Los Gatos Library Nears Completion

—Los Gatos Library officials are reporting that an increase this past year in circulation is due to the still-sour economy, outreach efforts and staff selection practices.

Also adding to its circulation spike is a , said Los Gatos Library Director Linda Hardy Dydo.

During the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2011, the library circulated 481,341, up from 458,877 items checked out during the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2010, Dydo said.

The library currently has 25,238 patrons and issues between 250 and 280 library cards each month, she added.

With the library's expansion, which is expected to increase from its current 14,000 square feet to 30,000 square feet, the new $18 million facility will add more than 5,000 items for an “opening-day collection” that are being purchased from the Barbara Cassin Trust, money left to the library by a generous library supporter, Dydo explained.

The library purchases CD ROM games for children, in PC and MAC format, of an educational/informative nature, Dydo added.

It doesn't purchase traditional “video games” for many reasons, she said, adding that there are multiple platforms (Nintendo Wii, Xbox, Nintendo, etc, as well as pc, MAC) and the facility simply could not afford to purchase across the many platforms.

"We would end up being able to purchase only one-two games per format per year, and such a small collection benefits no one," she said.

Also, the library doesn't perceive a need to purchase them, she said. "This seems to be an area where Los Gatans are serving themselves."