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Home My WebLink About2025-08-27; Library Board of Trustees; 01; Library Reports for July 2025Meeting Date: Aug. 27, 2025 To: Library Board of Trustees From: Andrea Hilliard, Principal Librarian Laura Stanger, Principal Librarian Staff Contact: Andrea Hilliard, Principal Librarian andrea.hilliard@carlsbadca.gov, 442-339-2041 Laura Stanger, Principal Librarian laura.stanger@carlsbadca.gov, 442-339-5526 Subject: Library Reports for July 2025 District: All Recommended Action Receive the Narrative Report and Statistical Report for July 2025. Executive Summary The library’s monthly narrative and statistical reports for July 2025 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 The proposed action is not a “project” as defined by CEQA Section 21065 and CEQA Guidelines Section 15378(b)(5) and does not require environment review under CEQA Guidelines Section 15060(c)(3) and 15061(b)(3), because the proposed action to report on the library’s monthly narrative and statistics is an organizational or administrative government activity that does not involve any commitment to any specific project which may result in a potentially significant physical impact on the environment. Any subsequent action or direction stemming from the proposed action may require preparation of an environmental document in accordance with CEQA or CEQA Guidelines. Exhibits 1.Narrative report for July 2025 2.Statistical report for July 2025 LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES Aug. 27, 2025 Item #1 Page 1 of 7 Staff Report Carlsbad City Library Monthly Library Report July 2025 Highlights/Summer Reading Adventure 2025: The Summer Reading Adventure program remained strong throughout July with 595 new participants joining and a total of 1,717,838 reading minutes logged through the Beanstack platform. The highest level of engagement in the program came from children in kindergarten to fifth grade, followed by adult participants. To celebrate and promote the program, Carlsbad City Library hosted seven special events across all library locations. Highlights included the educational Wild Wonders animal ambassador program, live music performances for children, an engaging magic show and a lively Dig Dub Puppets performance. A total of 360 participants attended these programs. A final report will be presented at the Library Board of Trustees meeting in September. 1.Craig Newton – Family Musical Performance Southern California musician Craig Newton, known for his ability to play more than twenty string, percussion, and wind instruments, shared his talents at an interactive program for children and their families on July 12 at the Georgina Cole Library. Thirty-seven attendees were captivated by Craig’s talent and joined in with dancing and playing some of his instruments. The Summer Reading Adventure special event was funded by the Friends of the Carlsbad Library. 2.Anime Your Way As part of ongoing Summer Reading Adventure programming, Columbian American artist Carlos Nieto III presented his “Anime Your Way” drawing workshop for children ages nine and older on July 16 at the Cole Library. Twelve attendees enjoyed an intense character drawing lesson. Carlos taught attendees basic line skills, measuring techniques used in anime, and how to draw features to bring a character to life. The program concluded with an art share and a brief Q&A with the artist, where he discussed his work with “The Simpsons,” “King of the Hill,” the Walt Disney Company and more, and encouraged patrons to follow their artistic passions. 3.Magician Arty Loon Magician Arty Loon visited the Library Learning Center on July 16 and wowed 57 attendees. This program not only featured impressive magic and hilarious moments of crowd interaction but also created a lively and engaging atmosphere that delighted attendees of all ages. Exhibit 1 Aug. 27, 2025 Item #1 Page 2 of 7 4. Teddy Bear Picnic and Sleepover Eighty preschoolers and their family members, along with their favorite stuffed animals, enjoyed a special Teddy Bear Picnic at Preschool Storytime on July 23 at the Cole Library. Library Technicians Melinda Pitula and Hannah Lockhart led the program with bear-themed books and songs. The children sewed bear-shaped cards to improve their eye-hand coordination and fine motor skills and enjoyed a snack before dropping off their stuffies for the traditional “stuffy sleepover” at the library. 5. Brettso the Great Magician Brettso the Great dazzled an audience of 82 with his magic and humor at the Cole Library on July 30. From sleight of hand card tricks to a duck balloon sidekick named Quackers, Brettso the Great engaged the audience members with a lucky few chosen to participate on stage. Aug. 27, 2025 Item #1 Page 3 of 7 :,, .. --· -·:_;J·. Programs: 6. Grow Your Garden The Grow Your Garden event on July 12 at the Dove Library drew a crowd of 56 participants. Community members came to swap succulents and herbs and hear speaker Joan Bockman from the Buena Vista Audubon Society lecture on California native plants. Members of the Carlsbad Community Gardens Collaborative also attended with a popular and informative monarch butterfly display. 