A friend of mine at work pointed me to this very interesting book that I wanted to reserve at the King County Library. I went to the library site on the Internet, pulled out my wallet, and discovered my library card was missing! Did that happen last month when I cleaned my wallet as part of my annual New Year’s resolution process? So I asked dad to get it for me and went about the process of ordering a new card, again on line. I got to choose from five or so colors and pick my favorite branch. I picked the larger one rather than the small library that is closer to my house.
Well less than a week later I had my card–way cool! Heck the book dad reserved for me hadn’t even arrived yet! I’ll have to strive to keep tracks of this one as the last one only lasted me 15 years. And I learned some interesting factoids included in the pamphlet that came with with new card.
Did you know…
- KCLS is second-busiest library in the US (behind Queens, NY)
- From January through November 2007, library users check out close to 18 million items
- Each year, close to 10 million people visit KCLS libraries
- 90% of eligible residents have and use a KCLS library card
- Patrons visit www.kcls.org close to 24 million times per year
I knew and was very proud of the literacy numbers for the northwest US, but I still am very impressed with the stats when I hear them. Sometimes I wonder if we read so much because of the cool, cloudy, and often rainy weather. But unbeknownst to most of the US, the northwest summers are a best-kept secret with very little rain which creates a Mediterranean climate with lots of great weather for outdoor hobbies. And when it rains, Suzy and I usually think, if we were back in Minnesota, it’d be snowing. :o)
Oh, about the book? I’ll be referencing parts of this excellent study in future blogs. I know my blog posse will stay tuned to this bat station each bat day.
The Bis Key Chronicles 
Perhaps those summers are what makes for good wine.
You bet your blog posse will stay tuned. 😉
I lost my library card a few months ago. For my new one I chose one to put on my key chain. A lot handier. Now if I just don’t lose my keys.
As a member of your blog posse, I am thoroughly impressed by those stats! Now I must research the ones in Charlotte and in Knoxville.
Thought I would throw this in. I was texting with the Charlotte NC Librarian and found that their total books lent FY 2007 was 6,633,490.
6.6 million could be significantly large depending on the population. It’s hard to tell with just that number. But still it is impressive. Carole, how many of those books did you sign out? Are you skewing the sample. ;o)
Um…well…uh…you see, I….um….
I just renewed my library card yesterday! 2nd most dangerous (and used!) card in my wallet. 😉
I don’t really know or care about political correctness.. but I do know that every girl, including me, loves a compliment. LOL
Libraries are pretty steady when it comes to being visited. In an age that has never been so ‘digital’ people feel the need to read – never have there been more books published in the history of publishing. I am so proud to hear so many people use the library you frequent! If only we could lure as many students to our library.
love, daphne
I’m a big fan of libraries. I rarely check books out of them (since I mostly buy and keep everything I read) but use them for research and as a place to just kick back and enjoy the quiet while reading a book or my pocketpc. A number of libraries in my part of the country have begun to become to play a role in the community as a place that people can enjoy concerts and art exhibitions.