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ITEM 2 |
Library Board Community Services
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Date: |
05/17/2022 |
To: |
Library Board |
From: |
Courtney Allen, Management Analyst |
Subject: |
Library Manager's Report |
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Overview |
Welcome to Sunset Library for our May 2022 Library Board Meeting. I'm pleased to host the meeting at this branch and provide everyone with the opportunity to see the repair work that occurred over the last several months. Sunset is home to our Seed Library, which began as a popular seed swap program, and grew into a permanent collection thanks to grant funding and substantial community interest and involvement. The library's very successful Bag of Books program also originated with Sunset staff, and is now an in-demand service across the system. In the coming months, the embankment between the library building and the park will undergo improvements, providing safe and easy access into the park for library programs and community events. The agenda for this meeting includes a very exciting discussion regarding fine elimination at Chandler Public Library. I applaud our board members for listening to both staff and community members and giving consideration to removing the barrier that overdue library fines create for many citizens. Our annual Summer Reading Challenge (SRC) is upon us, with fun for all ages. Oceans of Possibilities officially begins on June 1. If you haven't registered, do so today, and encourage your family and friends to do the same! We have great programs, activities, and prizes planned throughout the summer. FY21/22 is nearly complete but several projects will continue to evolve in the coming weeks and months. Wireless printing will soon be available, all study rooms will be converted to mini-conference rooms, and several areas within our branches will see updates in design and furniture. |
Branch Updates |
Basha Branch
- We're finishing up our Read to Succeed evaluations for the end of the school semester. Currently, all the children have seen an increase in their reading levels and sight word knowledge.
- Our partnership with Basha High School's GirlsXSTEM and our STEAM Club is ending in May. We are set to re-partner with GirlsXSTEM in September.
- Ready Set Kindergarten will return to Basha after a four-year hiatus on May 2. This seven program series is aimed at building the fundamentals of kindergarten readiness.
- Wednesday weaving with the teens has been a wild success during Grizzly Cave.
- New librarians Charles Pratt and Chris McGinley were able to reestablish a connection with Basha Principal Mr Reischl and plan for the future.
- We're approaching fully staffed status and couldn't be happier.
Downtown Branch
- Caryn Nall is our new Youth Supervisor. Caryn comes to us from the Scottsdale Public Library.
- May 12 is the Read to Succeed “graduation” party for the eighteen students enrolled in the program. Each student saw an improvement in their reading level.
- Alba Trujillo and Chris Koeth received a $500 grant from the City’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Office for a program honoring Hispanic Culture. Sixty-six people attended The Good, The Craft, and The Beautiful program on April 16.
Outreach
- Lindsay Atwood rode our library bike at the Chandler Family Bike Ride on April 9.
- June 4 will be the last Stories @ The Market for the summer. The outreach team does a story time at the market the first Saturday of each month October – June. It’s been a popular outreach event with an average of 50 participants each session.
Hamilton Branch
- Hamilton is gearing up for the summer, preparing to present 23 summer programs for various age groups in addition to our regular story time, STEAM, and book club offerings.
- An operable partition will be installed in our program room, allowing us to divide the space into two rooms periodically. We are excited to provide a second room rental option for the community and to have the ability to host simultaneous programs.
- We have been strategic with displays to increase circulation, creating a new "last-minute-picks" display at the self-checks, which has been very popular. In addition, Hamilton is receiving an average of 40 Bag-of-Books requests per month.
- Hamilton's programmers Sandra Klug and Kathryn Beck will be hosting a story time summit on May 25 for all story time presenters to share best practices and swap ideas.
- Our teen programmer Amy Finlan-Rodrock is hosting a teen appreciation day on May 11, featuring Dr. T Rex, with pizza, treats, and a short certificate presentation for the teen volunteers
Sunset Branch
- Sunset returned to regular programming in March, filling programs to capacity regularly.
- Jill Baker has moved over from the Downtown branch to lead an all new youth team at Sunset. Chris Huerta and AJ Griffith were promoted from Techno Clerks Downtown to Youth Programmers at Sunset. They are joined by newcomers Phoebe Hunt and Kathy Do. They are all doing a phenomenal job getting our youth services rolling again after the explosion.
- Sunset staff worked with KUPD radio and Fulton Homes on a book drive that brought in truckloads of book donations for the Friends of the Library.
- We are planning several special programs for the summer, as well as six different Grab & Go Activity Bags for all ages.
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Collections and Statistics |
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March, 2022 |
April, 2022 |
Physical Item Circulation |
95,770 |
89,639 |
Active Cardholders |
57,765 |
57,104 |
Cloud Library Checkouts |
18,931 |
18,765 |
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Programming |
- Cover to Cover In-n-Out Burger Spring Reading program was a success!
1,465 children registered 13,635 books read 3,223 award cards were distributed to readers
- The ongoing, weekly youth programming (Storytimes and STEAM) will take a break in May for outreach and planning opportunities.
- May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. The library will be hosting four special storytimes the week of May 16- 21, which will include a guest reader from Chandler's Asian American communities. "A Big Mooncake for Little Star" StoryWalk goes out in May at Centennial Park. In addition, the Asian Heritage Cultural Showcase will take place on May 21, at the Downtown Library, 11 am- 1 pm. Families are invited to see cultural performances from India, China, and the Philippines. This program is supported by the City of Chandler Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Division, with partners from Chandler's Asian American community.
- SRC begins June 1, with early registration starting May 1. We are currently communicating with all CUSD schools to provide information in various formats to staff and students about SRC and to encourage them to participate. Our goal is to hit 8,000 registrants, with 4,400 finishers (1000 minutes read). The challenge takes place June 1- August 1. Participants can track their reading through an online system, which is accessed via www.chandlerlibrary.org/src. This year we will have many in-person programs connected to SRC, with several great prizes from local businesses.
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Information Technology |
- Public printers have reached end-of-life and are no longer covered by support. Replacement printers have been evaluated with an emphasis on reducing print costs and implementing better wireless capabilities to allow seamless printing for patron-owned devices ranging from laptops to smartphones.
- The library's print and copy fees have not been adjusted in well over a decade. To better align with reduced supply costs and to better serve the Chandler community, the Chandler Public Library proposes lowering copy fees from $.20 per page to $.10 per page, black and white printer fees from $.20 per page to $.10 per page, and color printing from $1.00 per page to $.25 per page.
- Nearing the end of May, 2022 we will launch CPL's new email system, BiblioEmail, which closely integrates with the new website to improve customer engagement. The SRC newsletter will be the first to take advantage of the new system.
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Friends of the Chandler Library |
- The Library hosted the annual Adult Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon celebrating all the good work of Library volunteers.
- Friends of the Chandler Public Library hosted the 2nd annual Library Giving Day on April 6. Nearly $5,000 was raised in this one day campaign to support Library programs and services.
- The recent Children's used book sale was a success with $4,000 in book sales at that time. Another Children's book sale is scheduled in June in conjunction with SRC.
- The Friends Community Bookshelves initiative provided children's books for the City's Family Bike Ride, YMCA's Healthy Kids Day and Read to Succeed 1st graders.
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