Roseville Library Board elects officers, hears 2024 year-in-review showing big increases in visits and program attendance

The Roseville Library Board on Jan. 27 elected Kayla Scott as board chair and Eileen Speaker as vice chair and heard a report from City Librarian Narinda Sufi showing increased visits, circulation and program participation across the Roseville Public Library system and the Maidu Museum and Historic Site in 2024.

City Librarian Narinda Sufi told the board, "We had 410,857 visits to the libraries," and reported about 1,400,000 items circulated and more than 279,000 digital downloads. "Our programs and events were attended by over 80,000 people," she added, and staff tracked 8,429 attendees at outreach events outside library buildings.

The statistics were presented as part of a broader year-in-review that included Maidu Museum figures and cultural-arts work. Sufi said museum visits totaled more than 13,000 with 237 programs and more than 10,000 program participants. Sufi credited staff, community partners and the Friends of the Library for the gains.

Library Supervisor Cambria Evans and Community Engagement Librarian Sarah Schleyhoffer outlined programming and outreach that they said drove growth, including core children’s programs (story times, baby lap sit, summer reading), teen programs and participant-directed activities such as monthly CREATE projects, seasonal scavenger hunts and a virtual Roseville Bake Off. Evans said the library expanded off-site partnerships in 2024 with the Utility Exploration Center, the Mike Shellido indoor pool and other community locations to reach audiences who do not regularly visit library branches.

Evans said participant-directed offerings numbered 104 activities in 2024 with more than 45,000 participants. "These activities are selected with purpose and enrichment intentionality," she said, describing how simple craft activities support early literacy and fine motor skills.

Board members welcomed two new members introduced at the meeting. Youth Board Member Bianca Unidad said, "I really enjoy reading and I also really love volunteering and being involved in the community," and said the position combines both interests. New board member Nora Perella said she grew up using libraries and moved to Roseville in 2020 to put down roots; she said serving on the library board was a way to get involved locally.

The board also received policy and operations updates. Sufi said updates to borrowing, collection development and public PC/internet policies are posted on the library website. She reported two current recruitments for library assistant positions and a part-time courier opening. On collections contracting, she said a request for proposals for library materials — print and digital — is open with proposals due Feb. 19; the current vendor contracts expire in June 2025.

Sufi said the library will stop printing check-in receipts at many self-check machines because the receipt paper is not recyclable and because some newer machines do not support printing; patrons can still request a printed receipt at the service desk. On budgeting, Sufi said the Parks, Recreation & Library department is preparing its Fiscal Year 2026 budget and will provide more detail at future meetings.

On state-level programs, Sufi explained the Student Success Card for All program created by California legislation she identified as SP321 (2023), which establishes a local public library partnership administered by the state librarian to ensure student access to public libraries by third grade. She said the program has lacked dedicated funding and that staff will be responding to a state survey about implementation challenges.

Cultural and museum items reported included a Maidu Museum "Museum Mornings" story time for under-fives, an upcoming celebration of the Maidu Museum’s fifteenth birthday on Feb. 13 with free admission, and an extended call to artists for a public-art opportunity at the Placer Valley Soccer Complex. Sufi said a mural for the Johnson Pool has received a $10,000 sponsorship from the Friends of the Library and Union Pacific and is scheduled for installation by June 2025 to coincide with the pool’s grand opening.

Sufi described a library card design contest held in 2024: four winning designs were selected and the library will print 1,000 cards for each winning design; replacement cards will be available for $2. Entries will be displayed at the downtown library in February and March, with winners receiving printed cards at the March board meeting.

Votes at a glance - Approval of minutes from the Nov. 25, 2024 meeting: motion to approve made and seconded; board voice vote "Aye" with no opposition stated; outcome: approved. - Election of Kayla Scott as board chair: motion to elect made by Board Member Barbara Fulmer, seconded by Vice Chair Eileen Speaker; voice vote "Aye" with no opposition stated; outcome: Kayla Scott elected chair. - Election of Eileen Speaker as vice chair: motion to nominate and second, board voice vote "Aye" with no opposition stated; outcome: Eileen Speaker elected vice chair.

The meeting closed after routine board and staff updates. Narinda Sufi and staff indicated they will return with budget details and continued outreach metrics in future meetings.