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ITEM  3 Library Board      Community Services          Date: 05/21/2024 To: Library Board From: Courtney Allen, Management Analyst Subject: Library Manager's Report

Overview

Welcome to our final meeting until September!  Congratulations to Jennifer Pawlik and Parker McCarthy on their appointments to the Library Board, and to Michael McElhany on his re-appointment. We are excited to have you with us, and hope that your time with Chandler Public Library will be very rewarding. With summer upon us, we are entering the busiest time of the year for the Library and its staff as the Summer Reading Challenges kicks off on June 1st. Our programming team has been busy with planning and preparation for months already and we have many fun prizes for participants from local businesses thanks to them. Remember that the challenge is not just for kids, so if you haven't participated in the past, give it a try this year! Summer Reading Challenge Our tech/bookmobile continues to move along the production queue with Farber Speciality Vehicles. The projected delivery date is now May, 2025.  Professional development is always an important part of the culture here at Chandler Public Library and several staff have had (or will have) the opportunity to attend conferences. Susan Van Horne, Assistant Library Manager, and Jo-el Miller, Outreach/Mobile Branch Manager, attended PLA in April; Caryn Nall, Hamilton Branch Manager, will be attending ALA in June; and, Tara Anglin and I will be attending IPLFC (International Public Library Fundraising Conference), also in June.  Have a great summer!

Branch Updates

Basha Branch The air conditioning is fixed in the programming room. We're ready to go for the summer! There are parking issues at Basha High School. Chandler Unified School District (CUSD) is actively looking at solutions for next school year. Toddler Time has been surging out here at Basha, averaging over 50 kids. Wrapping up Steam Club w/ CUSD Partnership (Girls X STEM). There's a great vibe so far (coding, drones, slime, etc.) Solar Program and Jazz Program went great.Over 215 people attended the two-hour program. We added another small group tutoring opportunity for the community on Mondays & Wednesdays. Adult services craft programs have been well-attended. Writer in Residence returns in July. Our first author will be Robert L. Plea. We're ready to go for SRC! Downtown Branch Tamryn King and Luis Vega were promoted from part-time Tech Assistants to part-time Circulation Assistants. Sang Huyng was selected as the new full-time Library Courier. Dianne Numkena and Phoenix Yang have been hired as our new part-time Tech Assistants.  The Writer's Event at the Downtown Library was a huge success, with 133 people in attendance. This event showcased our commitment to promoting local authors and providing a platform for engaging activities such as a hand-made journal workshop and a type-in. Jennifer Vinikour and Kat Silva did an amazing job coordinating this event.  21 first-graders will graduate from our Read to Succeed program in May. Local elementary schools identify students who are struggling with reading and our tutors work with these students weekly throughout the school year to improve their reading skills.  Beginning May 1 through September 30, all four library branches will be cooling centers as part of the city’s Heat Relief Station program, which is in conjunction with the Salvation Army, Resurrection Street Ministries, and the Maricopa County Human Services Department. The Cooling Centers at the library will provide air conditioning, water, and snacks donated by the Maricopa County Heat Relief Network. The Downtown Library will be closed for electrical maintenance at noon on Friday, May 17th. Hamilton Branch We partnered with the Hamilton Astronomy Club and provided two telescopes and eclipse glasses for the students to experience the Eclipse. Hundreds of students and faculty participated during all three lunch periods.  We held three very successful Jazz Programs. Cube Roots Jazz Band performed in the circle bringing lots of energy to the library. We had Tim Hern come and do a Sing-a-Long which was a lot of fun for our Memory Care Patrons.   The high school Jazz Band played and shared their instruments with Preschool Time. Feedback from an attendee: "Many kids don't even know what possibilities are out there in the world of music, and having the teens share their love of music and offering a petting zoo is a great way to give little ones exposure to different instruments."   Meeting for Concept Review for Capital Project this week as we continue to move forward on this exciting project. Preparing for an Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI) Teen Celebration on May 10. A collaborative effort among multiple clubs at Hamilton High, Basha High, and ACP. You'll experience performances, crafts, games, and karaoke all reflecting Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage. Sunset Branch • Sunset is once again fully staffed with the addition of a new Greeter and a Library Assistant. • We completed a six-week Ready, Set, Kindergarten! program, graduating 15 very excited four and five year-olds.  • We partnered with Corona del Sol High School to feature LibCon Heroes & Villains themed artwork at Sunset Library. We hosted an after-hours reception for families and friends of the student artists. • More than 200 attendees enjoyed the music of Loannis Goudelis Jazz Trio for an evening performance in the park, Jazz crafts on the Patio, and Family Jazz Storytime. • Sunset Library is growing! We hosted a special Garden Party to celebrate our new Patio, Discovery Garden, StoryWalk, and Music Garden. Nearly 300 attendees enjoyed crafts on the patio, StoryWalk, Face Painting, a ribbon-cutting with the Mayor, and more.  Outreach The outreach team participated in several City of Chandler events, including the Family Easter Celebration, the Chandler Family Bike Ride, Earth Day, and the Senior Expo. In direct response to our outreach promotion to CUSD elementary schools, we received invites to more than ten family events on school campuses in March and April, allowing us to connect with nearly 900 people. Staff also continued their recurring outreach, including Stories at the Downtown Chandler Farmers Market, New Employee Orientation, and Little Explorer's Storytime at Chandler High.  All combined staff attended 37 outreach events and engaged with over 3,000 people.

