Recent improvements in the Ames Public Library contributed to its ranking in Hennen’s American Public Library Rankings (HAPLR) for the 2002 fiscal year.

The library was ranked eighth of U.S. libraries with comparable circulation size.

Gina Millsap, director for the Ames Public Library, said the library is pleased to see itself moving up in the rankings this year, after its ninth-place finish in 2000.

HAPLR evaluated 9,000 libraries across the country, said Dawn Hayslett, assistant director of the library. The best libraries are picked from each circulation size category.

“[A library] has to be selected to be ranked at all,” she said.

The Ames Public Library is in the circulation category of 50,000 to 99,999. The library considers its circulation size to be around 60,000, based on the population of Ames, Hayslett said.

“We are proud of the fact we are so competitive,” Millsap said. “We’re doing more with fewer resources.”

According to the October issue of “American Libraries,” HAPLR rankings are based on six different input and output scores.

Input measures include expenditures on materials, staff, periodicals and volumes. Output measures include visits, circulation and references.

Ames Public Library increased its circulation by 12 percent in the past fiscal year.

Current economic downturns may account for the increase, Millsap said.

During an economic downturn, people who normally purchase books can’t afford to buy them. People do home improvement and repair on their own and people work on polishing their job skills to ensure they remain competitive, she said.

Another reason for an increase in circulation is the availability of non-print materials such as CDs, DVDs, videos and books, Millsap said. The non-print services of the library have also increased their space to allow for easier utilization, she said.

“We took a significant step forward in responding to what customers tell us they want,” Millsap said. “That’s why we’re here.”