Russell Library
January 2026 Annual Report
Celebrating 150 Years Serving the Middletown Public
Our Strategic Goals
Russell Library empowers people to grow, connect, strive, and thrive.
We endeavor to be future-ready for Middletown. Read the Strategic Plan.
Strengthen the Community
The community will experience Middletown’s public library as a launch pad for community engagement.
Create a Safe & Welcoming Destination
The community will enter physical and virtual spaces that encourage them to learn, grow, and connect.
Foster a Thriving Economic Ecosystem
The community will have opportunities and resources for skill building, networking, co-creating, and incubating ideas that support economic well being in collaborative physical and virtual spaces.
Promote a Lifelong Love of Learning
From birth through adulthood, the community will experience interactions that spark curiosity, foster critical thinking skills, and stimulate the imagination.
Strengthen the Community
Fiscal Year 2024-2025
Total Circulation Increase in Fiscal Year 2025 compared with FY2024.
Digital Circulation Increase in the same time period for downloadable content.
Checkouts of physical and downloadable materials between July 2024 – June 2025.
People love the library!
Active Cardholders who reside in Middletown as of December 2025, a +27% increase over June 2024.
Doorstep Deliveries made to homebound readers since the service launched in May 2025.
Free Notarizations. Notaries Public are available during operating hours every weekday, evening, and most weekends.
Create a Safe & Welcoming Destination
Russell Library is an Eduroam-friendly site. Students can access authenticated internet connectivity at Russell the same as at their learning institution.
Memories digitized by appointment with librarians using equipment in the Memory Box digital conversion studio.
Youth programs offered in-person at Russell Library (421) or offsite (51) between July 2024 and June 2025.
In-person attendance at youth programs geared toward ages 0-18.
Foster a Thriving Economic Ecosystem
Visitors attracted according to Gorman & York’s Economic Impact Study, which identified Russell Library as an anchor destination that draws non-residents to Middletown.
Downtown Visitors: Of the 60,000 visitors Russell Library attracts, Goman + York found that 20,300-33,400 linger beyond their library visit to frequent downtown businesses.
Value delivered per year.
With a budget of $3.5 million, this represents a return on investment (ROI) of 105.71%!
Audience members who attended the inaugural run of A Christmas Carol at Russell Library, ushering in a new holiday tradition we hope to continue for years to come.
Promote a Lifelong Love of Learning
Books delivered to Middletown children ages 0-5 as part of Russell Library’s partnership with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
Middletown kids that have participated in DPIL through Russell Library. There are over 750 currently active, representing approximately 27% of eligible children in Middletown.
Number of Summer Readers who participated in our youth, teen, and adult summer reading programs in 2025, an 87% increase over summer 2024.
Book Bundles checked out since the service launched. You can find this curated display in the lobby of the library.
Future-ready for Middletown
Tonie and Yoto checkouts between July 1 – December 1, 2025.
Gross square feet included in a proposed new Russell Library building, which will remain at 123 Broad Street and include our flagship original church wing.
Square footage increase in the new building compared to the current one. (Current square footage is 45,000.)
The cost estimate to construct the proposed new building.