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February 2024 LAB packetAGENDA LIBRARY ADVISORY BOARD Wednesday, February 14, 2024 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. Library 706 Fourth Street, Lake Oswego, OR 97034 Staff Contact: Donna Harlan dharlan@lakeoswego.city 503-697-6583 706 4TH STREET PO BOX 369 LAKE OSWEGO, OR 97034 WWW.LAKEOSWEGO.CITY Virtual Access This meeting will be held in person. To participate remotely, please email the staff contact at least 24 hours before the meeting. ADA Accommodation Requests lakeoswego.city/accommodation 503-635-0282; Relay 711 Please allow four business days to process your request. Translation Services Traducción o interpretación 翻译或传译 통역혹은번역 503-534-5738 Kent Watson, Chair ∙ Patricia Walls, Vice Chair ∙ Antoinette Awuakye ∙ Lilisa Hall ∙ Mark Pontarelli ∙ Ed Steinberg ∙ Patrick Walsh Melissa Kelly, Staff Liaison ∙ Allison Korkola, Youth Liaison ∙ Trudy Corrigan, Council Liaison Joy Fabos, Alternate ∙ Jake Jordan, Youth Alternate 1. CALL TO ORDER 2. ROLL CALL 3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES January 10, 2024 4. CITY COUNCIL UPDATE Councilor Trudy Corrigan 5. PUBLIC COMMENT The purpose of Public Comment is to allow community members to present information or raise an issue regarding items not on the agenda or regarding agenda items that do not include a public hearing. A time limit of three minutes per individual shall apply. Public Comment will not exceed thirty minutes in total. If you are unable to attend the meeting and prefer to provide public comment in writing, please email the comment to the staff contact listed above at least 24 hours before the meeting. 6. YOUTH SERVICES PRESENTATION Andrea Milano, Youth Services Manager 7. DIRECTOR’S REPORT 6.1 Continuity of Operations Plan feedback 6.2 Lake Oswego Reads updates 6.3 Strategic Plan progress updates Page 2 503-697-6583 706 4TH STREET PO BOX 369 LAKE OSWEGO, OR 97034 WWW.LAKEOSWEGO.CITY 8. NEW BUSINESS Review 2024 Council Goals 9. CHAIR’S REMARKS Patricia Walls to share takeaways from the Chair/Vice-Chair event she attended 10. YOUTH LIAISON REMARKS 11. FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY REPORT 12. ADJOURNMENT Next Meeting: March 13, 2024 CITY OF LAKE OSWEGO January 10, 2024 Library Advisory Board Library 1 503.697.6583 706 Fourth Street PO BOX 369 Lake Oswego, OR 97034 www.ci.oswego.or.us Present: Kent Watson, Patricia Walls, Mark Pontarelli, Patrick Walsh, Ed Steinberg; Allison Korkola, Councilor Trudy Corrigan; Joy Fabos (alternate), Jake Jordan (youth alternate). Staff Present: Melissa Kelly, Donna Harlan Others Present: Phil Wikelund, Friends of the Lake Oswego Public Library (Friends), Absent: Antoinette Awuakye, Lilisa Hall 1. Call to Order / Introductions The Library Advisory Board (LAB) meeting was called to order by Chair Kent Watson at the Lake Oswego Public Library (LOPL) on Wednesday, January 10,2024 at 7:03 pm. Introductions were made welcoming Councilor Corrigan to LAB. 2. Minutes Motion to approve by Walsh, seconded by Jordan. The November 2023 minutes were approved by the LAB (6-0). 3. Council Update – Trudy Corrigan Councilor Corrigan reported on City Council activities from the first meeting of 2024. 4. Public Comment - none 5. Director’s Report – Melissa Kelly 2023 Community Survey results  Kelly shared slides from the Community Survey focused on the results for the library. Kelly highlighted major satisfaction increases related to the library. The library as a community builder and hub for gathering was up 13% in satisfaction, which was one of Kelly’s personal goals for the visioning process with an outcome that the community would be more satisfied and have a great understanding of the library in the community. Library outreach programs and services also received satisfaction increases.  Overall Satisfaction Trends are on the rise. In 2021 they were 91% and are now 92%.  When comparing satisfaction in major areas including the Library with NW Region and US, with other ETC Institute clients, our library services are very highly rated.  The general major categories that were considered priority areas for the community, showed library’s position was under medium priority.  The survey responses as to which city services should receive the most emphasis, showed the library is low on the list. Kelly believes this to be because residents are satisfied with the library.  There were a few questions directly related to the library and library satisfaction on the survey. Kelly explained the quality of the facility and lack of proximity were higher “dissatisfied areas”.  Trends in satisfaction consisted of big gains in the role of the library as a community builder and hub for gathering in addition to outreach programs and services delivered outside of the library.  