Report: Library users in Brookings save millions of dollars

By Mondell Keck | The Brookings Register

BROOKINGS — When it comes to books, the Brookings Public Library is certainly all about the tomes — and so much more as well, the Brookings County Commission learned at its Feb. 17 meeting.

BPL Director Ashia Gustafson’s 2025 year-in-review presentation started with humor on how numbers and books don’t mix, except when they do.

“We joke in the library world that we don’t like math, then we count everything — so we have all sorts of stats of all the fun things that we do for the year,” she told commissioners.

Gustafson then reeled off some 2025 totals, including:

• The door count showed 72,182 people visited the library, averaging about 200 people per day.
• The BPL had 11,195 registered cardholders and had a total circulation of 285,883 items.
• The library has eight public computers and wi-fi available throughout the building. There were 3,915 computer sessions, and 1,346 of them connected to the wi-fi. In all, computer use hours added up to 2,688.
• BPL offers notary services and has seven notaries on staff. There’s no cost for users — “it’s a well-used service,” Gustafson said. In all, there were 423 notarizations.
• The library provided outreach to homebound patrons in Brookings, with 2,000 visits.

Perhaps the biggest revelation of all was a seven-figure number.

“We looked at all the things that were checked out in 2025, and then we assigned them a number,” Gustafson explained. “So, like $25 for a physical book, $15 for a DVD, etc., and we saved our cardholders $5,053,789 last year if they were to go out and purchase those items.”

Of those savings, $1.5 million came through e-books and e-audiobooks, which are available through the Libby and Hoopla services the library uses.

“It’s a great service that we provide to the public,” Gustafson said.

While not as big as the $5 million number, she went on to list other totals from 2025 as well:

• There were 170,948 physical and digital materials available.
• A total of 1,626 new library cards were issued.
• BPL had 861 programs, with attendance totaling 25,054 people.
• Meeting and study room sessions added up to 1,421. Those spaces included the Maker Lab and the Historical Room.
• Pages printed totaled 36,551 and 4,545 reference questions were answered. Lastly, 2,165 outreach items were delivered as well.

Gustafson also told commissioners that the library updated its three-year strategic plan last year.

“That can be found on our website, brookingslibrary.org, under the ‘about us’ tab, so you can see all the things that we’ve been doing, and we have a tracker for that,” she noted.

Furthermore, the BPL has been accredited at the “exemplary level” through the South Dakota State Library, Gustafson added.

“It’s a program that they do, and it’s a three-year process to get re-accredited, and exemplary is the highest level that we can achieve,” she explained.

Answering questions

During and following the presentation, commissioners inquired about several items of interest, including hours and library board composition.

“Can you talk a little bit about the board and how often it meets?” Commissioner Kelly VanderWal asked.

Gustafson said the board meets monthly; specifically, the second Thursday after the first Monday of every month. The board typically goes over the budget and reviews policies, and the meetings are open to the public.

“You are more than welcome to join us,” she said. “We meet upstairs in our Historical Room at 11:45 a.m.”

Commissioner Shawn Hostler sought insights on the makeup of the board.

“There are five members on our board, and they are appointed by our local governmental unit, which is the city of Brookings, which is outlined in South Dakota Codified Law 14-2-34,” Gustafson explained.

Commissioner Dave Miller inquired about library employees.

“I heard you mention that there are seven notaries on staff. How many employees do you have at the library — full time, part time?” he asked.

Gustafson said, including herself, there are 10 full-time employees and 11 part-time employees. She added that the BPL’s hours are 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Gustafson thanked commissioners at the end of her presentation. “Thank you so very much. We appreciate your continued support,” she said.

— Contact Mondell Keck at [email protected].