Collections and Statistics

Active Cardholders: April 1, 2024 70,063 May 1, 2024 70,488 Physical Item Checkouts: March 2024 118,150 April 2024 113,341 cloudLibrary Checkouts: March 2024 21,057 April 2024 21,589 MCLD MAX usage: March 2024 (live on March 11) 48 Borrowed, 78 Loaned April 2024 98 Borrowed, 126 Loaned

Programming

Library Programming: March- April 2024   In-n-Out Spring Reading Challenge finished on April 13. Over 1800 kids, ages 4-12, participated in the reading challenge. In total, children read nearly 14,000 books!  Tax Assistance sessions finished in mid-April. In partnership with VITA and AARP, the libraries provided free tax preparation assistance to over 1,650 individuals through the first months of 2024. These services assist those in lower income brackets and often are a great resource to seniors. LibCon: Our community showed a lot of interest in our fandom-themed programs throughout March! Downtown saw 168 people at Harry Potter Palooza, Sunset had over 60 people attend Superhero Storytime, and Hamilton's Superhero Training Academy had almost 150 enjoy the activities and crafts. They were featured in the latest edition of the San Tan Sun News. Basha had over 170 people attended Spider Gwen storytime.  Chandler Public Library Local Author Fair: Local authors joined us on April 6 at the Downtown Library to showcase their books, mingle with readers, network, and listen to presentations. This writers' event included a Zine Creator corner, a type-in, and a Makery author experience. Over 130 people attended the fair.   Jazz on the Move: Nearly 900 people attended our April series jazz performances and jazz/music themed programs. Hamilton hosted a special performance for seniors, especially those with memory loss. Downtown featured a presentation by Charles Lewis, a long-time Arizona pianist. Basha partnered with the Nash Education Interns for a family event full of music, and over 200 people came out to Sunset Park to listen to a jazz duo, attend a storytime, and create fun musical instruments on the patio.  Upcoming Library Program Highlights: May and Summer 2024  In May, programming slows down as staff prepares for the start of Summer Reading Challenge in June.  Basha will host a Free Comic Book Day on May 5, Sunset will hold a final session of their Ask a Master Gardener series on May 18, and Hamilton invites teens for a fun evening at their May 10 Asian American & Native Hawaiian/ Pacific Islander Heritage (AANHPI) Celebration. Downtown will feature the East Valley Regional competition of the Battle of the Books and celebrate the end a successful season of Read to Succeed, where 1st graders gained knowledge and skills through a 6-month tutoring program. All branches will start training their summer teen volunteers to gear up for the summer.  Summer Reading Challenge 2024: Adventure Begins At Your Library!  Registration opens May 1st for the next Summer Reading Challenge. Between June 1 through August 1, readers of all ages can earn prizes for reading 1000 minutes. The library hosts many summer programs that encourage learning, literacy, and creativity. This year the library hopes to attract more adults with a weekly prize drawing incentive. Our list of community partners has grown for prize donations and program partnerships! Our overall goal is for 10,000 people to register for the challenge!  Our summer reading kick off programs during the first week of June include magic shows and animal presentations. We encourage our Library Board members to join the Challenge and head over to the June 8th program at the Downtown Library; A Taste of Arizona Adventure, Food, and Wines. You’ll learn about unique Arizona destinations, enjoy some food samples, and get a chance to win a great prize from D’Vine Gourmet in Downtown Chandler. More information is available on our Summer Reading Challenge webpage.

Information Technology

We have updated remaining patron email notices to include cover art and branding, along with links to helpful resources and promotions.

Friends of the Chandler Library

The March Children's book sale at the Downtown and Sunset locations raised over $6,800 in support of library programs and services. Library Giving Day was April 3, 2024. Donors contributed over $7,000 through this important one-day fundraising campaign. FY 24/25 Friends of Chandler Public Library funding requests have been submitted.

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