7. Connecting with Contracts On July 17, the Carlsbad City Library on Dove Lane hosted "Connecting with Contracts," a key event for small businesses looking to enter the world of government contracting. In partnership with the San Diego & Imperial Valley Small Business Development Center Network and APEX Accelerators, the event brought together 80 attendees and 18 exhibitors, including government agencies and contractors. The highlight of the day was a presentation by Cheryl Brown, who provided valuable insights on how to successfully bid for and win government contracts. Attendees were eager to learn about the various free resources available, with several participants praising the venue, calling the engaging training session a "game changer" and commenting on the helpfulness of all the organizations present. Lead Librarian Darin Williamson connected 23 individuals with business resources and the library's Economic Development Team. 8. Genealogy Beginner/Refresher Class Genealogy & Carlsbad History staff co-hosted a beginner/refresher class with partners the North San Diego County Genealogical Society on July 26 at the Cole Library. Registration was full for the Saturday class taught by NSDCGS President Vicki May, local DNA expert Ron Velarde, long-time genealogist Cynde Durnford-Branecki and Senior Librarian Kristi Bell. The class learned about what the Genealogy Division of the library offers, tips for getting started in genealogy, how to access documents, good search techniques and a little about DNA & genetic genealogy. Services: 9. Micro:bits A new type of STEAM kit is available for checkout from the Exploration HUB. Five micro:bit kits are now circulating. Each kit contains a micro:bit, a small, programmable computer board; a Smart Cutebot, a toy-sized vehicle that runs on the micro:bit program; a Retro Arcade controller, a joystick for the vehicle; and a children’s book about coding. The Aug. 27, 2025 Item #1 Page 4 of 7 micro:bit kit offers an easy and fun way for beginners to learn how to code simple programs, gain confidence and experiment further with their own ideas. Special Projects: 10. Write Your Story Literacy Services’ summer special project has been a Write Your Story program where learners work with their tutors to write, edit and perfect a story, gather images and learn a new software tool to put the whole story together. One of the learners dedicated her story to her grandson who recently passed away because of a congenital heart defect. She worked closely with her tutor to write the story in both English and Spanish and her tutor, a talented artist, illustrated the book. Together they learned how to use the software and created a lovely book to honor the life of her young grandson. Here is an image of the cover and a page of the book. Community Connections: 11. Tabling at TGIF Library staff continued to provide outreach at TGIF Concerts in the Parks throughout July, sharing information about programs and services like Literacy Services and the Summer Reading Adventure, and handing out bubbles and fans to keep attendees cool. A total of 518 community members spoke with library staff over the three TGIF events in July. 12. Flicks at the Fountain Outreach At the Carlsbad Village Association, "Flicks at the Fountain" events on Thursday nights, bilingual Library Technician Antonio Garcia Hernandez connected with over 280 community members over 5 nights via the library’s Book Bike. Antonio distributed free books, seeds and library calendars while promoting a variety of library programs, including the Summer Reading Adventure. Many attendees were grateful for the free books and information in Spanish and English. Aug. 27, 2025 Item #1 Page 5 of 7 I havo four siblings. three sisters and a brother. They are older them me, they love me 11nd t11ke c11re of me because I was born with a blue vein. Tengo ttes he,manH y un hermano ellos son m.is grandes que yo me quieren mucho y me cu1dan por que n&cicoounavenaazul. 13. Farmers Market Outreach Carlsbad City Library staff had an extremely successful day at the Farmers' Market on July 16. Lead Librarian Darin Williamson, along with Library Technicians Astrid Gonzalez and Eddie Jurado, connected with 516 community members. Staff gave away 247 books and shared information about the library's many programs and services, including the Summer Reading Adventure, the seed library, the popular Libby app and the California State Parks Passes. 14. Front Porch Gallery Outreach On July 25, Library Assistant Brandon Tiongison visited the Front Porch Gallery, a non-profit community art space and gallery for older adults in Carlsbad, as a special guest at their Carlsbad Maker Meetup. Twelve participants worked in a variety of mediums. Brandon shared information about the Exploration HUB, focusing on accessibility tools available through 3D printing and how to translate their 2D art into a 3D file using Tinkercad. 15. Genealogy & Carlsbad History Staff Researched a Lost Bracelet Recently, Genealogy & Carlsbad History staff undertook some detective work and reunited a community member with a lost bracelet using genealogical research tools. The bracelet had an unusual spelling of the name “Sharyl” and staff were able to use census records via Ancestry.com to locate a likely owner. The bracelet was reunited with the family, and staff were able to share additional, unknown details about the original owner with them. Aug. 27, 2025 Item #1 Page 6 of 7 Exhibit 2 LIBRARY MONTHLY STATISTICS – JULY 2025 JULY 2024 JULY 2025 Physical materials circulation 96,351 93,227 -3.2% Electronic materials circulation 26,774 30,005 +12.1% Programs 137 148 +8.0% Program attendance 5,219 5,640 +8.1% Study room utilization hours booked and occupancy 1,643 61.2% occupancy 1,864 65.8% occupancy +13.4% Visits 48,383 51,058 +5.5% Aug. 27, 2025 Item #1 Page 7 of 7 fcarlsbad City Library ~ D r:, --- 0000 ~ • • ~T~ 0 0 0 'W~'W 0 0 0 0 0 ~'W~'W~