Patrons are using your library. They come into the building, say hello at the front desk, and browse the new releases. Maybe they grab a flyer or a bookmark on the way out.
What they don’t necessarily see is everything else: the thousands of checkouts other patrons are making, the new cards issued that week, the waitlist that got a little shorter because of a smart holds strategy. And of course there’s the digital content you offer, all readily available without even requiring a visit.
That’s the trouble with impact: it’s easy to feel and hard to see.
But we can help you fix that. We’ve created a free image template you can use to take a month’s worth of activity and show it to your community at a glance.
Telling isn’t the same as showing.
Every library knows its card is worth having. Patrons know it too, although they may not have the full view. The problem is that “your library card unlocks a lot of value” is a sentence that’s easy to scroll past.
A number isn’t.
That’s the idea behind our new By the Numbers tool. This simple fill-in graphic turns a month of library activity into a friendly, easily digestible snapshot so you can spread the word. Post it on your socials, share it in your newsletter, add it to a board packet, or pin up a poster by the front door.
What’s on the grid?
The template is built as a nine-square grid, one stat per square. It puts numbers to the in-person energy of story time and circulation, as well as the always-open digital shelf your patrons are using at 11 p.m. on a Tuesday.
How to use it:
The template is just a starting point. Don’t worry: it’s built in Canva, so it’s easy to make it your own. Drop in your library’s logo, swap in your own numbers, and it’s ready to go.
- Download the free template.
- Customize it with your library’s logo and this month’s numbers.
- Share it wherever you think it will draw the most eyeballs.
- Repeat it next month (or next quarter, or next year) to build a running record of impact your patrons can see.
Your library already has the numbers. Give them somewhere to shine.
Download the free By the Numbers Canva template to get started, or find it anytime on the Hoopla Resource Center.
