At Monday’s Guthrie Center City Council meeting, Mary J. Barnett Memorial Library Director Pat Sleister presented the library’s annual report. The report covers the 2016-2017 fiscal year.

Over the year, the library was open 31 hours each week and employed four staff members. The library offered an assortment of activities, including: cribbage and bridge clubs, Kids Club, monthly movies, and card-making classes. The library also utilizes: a Nintendo Wii gaming console, learning databases, and children’s resources.

However, the most important feature at the library is the public Wi-Fi. There were 8,373 Wi-Fi uses, which is second only to the Stuart Public Library among Guthrie County libraries. Sleister mentioned an important factor regarding patron’s location when using Wi-Fi. “If you drive by the library at night, and if you see lights in cars and people sitting in front of the door, we have Wi-Fi available for anybody that wants to use it and it does work in the parking lot.”

The City of Guthrie Center contributed $71,255 in the 2016-2017 fiscal year. Over 27,000 people used the library during that time.