Satisfaction with the Library of Things selection and quality of teen events/services dropped by 5%. The library continues to gather feedback as to what patrons would like to see in the LoT collection, but more education regarding LoT may be needed. CITY OF LAKE OSWEGO January 10, 2024 Library Advisory Board Library 2 503.697.6583 706 Fourth Street PO BOX 369 Lake Oswego, OR 97034 www.ci.oswego.or.us  The Importance-Satisfaction Rating slide displayed community priorities for library services. Improving the quality of the library facility ranked the highest priority; second was the outreach program and services, followed by quality events and services for teens. While the list continued, the top results support our strategic plan and the information we received during our visioning process. It was noted by LAB members that many of the top items on this list are directly related to the facility constraints the library experiences in serving the community.  A policy question was posed in the Community Survey asking about the priorities for local tax dollars for unfunded projects for the next decade. The library was 4 th out of the 6 projects on the list while the desire for sidewalks and pathways and road conditions was the priority. This created discussion among LAB members about thoughts and suggestions on how to educate the community as a whole as to the limitations the library faces due to facility needs. Kelly shared she feels we are in a good position overall with more education needed regarding the benefits and value that an upgraded library will bring to the community.  Kelly clarified that the results being shared are from the statistically valid result set. Kelly also stated that the survey is now open to all community members, and we do not have that larger, but not statistically valid, set of results yet.  The final slide shared the community’s thoughts on which options for expanding library services that came out the library visioning process should receive the highest priority. The highest priority from current survey results was to remodel the existing facility. 2023 Fundraising Campaign Preliminary Report Kelly shared with the group that the annual fundraising campaign received $7,744.50 in community donations during the campaign period of Nov 13 – Dec 31. This amount is being matched by the generous Friends of the Library, for a grand total of $15,489.00. This is a healthy sum to support the Youth LO Reads expansion goals. The companion book for the youth expansion is Sugar in Milk also by Thrity Umrigar. During the campaign, the Library also received two gifts totaling $400 designated for the endowment. Lake Oswego Reads 2024 Updates  Kelly shared how everyone is looking forward to the 18 th year of Lake Oswego Reads with the book giveaway the first weekend in March. The event calendar and descriptions are being finalized and will be submitted on Friday to Jane Larsen of Jane, Ink, who will be creating our beautiful brochure.  Kelly noted there are a range of events every year. A few highlights will include a party celebrating elements of Honor by Thrity Umrigar with Indian dance performances and a henna tattoo artist. This is a family friendly event.  There are also a few different lectures planned in addition to many different book discussion groups as well other events including a film screening; learning to draw mandalas as a meditative tool and classical Indian dance performance. The Author presentation has been scheduled, and there will be special events for youth which include a story walk; storytime and book giveaway, and art programs, as well as an author visit at Oak Creek Elementary with Ms. Umrigar. CITY OF LAKE OSWEGO January 10, 2024 Library Advisory Board Library 3 503.697.6583 706 Fourth Street PO BOX 369 Lake Oswego, OR 97034 www.ci.oswego.or.us Progress on strategic plan items  Kelly shared that the job description for a full-time outreach coordinator job has been finalized. Resources have been realigned within the current budget to be able to add the position. We expect to post it by the end of January.  Home Delivery services where residents can either enroll in our ongoing home delivery service or request materials by mail for temporary or one-time needs continue to be promoted. Residents who enroll are matched with a volunteer who delivers library holds to their home or senior living residence. Library staff have made concentrated efforts to spread the word about this service through a variety of communication channels, and as a result the number of patrons enrolled in the Home Delivery service has grown 76% over the past 6 months. This growth is attributed to outreach and having the service be more accessible with a dedicated webpage, phone number and email.  The Library is working toward seismic study preliminary meetings and talking with potential firms. Kelly explained the library needs to include an overall facility condition study in addition to seismic improvements. We will need to determine the level of seismic safety we are wanting because the Library is also used as a warming/cooling shelter.  