Royal Oak Public Library shares fiscal year report

ROYAL OAK — The Royal Oak Public Library, 222 E. 11 Mile Road, posted its fiscal year 2024-2025 annual report on its website, ropl.org. 

Director Sandy Irwin shared her thoughts on the library over the course of 2024-2025 in a prepared statement. 

“The Royal Oak Public Library has had another stellar year! Our mission to provide opportunities for all to learn, connect, create and innovate has really come to life over this past year, and it’s all thanks to the ingenuity of the staff and the commitment and oversight of the Board of Trustees,” Irwin stated. 

Irwin also said that over the past year, the library has experienced the “highest circulation of materials in our history, with 593,404 items (both physical and electronic) checked out.”

Irwin said that millage dollars funded upgrades to the building, including a new roof that will allow for solar panels, a repaired loading dock and new railings, and new security cameras. 

“We had a lot of really wonderful things that we did. Our circulation was the highest that we have ever seen before,” Irwin said in an interview. “We have had so many great programs, adult programs, youth programs, and family programs. Our traffic was really high, we had over 192,000 people come through our doors.”

The library reported that it saw an increase in visits from 185,907 in 2023-2024 to 192,211 in 2024-2025. 

Currently the library is in the middle of the next fiscal year, and since the beginning of the 2025-2026 fiscal year, the growth of the community using the library’s collection of materials has stood out to Irwin. 

“Halfway through this fiscal year, which was December, other than e-materials, our circulation is up. People are checking out more children’s books, more teen books, more adult books,” she said. “Our visits are up. So, I think the most important thing is that we are serving the community and they are responding by using the library and the resources.”

Irwin said that that’s exactly why the library is there: to serve the community and provide Royal Oak residents with ample resources. 

The report also includes a list of highlights of the year. One of the highlights listed was the addition of Trevor Winn as the adult services supervisor. 

Winn said that the past year in his new position has been a great experience, and he credits a lot of the work done to his team of librarians.

“I have been bragging to friends and family just how fortunate I feel to work in a place like this. I can’t say enough good things about our director, Sandy Irwin, and mostly my team,” he said. “Theyre imaginative, they love doing new things, and they are really eager to be really responsive to what the community is asking for.”

Winn said one of the major improvements for the adult department is the summer reading program. 

“It’s the largest thing we do. It goes from early June to early August. And in 2025 we had over 600 adults participate, which is two or three times what we had in 2024 because of the way the fiscal year falls,” he said. “It really encouraged a lot of adults to read, and to not only read, but also because of the scavenger portion of the program, really explore all areas of Royal Oak and learn new businesses or locations.”

One of the major additions that has gained a lot of traction within the library includes the Makerspace, a designated spot for patrons to let their creativity fly. 

The Makerspace has a variety of equipment including an embroidery machine, button makers, laminators, a small laminator, a Cricut Joy Xtra, a Cricut Mug Press, and a digital imaging and audio lab. 

“Megan, who is our Makerspace librarian, has been doing really great creative programs, and the interest has exploded,” Winn said. 

The library received a $70,000 grant from Ebsco for rooftop solar installations. The LibCabinet, a vending machine for high-demand books, was installed in the cafe at Woodward Corner Market, 30955 Woodward Ave. 

The library said it had 306 people participate in the second annual winter reading challenge, and the summer reading program had participation from 64 babies and toddlers, 187 read-to-me participants, 349 readers, and 82 teens. 

The library also hired Fast Forward Libraries as its strategic plan consultant, according to the report. The library partnered with Royal Oak Schools for the second annual student art show. 

Both Winn and Irwin mentioned that they are looking forward to releasing the library’s updated strategic plan, which is currently in its final stages.  

“We have been going through the strategic planning process since last summer, and we should be putting final touches on that on Tuesday (Feb. 24),” Irwin said. 

The strategic plan is full of ideas from both staff and the community. 

“We did a survey and focus groups, and gathered information from the community and staff and from the board, and put it all together into our new strategic plan,” Irwin said. “So, we are very excited about our new strategic plan.”

As for the adult department, Winn said that the strategic plan going forward is going to focus on bringing more local authors into the library, bringing back local art shows and focusing on more creative activities. 

“I’m excited about the strategic plan. There are always ways for us to improve and grow and continue to spread the word about what we are doing, and maybe get the attention of the people who maybe haven’t thought about us lately,” Winn said.

The new strategic plan will be released in the weeks following the final touches. 

For more, visit ropl.org.