By Alyssa Schnugg

The Batesville Public Library is asking the Batesville Board of Aldermen to set aside $243,432 in the city’s fiscal year 2025 budget.

The funds are to help the library maintain and expand library services.

Lori Barnes, director of the First Regional Library, which is the umbrella system for the Batesville Public Library, presented statistics on the number of times the library was used and the programs it offers to the community during a recent board meeting.

“I’m happy to report to you that the library is running smoothly and the staff is doing a wonderful job serving your residents,” Barnes told the aldermen.

According to Barnes, the library had 48,703 visitors since Oct. 1, 2023, and there were 51,257 items checked out.

The library offered 154 programs, of which 2,590 people attended. The library offered 103 youth programs where 1,747 kids attended.

Librarian Amanda Tutor told the board the library saw a 36% increase of visitors in the past year.

“We’ve also had a 32% increase of the number books and other items being checked out,” she said.

She thanked the board for their support.

“A lot of other cities don’t offer their libraries the support you all give us,” she told the board members.

The aldermen took no action on the library’s budget request but will consider it with other budget requests during the budget process.

The board is finalizing the annual budget that will be presented to the public at an upcoming meeting. They must approve the budget by Sept. 15.

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