Currently Kelly is working on drafting the scope for conceptual design and cost estimating for an alternative analysis. The Library does not have a project manager, and we are exploring avenues in securing a project manager, determining which would work best - hire staff or contract with a consulting firm so we can meet Council’s timeline.  Kelly is also reviewing the ADA recommendations to support the city’s ADA transition plan. As part of the library strategic plan, Kelly shared that we are looking at high value/high impact that makes sense in terms of the level of investment to upgrade the current facility in case the City council decides to invest in a new facility.  The Library has several PR pieces that will be shared soon, including a HelloLO Insert in February about our strategic plan and lesser known modern services we provide that we want people to know about. Ongoing improvements to security protocols and systems Kelly updated LAB as to the status and improvements that have been made at the library.  The camera installation has been completed.  The alarm upgrade has been done and the panic alarms at desks are now audible.  The proximity card system upgrades have been completed so all doors of the library and staff areas are secured.  Improvements have been made to our PA system.  Staff is piloting the use of an instant messaging program to provide for quicker contact with staff when needed.  The library has a Person In Charge (PIC) group. The group has regular meetings and trainings for when managers are out if there is a patron incident or major incident that may happen. The library has seen an uptick in patron incidents and Information is being shared between local libraries. We use the information from these incidents to provide more training. CITY OF LAKE OSWEGO January 10, 2024 Library Advisory Board Library 4 503.697.6583 706 Fourth Street PO BOX 369 Lake Oswego, OR 97034 www.ci.oswego.or.us  We continue to strengthen our relationship with LOPD. The LOPD liaison has provided training and assisted with PIC meetings. Having the liaison is proving to be very valuable.  An active threat drill is planned where staff will go to our safe rooms and LOPD and LOFD will go through the library and practice clearing the area. The Library will close at 1 pm on 1/31/24 for this drill. An important part of this drill includes having a therapist come to the library to provide mental health support after the drill during the last hour of the day.  Kelly participated in an EOC (Emergency Operation Center) table top exercise and learned more about what happens if there is an event and how the different city departments would respond.  The library continues to update our Code of Conduct policy and it is now with the city attorney for review and finalization. This will help us address incidents quickly and be able to enforce our code of conduct as needed and empowering our staff to do what is needed. Facility maintenance work list Kelly updated LAB members on to the current list of facilities work that is happening at the library.  Roof repairs consisting of another $15,000  Large holes in the concrete area at the main delivery door; $5,000  Generator/electrical work is needed as not all lights are coming back on when the lights go out and the generator starts; cost TBD  The bathroom doors in the children’s library that are have auto-openers and are ADA accessible have broken and need replacing; $7,500  A tree assessment has been completed and we will be meeting with Facilities to determine our plan of action. Trees are all in fair to good condition with a number of follow up recommendations. A second part of the report categorized the level of hazard. Our plan is to take care of significant or severe hazards; cost TBD  We are prioritizing our ADA worklist; projected costs are over $250,000 6. Chair & Vice-Chair Elections Elections were held in accordance with the code updates for Boards and Commissions. Kelly stated we received nominations from a number of members for Watson for Chair and Walls as Vice-Chair. Ed and Mark motioned for a vote. A vote was held for each position and was unanimous in favor of both. 7. Chair Remarks- Kent Watson Watson thanked everyone and stated it is such a pleasure working with everyone. He welcomed Council Corrigan to the group and thanked her in advance for everything she is doing for the City. 8. Youth Liaison Remarks – Allison Korkola Korkola asked if regular Library updates get mailed and Kelly shared that there is an eNewsletter that is emailed every two weeks. Korkola and Drishti Singh are reaching out to their ASU’s at their respective schools. Korkola inquired about volunteer work at the library for the upcoming cultural festival. Korkola will be contacting Singh to get an update on working with her school’s ASU as her school does a CITY OF LAKE OSWEGO January 10, 2024 Library Advisory Board Library 5 503.697.6583 706 Fourth Street PO BOX 369 Lake Oswego, OR 97034 www.ci.oswego.or.us Lunar New Year Festival. Kelly thanked Korkola for making these connections on cultural events. 