By Rashae Ophus Johnson
Provo Daily Herald Writer
Sunday, August 14, 2005

The Provo City Library didn't achieve popularity being quiet and bookish. It took a hip makeover, new activities and extensive socializing.

Now with almost more friends than it can handle, this summer the library recorded its busiest day, busiest month and busiest year ever.

Patrons borrowed nearly 1.5 million items -- books, audio tapes, DVDs, magazines -- in the 2004-2005 fiscal year that ended in July, including about 147,000 items in June alone.

"It's the busiest library I've ever heard of," said Carla Zollinger, support services supervisor. "We're a product of our own success."

Circulation surged immediately after the library relocated four years ago into the renovated former Brigham Young Academy on Center Street. Administrator Gene Nelson, who has opened three new libraries including this one, anticipated the initial rush.

"Then quite often you see a drop and it plateaus ... unless your building is in a high-growth area, but that's not Provo's situation," he said. "There's some satisfaction in my heart because to me that means our increase in circulation isn't due just to more people moving in. It tells me more that more people in Provo are using the library and checking out books."

The staff -- which has not increased accordingly -- credits excellent and extensive programming for driving circulation up by a half-million items annually since the 2000-2001 fiscal year that closed shortly before the library reopened.

"The libraries of old -- passive organizations that just sat around waiting for people to come in and take the books off the shelves -- those days are over," Nelson said. "We have competition out there."

With ample space available in Academy Square, librarians launched adult programming with attractions like computer training and book clubs. They expanded teen programming to include popular features like movie nights, began renting community rooms, extended Hispanic outreach efforts and added more children's events.

The 20-minute children's story times draw hundreds of faithful patrons like Robyn Jenks, a 24-year-old mother of two. She has visited the library every couple of weeks for two years. After about an hour, she leaves with adult's and children's books wedged all around her toddler and baby in their two-seat stroller.

"I really like that they do the story time," she said. "That's really what started us coming."

Librarians say that's the objective: Patrons arrive for special programs and, ideally, check out books or other media while they're in the building.

"It's gotten busier and busier in every aspect you can imagine," Nelson said. "We're doing a good job about letting people know our story, and people are excited to come here."

John Arthur Taylor has patronized the Provo Library through four locations and 72 years. He started visiting the library in 1933, in the then-new building at 15 N. 100 East. He stops about twice per week in the current Academy Square building where he attended kindergarten in 1933.

"I'm a heavy-duty borrower, I suppose," he said. "I spent many years in and around that building, so I always regretted that they let it deteriorate. ... You kind of love things associated with your youth."

Taylor now reads about 100 books per year and knows several of the 26 circulation employees by name. As hectic as it gets, Nelson said the library always wants more friends like Taylor.

"Lines are longer than we wish or things don't always get on the shelf as fast as we'd like, but it's a wonderful problem," he said. "As we look at libraries that are literally closing their doors, we're lucky we have a community like Provo where, if anything, we're too busy."