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ITEM 2 |
Library Board Community Services
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Date: |
05/16/2023 |
To: |
Library Board |
From: |
Courtney Allen, Management Analyst |
Subject: |
Library Manager's Report |
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Overview |
Summer is upon us, and with it, the annual Summer Reading Challenge. The event calendar on www.chandlerlibrary.org has a full list of programs to keep the community busy all summer long. Remember, readers of all ages can participate and win prizes! The Book and Board Library Lounge had an incredibly successful grand opening on April 27th, paired with the official dedication of a new piece of public art in the Downtown Library. Thanks so much to those of you who were able to attend, and a special thank you to Alexis Merritt for her passion for the game lounge/cafe. We’ve received great positive feedback on both the café and the artwork. The Anytime Library vending machine was delivered to the Sunset Library on May 3rd. We’ve completed the early installation processes with testing to follow. Our expectation is that the machine will be available for public access no later than June 1st. Sunset Library staff also learned today that a grant for an expanded StoryWalk program was approved by the State Library. CPL will be receiving nearly $10,000 to create an additional StoryWalk at Sunset Park, and to print additional stories for existing locations. Finally, this May meeting will be the last one before our Assistant Library Manager, Kris Sherman, retires after many years of service to librarianship across Arizona. We were fortunate to have her for 18 of those years. Best wishes to Kris and her husband Pat as they begin this wonderful new chapter in life. |
Branch Updates |
Basha Branch
- The first session of Writer-in-Residence has wrapped. Author Deena Remiel had a lot of nice things to say about Chandler Public Library. We're now gearing up for our second writer, Sharon Skinner, for our summer session of Writer-in-Residence.
- Librarian Kat Silva did a wonderful job coordinating this grant-funded program via the Arizona State Library.
- We are currently assisting Basha High School by hosting counselors from a local psychiatry clinic, Lighthouse Psychiatry, to assist students who are struggling with mental health issues.
- Our Earth Day family storytime was a success.
- Instructional Specialist Charles Pratt continues to partner with various classes at Basha High School. He teaches databases, promotes library materials and assists with classroom instruction.
- Our numbers are up considerably with our classroom visits. Partially because we're coming out of the pandemic and things are returning to normal, but mostly because Charles is doing a wonderful job partnering with the school!
- Our Teen Library Specialist, Jen Hubbell, did a wonderful job programming over the past month. She's held several art contests afterschool for the students. It has created a fun, inviting atmosphere afterschool that the teens seem to enjoy. Just recently, one of her contests had over 200 votes!
- We are finishing up our Read to Succeed session. Big shout out to Kristain Johnston for coordinating this program and a huge shout out to Basha Library Specialist Andy Cole for implementing it at Basha.
- Wrap up party and assessments are still being processed, but another successful year of Read to Succeed.
Downtown Branch
- Kids from the Read to Succeed program had a visit from The Tender Little Hearts mini horses. Maz, Juniper and Bluebell were read to by the participants.
- The new public artwork, EVOLVING CONNECTIONS by Troy Neiman was unveiled May 27. Patrons have responded positively.
- Book and Board Library Lounge was dedicated on May 27. There has been a lot of interest in the games.
Outreach
- We are currently promoting our Summer Reading Challenge. The outreach team has gone to many schools including, Skyline Gila River High School, Anderson Jr. High School and Galveston and Hartford Elementary Schools.
- The Book Bike went to the Family Bike Ride on April 1.
- The outreach team gave away large print books at the Senior Expo.
Hamilton Branch
- Library Specialist Amy Rodrock hosted a Job Fair, connecting nearby companies with teens seeking summer work. The program was successful, with more than 60 teens attending. The participating companies and the school's career center have requested we host another Job Fair next year.
- The school applied vinyl decals on the windows between the school and the library. It provides a level of security for Hamilton High as public patrons can no longer see into the school. It also offers more privacy for library patrons sitting near those windows to read or use the computers.
