For years, our librarians have routinely assessed collections and monitored usage statistics, recorded customer feedback and jotted down anecdotal stories in order to select topics of popular interest.  At L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library, we recently noted a growing circulation trend in our adult nonfiction books in the subjects of health, wellness, nutrition, cooking, and fitness. 

This evidence supports what we suspected; the people we serve have a growing need and desire for more information on making healthy lifestyle choices.  We also learned that our citizens look to their library to find life altering information and help our community become better.

Knowing what our customers need and expect helps us be better and reward the immense trust that our community has placed in us to do well with the investment they made in their library.

Another aspect that helps grow new and improved library services is through community partnerships.  Reference Services Library Assistant I Charlie Schell responded to the invitation to participate in a health and wellness fair for the UW-EC employees, seeing it as an opportunity to learn more about our neighbors and to explore how we might collaborate on future efforts, and that is exactly what happened.  We look forward to new health-related programs in the not so distant future!