Visits, programming and book circulation at the Evanston Public Library increased in 2013, according to the library’s annual report.

The evaluation, published April 3, noted a 28 percent rise in the number of library programs since 2012, as well as a 5 percent climb in trips residents took to the library, up to more than 660,000 trips.

Library director Karen Danczak Lyons said she attributes the success to the library’s attempts to focus on outreach and thus an increased presence in the lives of Evanston residents.

“There’s been a lot of response to our programs throughout the community,” she said. “We’re turning outwards and getting feedback on how we can create and refine our programs to better serve Evanston.”

The report includes summaries of the additional engagement measures the library took in 2013. Lyons highlighted the Edge Initiative, a national program to increase the library’s access to technology, and Public Innovator Training, which works to train employees to better serve the community.

The library added to its staff a Latino outreach librarian as a means of “improved outreach to Evanston’s Latino and new immigrant residents,” the report says.

The library also hosted its first naturalization ceremony, in which 43 people became U.S. citizens.

Children’s literacy became a major focus of the library in 2013, said Benjamin Schapiro, president of the EPL Board of Trustees. During the summer, when school is not in session, the reading ability of younger students can regress dramatically, he said.

“Our goal is to have children (reading) at or above grade level when they enter school,” he said.

Schapiro said he reached out to Northwestern athletes for help. NU student-athletes volunteered at the library over the summer to read with kids as part of the program to promote literacy, he said.

While he said he’s impressed with the number of people coming through the doors of the library, Schapiro continues to aim for Evanston to have one of the top five libraries in the state in terms of usage.

Schapiro said he thinks this objective is attainable, especially with the introduction of the library’s social media accounts and its new mobile app.

“I use (the app) weekly to access a lot of resources,” he said. “The library has to work to put itself in places where people are — it can’t just sit.”

Looking forward, Lyons said a certain amount of reflection on the library’s progress thus far is necessary. The response from the community is more important than ever, so the library can determine what was successful and what needs to improve, she said.

As Lyons goes into her third year as director, Schapiro called her a “tremendous asset” to library. He agreed with Lyons that the library should continue to make connections with a multitude of entities in Evanston.

“We need to make it as integral to the lives of Evanston residents as possible,” he said.

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