9. Friends of the Library Report – Phil Wikelund  Wikelund shared regarding the matching contribution of campaign funds and he was glad the Friends were able to help.  Friends is having discussions at their board of how to move forward in figuring out hiring someone to support expanded fundraising efforts. Wikelund confirmed the Friends are interested in hiring someone and they have organized a few committees and are making progress.  Friday 1/12/24 there is an author event at the Monroe BOOKtique location. Please RSVP if you would like to attend. They are anticipating a full event.  The Watermarks Winter edition has gone out.  Wikelund expressed that historically our group was a loosely organized group of people interested in book sales and more recently they are finding they need to be more organized to make things more productive.  Book sales continue to be robust. The Booktique has seen a 20% increase in book sales last year thanks to Michael and the volunteers. Donations of books are always welcome. 10. Adjournment Motion to adjourn made by Jordan; seconded by Walls. Next LAB meeting will be held on February 14, 2024 at 7pm at the Library. Meeting was adjourned at 8:39 pm. Respectfully submitted, Donna Harlan Lake Oswego 2024 January 2024 Fiscal Year to Date General Information Number of new borrowers/patrons added 312 2,084 Number of registered borrowers 22,359 22,359 Books and other print items Number of physical units owned 123,129 123,129 Number of physical units added 821 7,622 Audio Materials Number of physical units owned 16,437 16,437 Number of physical units added 18 526 Video Materials Number of physical units owned 19,108 19,108 Number of physical units added 50 829 Other library materials Number of physical units owned 1,040 1,040 Number of physical units added 0 75 Total items owned 159,714 159,714 Total items added 889 9,052 Magazine Issues Number of physical units owned 1,892 1,892 Number of physical units added 114 965 Holds Placed 14,067 100,540 Holds Filled 11,813 83,193 Holds Expired 38 231 Holds Expired on shelf 1,379 10,947 Circulation of library materials at all facilities for the fiscal year Library2Go & Advantage Circulation Combined 13,888 84,406 E-book Reader Circulation with material type of Adult 0 10 E-book Reader Circulation with material type of YA 1 5 Adult Checkouts 18,526 133,167 Adult Renewals (via WorkFlows and PAC) 11,806 83,956 No Longer Used -- Adult Renewals (via Shoutbomb) 306 581 Adult Renewals (via TeleCirc) 124 721 Adult Renewals (TOTAL) 12,236 85,258 Lake Oswego 2024 January 2024 Fiscal Year to Date YA Checkouts 979 7,163 YA Renewals (via WorkFlows and PAC) 691 6,381 No Longer Used -- YA Renewals (via Shoutbomb) 16 30 YA Renewals (via TeleCirc) 0 14 YA Renewals (TOTAL) 707 6,425 Number of Adult (1st-time circ) excluding E-book Reader Circs 18,526 133,157 Number of YA (1st-time circ) excluding E-book Reader Circs 978 7,158 Number of Circulation of Electronic Materials 13,889 84,421 Child Checkouts 12,247 91,490 Child Renewals (via WorkFlows and PAC) 7,499 60,669 No Longer Used -- Child Renewals (via Shoutbomb) 228 600 Child Renewals (via TeleCirc) 1 104 Child Renewals (TOTAL) 7,728 61,373 Total 1st-time circulation 45,640 316,226 Total renewals 20,671 153,056 Total circ of Adult materials 30,762 218,415 Total circ of YA & Childrens materials 21,661 166,451 Total circ of YA materials 1,685 13,583 Total circ of Childrens materials 19,975 152,863 Total circ 66,311 469,282 Self-Check Circulation Circ transactions from SIP self-checks 26,894 200,554 % of your First Time circ that is self-check 58.9%63.4% Check Ins items CHECKED IN via book drop or circ desk return 33,462 247,835 items CHECKED IN from "in transit" status 22,150 166,174 TOTAL items checked in 55,612 414,009 Items loaned to other libraries (LINCC) 15,899 112,449 Interlibrary Loans - Items Loaned to All Other Libraries (OCLC) 147 1,118 Total loans to other libraries 16,046 113,567 Items borrowed from other libraries (LINCC) 15,114 110,162 (OCLC) 85 689 Total loans from other libraries 15,199 110,851 NET ILL using a shared catalog of automation system (LINCC) 785 2,287 Circulation Comparison of Children’s and Young Adult Materials by Fiscal Year Timeframe: July 2016 – June 2023 Source: LINCC monthly reports Definitions: These charts show trends by Fiscal Year from FY 2016 through FY 2022 Circulation Comparison of Children’s and Young Adult Materials by Month Timeframe: February 2023 – January 2024 Source: LINCC monthly reports Definitions: Children and Young Adult materials checked out per month Print Circulation and Digital Use Comparison for Cardholders Age 0-12 and 13-17 Timeframe: May 2021 – February 2024 Children Ages 0-12 Young Adults Ages 13-17 Source: OrangeBoy, Inc./Savannah Definition: Print circulation is