The Wiscasset Library is preparing for its major annual fundraiser as it sees increased interest in the wake of pandemic closures.
The library’s circulation numbers have surpassed pre-pandemic attendance as patrons seek out socialization and recreational activities now that vaccinations have made face-to-face interaction safer.
“Libraries have become a real community center, even more so since COVID happened,” said library Director Pamela Dunning.
With 45,000 items in library’s collection, including books, CDs, magazines, DVDs and science kits for kids, Dunning said around 32,000 items were checked out in 2019, a pre-COVID year. In 2020, with limited library access, extended closures and a curbside pickup system, Dunning said fewer than 21,000 items had been checked out.
As COVID protocols started to relax, Dunning said the library had 34,000 items in circulation at the end of 2021, 2,000 more than a pre-pandemic year.
Dunning attributed the increase to community members seeking “a friendly face” after being isolated for so long.
“Libraries were some of the first places to let people back in,” she said. “We worked on keeping our buildings germ-free and went to great lengths for people to come in.”
Monday, Sept. 5, the Wiscasset Library brings back its annual fundraiser, Bands for Books, from 5-7 p.m. at 191 Indian Road in Wiscasset.
Guests can hit the dance floor while The Salty Dogs perform music, have appetizers and drinks, Dunning said.
Advance tickets can be purchased at the library for $20 per person or at the door the day of for $25.
Proceeds will be used to refurbish the front circulation desk.
Other libraries in the area saw similar changes in use surrounding the pandemic.
Patten Free Library Director Roberta Jordan noticed a similar trend in Bath. With a collection of 68,000 items, combined with an interlibrary loan program — borrowing books from surrounding libraries — 77,445 items were checked out from July 2019 to June 2020. That number dropped by 20,000 the next year during COVID. However, in June 2022, the Bath library surpassed the numbers of a non-pandemic year, with 85,689 items in circulation.
Freeport Library Director Courtney Sparks said her library has “fully rebounded” since the pandemic.
Before COVID, Sparks said the library had 82,000 items in circulation, but that number dropped to 55,000 during the pandemic because the interlibrary loaning system wasn’t an option in 2020. She said use has bounced back to 85,000 items in circulation, a 3,000-item increase since before the pandemic.
“Our library usage is very robust, and we are adept at adjusting to what people are looking for whether it’s e-books or audiobooks,” Sparks said.
Dunning pointed out that libraries are more than a place to house books, movies and music.
“Public libraries aren’t a place where you are shooshed, they are real hubs for people,” Dunning said. “Social workers who need to meet with families, students who meet with tutors and people that sit on the front lawn to use our Wi-Fi come here.”
She said libraries are also a go-to for avid readers who are cost-conscious.
The average cost for an adult fiction paperback book is $18.17, according to the School Library Journal, a publication for librarians and information specialists.
“People can’t afford to buy all the books they read,” Dunning said. “We have some patrons take out eight or 10 books at a time and return three weeks later for more. You can’t just buy all of those.”
For more information on Bands for Books, call 882-7161.
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