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Library reports show rising programs and circulation; business and women’s‑history events draw residents
Summary
Carlsbad library staff reported year‑over‑year growth in programming and attendance for March 2025, highlighted partnerships supporting small businesses and a Women's History Month coaching panel. Staff corrected previously reported program totals and attributed circulation increases to policy changes and collection management.
Library staff briefed the Carlsbad Library Board of Trustees on March statistics and program highlights during the April 23 meeting.
Laura Stanger, principal librarian, described two March programs: a four‑session Start Up Essentials business series delivered in partnership with the Small Business Development Center, MiraCosta College and the City’s Economic Development office, and a Women’s History Month event titled "Breaking the Barriers in a Male‑Dominated Industry," featuring coach Jessica Montiel. Stanger said the soccer coaching program drew 28 attendees and led to a free mini clinic at nearby Holiday Park on March 22 that extended the program’s community impact.
Andrea Hilliard, principal librarian, presented corrected March program counts and attendance. Hilliard said earlier figures were over‑reported and provided corrected March 2024 numbers: 121 programs and 3,948 program attendees. With the correction, Hilliard reported year‑over‑year increases of 29.7% in the number of programs and 29.4% in program attendance, driven largely by children’s programming.
Hilliard also summarized circulation trends over three calendar years, saying electronic circulation rose by an average of 22.1% and physical circulation by an average of 8.3% from 2022 to 2024. Staff attributed the physical circulation increase to several local changes: elimination of overdue fines in September 2022, implementation of automatic renewals for physical items in July 2023, routine collection management to retire low-use items and replace high-use copies, and targeted newsletters highlighting collections and book lists.
Stanger and Hilliard asked trustees to note partnerships that expand services, including gallery visits for second- and third-graders in partnership with the Cannon Art Gallery and school tours. No public commenters spoke on the item and the trustees had no substantive objections to the report.
