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Foundation reports strong early returns for Beyond the Book program; Green Book exhibit debrief and fundraising plans announced
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Summary
The library foundation reported progress on Beyond the Book (Bezos-funded outreach), shared preliminary Green Book exhibit engagement figures, and previewed fundraising and World Pride–adjacent programming.
During the March 26 meeting the Board of Library Trustees received the Foundation’s quarterly update and a summary of recent programs and exhibitions.
Beyond the Book metrics and reach Rob Hartman of the DC Public Library Foundation said the Beyond the Book program — funded initially by a gift from Jeff Bezos and begun in 2022 — has distributed books and materials and driven participation in library programs. Hartman reported these program metrics to trustees: over 71,000 educational materials distributed in English and other languages; more than 5,200 children enrolled in the K–3 program; over 32,500 books given away; about 1,000 backpacks distributed with materials; and more than 50 program/author visits and graduation events over roughly two and a half years. Hartman said the foundation is fundraising to extend the program beyond this calendar year.
Green Book exhibition and other events Library staff said the Green Book exhibition operated in an open gallery space, which limited exact turnstile-style counts. Linnea (staff) said the exhibition hosted roughly 100 group tours, delivering about 1,200 tour attendees; staff have commissioned a firm and compiled surveys to provide qualitative and supplemental quantitative evaluation, with a debrief scheduled in the coming weeks.
Fundraising and upcoming programs Hartman previewed library giving day on April 4 and said the foundation is cultivating prospects that could be transformational if they materialize. He also previewed a month of World Pride–adjacent programming the foundation hopes to support. Separately, staff noted a $100,000 Comcast gift that supports the digital navigator program and a forthcoming digital navigator summit for peer learning.
Ending Trustees were asked to note the foundation’s ongoing fundraising efforts and the staff follow-up evaluation of the Green Book exhibition; no board-level funding action was taken at the March 26 meeting.