displayed in orange and digital circulation is displayed in blue. This includes all data submitted to Savannah since we began using the software. Limitations: Digital circulation data was unavailable for approximately 8 weeks in late 2023. Children’s Collection Circulation Compared to Square Footage Timeframe: January 2023 – December 2023 Data Story: The children’s collection occupies only 14% of the library’s square footage, yet accounts for 40% of our library’s total physical circulation. This data further emphasizes how undersized the children’s library is, in particular, compared to its usage. Circulation of Library Materials Jan 2023 - June 2023 July 2023 - Dec 2023 2023 Calendar Year Totals Total circ of YA materials 11,627 11,898 23,525 Total circ of Children’s materials 128,984 132,888 261,872 Total circ of electronic materials 59,912 70,532 130,444 Total circ of Adult materials 185,372 187,653 373,025 Total circ 385,895 402,971 788,866 Source: LINCC monthly reports Definition: Calendar year 2023 total circulation including renewals of LO owned materials to all LINCC facilities Children’s Library Floor Plan Source: Basement Level Floor Plan, Lake Oswego Public Library Definition: The Children’s Library occupies 3,830 of usable public square footage out of 27,100 total building square footage. Diversity of Lake Oswego Public Library’s Young Adult Fiction Collection Timeframe: 2020 – 2021 Source for all: Diversity Audit of the Young Adult Fiction collection, conducted 2020-2021 by LOPL Youth Librarians. Data was then analyzed by Mike Carlson using Google Notebook analytics. Representation from Census and Collection Definition/Description: This figure shows how the diversity of LOPL’s Young Adult Fiction collection compares to the diversity of the Lake Oswego community. Representation from Census and Collection excluding “White” Definition/Description: If we remove the "White" category from the visualization we can get a closer look at the other categories. We can see in the table above that there's a wide range of bar length variation between the census data and the collection itself. If we compare the length of these bars, we can produce a rough metric of how over/underrepresented various populations or topics are within the collection. Total Charges by Category Definition/Description: This last graph shows that these materials, despite being seemingly over represented, are all circulating. This data reflects total checkouts over time, and therefore will also reflect the length of time a particular title might have been in the collection. This means that content that is newer to the publishing industry and hasn’t been on the shelf as long will not have as high a mean checkout. HIGHLIGHTS  Despite the wind, snow, and ice causing more than 5 days of closure, the Lake Oswego Public Library staff persisted, bringing resources to patrons as well as they could. As one can imagine, our eBook circulation rose exponentially during that time, as did the number of holds being kept on the shelves. The Library was opened as a warming shelter during some of the darkest hours of the storm, thanks to some brave city and library staff who ventured out. Including staff, we had 84 people utilize our building that day.  We had several classroom visits and tours, resulting in lots of new library cards, eager questions, and smiles from some of the youngest of our patrons. CIRCULATION SERVICES January 2023 NOTABLE STATISTICS *The Library was closed January 1st for New Years’ Day and January 15 for MLK Day. It was also closed January 13-14, 16-17, late opening 1/18, and closed 1/19 due to inclement weather. Items checked in Items sorted by AMH Items renewed Items borrowed from outside the County Items loaned outside the County Items borrowed from LINCC libraries Items loaned to LINCC libraries Holds filled Held items not checked out Library cards issued to new members eCards issued Home Deliveries Carts shelved Average daily carts shelved Cultural Pass reservations Seed Library Checkouts Indoor Visitors* Curbside Visitors Self-checkout 55,612 43,862 20,671 85 147 15,114 15,899 11,813 1,379 312 50 24 807 36 69 85 13,920 6 82.83% January 2024 Volunteer & Special Events Report Total Volunteers Serving 134 Total Volunteer Hours 1301  LOPL Year End Giving was successfully completed which resulted in a $7,744.50 Friends of the Library matching grant.  Updated Lake Oswego Reads website in preparation of a month of events.  Coordinated volunteers for January Library Events  Led Marketing Committee in coordinating communication to library audience through newsletter, social media, Hello LO and LO Down.  Met weekly with Social Media Committee to plan daily posts/weekly focus to promote library events. Communicated updates as needed.  Finalized Lake Oswego Reads 2024 brochure with graphic artist, Jane Larsen.  