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Home My WebLink About2025-09-24; Library Board of Trustees; 02; Library Reports for August 2025Meeting Date: Sept. 24, 2025 To: Library Board of Trustees From: Andrea Hilliard, Principal Librarian Laura Stanger, Principal Librarian Staff Contact: Andrea Hilliard, Principal Librarian andrea.hilliard@carlabadca.gov, 442-339-2041 Laura Stanger, Principal Librarian laura.stanger@carlsbadca.gov, 442-339-5526 Subject: Library Reports for August 2025 District: All Recommended Action Receive the Narrative Report and Statistical Report for August 2025. Executive Summary The library’s monthly narrative and statistical reports for August 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 August 2025 2.Statistical report for August 2025 LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES Sept. 24, 2025 Item #2 Page 1 of 5 Staff Report Exhibit 1 Carlsbad City Library Monthly Library Report August 2025 Highlights: The Library & Cultural Arts Department earned a national grand prize for the annual Summer Reading Adventure, in which 3,124 participants logged a total of 1,941,840 minutes of reading. The award came from Beanstack, the software we use for reading challenges. In issuing the award, Beanstack considered overall participation, total minutes and books logged and community engagement. In all, the library’s $500 grand prize will be invested in making the 2026 Summer Reading Adventure another community success. Special thanks to Senior Librarian Emily Hardy, who oversees the program, our Library & Cultural Arts Department staff and support organizations, and the Carlsbad community for making the Summer Reading Adventure possible. Programs: Tinker Tuesday The Carlsbad City Library on Dove Lane kid’s craft program, Tinker Tuesday, featured alien inspired art on Aug. 26 with 58 attendees creating crop circles and alien mobiles. Fixit Clinic: Back to School Edition and Grow Your Garden Held in the Ann Kulchin Courtyard at the Dove Library on Aug. 9, the back-to-school edition of the FixIt Clinic welcomed over 100 participants. Items repaired ranged from lamps and textiles to a Star Wars rider. A special exhibit called “Zero Waste Kitchen” showcased proper food storage techniques and demystified best-buy and sell-by dates. Simultaneously, the “Grow Your Garden” event took place on the library’s west patio, where Master Gardener and Food Preserver Liz Woodward presented on “Preserving Herbs and Spices” to an audience of 32. Garden giveaways included 66 plants and 46 seed packets. Sept. 24, 2025 Item #2 Page 2 of 5 Author Event: Samantha Mills On Aug. 2, Nebula Award–winning science fiction author Samantha Mills visited the Dove Library, where she spoke to a group of eight attendees. Ms. Mills shared the inspiration behind her novels, her path to becoming an author, her love for science fiction and shared a preview of her upcoming book. The event was sponsored by the Friends of the Carlsbad Library and was part of the 2025 Summer Reading Adventure program. Finding Your Voice: A Creative Writing Workshop for Teens Ten teens and tweens attended a workshop with author Amy Lanci on Aug. 2 at the Georgina Cole Library. The workshop included icebreakers, exercises in word building, character and plot development and information on the path to publishing. By the end of the workshop, attendees had outlines or story beginnings and had the opportunity to share their work with the group. Community Connections: Outreach: TGIF Concerts in the Park Library staff hosted outreach tables at the last four TGIF Concerts in the Parks, reaching a total of 861 concertgoers in August. Over the course of the TGIF season, library staff connected with 1,697 attendees to share programs and services. Sept. 24, 2025 Item #2 Page 3 of 5 Outreach: Back to School Library staff attended back-to-school registration days at Jefferson Elementary and Valley Middle School, engaging with 615 incoming students and their caregivers. Staff promoted library services which benefit students, signed children up for library cards and distributed free books. Outreach: La Costa Paloma Bilingual Library Assistant Erik Garcia attended an outreach event on Aug. 15 at La Costa Paloma, a community housing complex within walking distance from the Dove Library. Erik distributed read along books and promoted the library to the mostly Spanish-speaking residents. Several participants visited the library in the days after the event. A grandmother from La Costa Paloma brought her grandchild to the library to use the computers and visit the Children’s Garden. She was delighted to run into Erik and agreed to take a photo. Flicks at the Fountain Bilingual Library Technician Antonio Garcia Hernandez rode the book bike to “Flicks at the Fountain” in Carlsbad Village and set-up with the Carlsbad Village Association. Antonio interacted with 92 attendees about spoke about library programming such as the Summer Reading Adventure, Puzzle Exchange, Bilingual Storytime, and Children's Book Clubs, distributed books, event calendars and seeds. Patrons inquired about obtaining a library card, the Seed Library, and other services the library offered and were grateful for the library’s presence at the event. Farmers Market Visit Lead Librarian Darin Williamson and Library Technician Astrid Gonzales attended the Carlsbad Village Farmers’ Market on Aug. 20. Staff distributed 238 books and spoke with 479 people about the library’s genealogy programs, Grow Your Garden series, FixIt Clinics, business services, Libby, State Parks Passes and other library programs and services. Sept. 24, 2025 Item #2 Page 4 of 5 Exhibit 2 LIBRARY MONTHLY STATISTICS - AUGUST 2025 AUGUST 2024 AUGUST 2025 Physical materials circulation 91,904 89,296 -2.8% Electronic materials circulation 25,336 30,848 +21.7% Programs 82 100 +21.9% Program attendance 2,895 2,811 -2.9% Study room utilization hours booked and occupancy 1,761 57.5% occupancy 1,813 65% occupancy +2.9% Visits 45,089 49,949 +10.8% Sept. 24, 2025 Item #2 Page 5 of 5 f'carlsbad City Library ~ D □ --- 0000 VwW • • lfiT~ 0 0 0 'W~'W 0 0 0 0 0 ~'W~'W~