Originally published in the April 26 issue of The Mountain-Ear.

Michael Carlson, Gilpin County.

The Library reached an all-time high in checked out items for the month of March. For the first time, the Library went over the 3,000 mark in circulation. March was also a very busy month for patron visits. We have seen a 6% increase in people visiting the Library as well as a 17% increase in community organizations using our meeting room space. The Library has increased the number of programs it has conducted by over 33% compared to this time last year. Since the beginning of the year, we have reached a combined 485 children, teens and adults through our various programs. We anticipate these trends to continue as we approach the busier summer months.

The Library is currently in the planning stage for its two most popular summer events: The Artist-in-Residence program and the Summer Reading Club. We are currently accepting applications for an Artist-in-Residence through April 30, 2018. Potential applicants can find out more information by visiting our website www.gilpinlibrary.org.

The Library has also set the dates for the upcoming Summer Reading Program as June 5 – August 11. We are currently in the process of booking special summertime programs and performers. As soon as performance times are finalized, we will be getting the information out to the public in plenty of time for the June 5th kickoff.

During the upcoming months, we will be continuing to offer our preschool story time and craft hour every Wednesday from 10 - 11 a.m. The Saturday morning family film series has been very successful. The Library will be showing “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” (Rated PG-13, 119 minutes) on April 21 at 10 a.m. Our robotics program, that meets every Thursdays from 4:30 – 6 p.m. for kids ages 8+, has been averaging around 13 participants at each session. The Library’s Tuesday evening book club will be meeting on May 8th from 6:30 – 8 p.m. The book “The Muralist” by B.A. Shapiro is available for checkout at the front desk. The Wednesday Lunch Book Club will be reading

“The Boys in the Boat” by Daniel Brown for its Noon meeting on May 2, 2018. The Friends Annual Spring Book Sale will be held during open hours on April 13 and 14.

Patrons can receive more information on upcoming programs by visiting our website www.gilpinlibrary.org.

Statistics for March 2018: We circulated 3,003 items during the month. Books accounted for 58% of the circulation along with DVDs 30%, eContent 9%, and CD Books 3%. eBook, eAudio, and Database usage for the month was 289. Our estimated attendance for March was 1,325 for the 23 days the Library was open, an average of 58 patrons per day. There were 21 new Library cards issued. The meeting room was used 21 times. There were 13 requests for notary service.