Coordinated programs with local groups for Lake Oswego Reads 2024  Coordinated project for Lake Oswego NCL to sticker LO Reads books  Coordinated volunteers for 80 home delivery patrons on a weekly basis.  Working with Outreach Committee to design and fabricate mini Book Drop for six assisted living communities.  Assisted with planning MLK Day Celebration event and rescheduling  Worked with Brian Monihan, from LO Review for Sponsorships for LOR24 from his network. Goal of $5,000 Youth Services January 2024 Monthly Report We’ve been waiting for the return of the basking shark since 2018, and it didn’t disappoint. Programming: Our Mandarin and Music program has gained a very solid following and is averaging 30 people per session. Families drive from beyond our service area for the program, and attendees represent a mix of native speaker of Mandarin and those studying the language. We are so fortunate be able to host high quality programs like these thanks to the grant funds from the FOLOPL. Our big program this month was the return of the sister brother team Laura and Robert Sams (Sisbro). They are musicians, movie makers and great presenters. The Shark Riddle, is a short film that explores the varying sizes of sharks in the ocean and discovers the largest shark to swim the waters now and in ancient history. The program took place on a Friday afternoon and was the perfect end of week activity for many families. Equity, Diversity and Inclusion: This month’s Global Stories Project Read-aloud featured Ines, who speaks Portuguese and has written children’s books in both Portuguese and English. She was joined by her son, who brought great energy. The crowd sang happy birthday in Portuguese to Ines (it was the day before the program) and she brought a bunch of stuffed animals that represent the animals of South America which she gifted to the library. January includes the commemoration of MLK Jr’s birthday and as such we featured a display of books about him and the civil rights movement. It is notable that we are able to sustain a full display for a month, and fulfill that large number of books that are being requested on the Pick List each morning, as well as support school visits from classrooms studying black history. This is in part due to an increase in items being published about the subject, but also due to our intentional collection development with regard to the subjects of Equity, diversity and inclusion and social justice. Teen Advisory Board Well, the winter storm threw a wrench in our teen book club, but thankfully did not deter the “Teen Study Sesh” from happening during the weekend before finals week. Teens were thrilled to take over the conference room, have access to healthy snacks, and reference materials and librarians as they prepared for their winter finals. A few of our TAB members also braved the winter conditions to help out at the Parks and Rec book Swap where they helped kids make friendship bracelets and choose great books to take home. Bulletin Board Our smaller bulletin board which sits above the ArtBar was super fun this month as it was festooned with Basquiat inspired cardboard crowns. This project, featuring a Black artist, was part of a wider effort that included projects intended for the community MLK celebration, and our collaboration with the Lakewood Center for the Arts. Outreach/Inreach Those childcares that we were able to reach this month were thrilled to see us. We had a very full month of school visits. None of which happened to fall on snow days. Librarian, Allison Staley completed her tenure as Chair of the RISE committee, which she has served on for three years. Representing LOPL on a professional level has been a commitment on her part, and is fully supported by staff here. We benefit from her relationships with librarians from around the country and the extensive reading that she does for the committee work Rise: A Feminist book Project for ages 0-18. Allison also continues to write book reviews for School Library Journal. The Cottonwood school from Southwest Portland visited twice – seeking materials for free choice reading and Black History Month. This charter school located in SW Portland has identified our library as a great resource for their students who can hop on the 35 Trimet bus and be here in less than half an hour. They appreciate help from our librarians, as well as the opportunity for students to explore and learn how to use the public library. We scheduled visits from the River Grove elementary school during our two-week storytime break, and hosted three first grade classrooms, and two second grade classrooms. The visits are intense, exciting, loud and awesome. Kids literally walk in the front door saying “I love this place” or “It smells like a library.” They get library cards and lanyards to hold them, proudly check out t heir first books, ask about all the buttons on PHIL and challenge us to find books on some rather obscure subjects (pick axes?). At the end of the month, the Children’s Library was host to three kindergarten