2024 Annual Report
Welcome
This year, our communities walked through our doors, attended programs, connected with each other and staff, and borrowed materials in every format. From storytimes and job search support to citizenship classes and book clubs, our libraries served as welcoming spaces to learn, connect, and belong. Across our region, library use has remained strong, reflecting the essential role libraries play in daily life.
Behind the scenes, our dedicated staff stewarded public resources with care. Risings costs continue to affect us all, including public libraries, and our team stayed focused on stretching every dollar by building community partnerships and refining our services.
The data below tells an important story. It reflects families discovering books together, students finding study space, people paying bills and applying for jobs, entrepreneurs accessing technology to build small businesses, and community members finding connection and support.
Public libraries remain vital to the health, opportunity, and future of our region. Thank you for being a part of our story.
Board of Trustees
The NCW Libraries Board of Trustee’s is comprised of 7 members representing the five counties in our district.
Staff
In 2024, NCW Libraries employed 217 staff members across North Central Washington. Our staff live and work in the communities NCW Libraries serves, ensuring that our library services are tailored and relevant in each location.
Collection
1,657,561 | Digital items in our collection
451,951 | Physical items in our collection
41,918 | Physical items were added to the library collection
352,156 | Digital items added to the library collection
Circulation
561,204 | Digital materials borrowed
1,291,409 | Total items borrowed
879 | Book Club Kits Borrowed
5,485 | Inter-Library Loans received from other libraries
68 | Classroom kits borrowed
Programs
6,661 | SLP participants
Services
1,971,708 | Online catalog views
654,442 | People visited our libraries, check out our locations
773,910 | Wireless internet sessions
363,914 | Website visits to ncwlibraries.org
277,292 | Sessions on our public access computers
80,722 | Uses of our online databases
54,837 | Open-hours in our 30 library locations & community bookmobile
55,314 | Library card holders
14,400 | New library cards issued
Maximize the Community Investment – Budget
| Property taxes |
$15,615,192
|
| Charges for services – printing, fees, city contracts |
$410,593
|
| Misc revenue |
$256,000
|
| Intergovernmental revenue |
$220,000
|
| Fines – lost and damaged materials |
$18,000
|
| Total revenue |
$16,519,785
|
NOTE: 95% of revenue comes from local property taxes.
| Personnel costs – salary, wages, and benefits |
$11,144,318
|
| Public services – supplies, library materials, software, hardware, equipment, professional services, phone, internet, postage, mileage, advertising, rentals & leases, insurance |
$3,377,806
|
| Facilities – supplies, small equipment, professional services, utilities, rentals & leases, repairs and maintenance, contributions to cities, etc. |
$1,150,438
|
| Capital replacement fund |
$284,503
|
| Election reserve fund |
$235,000
|
| Organization of materials |
$210,200
|
| Administration |
$137,500
|
| Training |
$100,520
|
| Total expenditures |
$16,640,285
|
Freedom to Read
Adopted by the NCW Libraries Board of Trustees and Executive Leadership Team in Fall 2023
NCW Libraries believes that free access to information and ideas is an essential human right, guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. We believe that the freedom to read is a cornerstone of our democratic society. We join the American Library Association and public libraries across the nation in championing and defending the freedom to read.
View the American Library Association’s Freedom to Read Statement.
Thank You!
NCW Libraries represents the incredibly vibrant and diverse communities that live, work, and play in North Central Washington. Our goal for 2024 and beyond is to better reflect that diversity in our programs, resources, and services. We are stronger together!
We are grateful for the community and for the tireless support of our board, staff, Friends of the Library groups, and partners.
English