Sunset Branch • The new Anytime Library kiosk has been installed on the Sunset Patio and will be up and running very soon. • New Adult programs, Puzzle Swap and Neighborhood Seed Swap, have been very successful thanks to Librarian Aubrey Kowitt. • Phoebe Hunt’s Earth Day STEAM jr. was very successful using both the Monsoon Room and the New Patio. • The new Teen Space is very popular after school. Thank you to Chris Amarillas for designing and maintaining this new interactive space. • Two new Greeters, Mark and Shelly, are doing a fantastic job in their new role. |
Collections and Statistics |
Active Cardholders March 1, 2023: 66,070 (+1.1% vs. last month, +3.10% in 2023) April 1, 2023: 66,600 (+0.8% vs. last month, +3.93% in 2023) May 1, 2023: 66,820 (+0.33% vs.last month, +4.27% in 2023) Physical Item Circulation February 2023: 98,755 March 2023: 118,096 April 2023: 112,371 Cloud Library Checkouts February 2023: 19,727 March 2023: 22,226 April 2023: 21,382 Auto-renewals (started August 10, 2022) February 2023: 44,040 March 2023: 51,221 April 2023: 54,730 |
Programming |
Programming Highlights March-May 2023
- In March the library ran 34 LibCon programs, featuring events at all four Chandler libraries. These programs covered all age groups and focused on popular culture genres such as K-Pop, Manga, Superheroes, Sci-Fi, cosplay creation, games, fantastical storytimes, princesses and fantasy. Over 1500 people engaged in these programs.
- The Cover to Cover In-N-Out Burger Spring Reading Program ran March 4-April 15 for kids ages 4-12 years. Nearly 2,000 children participated in this reading program, with over 18,000 books read and approximately 4,500 free burger award cards distributed.
- In April, we highlighted Earth Day and sustainability programs, such as Water Wise Workshops, the Neighborhood Seed Swap at Sunset, as well as a systemwide Seed Bomb Grab & Go Activity Kit.
- We also wrapped up our free Tax Help Sessions in partnership with volunteers from VITA and AARP. 1600 individuals were served by these tax preparation programs at Downtown, Sunset and Hamilton libraries.
- Five Adult Literacy volunteers, along with 13 English language learners, attended a special Talk Time session at the Chandler Museum to support the traveling exhibit about immigrants living and working in the US called, Working America. Another session is planned for May 18 from 6-7:30 PM.
Upcoming Library Program Highlights May-July 2023
- In May, our weekly storytimes and STEAM programs take a break as programmers prepare for Summer Reading Challenge.
- In partnership with Chandler’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Division, we are offering a special family storytime series in honor of Asian American and Pacitic Islander Heritage month. The storytimes will be held at all four Chandler libraries; Friday, May 12 at Basha Library, Tuesday, May 16 at Sunset Library, Wednesday, May 17 at Hamilton Library, and Thursday, May 18 at the Downtown Library.
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- The Writers in Residence series continues through July with a new author, Sharon Skinner. Sharon’s work has been published in several local, national, and international publications. In addition, she served eight years as the Executive Editor of Anthology magazine, a small press literary magazine published in Mesa, Arizona. She is an active member of Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) and serves as the Regional Advisor for SCBWI AZ. Sharon will be available at Basha and Downtown Libraries, offering writing workshops as well as 30 minute writing consultations to help aspiring authors fine-tune their work.
- The “All Together Now” Summer Reading Challenge is just on the horizon (June 1- August 1). Registration opened May 1. The current information is listed at chandlerlibrary.org/src. This program is in partnership with the Maricopa County Library District and Arizona State Library. The challenge is for all ages with a goal of earning 1000 points by August 1 through reading (1 point = 1 minute); attending summer library programs or “community experience” activities; or participating in a variety of other challenges throughout the summer. Participants earn prizes at the 500, 750 and 1,000 point levels. We are offering a wide range of engaging events for all ages through July that tie into the Challenge. Outreach is underway to local schools, organizations, events and more in order to build awareness of the Summer Reading Challenge.
Find out more about upcoming programs on our event calendar at chandlerlibrary.org, and subscribe to our e-newsletters. Programming is highlighted in several e-newsletters each month, including our Monthly e-newsletter, New and Notable mid-month, and coming soon, a Youth and Teen focused e-newsletter.
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Information Technology |
- Anytime Library is scheduled to be delivered and installed at Sunset Library on Wednesday, May 3rd. This will be the first self-service 24/7 vending machine at CPL for browsing, picking up holds or returning materials.
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Friends of the Chandler Library |
- The March Children's book sale at the Downtown and Sunset locations raised $4,350 in support of Library programs and services.
- Library Giving Day was April 4, 2023. Donors contributed nearly $5,000 in this important one-day fundraising campaign.
- Friends of Chandler Public Library Board of Directors approved almost $83,000 in Library funding requests for FY 23/24.
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