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Home My WebLink About2025-01-22; Library Board of Trustees; 01; Library Reports for November and December 2024Meeting Date: Jan. 22, 2025 To: Library Board of Trustees From: Andrea Hilliard, Principal Librarian Digital Initiatives & Special Projects Laura Mendez, Principal Librarian Strategic Partnerships & Outreach Staff Contact: Andrea Hilliard, Principal Librarian Digital Initiatives & Special Projects andrea.hilliard@carlsbadca.gov, 442-339-2041 Laura Mendez, Principal Librarian Strategic Partnerships & Outreach laura.mendez@carlsbadca.gov, 442-339-5526 Subject: Library Reports for November and December 2024 District: All Recommended Action Receive the Narrative Report and Statistical Report for November and December 2024. Executive Summary The board will review the library’s monthly narrative and statistical reports for November and December 2024. These reports provide a summary of work completed across all Carlsbad City Library locations as well as data and information about the services and programs provided for the community. Explanation & Analysis None. Fiscal Analysis No financial impact. Next Steps None. Environmental Evaluation This item does not require environmental review because it does not constitute a project within the meaning of the California Environmental Quality Act under California Public Resources Code Section 21065 in that it has no potential to cause either a direct physical change in the environment or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment. LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES Jan. 22, 2025 Item #1 Page 1 of 10 Staff Report Exhibits 1. Narrative report for November 2024 2. Statistical report for November 2024 3. Narrative report for December 2024 4. Statistical report for December 2024 Jan. 22, 2025 Item #1 Page 2 of 10 Exhibit 1 Carlsbad City Library Monthly Library Report November 2024 Highlights: 1. Election Day All three Carlsbad City Library locations hosted official San Diego Registrar of Voters Ballot Drop Boxes in support of the 2024 General Election. The boxes were opened to accept ballots starting Oct. 8 through Election Day on Nov. 5. All libraries offered extended hours from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day to accommodate voters. The Registrar of Voters collected 17,519 ballots from Carlsbad City Library on Dove Lane, 8,530 ballots from the Georgina Cole Library, and 1,065 ballots from the Library Learning Center, for a grand total of 27,114 ballots. The Dove Library continues to be the most popular location in the county to drop off mail ballots outside of the Kearny Mesa Registrar of Voters office. Programs: 2. Totes Thankful In the spirit of gratitude and giving throughout November, Carlsbad City Library locations offered branded tote bags to patrons who shared what they were most thankful for on a colorful paper leaf. The heartfelt responses were displayed throughout the libraries, showcasing the community’s gratitude for the library, their families, health and the city of Carlsbad. This collaborative community effort resulted in a beautiful display, with over 650 patrons participating across the three locations. 3. Baby Lapsit in the Cannon Art Gallery A special edition of Baby Lapsit took place in the William D. Cannon Art Gallery on Nov. 27 during the Fiber in 3D exhibit. Library Technician Jessica Pinnell welcomed a total of 20 attendees to the intimate storytime. The gallery’s community weaving loom, also part of the Fiber in 3D exhibit, made an appearance on Nov. 26 at the Tinker Tuesday program for grades K-3 as part of the Native Indigenous Art themed program. Jan. 22, 2025 Item #1 Page 3 of 10 4. In-N-Out Cover to Cover The annual In-N-Out Cover to Cover program was held Oct. 5 – Nov. 16 for children ages 4 to 12. There were 681 total participants across all library locations. Participants were challenged to read five books or 300 minutes to earn a free hamburger or cheeseburger. Participants were able to receive a total of three awards each. 5. Cole Library Friendsgiving Children's Technicians Melinda Pitula and Hannah Lockhart hosted a Friendsgiving Preschool Storytime for 70 patrons, where they read “Around the Table That Grandad Built” by Melanie Heusier Hill. The story celebrates family, friendship, and homemade traditions