New Local History Book

One of our quests is to provide materials that illuminate Lake Oswego’s history.  We’re excited about a new title that will soon be available:  The Hugh and Olive Baker Datebooks 1906-1926.  This datebook, which was recently transcribed, is a personal chronicle of an Oswego resident’s experience in the early 1900’s.  It will make interesting reading, especially as we celebrate the City’s 2010 Centennial.  The photo above is part of the Library’s local history collection and includes members of the Baker family.  For more information about the Library’s local history resources, go to http://www.ci.oswego.or.us/library/special/History.htm.

Numbers, Numbers

Library visitors checked out a whopping 128,405 items last month, which is a  3.2% increase over check-outs in August 08.   Although 3.2% may seem small, it’s  actually an amazing statistic.  Why?  Over the past couple of decades, more often than not, our monthly check-out rate is higher than that same month the year before.  Library usage continues to climb, even though Lake Oswego’s population growth has remained relatively flat.  The conclusion?  More folks in our community are using our Library and our regular visitors are checking out more items.  We’re delighted! 

Summer Reading Clubs

It seems like lots of folks in our community of readers were busy reading this summer.  A total of 1,812 kids joined our children’s club, which is a 16% increase over 2008.  The teen program had the highest participation rate on record, meaning more teens who signed up read at least one book.  And, hold on to your hats, our 204 adult summer readers finished 1,731 books.  Yikes!  Prizes for summer readers were made possible by our beloved Friends of the Library.