Having fun isn’t hard when you’ve got a library card! And with a total of 267,647 materials checked out from the Pictou-Antigonish Regional Library it’s plain to see that, once again, Arthur the Aardvark was on to something.
If you’re familiar with the show then you probably can’t even read the word “Aardvark” without hearing the titular character practice for the school spelling bee at Lakewood Elementary.
But enough about Arthur.
A total of 267,647 items were checked out of Pictou-Antigonish Regional Library locations in 2018-19. Not all books either. Digital materials like ebooks, digital audio books and magazines made up 9 per cent of total circulation. A big chunk of the remaining 91 per cent is made up of reading materials of course, but there’s a lot more on offer and some of these materials might prevent lung cancer.
Let’s break it down…
Most Popular books of 2018 - March 2019.
Kingdom of the Blind by Louise Penny comes in high on this list with a total of 64 checkouts, while Beholden by Lesley Crewe trailing behind with a respectable 57 checkouts.
However, there’s a third book creeping up on Penny and Crewe and is projected to outstrip them. Since November, “Becoming” by Michelle Obama has been checked out 15 times and there are currently 59 people waiting to read it.
“Saying which books are most popular is fairly subjective but I’d say that thee are the most popular in terms of checkouts and holds that are placed,” says PARL Technical Services Librarian, Greg Hayward. “But in terms of checkouts and holds placed those ones are always at the top of the list, and looking at the checkouts I’d say they they’re the most popular.”
Most Popular non-book materials:
Next to smoking, radon is the leading cause of lung cancer in Nova Scotia. That’s according to the Lung Association of Nova Scotia, and that’s why radon detector kits are the most popular non-book materials people can borrow from PARL.
Radon is a naturally occurring gas that forms when uranium in soil and rocks gets broken down and rises up out of the ground. This process isn’t much of a concern when it occurs outside, but when it seeps into enclosed spaces like peoples’ houses where it can accumulate, then it poses a serious health risk.
PARL has 7 radon detector kits with 48 people on the waitlist.
And while waiting get a radon detector kit, why not spend two weeks getting fit?
The PARL Fun Fit Passes have been dominating this category. The Fun Fit passes are for individuals or families looking to try-out either the YMCA, True Potential Fitness or the Pictou Fisheries Pool. There are currently eight Fun Fit Passes on offer for the YMCA, and one each for the Pictou Fisheries Pool and True Potential Fitness in Pictou.
Since launching in December the passes have been checked out 83 times and there are currently 26 people on the waiting list.
So, if you have anything from PARL lying around be sure to bring them back.
If you don’t have anything from PARL, be sure to check them out!
