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Carlsbad library reports show rising program attendance, falling physical circulation; reading intervention expanded
Summary
At its July 23 meeting the Carlsbad Library Board of Trustees heard May–June reports showing growth in program attendance and library visits, continued decline in physical material circulation, and a new reading intervention program that began June 16 with a wait list.
The Carlsbad Library Board of Trustees on Wednesday reviewed May and June usage and program reports showing program attendance and overall visits rising while physical material circulation continued to decline.
Principal librarian Andrea Hilliard summarized the May highlights, including the Dia Family Book Festival at the Carlsbad Learning Center on May 3, which "welcomed 36 attendees" and featured a performance by Opera for Kids, hands-on crafts, Exploration Hub demos and engagement with five local organizations. Hilliard said bilingual outreach supervisor Christina Lorenzo led planning to ensure the event was culturally relevant and welcoming to Spanish-speaking families.
Hilliard told trustees that children's programs increased 19% year over year and children's attendance rose 18%, driven by added sessions of toddler time and story-time theater. "Adult programs increased by 25% year over year, and attendance by 46%," she said, noting offerings such as Tai Chi for arthritis and fall-prevention classes held in the Dove Library garden.
The June report highlighted a local author fair at the Carlsbad City Library on Dove Lane on June 7 that drew about 200 attendees and featured 24 authors from Carlsbad and nearby communities. Hilliard said the fair included a live author panel and a writing workshop led by the nonprofit So Say We All.
Hilliard also reported that in June the library recorded a 12.7% increase in visits and, for the first time since February 2020, provided in-person services seven days a week (the Cole and Dove libraries were open from 1 to 5 p.m. on five Sundays). She said Sunday visits at Cole range from about 33% to 63% of comparable 2019 Sundays and at Dove from about 23% to 71% of comparable 2019 Sundays.
The board heard that physical circulation continues to trend downward while electronic and program activity grow. "We are having excellent attendance at the library programs that are held in person. So, people are still reading. It just seems as though they're not reading as many of the physical ... materials," Hilliard said in response to a trustee question about circulation patterns.
The board also heard about a reading intervention program launched June 16 at the Library Learning Center by library assistant Jasmine Venancio. The program, designed to support K–12 students with reading needs related to COVID-era learning loss, paired 16 students with tutors in its first week and already had a wait list. Hilliard said the program will continue into the school year alongside homework help, and staff are recruiting volunteer tutors to expand capacity.
Deputy library director Katie Nye told the board the library's summer reading adventure has nearly 3,000 patrons participating and more than 1,500,000 minutes logged so far—an average of more than eight hours per participant and a 12% increase in total minutes compared with the previous year.
Nye also noted two recent large donations accepted by the city: approximately $235,000 from the Carlsbad Library & Arts Foundation and about $100,000 from the Friends of the Library. She announced Staff Development Day on Sept. 18 (libraries to close until 3 p.m. that day) and the opening reception July 25 for a gallery show titled "Printed and Stitched."
