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Home My WebLink About2024-05-22; Library Board of Trustees; ; Library Reports for April 2024Meeting Date: May 22, 2024 To: Library Board of Trustees From: Sheila Crosby, Deputy Library Director Katie Nye, Deputy Library Director Staff Contact: Sheila Crosby, Deputy Library Director sheila.crosby@carlsbadca.gov, 442-339-5520 Katie Nye, Deputy Library Director katie.nye@carlsbadca.gov, 442-339-2094 Subject: Library Reports for April 2024 District: All Recommended Action Receive the Narrative Report and Statistical Report for April 2024. Executive Summary The board will review the library’s monthly narrative and statistical report for April 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. Exhibits 1.Narrative report for April 2024 2.Statistical report for April 2024 May 22, 2024 Item #1 Page 1 of 6 LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES Staff Report Exhibit 1 Carlsbad City Library Monthly Library Report April 2024 Highlights: 1. Carlsbad Reads Together In the month of April, there were 27 events centered on the Carlsbad Reads Together 2024 selection, “The Maid,” by author Nita Prose. These events included cinema clubs, book club discussions for all audiences, scavenger hunts, a take-home Escape Room kit produced by the Genealogy & Carlsbad History staff and special children’s programs highlighting fingerprinting. Copies of the Carlsbad Reads Together selections had over 1,000 checkouts leading up to the event. • “Nita Prose Author Event” On April 18, the Carlsbad City Library hosted Nita Prose, former publishing Vice President of Simon & Shuster, and Canadian author of “The Maid,” for the culminating event of Carlsbad Reads Together. 194 individuals attended the event in the Ruby G. Schulman Auditorium. The author spoke about her publishing journey, her robust cast of characters in her books, where the inspiration for “The Maid” came from and the possibility of a film adaptation. The moderator for this event was Susan McBeth, CEO of Adventures by the Book, and a Carlsbad City Library partner. After the discussion, author Prose had a book signing in the Kulchin Courtyard. Many people expressed sentiments via email and verbally about their enjoyment of the event. • “Learning About Neurodiversity” At the Georgina Cole Library on April 3, Dr. Christina Lambert along with her teenage daughter, Monelle, spoke about neurodiversity, its definition and discussed if Molly, the protagonist from "The Maid,” is truly neurodivergent. This program was presented in partnership with the city’s Human Resources Department. Dr. Lambert and Monelle presented for two hours and held a thorough audience question & answer session. Dr. Christina Lambert is a neurodivergent psychologist who provides counseling and consultation to neurodivergent campus employees of UC San Diego. • “Heroes vs. Villains” The San Diego Chapter of Sisters in Crime brought four authors to speak about the history of the mystery genre on April 4 at the Carlsbad City Library Learning Center. They also discussed the longevity of the mystery book genre and what type of mysteries are resonating with readers today. The members of Sisters in Crime include Kim Keeline, Curtis Ippolito, Corey Lynn Fayman, Deborah Larkin, and Carl Vonderau. Nine people attended the event. May 22, 2024 Item #1 Page 2 of 6 • “How Mysteries are Really Solved” The Library partnered with the Carlsbad Police Department to present an event on April 9 at the Cole Library. The event featured two officers speaking how crimes are truly solved. 42 attendees heard the officers discuss which mystery author is most accurate to true police work (Michael Connelly), the length of time it takes to investigate one case, how cold cases are being solved with DNA and real-life recent Carlsbad investigations when the Carlsbad Police Department had to outsource to other agencies to solve crimes. Audience members included newly appointed Library Board Trustee Katrina Waidelich. 2. New Temporary Art Installation A new Oversized Beach Chair by artist Nan Coffey has been placed in the Children’s Garden at Carlsbad City Library on Dove Lane. Children and staff have been enjoying the lively artwork that welcomes all to use as a place to rest, read and climb. 