Schmidt Mickunas said another highlight in recent years has been the growth in youth programming. In 2019, there were over 300 youth programs offered, and due to the pandemic, that number dropped to a record-low of just under 200 in 2021. But the following year, youth programming rebounded immensely with over 450 programs.
“It’s safe to say this is the greatest number of programs we’ve had in over 10 years,” Schmidt Mickunas said.
The director said the library wants to address the “epidemic of loneliness” in society by fostering connection and bringing people together.
“Kids really need connection, and there are kids who are isolated with more time spent on screens,” he said. “There’s no substitute for person-to-person connection, and it can be found here at the library.”
Scmidt Mickunas credits youth services librarian Sara Martindale with bringing so many kids to the library through her programming, such as her storytime events as well as the events featuring music, crafts, and dance.
The library is scheduled to undergo a remodel in the near future. Schmidt Mickunas said the library hosted a stakeholder meeting in November to develop a proposal with the architectural firm MSRDesign of Minneapolis to change the library’s layout. He said this would involve updating the children’s department, the center of the library where the reference librarian once worked, and adding seating to create a cozy environment. Schmidt Mickunas added there’s also potential for a new teen area of the building in its northeast corner.
“Every 30 years, it’s recommended that public buildings have some kind of refresh or renewal,” Schmidt Mickunas said. “Looking at these essential pieces, from the lighting, carpeting and maintenance projects … we wanted to do them at the same time to give the library a new look.”
Schmidt Mickunas said the library is used differently today than in the first decade after it was built in 1996.
“We used to have a reference desk in the center of the library, and we had to cut that because that position was eliminated 15 years ago,” he said. “That’s where we want a community lounge to be.”
Schmidt Mickunas said the library hopes to create an enclosed play area for children so the noise they make doesn’t bother the other patrons. He added that anyone in the community who wants to make this happen is invited to contribute to the library’s foundation.
Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com
