That’s proving to be true in the Weber County Library System, where Director Lynnda Wangsgard says that usage is on the upswing.

“Last year we circulated 2,350,000 items, and this year it’ll go over 2,500,000 items. And about a third of those will be e-materials,” Wangsgard told the Standard-Examiner.

Meanwhile, in-person visits from January to April passed the 350,000 mark, which represented an increase of 7.4% over the same period last year, per Wangsgard.

Looking beyond circulated materials, the library also endeavors to be a place that enriches peoples’ lives and fosters a sense of community by offering an increasingly diverse array of programs and services.

“Our mission is, first of all, to provide people with the resources they need to make good decisions in their lives, a place where they can go for trusted information, not just something that’s designed to promote a point of view or to make money or whatever,” Wangsgard said. “The secondary goal is to bring people together and give them an opportunity to engage with others who don’t share their value system, who have a different (background) or a different point of view, and programs do that.”

To those ends, the daily programming calendars for all of Weber County’s library branches are stuffed to the proverbial brim with everything from tai chi and Zumba classes to Dungeons & Dragons and more.

During the aforementioned four-month period, 1,291 individual programs were offered systemwide, a 37% bump over the same period in 2023. Meanwhile, the number of individuals attending those programs grew a whopping 69%, from just under 24,000 to more than 40,000.

Among the many programs that are offered, Wangsgard made special mention of the library’s literacy programs and also those for retired people and those of different abilities.

“Our literacy programs are really important. We offer (English as a second language) courses, we offer adult literacy programs, computer literacy programs,” she said. “It’s all about literacy and all the different kinds of literacy, not just reading.”

Wangsgard also mentioned social literacy — “being able to get along and communicate” — and understanding things like applying for jobs and growing professionally.

Streaming services and digital collections of movies, music, e-books, audiobooks, periodicals and magazines are ever expanding at the library. Despite a societal skew toward digital media, though, there are still some 728,000 items in Weber County’s physical collection, and books account for 70% of circulated materials, per Wangsgard.

While the use of physical media in general can be associated with older generations, youth and younger adults are among the library’s most consistent users.

A report released in November by the American Library Association indicated that 54% of Gen Zers and milennials had visited a public library within the previous 12 months.

“There’s a stereotype or a myth among a lot of people that libraries are going away because young people don’t read anymore. The fact is young people use libraries a lot,” Wangsgard said. “And because Utah has such a high percentage of young people, libraries are booming in Utah.”

Wangsgard says nurturing that relationship is a top priority.

“Interacting with children and teens is really important because if you can instill a love of learning for young people, even before they start school, then it’s a lot easier for them.”