Fountaindale Enjoying Spike in Foot Traffic, Rented Items

More residents are visiting the . And because of that, more items are being rented.

The library is enjoying a 54 percent increase in visitors from last year, said Paul Mills, Fountaindale’s .

In June 2010, just more than 36,000 visited the library, he said. This June, nearly 80,000 walked through the door.

Mills said the increase could be because of the library’s new building, which .

“Libraries do traditionally see a spike in circulation and visits from patrons when a new building opens,” he said.

But the new library may not deserve all the credit, Mills said.

Mills said many patrons are now using the library as their “third place”—that is to say not work and not home—to pursue what interests them.

“I believe our strong growth demonstrates that our library now offers a wonderful space for our community to come together whether through a planned program such as a storytime or informally in the business center or the teen center,” he said. “We also now have the space for a larger collection and the opportunity to display our collection and make it more accessible for our patrons as well.”

The library also saw a 37 percent increase in the amount of items rented over last year’s numbers. In June 2010, 58,398 items were rented compared to 93,203 in June of this year.