OCEANSIDE – In an effort to stem sagging circulation, Oceanside Public Library trustees will try something new: Give educators special privileges and maybe they'll bring in their students.
The library staff is looking for a new and jazzier name and distinctive look for what now is called the Educators' Card.
The card allows teachers in Oceanside schools, even those in preschools, to check out double the number of materials – 50 instead of 25 – permitted an individual borrower and with a longer borrowing period – six weeks instead of three. Many fines would be eliminated, as well.
The program also offers teachers free videotape movies for three weeks.
The city library board of trustees unanimously approved the plans for the new card Monday.
“I do not think it will have a big fiscal impact,” library director Deborah Polich told the board, but the program could have a psychological effect in urging teachers to bring their students to the library.
“It gives teachers an incentive to come in and use the library,” said youth services manager Suzanne McGowan. And, she said, when teachers use the library, their students do, too. “It's a way to boost circulation.”
Polich said the idea for the educator card stemmed from a forum of state library directors last week where they discussed how to connect with young people. McGowan said she knows of no other similar program “in our immediate area.”
“It would be nice to be the first,” McGowan said.
Earlier in the meeting, the board had reviewed statistics showing a total of 39,284 materials circulated during April, compared with 44,889 in March and 41,221 in April 2005.
“It was a difficult month to report on,” Polich said, because the bookmobile is out of service, skewing the figures. For instance, 1,179 children's materials were checked out of the bookmobile in April 2005, compared with 132 last month.
Polich said the bookmobile driver has returned from a leave of absence and the vehicle will resume its rounds Monday.
Besides a dip in circulation, the library also experienced a drop in the number of visitors: 47,724 in April, down from 53,876 in March and 48,235 in April of last year.
The bookmobile registered no visitors compared with 960 in April 2005.
Bucking the trend, usage of the library's electronic database was up to 2,084, compared with similar figures of about 1,380 for March and April of last year.
Lola Sherman: (760) 476-8241; lola.sherman@uniontrib.com