like napkins sewn by mom, garden flowers picked by grandma, and everyone pitching in to prepare the meal. The children made plates of food inspired by the story: mashed potatoes, peas, corn on the cob, tamales, samosas, and turkey legs! 6. San Diego Archaeological Center at Tuesday Afternoon Adventures Library Technicians Xela Perez and Jade MacEoghain had the honor of hosting the San Diego Archaeological Center for Tuesday Afternoon Adventures on Nov. 12. Over 50 patrons had the opportunity to learn about what archaeologists do, and experience local artifacts through a hands-on presentation. Afterwards, everyone made and decorated their own pinch pots out of air-dry clay. The children loved this program and expressed interest in having similar guests again. 7. Literacy Field Trip Eight learners, tutors and staff from the literacy program took a field trip to the William D. Cannon Art Gallery on Nov. 7. They toured the gallery exhibit, wrote about their experiences with the artwork and worked together on a community art project inspired by the gallery. Jan. 22, 2025 Item #1 Page 4 of 10 Accomplishments: 8.Library Cohorts Principal Librarians Andrea Hilliard and Laura Mendez were accepted into two interrelated statewide cohort learning opportunities as part of a grant through Community-Centered Libraries. Andrea and Laura traveled to Sacramento on Nov. 12 and 13 to attend kick-off workshops for the six-month cohorts, which will culminate in projects designed to benefit the Carlsbad community. Andrea’s cohort focuses on Equitable Data Visualization, and Laura’s cohort will be designing and conducting a Culturally Relevant Needs Assessment. 9.California State Library Grant for digitization and preservation Genealogy & Carlsbad History was awarded a grant from the California State Library, called the California Revealed project, to digitize Carlsbad’s first newspaper, the Carlsbad Sea Lion. The paper, which was published in 1887 and 1888, is currently available only on microfilm. The State Library will digitize the microfilm and make it available on their online site while also providing Carlsbad with a copy of the digitized versions. In addition, the California Digital Newspaper Collection (CDNC) has expressed interest in digitizing the later Carlsbad newspapers. Community Connections: 10.Parent Workshop at the Library Learning Center Community Outreach Supervisor Bilingual Services Christina Lorenzo collaborated with the Carlsbad Unified School District Community Liaisons to organize a parent workshop at the Learning Center. The event highlighted resources including Homework Zone, Career Online High School, the Literacy Program, and ESL Courses. Parents all received a free book to share with their students. Jan. 22, 2025 Item #1 Page 5 of 10 Exhibit 2 LIBRARY MONTHLY STATISTICS – NOVEMBER 2024 NOVEMBER 2023 NOVEMBER 2024 Physical materials circulation 82,165 80,506 -2.0% Electronic materials circulation 23,915 25,635 +7.2% Programs 104 110 +5.8% Program attendance 3,954 3,088 -21.9% Study room utilization hours booked and occupancy 1,369 58.4% occupancy 1,447 63.6% occupancy +5.7% Visitors 36,657 48,062 +31.1% Jan. 22, 2025 Item #1 Page 6 of 10 fcarlsbad City Library ~ D n --- 0000 VwW • • ~T~ 0 0 0 'W~'W 0 0 0 0 0 ~'W~'W~ Exhibit 3 Carlsbad City Library Monthly Library Report December 2024 Highlights: 1. Super Smash Bros. Tournament Thirteen tweens participated in a Super Smash Bros. Tournament in the Carlsbad City Library’s Exploration HUB on Dec. 12. This gaming event was part of the regular Tween Game Time program. This tournament was not only a fun experience, but a great way to support social literacy, cooperation, friendly competition, and teamwork. 