Beaumont Library records all-time highs for visits, program attendance

BEAUMONT -- Last year was a record year for the Bibliothèque de Beaumont Library.

This is according to newly released data, which shows that the library recorded over 70,000 visits during the course of 2025, marking an all-time high for the facility. In addition, records were also set for program attendance, print checkouts, and public workstation sessions. Library Director Jessica Knoch says their numbers have rebounded significantly since the pandemic.

"What's particularly exciting is that 2025 saw our highest number of visits on record, ever," said Knoch in her presentation to Beaumont City Council. "This was even though the library was closed for a month in June due to renovations."

Knoch says that the library is already off to another hot start this year, as 14,500 visitors have come through their doors since the start of January -- an increase of nine per cent over last year. There's also been an eleven per cent increase in borrowed resources, while program attendance is on par with last year through the first three months of 2026.

For this year, the library will be unveiling a trio of new planned initiatives for the public. One of these will include the addition of a new social and emotional learning kits collection. According to the library, this collection will support learning in areas such as empathy, self-regulation, and resilience. A private room revitalization project will also take place this year, which aims to freshen up the library's furniture for one of the library's most frequently used spaces. Jessica Knoch says they'll also be expanding access for youth readers.

"One initiative that we're particularly excited about this year is the development of a large print collection for juvenile and young adults," said Knoch. "This was something that was brand new to me when I came to Beaumont, I hadn't seen a collection like this before, but when I started to look at the research in this field, I could see there was a really high need for it."

The Bibliothèque de Beaumont Library first opened its doors back in 2004.