Libray rep touts big numbers for Middlesex Kiwanians

At a recent Middlesex County Kiwanis Club meeting, Kiwanians learned that Middlesex’s libraries are busy places with plenty of books, but with much, much more. Middlesex’s libraries have 55,263 volumes, not counting DVDs, e-media, magazines, etc.

But, as the meeting’s speaker, Middlesex County Public Library (MCPL) system’s Outreach Coordinator Mike Kunzinger said, that is just the beginning of what is available at the MCPL’s two locations, one in Urbanna and one in Deltaville.

According to the Wake resident, a snapshot of library activity during the past year reveals the following:

• There were more than 17,000 checkouts.
• 1,300 hours spent using in-house computers.
• 14,000 patron visits.
• 2,400 attendees at programs, including 24 adult programs, workshops, presentations and talks by community organizations.

The Kiwanis Club’s main mission is to “Serve the Children of the World, One Community at a Time,” so Middlesex Kiwanians were especially interested in the library’s resources for children. Besides a large number of children’s books, MCPL’s libraries offer weekly story times for children with crafts, a spring children’s carnival, a summer reading program and homeschool meet-ups. Middlesex Kiwanis Club partners with MCPL to support many of these programs.