Agenda Packet 1-27-20 Work Session

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YE A R 3 L E V Y R E P O R T YE A R 3 L E V Y R E P O R T was to increase events by a third over the life of the levy. In FY 2019 EPL presented almost 2,300 programs to more than 65,000 participants. This exceeds our goal of 1,800 programs. The programs included language-rich activities for young readers. Each week, the Library oers 12 story times plus an osite Storytime-To-Go program. Weheld 791 free programs oered for young readers with 27,206 participants in FY 2019.As our young readers progress into their teen and young adult years, we adjust our approach to meet them where they are. Since 2018, EPL has joined a national trend to engage teens by focusing on hanging out, messing around and geeking out. This has increased opportunities for young adults; and hundreds of teens experience safety, support and inspiration in the Library each day. We saw huge strides in this eort. Teen programming and attendance was our largest area of growth. We nearly doubled teen-specic programming to 355 activities and we increased attendance by 87 percent. Hours & Access Access to the universe of ideas and knowledge is a cornerstone of our mission at Eugene Public Library. Whether in person or online, access to free materials helps create an informed community. was to increase hours (22 hours/week) at Bethel and Sheldon branches and restore Sunday morning hours at the Downtown Library. We’ve done that, and this expan- sion provides increased opportunities for cardholders to borrow materials and use resources. In FY 2019, the Library had more than 1.1 million visits. Its collection grew by more than 3 million physical and digital items and total registered borrowers increased by 3,700 to 111,465. EPL continues to reach beyond its brick and mortar roots. Sta and volunteers participated in nearly 350 osite programs, reaching more than 9,000 people. The addition of a library-branded van has supported more access by increasing visibility and making osite outreach easier. Access has been a priority for EPL, and we are already working on year four. Starting Jan. 1, 2020 Eugene Public Library no longer charges overdue nes on children’s and teen items. Addition- ally, existing overdue nes for children’s and teen items have been removed from accounts. As a result, many Eugene Public Library cards that were blocked because of overdue nes are again free to use. This new policy aims to promote early literacy and reading among all Eugene youth by making library use easier and more accessible. “We love to see parents and kids leaving with armfuls of books to read together. And to see teens exploring and borrowing big piles of books. Overdue nes can get in the way. Plus, the nes can easily add up, which hits low-income families especially hard.” Downtown 1,963,532 Bethel Branch 147,029 Sheldon Branch 237,010 Electronic Materials 355,916 i t e m s We also said we’d add more Maker opportunities. In addition to Maker programs that are open to everyone, Library cardholders have access to workshops and independent project work in our Maker Hub and Media Lab in the Downtown Library. These spaces allow community members to learn and experiment with new digital and technological tools without having to invest in them at home. Nearly 3,000 people used the spaces in FY 2019. MO R E FINEFREE FOR YOUTH! YE A R 3 L E V Y R E P O R T ~ Kris Thorp, Youth Services Manager ATTACHMENT A January 27, 2020, Work Session - Item 1