David Diller, directory of the Glen Lake Community Library, provided an annual library report at the March 23 annual meeting in Empire Township.
The library, located in the Village of Empire, celebrated its fourth anniversary in its new facility which was expanded and renovated.
“It still feels new looking, we are growing into that space. 2023 was a record year for us. We saw more people coming through the doors and borrowing more materials,” Dillard said.
GLCL saw more than 20,000 visitors who borrowed over 40,000 materials from the library in 2023.
“Those are some pretty key measures of how people are using community libraries. What’s more important though is that our building was made possible with lots of local support, lots of private gifts and donations, support from local government, including Empire Township,” Dillard said.
Last year, the library saw 400 reservations to use various meeting and community spaces.
The library has made some improvements to the outdoor spaces including its front plaza, and in the backyard to make those spaces more attractive, accessible and functional, according to Dillard.
Diller highlighted successes with its book groups to a reading dog program that came once a month to work with young readers.
GLCL finances are made possible through various avenues. A property tax millage provides the bulk of the operating costs at .2962 mills in Empire, Kasson, and Glen Arbor Townships, which is less than half of the average rate for Michigan Class 1 libraries, according to the annual report. The last time this millage was approved was 2020 and will be considered for renewal in 2025.
Other sources of local income were also vital, including generous support from the Friends of the Glen Lake Library and numerous private donations. Total income for GLCL equals $300,017 compared to $257,082 in expenses, 66% of which is personnel costs.
“Our biggest expense of course is personnel. I’m one of two full-time employees and we have two part-time employees. We’ve got a great team that allows us to keep the library open six days a week ... about 46 hours (the library is open a week),” Dillard said.
GLCL’s strategic plan for the future is primarily focused on reaching residents and visitors that are not using the library including younger readers.
“We’ve got a lot of active users, but we know there are a lot more people in our community, which includes Kasson Township and Glen Arbor Township that may not be aware of the library or may not know what’s available for them. We want to do a better job of reaching those people. We are especially interested in finding ways to make resources more accessible to Kasson Township residents. We’ve got some initiatives that we’re pursuing there,” Dillard said. “We really want to better connect with Glen Lake schools. We see some students, but there are a lot more we would like to see in the building.”
