FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 27, 2000
Contact: Dani Porter
714-566-3079
Dlporter@ocpl.org
Library Has Record
Year
The Orange County Public Library (OCPL)
recently announced a record-breaking milestone for the
library--over six million items were circulated throughout
the 28-branch system during the County's fiscal year ending
June 30, 2000.
County Librarian John Adams noted, "We are very pleased
to see that responsive purchasing decisions have translated
into a record year. In giving patrons what they want we
were able to circulate 6,037,146 items, even though we
installed 400 new computer workstations with Internet
and database access during the same period. Even with
new technology, people are now checking out more books
than ever."
While library patrons of yesterday could check out books
and magazines, today's library customer also has access
to compact discs, videos, audiobooks, and DVDs. To respond
to a growing need for materials in non-English languages
to serve the area's diverse population, Spanish, Chinese,
Korean, Vietnamese, Japanese, and Farsi language collections
are now part of the mix, with books, magazines, newspapers,
videos, cassettes, and books on audiocassettes offered
at various branch locations.
Overall, OCPL's borrowing rate ranks among the highest
in California for library systems serving 500,000 or more,
with the equivalent of every person in the Library's service
area borrowing 4.4 items annually. In addition, children's
materials represent 40 percent of the total circulation,
reflecting OCPL's continued efforts to serve the needs
of the children in this community.
The library also had its busiest year ever with a record
attendance of 5,325,565 visitors, or more than three visits
per person for the year. In increasing numbers, people
also hooked up with librarians to get answers to all kinds
of questions -- from the everyday to the extraordinary--as
OCPL librarians answered more than 1.5 million questions
in 1999.
Service hours have also been increased at several libraries,
and eight branches are now open seven days a week.
Libraries aren't what they used to be; they're much better.
To see what OCPL has for you, please visit the branch
nearest you.
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