Our family absolutely loves the library we appreciate the customer service, programs, and unique services! (patron comment card, 8/4/16)
Increased outreach to local teens and tweens The Library held its first annual Livermore Teen Academy in July 2016. The Teen Academy is a combination citizen s academy and internship program for fifteen local teens entering their junior or senior year of high school. The Library received very positive feedback from the teen attendees and other City Departments that participated. The Library held a second successful Teen Academy in June 2017. Staff continued to work with TAB, the Library s informal Teen Advisory Board, to plan and implement programs and services of interest to teens. This group meets monthly and makes periodic reports to the Library Board of Trustees. To continue the success of last year s Teen Community Initiative, the Library offered two or more programs and events per month for teens, including art programs, crafts, and STEM learning opportunities. During the year, teen programs and events had an average of 29 attendees per program. 2
Livermore Public Library Increased outreach to a wider range of Livermore residents The Library reached out to ESL residents by working with trained volunteers to add three additional English conversation groups. The Library now holds a conversation group session every weekday, Monday through Friday. Conversation groups give attendees the opportunity to practice their English conversation skills in a supportive environment. The Library reached out to the local immigrant population by opening Citizenship Corners at the Civic Center and Rincon Branch Libraries. The Citizenship Corners provide resources to help individuals on the pathway to citizenship. Resources include books, test preparation materials, flashcards, and information about the naturalization process. The Library reached out to job seekers by partnering with Tri Valley One Stop Career Center to hold classes on resumes, interviewing and networking. Staff reached out to small business owners by partnering with the City s Office of Innovation and Economic Development to host several programs on using the Library s business resources. 3
Updated the collection of books and other materials available to Livermore residents Staff added DVDs to the Library s popular Lucky Day Collection. This collection is funded by the Friends of the Livermore Library. The DVDs have circulated over 800 times since they were added. In October 2016, the Library added a new circulating collection called the Library of Things. Staff surveyed patrons and selected these items for hands-on learning based on the survey results. The new collection includes educational toys, games, and technology exploration tools such as telescopes. Items in the collection have circulated over 1,500 times since the collection launched. In April 2017, the Library added another new collection to promote hands-on learning, the Seed Share Library. This project is a joint effort with the Livermore-Amador Garden Club. The Seed Share Library encourages people to try their hand at growing food plants and flowers that are best suited to the local climate and conditions. Approximately 1,000 seed packets have been distributed each month since its launch. 4
Improved programs and services to the Rincon and Springtown neighborhoods The Library offered 122 children s programs at the Springtown Branch Library, a 15% increase over the previous year. Programs included story times, science programs, craft programs, and more. Over 4,300 residents attended these programs, a 33% increase over the previous year. The Library offered 299 programs at the Rincon Branch Library, a 40% increase over the previous year. Programs included cultural programs, craft programs, story times, family bingo nights, and more. Over 9,700 residents attended these programs, a 28% increase over the previous year. Library staff continued to work with the California State Library and Califa Library Consortium on a project to install broadband data access to the branches through the CalREN network. CalREN is a high-capacity fiber optic network operated by CENIC, the Corporation for Education Network Initiatives in California, a non-profit California corporation. In 2016-17, staff made the needed equipment and building upgrades to the branch libraries to enable the high-speed connection. This project will increase bandwidth at the branches from 2 Mbps to 100 Mbps. The project will be completed in July 2017. 5
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