About Your Library
The Library continued to operate in downtown Bayfield in the old bank building. Gradually, as Bayfield's population increased, so did its need for a larger and more modern building. A mill levy increase passed November 1999, and funding for new facilities became available. Construction started in 2001 and completed at the beginning of 2004. The Library began moving from its Mill Street location into the brand new facility on March 25, 2004.
In 2005, the Bayfield Public Library was renamed the Lavenia McCoy Public Library to honor the service of a woman who volunteered her time and skills over a sixty-year period. Today, Mrs. McCoy still serves on the Board. The Lavenia McCoy Public Library is located in the heart of the expanded business district on the north side of Highway 160. The 8,200 square foot Library includes 30 public computers, a large public meeting room with the capacity to seat 50, two smaller conference rooms, a children's area, comfortable chairs for reading, and a growing selection of books, magazines, audio, and video materials. Recent additions to the collection include online databases, downloadable media including audio, video, music, and e-books, GPS units, MP3 players, and flash drives. Over 200 patrons, representing between 28 and 35 different groups, use the public meeting room each month.
In March of 2007, the Library's collection size was 21,237. This includes books, audio, visual media, and periodicals. Also, as of March 2007, the patron count was 6,555.
A lot has changed in three years. In December of 2009, the Library’s collection size was 28,122. At the end of last year, the patron count was 9,460. Meanwhile, the total number of items circulated for 2009 was 94,228 which is a 16.4% increase over 2008. This means the Library has increased the collection by 14.2%, the number of patrons by 9%, and the circulation of items by 16.4%, with only a 5% increase in budget.
Aside from regular services, the library continues to offer a variety of programs for adults, children and teenagers. The number of programs has more than tripled, and the number of program participants continues to increase. Throughout the year, the library held special community events including Wii Tournaments, a Fire Truck Storytimes, a unique gardening series of program, computer how-to classes, a week of programs for homeschool parents and children, and the most-popular Summer Reading Program ever!
In 2009, patrons used several new services offered by the library. More computers were added to reduce the wait time for patrons. New features were added to the library’s website. In the past, patrons were always asking what new books, audio books and movies were coming. Now, they can visit the website and look on our “On Order” list to see what is about to be added to the collection. Patrons are also able to put books on hold through the website, a feature that was not available in 2007.
In 2010 the Lavenia McCoy Public Library staff is looking forward to expanding services plus new and exciting programs. Please come and visit!