Meeting new needs From the cover
The context
What’s happening
Helen Hall Library usage
While the library’s usage is higher than it was after the pandemic, some usage is still down compared to pre-pandemic levels with the exception of events.
Helen Hall Library has more than 144,000 items in its collection, according to a 2023 annual impact report from the library. The library also o ers literacy and lifelong learning programs, book clubs, a subject database and programs for children, including reading challenges and story time sessions, per the library’s website. Usage and attendance at the library dipped following the pandemic but has slowly crept back up in the years since, according to data from the city. The key exception is attendance for library events, which has more than doubled since scal year 2018-19. With usage increasing again, Layton said she believes the plan, particularly the feedback from residents, will help guide the library on which programs to focus on. “It’s a lot easier to prioritize some things over others if we know the community is on board with those things,” Layton said.
To maintain its yearly accreditation through the Texas State Library and Archives Commission, or TSLAC, Helen Hall Library o cials must review a long-range plan and update its needs every ve years, League City City Librarian Meredith Layton said. O cials said they are evaluating the library’s processes, identifying what needs improvement and seeking a wide scope of residential feedback through surveys and public forums. Initial results from a survey that started in June show residents want “more,” Layton said, in terms of collections, programs, meeting spaces and services. As of Sept. 11, the survey, which will run through the end of the month, has about 400 responses. Planning comes as city o cials account for growth and the changing priorities that come with it. Despite some additional revenue for the library, o cials said the city may have to get creative with how to expand the library’s services given the laundry list of items that need funding throughout the city.
*FY 2024-25
FY 2018-19
FY 2019-20
daily visitors 515
722
414
active borrowers 17,500
17,501 14,156
library budget per capita $21.46 total annual library event attendance 47,750
$20.94 $16.06
22,127 14,096
*THESE NUMBERS ARE PROJECTED FOR THE UPCOMING FISCAL YEAR BEGINNING OCT. 1. SOURCE: LEAGUE CITY COMMUNITY IMPACT
Zooming out
Aspects and goals of the strategic plan include:
almost $2.8 million in funding, which is up from the FY 2023-24 year-end estimate of $2.67 million, according to city documents. Meanwhile, Galveston County provides around $155,000 annually, said Mike Miller, executive director of Rosenberg Library in Galveston, which is part of the library network of Galveston County, along with Helen Hall Library. How much the library gets in grants from the state was not available by press time.
Similar to Helen Hall, programming attendance at libraries across the state has dipped and begun to rebound since the pandemic, according to data from TSLAC. Wendy Woodland, director of advocacy and communications for TSLAC, said the state plays a minimal role in both funding and strategic planning for local libraries. Nearly all Helen Hall’s funding comes from League City. In FY 2024-25, the city is proposing
• Holding a survey and public forums to assess needs • Determining priorities for library for next ive years • Shaping programming • Creating framework for decisions on programming and collections
SOURCES: HELEN HALL LIBRARY, LEAGUE CITY COMMUNITY IMPACT
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