Library Board

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Redwood City Public Library
Helping Build Community
Highlights of 2008
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Redwood City Public Library Board

• Left to right Reina B. Barragan, Rudy Madrigal,
  Zachary Sweeney, Sharon Levin, Alex Schernig

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Creating the Community-Centered Library

• We are the communitys home away from home and
  work, that is engaging, welcoming and safe for
  all ages uses
• We help kids and families succeed, support public
  safety, increase economic vitality and sustain a
  great quality of life for all
• We utilize business and retail models for
  efficient, effective and contemporary service

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Library System Snapshot 2008

• Loaned over one million items
• 64,000 library card holders
• 300,000 books, music and movies in our four
  libraries
• 29,000 items added to the collection
• 887,000 visits to our libraries
• 562,000 physical visits
• 325,000 visits to the library website
• 116,000 children and families attended library
  programs or received homework help
• 2,289 programs1,786 library sponsored 503
  community sponsored
• Over 300,000 computer uses 130 public computers

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Redwood Shores Library Grand Opening
Community Building at Its Best!
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Redwood Shores Branch Library
Funding and Support for the Shores Library City
Council, City of Redwood City, Redwood Shores
Community Association, the State of California
and the entire Redwood City Community
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Redwood Shores Branch Library
And the Library Foundation for raising 850,000
for all the books and movies!
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Redwood Shores Branch Library
In the first three months, over 150,000 library
materials have been checked out, and 2,000 new
library cards issued!
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Redwood Shores Interpretive Center
Opening January 2009
300,000 raised from community and corporate
sponsors
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Youth and Learning
School Partnerships Collaboration

• Poetry Contest
• Art in Action
• Staff visits to every classroom annually
• KinderCard Campaign
• Purchasing multiple copies of titles for
  students required reading
• Library shares cost of the School District
  Librarian
• Literacy programs at schools
• Library buys books for all students to take home
• Teachers teach book in classroom
• Library brings the author for family event
• Library supports school reading by giving free
  books to students completing monthly reading
  goals

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Youth and Learning

• Homework Centers

• Homework Centers at all libraries10,000 tutored
  sessions
• Online one-on-one tutored homework help available
  from home school

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Youth and Learning
Summer Reading
Bookstock IV celebration as 2,000 book lovers
read together during the Summer
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Youth and Learning

• Traveling Storytime

• Program received City Proclamation in recognition
  of this community effort
• 80 preschools and daycares served weekly
• 25,000 volunteer hours since 2001 and over 7,000
  storytimes, with an audience of over 100,000
  children!

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Youth and Family Programming

• Library Cards for newborns and parents
• KinderCard Campaign for the 5th consecutive
  year, library cards issued to all kids as they
  start Kindergarten
• Teen Cards cleared of charges to facilitate
  library use

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Youth and Family Programming

• Storytimes offered at all four libraries
• 20 times per week, 20-80 per session, 10,250
  served annually
• English, Spanish, Hindi, Mandarin, Russian

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Project READ Literacy Programs
Youth Literacy Families In Partnership

• Families In Partnership program matched 127
  school age children with one-on-one Project READ
  community tutors
• Project READs youth reading scores have
  increased by an average of 3.0 levels after one
  year of instruction

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Project READ Literacy Programs

• Youth Literacy Kids In Partnership

• Teen tutors completed over 1,500 hours of
  community service
• Newly expanded literacy space at the Downtown
  Library is serving 150 at-risk youth annually
• 85 1st - 5th graders
• 65 high schoolers
• Since 1999, all KIP teen tutors, most of them
  having a 98 chance of dropping out of high
  school, have graduated from high school, many
  graduated from college

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Project READ Literacy Programs
Family Literacy

• Project READ staff collaborated with Redwood City
  School District to give away backpacks and
  necessary school supplies
• Each month, families receive one family book to
  read together and each child chooses their own
  personal book to build their home library
• 140 families served

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Project READ in the Community

• Received the Kent Award, given to an
  innovative and successful literacy program in
  San Mateo County
• Recognized for the Inmate Peer Tutoring program
  that successfully trains inmates to tutor other
  inmates with low literacy skill levels
• Received Certificates of Recognition from the
  State of California Senate and a Certificate of
  Special Congressional Recognition from the U.S.
  House of Representatives for outstanding,
  innovative and invaluable service to our
  community
• Held 57,000 sessions with adult learners

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Community BuildingImplementing Fair Oaks
Strategic Plan

• Increased community programs
• 22 new computers installed
• Interior painted and furniture and lighting
  upgraded
• Carpet replacement scheduled
• 250,000 pledge from Library Foundation for
  collections improvements

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Doing Business Efficiently and Effectively
Staff vs Usage

• Sustaining Programs and Services with existing
  resources
• Implemented eCommerce
• Project Read leverages general fund allocation
  into matching grant funds

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Building CommunityCommunity Supporters

• Library Foundation
• 850,000 for Redwood Shores
• Friends of the Library
• 50,000 raised for library programs
• Friends of Literacy
• Annual Trivia Bee raised over 30,000
• Archives Committee
• 500 copies of the Redwood History book sold
• Volunteers
• 1,300 volunteers gave over 130,000 hours
  including 157 teens
• Teen Council created to help guide library
  services to teens
• Foundation President Sandra Cooperman received
  Volunteer Award

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Building Community Through Partnerships

• Canada College
• Civic Cultural Commission
• Parks, Recreation and Community Services
• Police and Fire Departments
• Redwood City School District
• Sequoia Union High School District
• Sequoia Hospital
• Whole Foods
• Fox Theatre
• San Mateo Credit Union
• Peninsula Humane Society

• Montalvo
• Marine Science Institute
• San Mateo County Office of Education
• Redwood Shores Community Association
• San Mateo County Sheriffs Office
• Barnes and Noble
• Keplers Books
• San Mateo County Library
• Silicon Valley Community Foundation
• Concilio de San Mateo
• Mexican Consulate
• FM Radio 98.9 Estereo Sol

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On the Horizon

• Teen Space at the Downtown Library
• Expanded literacy spaces
• New study rooms
• Youth Agendainterdepartmental collaboration
• Update library e-newsletter and website with
  Citys look-and-feel
• Sustainability of services and programs