Working on the library’s annual report is its own kind of satisfaction. Gathering the facts, stats and stories takes some time and effort. And to be honest, it can be tedious. Putting it all together is painstaking. But when the colorful 24-page booklet comes off the press, it’s hard not to think ”Wow! What a big year.”
Looking back is weirdly full of surprises – mostly at the sheer vastness of everything we did. In the report, you’ll see smiling faces, a community coming together, people learning and growing, and the dedication of a staff that helps make moments big and small. Satisfying indeed.
With 19 library facilities and 205 employees who manage more than 850 hours open to the public every week, Knox County Public Library gets the job done!
This annual report provides a glimpse through celebrated milestones (we surpassed THREE MILLION checkouts last year, over one million of which were in downloadable formats), inspiring programs, and everyday services that make a difference in people’s lives. We report on the 230,553 questions answered by our reference librarians, but what that number doesn’t show is how the information helped a person looking for a job or searching for the story of their great grandparents. Finding an answer to a question seems generic until it solves a specific problem. We love serving this community. And for the 182,573 cardholders, we are proud to provide books, databases, storytimes, movies, genealogical resources and so much more.
We hope you’ll take some time to read our 2024 Annual Report For all the stories we have on our shelves, this one tells our story, and we are pleased to share it with you.
Mary Pom Claiborne is assistant director for marketing, communications and development for Knox County Public Library.