2. Sustainable Holidays Fixit Clinic Families gathered at the Georgina Cole Library on Dec. 7 to repair broken items, all while learning about the joy of reusing, repurposing, and repairing belongings that might otherwise end up in landfills. The library partnered with Zero Waste San Diego and the Be Creative Zone to rescue fabric destined for the landfill and transform it into stunning sustainable wrapping cloth, or “furoshiki.” Another vendor, Rebelle for Kicks, brought an ingenious touch to the season by upcycling narrow-necked glass bottles into dual-purpose holiday candle holders and sustainable household cleaners. To keep the holiday vibes going, Republic Services collected discarded holiday lights for proper recycling. Fifty-five people attended the event and helped divert 596.4 pounds of waste from landfills. Jan. 22, 2025 Item #1 Page 7 of 10 3. “We Are Still Here!”: History and Perspectives from the Barona Museum The Cole Library hosted an Assistant Curator from the Barona Center who shared an extensive presentation discussing the history of the Kumeyaay peoples’ history. Thirteen adults attended the event on Dec. 11 to learn about the Kumeyaay culture, mythology, and traditional pre-contact migratory patterns. Programs: 4. Cookies at Tuesday Afternoon Adventures Children’s Services at the Cole Library welcomed over 110 patrons on Dec. 10 and 11 for a special National Cookie Day celebration during Tuesday Afternoon Adventures. Older children enjoyed reading “It's Not Hansel and Gretel” by Josh Funk before crafting their own gingerbread houses using Graham crackers. Preschoolers read “The Gingerbread Man”, decorated gingerbread cookies, sang cookie-themed songs, and danced together in festive fun. 5. Noon Year’s Eve Librarian Jennifer Benson and Senior Librarian Allyson Goodwin hosted a Noon Year's Eve celebration for families on Dec. 31 at the Cole Library. A crowd of 125 patrons learned about New Year's traditions around the world, followed by activities that mimicked those traditions such as ice fishing in Canada and tolling Big Ben's bell. Crafts included themed hats and eyeglasses for the countdown. Just before noon, a lighted miniature New York City ball-drop started the countdown, and cheers of Happy New Year could be heard throughout the library when the clock struck noon. Jan. 22, 2025 Item #1 Page 8 of 10 Community Connections: 6. Christmas Tree Lighting Library Assistants Susan Burke and Terry Bradshaw represented the Library & Cultural Arts Department at the Carlsbad Rotary’s 39th annual Christmas tree lighting event at the Village Faire on Dec. 8. Staff interacted with 240 people, giving away 200 children and adult books and shared information about library programs and how to get a library card to a very merry crowd. 7. Genealogy in Rancho Peñasquitos The Genealogy & Carlsbad History Librarians provided an overview of services on Dec. 11 at the Rancho Peñasquitos Library, a part of the San Diego city library system. Staff provided an hour-long presentation to the Genetic Genealogy Roundtable which was followed by a lively question and answer session. Club members have already started worked with staff on researching their family histories. Patron Stories (heard around the library): 8. College Acceptance Memory A patron came into the Carlsbad City library with her mother and two kids. They visited the Children’s area, and she was reminiscent of the time spent here when the library was first built in 1999. She shared she was an avid computer user and remembered that she found out about her acceptance to UCLA (which she went on to attend) while using one of the library computers some years ago. 9. Vote! An adult literacy program learner obtained her citizenship, registered to vote at her swearing in ceremony, and voted for the first time in the November election. 10. Homework Zone making a difference The mother of a third grader, who has been regularly attending the Learning Center’s Homework Zone program since its restart on Oct. 16, shared an emotional story with staff. Her daughter’s teacher had recently noticed a remarkable change: for the first time, the young girl was checking out books from the school library and actively reading them during class open-read activities, rather than pretending to read. With tears in her eyes, the mother expressed heartfelt gratitude for the program’s support, which had made a profound difference for her daughter, who has been struggling with reading for years. Jan. 22, 2025 Item #1 Page 9 of 10 Exhibit 4 LIBRARY MONTHLY STATISTICS – DECEMBER 2024 DECEMBER 2023 DECEMBER 2024 Physical materials circulation 75,504 73,986 -2.0 Electronic materials circulation 24,458 26,805 +9.6% Programs 80 84 +5.0% Program attendance 2,449 2,255 -7.9% Study room utilization hours booked and occupancy 1,221 48.2% occupancy 1,399 56.8% occupancy +14.6% Visitors 35,488 38,559 +8.6% Jan. 22, 2025 Item #1 Page 10 of 10 fcarlsbad City Library ~ D r:, --- 0000 VwW • • ~T~ 0 0 0 'W~'W 0 0 0 0 0 ~'W~'W~