3. Garden to Table Workshop Guest speaker and chef Kyle Dixon taught a class on April 13 on how to incorporate garden crops into your diet and meal planning to 17 people. Library Technician Ryann Belden facilitated a crop swap table where gardeners swapped crops, plants and succulents while commenting about how much they had learned from the presentation. 4. Green Business EXPO Lead Librarian Darin Williamson and Library Technician Denise Pateros went to the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce Green Business EXPO event on April 27, they conversed with 83 individuals about Libby, State Parks Passes, our commitment to sustainability, the seed library, Databases A to Z and other valuable services to enhance patrons' lives. At this event, staff met a community contact from the Gemological Institute of America who was so impressed with the library that she invited the outreach team to participate in their Sustainability Expo on May 8. May 22, 2024 Item #1 Page 3 of 6 Programs: 5. Miniature Horse Visits The miniature horse visits were very popular at all three library locations. The children loved meeting Marshmallow and AJ and the visit was a huge success. Both patrons and staff had the opportunity to pet, brush and take pictures with these beautiful miniature horses. The horses visited the Cole Library on April 2 with an attendance of 64 patrons, Dove Library on April 4 in the Children’s Garden with an attendance of 300 and the Library Learning Center on April 10 with an attendance of 37. 6. Genealogy & Carlsbad History Escape Room As part of the community programming for Carlsbad Reads Together, the Genealogy & Carlsbad History staff created a unique take home game kit that provided an “Escape Room” type puzzle experience referencing Carlsbad history. Fifty kits were handed out throughout the month, and community members attending the Nita Prose event were enthusiastic about trying out the experience. Focused on the real-life history of the 1898 fire that burnt down the original Carlsbad Hotel, the fictional story game incorporated six word and thought puzzles, along with trivia about the hotel and the events of the fire for patrons to solve who set the fire. Accomplishments: 7. Supervisors Academy Librarian Emily Hardy graduated from Supervisor’s Academy in April. This is a 5-session course offered by The Centre for Organization Effectiveness, learning the fundamentals of successful team leadership and supervision. Senior Librarian Allyson Goodwin and Deputy Library Director Sheila Crosby attended the graduation event in the City of Chula Vista Council Chambers. May 22, 2024 Item #1 Page 4 of 6 Community Connections: 8. Career Day Library Assistant Kylee Seal attended Career Day held at Del Rio Elementary in the City of Oceanside and presented about the work she does and what it’s like to work in a library. She met with children in Transitional Kindergarten through grade 5 totaling five presentations to 270 students. She also read one book to each class and shared the Library’s reading programs such as 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten, Summer Reading Adventure and the In-N-Out Cover to Cover program. See a nice thank you card below. 9. Latina Authors Library Assistant Christina Lorenzo presented a discussion about popular Latina authors to a group of 11 high school students. The event was held at Carlsbad High School and was organized by the local non-profit MANA De North County. Students who attended received books, library tote bags and information about library resources. May 22, 2024 Item #1 Page 5 of 6 Exhibit 2 LIBRARY MONTHLY STATISTICS April 2024 April 2023 April 2024 Total Library Hours Open 621 732 Total Visitors On-site (includes curbside) 33,643 43,672 Library Services Circulation of Library Materials 70,114 85,591 eAudiobook/eBook/eMagazine Downloads Audio/Video Streaming 19,946 804 23,122 1,184 Circulation Total 90,864 109,897 Reference Questions 10,739 11,386 Technology eResource Use Library Website Sessions In-House Computer Use 7,292 36,162 3,168 5,542 39,090 3,505 Programs, Facility Usage Number of Programs Presented (on-site, off-site, includes virtual) Programs Attendance 93 3,642 146 4,716 Number of Community Rentals Community Rentals Attendance 57 3,343 65 4,376 May 22, 2024 Item #1 Page 6 of 6 Ccarlsbad City Library mt 0000 ~ ~ m D fl □ ~i oAo e=5