Newark library reports rising visits, expanded programs and partnerships

Joe Stoner, Newark’s librarian, told the City Council on March 13 that the Allen L. Nagy Library has recorded more than 416,000 visits since the new facility opened and is on track to reach about 500,000 visits by its fourth anniversary in August 2025. Stoner said the library added Sunday hours in July 2023 and that change accounted for roughly half of a 40,000‑visitor increase between fiscal 2023 and 2024.

Stoner said the library uses an automatic door counter that divides inbound and outbound counts to estimate head counts. He described a set of regular services and partnerships that staff and volunteers provide, including year‑round lunches in partnership with Newark Unified School District (NUSD), after‑school homework help staffed by high‑school volunteers, English conversation groups, multilingual story times and cultural performances.

The nut graf: the presentation was framed as evidence that the library is functioning as a community hub rather than just a place to borrow books. Stoner cited program and attendance statistics to show how the library supports children, students and residents with limited resources.

Key details Stoner provided: since opening the new library, the facility has had over 416,000 visitors; the library is projecting roughly 500,000 visitors by August 2025; weekend hours often see about 100 visitors per hour and on some Sundays have reached about 140 visitors per hour; the library serves about 4,800 lunches through its partnership with NUSD (compared to roughly 1,800 lunches per site in a state program cited for comparison); and the library has served over 20,000 meals for ages 1–18 from its lobby through the year‑round program.

Stoner described other programs and partnerships: a homework help program Monday–Thursday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. staffed by up to 10 high‑school volunteers each hour; an ongoing partnership with Bay Area Community Health (BACH) that has brought 600–700 attendees to an annual health fair at the library; multilingual story times in English, Arabic, Russian and Spanish (and occasional Mandarin story times); English conversation groups for adults and teens; cultural concerts and festivals including Diwali and performances spanning Indian Carnatic–jazz fusion to Egyptian and Baroque music; and a six‑week business startup series that led to a Spanish‑language series funded by an Alameda County Library Foundation grant.

Council members asked clarifying questions after the presentation. The vice mayor asked how head count is measured; Stoner said an automatic door counter divides by two to estimate entries. The vice mayor also asked whether performers are paid; Stoner said performers are generally paid using a mix of funds from the library’s regular budget and support from the Newark Library League, the nonprofit that helps fund programs. Councilmember Bridal and others discussed staffing and funding for potential additional hours and summer camps; Stoner said the ESL summer camp for ages 9–13 has required hiring temporary staff or contractors and that funding and staffing can both be constraints.

Stoner closed by highlighting volunteer contributions and a success story of a volunteer whose daughter progressed through Newark schools to medical school, which he presented as an example of the library’s community impact. Multiple council members thanked Stoner and praised the library’s programs.

Ending: Council members asked staff to share volunteer and program schedules, and councilmembers offered to help publicize or support fundraising for specific programs such as the youth summer ESL camp.