Record Contributions Come in to Darien Library

• First in residents' circulation (25.2 borrowings per 1,000 residents)
• First in computer logins (8.3 per 1,000 residents)
• First in collection turnover (5.6 times)
• Second in visits (20.5 per 1,000 residents)
• Second in reference queries answered (4.6 per 1,000 residents)
• Fifth in program attendance (2.1 per 1,000 residents)

In addition to these services, the library also has a Digital Media Lab library members can use "to upgrade their home collections of videos, recordings and pictures, and to develop sophisticated presentations, video narratives and shows."

Facts about the collection

At the end of the 2012-2013 fiscal year on July 30, the library had a collection of books, recorded books, DVDs and other items totalling 142,482 items (including three "quadcopter" flying drones assembled in one library program).

Items were borrowed from the library a total of 710,757 times during the year, and there were 328,620 visits to the library. Attendance at library programs was 46,477 for the year -- which is more visits than would take place if every single person in town visited twice.

These are the items most in demand by title (for which there may be more than one copy) from each library collection:

• Adult fiction: Gone Girl by Gillian Flyn (borrowed 423 times)
• Adult non-fiction: Wild by Cheryl Strayed (borrowed 222 times)
• Children's fiction: Diary of a Wimpy Kid (borrowed 295 times)
• Teen fiction: Mockingjay (borrowed 139 times)
• DVD: The Help (borrowed 294 times)
• Technology: Early literacy iPads (borrowed 279 times)

In an innovation by the library , early literacy iPads are borrowed by parents to review early learning apps they may want for their children.

Income

Darien Library is funded by a combination of revenue from the town government (an annual grant -- editor's update: $3.4 million in the current 2013-2014 fiscal year), money raised by Friends of Darien Library, transfers from the library capital fund ($290,000 this past fiscal year), income derived from library operations ($83,889) and state aid ($68,360), for total revenues of $1,147,277 (not including the town's annual grant).

Spending

"Friends expenditures are for books, whether they be published [the olf-fashioned way, on paper], books on CD, or electronic, such as downloadable audio or e-books, magazines, published or electronic, videos, programs, technology services [...]" etc. Town revenues largely go toward salaries.

The library spent $289,393 for books in all forms; $30,719 on magazines and newspapers; $48,455 for videos; $104,716 for information services; $162,939 for programs of various sorts; $24,886 for other technology services; and $4,163 to buy "other collection items."

These amounts are all unaudited numbers. The audited results are usually available four to six months after the end of the fiscal year, according to the annual report.