classes from Palisades World Language School. Classroom parents were interested in bringing families together to get to know each other, and thought that the library would be a great venue because it is open in the evening, free, welcoming to families and has parking. They were inspired by the Basquiat ArtBar crown project and wanted the kids to partake in that while parents socialized. We made our best efforts to have enough staff available and to make a brief presentation about library services. Attendance was approximately 75 people. It was very loud and difficult for staff. However, the families felt that the event was a great success and they appreciated the partnership of the public library. Stats Reader’s Advisory/reference – 703 (includes 1000BBK and New Parent Gift bags) Program attendance – 844 (includes storytime, special programs, outreach and LEGO club) Adult Services January 2024 Monthly Report January was a busy month at the library! Adult Services kicked off our first-ever Winter Reading Bingo program in collaboration with Youth Services, began accepting donations for our Seed Library, navigated library closures due to the snow/ice storm, helped staff a warming center at the library on the MLK holiday, participated in a safety training with LOPD and LOFD for all library staff, helped staff two Rover visits, and, as always, hosted a variety of engaging events! Here’s a look back at our work last month:  Showcased race car watercolor paintings by Alan Nies in the stairwell gallery.  Created a body liberation book display on the main floor and non-fiction displays for Creativity Month and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on the 2nd floor.  Together with staff from other library departments, brought Rover to The Springs senior living facility, where we served 33 patrons, and brought Rover to the Main Fire Station, where we assisted 20 patrons.  Launched a Winter Reading Bingo program for adults. The Bingo card prompts patrons to “Check out an ebook,” “Read a book from the year you were born,” “Read a book by a BIPOC author,” “Attend a library program,” and other fun activities. When patrons return a completed card, they can pick up a piece of candy and enter into a drawing for a bigger prize.  Due to the snow/ice storm, we had to reschedule our MLK Community Celebration for February and cancel our Third Tuesday Author and Poetry Group events. Here are the events we offered in January: o A First Tuesday Music concert featuring Yohannes Murphy. o A presentation on Goal Setting and Beyond: How to Make 2024 Your Best Year Yet by life coach Sandra Andrews. o A New Year Vision Boards craft session with Creativebug. o A hybrid in-person and virtual Genealogy Interest Group meeting. o A Bookish Affair met a week later (due to inclement weather) to discuss the book Marry Me by Midnight by Felicia Grossman. o A Trivia Night session. We were glad that this virtual program did not need to be canceled due to the ice storm. 29 people attended! o 93 people attended our Pints from the Past session with geologist Marli Miller at the Lake Theater and Café to learn about the geology of Oregon and Washington as seen from our roads. o Building Bridges met in-person and virtually to discuss Tracy Kidder’s Rough Sleepers. Stats Reference & Readers’ Advisory Interactions: 1,263 Programs for Adults: 14 Adult Program Attendance: 250* Programs for All Ages: 7 All Ages Program Attendance – 49* *Does not include attendance for recorded events. Technical Services Department January 2024 Monthly Report A New Generation of Technical Services Volunteers The Technical Services Department has a long history of working with volunteers from the community to accomplish a broad range of tasks. Over the years, volunteers have learned how to use the disc buffing machine to keep our music, audiobook, and video collections in good shape; volunteers have also spent many hours putting protective dust jacket covers on new books or applying book covering laminate to new paperbacks; and at one time the Library even boasted a large team of book mending volunteers who set up shop in the conference room each Monday morning to repair an astonishing number of damaged books – their all-time record was 454 books repaired in the month of August, 2004! Finding safe volunteer opportunities became a challenge when the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, and volunteer activities largely ceased. Once those restrictions lifted, though, a new group of volunteers stepped forward. Elise comes to the Library twice each week, and saves us a lot of time by pre-cutting the RFID tags that go in every new Library item; Jordan helps us keep up with the cleaning of our heavily- used Library of Things collections; and Judy spends several hours each week putting protective dust jacket covers on new books. The Technical Services Department is grateful to each of these wonderful volunteers for their help!