Results of the annual Josephine Community Library community survey distributed in November confirm the public’s ongoing interest in print books for children and adults, and the importance of volunteers.
There were 1,503 survey respondents, of which 86 percent reported having a current library card. Thirty-seven percent of respondents were 65 years of age or older.
While books and materials continue to be the main reason patrons come to the library, survey respondents reported that the library also serves as a community catch-all, providing services that patrons might not be able to get anywhere else. When asked about prioritizing future improvements, survey respondents said that digital content like online resources, computers, and internet will be more important in the future.
Of the 1,503 survey respondents, 91 percent rated library services good or excellent. According to volunteers who took the survey, library volunteers continue to be very satisfied and fulfilled by the work they do. Many of them would not make any changes to their volunteering experience.
Survey respondents who reported not having a library card said that living outside the district boundary and the associated fines and fees were major roadblocks to having a library card.
The partnering nonprofit library foundation has made a commitment to provide library card scholarships to all families who live outside the library district boundary. Scholarship applications can be obtained at any library branch in Grants Pass, Illinois Valley, Williams, or Wolf Creek. In order to make the library accessible to all, the district also offers the following options:
- During open hours, libraries can be used by anyone regardless of having a library card. This includes computer use.
- A special collection of popular books called Read & Return and can be checked out without a library card, sponsored by the Grants Pass Friends of the Library.
- Since October 2019, the library no longer charges overdue fines and all prior fines have been waived.
The JCLD survey was conducted by a third-party consulting firm. For more information about the JCLD survey, contact the library at info@josephinelibrary.org or call 541-476-0571.