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Home My WebLink AboutAGENDA REPORT 2025 0513 LB REG ITEM 07CITEM: 7.C. CITY OF MOORPARK MOORPARK LIBRARY BOARD AGENDA REPORT TO: Moorpark Library Board FROM: Jessica Sandifer, Deputy Parks and Recreation Director BY: Christine Cowell, Librarian DATE: 5/13/2025 (Regular Meeting) SUBJECT: Consider Library Quarterly Report for Third Quarter Fiscal Year 2024/2025. DISCUSSION Consider Library Quarterly Report for Third Quarter Fiscal Year 2024/2025. STAFF RECOMMENDATION Receive and file report. Attachment – Library Quarterly Report for Third Quarter Fiscal Year 2024/2025. 7 Library Board 05/13/2025 Regular Meeting Page 2 Moorpark City Library Quarterly Report January - March 2025 Highlights: During the third quarter, the Moorpark City Library began the recruitment process to fill the Children’s Librarian position following the departure of Kellsie, whose last day was March 22, 2025. Kellsie accepted a position at Oxnard Public Library, allowing her to work closer to home. The library proactively launched recruitment efforts to ensure a smooth transition and minimize disruption to early literacy programs, family engagement initiatives, and school partnerships. In the interim, staff collaborated to maintain children's services and program continuity. In March 2025, an Executive Order directed the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and similar agencies to eliminate non-statutory functions and minimize operations. Although it is not yet clear how this action will affect federal library funding, it places nearly $200 million nationally — including approximately $15 million for California libraries — at risk. Federal law still mandates funding through the Grants to States program; however, ongoing uncertainty highlights the importance of educating the public about the essential services made possible through IMLS support. Federal support through the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) has helped make possible vital community programs such as Lunch at the Library, summer reading challenges, early literacy outreach, digital access services, and enrichment activities that foster lifelong learning at the Moorpark City Library. Additionally, local programs like Play for All, which supports inclusive early learning through hands-on exploration, and Book to Action, which connects community dialogue with civic engagement, are funded through California State Library initiatives that rely on IMLS dollars. The future of these grant-funded programs may be jeopardized if federal support is reduced or restricted. Moorpark City Library Quarterly Statistics, FY 2024-2025 Library Usage Door Count Cards Issued Public Computer Sessions Reference Questions Number of Volunteers Volunteer Hours Fiscal Year 24-25 23-24 24-25 23-24 24-25 23-24 24-25 23-24 24-25 23-24 24-25 23-24 January 4,435 4,226 157 153 334 293 149 44 28 22 85 38 February 4,464 4,400 129 74 320 289 172 48 24 20 90 58 March 5,004 4,584 160 102 322 344 54 98 27 22 69 43 8 Library Board 05/13/2025 Regular Meeting Page 3 1st QTR 15,094 14,613 434 401 1,016 1,177 478 293 51 55 216 121 2nd QTR 13,651 13,327 380 280 843 914 463 184 72 49 234 97 3rd QTR 13,903 13,210 446 329 976 926 375 190 79 64 244 139 YTD 42,648 41,150 1,260 1,010 2,835 3,017 1,316 667 202 168 694 357 General: Despite disruptions in the beginning of the year due to fires and widespread power outages, the Moorpark City Library remained a busy and essential community hub during the third quarter of FY 2024-25. The library recorded a door count of 13,903, slightly higher than the same quarter last year. Year-to-date visits have reached 42,648, demonstrating consistent in-person engagement with library services. Staff issued 446 new library cards between January and March, bringing the year-to- date total to 1,260. Outreach at events such as Future Freshman Night and Literacy Nights helped boost cardholder numbers, with significant growth among bilingual households. Volunteerism continued to thrive, with 79 volunteers donating 244 hours across shelving, program assistance, tutoring, and outreach activities. Volunteer participation has steadily grown, reinforcing the library’s community partnerships and operational strength. Physical Circulation Electronic Circulation Total Circulation Holds Placed Fiscal Year 24-25 23-24 24-25 23-24 24-25 23-24 24-25 23-24 January 6,390 6,103 1,458 1,284 7,848 7,387 1,364 3751 February 6,316 5,572 1,282 1,111 7,598 6,683 1,108 1,207 March 6,291 6,245 1,402 1,190 7,693 7,435 1,207 1,472 1st QTR 19,947 21,560 4,053 2,988 24,000 24,548 4,120 4,030 2nd QTR 20,556 18,543 3,753 2,823 24,309 21,366 3,598 3,688 3rd QTR 18,997 17,791 4,142 3,585 23,139 21,376 3,679 4,054 YTD 59,500 57,894 11,948 9,396 71,448 67,290 11,397 11,772 9 Library Board 05/13/2025 Regular Meeting Page 4 Collections: The library continues to monitor performance metrics closely to ensure that collection development and programming efforts are effectively supporting community needs and strategic goals. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) •Collection Usage (No Circulation > 3 Years): o Current Status: 3.5% of the collection has not circulated in three years or more. o Target: Less than 10%. o Status: Exceeding goal o Analysis: This low percentage highlights the library’s strong alignment between collection development and community interests. Regular weeding, revitalization of older sections, and shifting underperforming items to high-traffic displays have helped keep the collection fresh and relevant. Maintaining this low percentage ensures that shelf space is used efficiently, offering patrons a vibrant and engaging browsing experience. •Dead on Arrival (DOA) – New Items That Never Circulated: o Current Status: 11.4% o Target: Less than 10%. o Status: Improved, but still slightly above target o Analysis: The percentage of newly added items that have yet to circulate decreased from 12.5% last quarter to 11.4%. This improvement is notable given the intentional backfilling of popular series, genres, and backlist titles during the Great Collection Shake-Up. •Collection Turnover Rate (Circulation per Item): o Current Status: 2.25 o Target: 3.0 o Status: Progressing toward goal o Analysis: The collection turnover rate rose from 2.12 last quarter to 2.25. This steady increase reflects the positive impact of strategic weeding, curated displays, and more active promotion of the refreshed collection. Children’s Programs Children’s Attendance Teen Programs Teen Attendance Adult Programs Adult Attendance Fiscal Year 24-25 23-24 24-25 23-24 24-25 23-24 24-25 23-24 24-25 23-24 24-25 23-24 January 8 9 334 266 4 3 71 28 4 5 32 52 February 9 7 415 289 4 3 24 13 6 5 75 50 March 11 9 874 277 10 6 54 30 5 6 60 97 1st QTR 25 47 1,344 1,075 23 12 139 77 18 16 198 128 10 Library Board 05/13/2025 Regular Meeting Page 5 2nd QTR 20 29 809 896 19 8 79 44 16 15 147 138 3rd QTR 28 25 1,623 832 18 12 149 71 15 16 167 199 YTD 73 101 3,776 2,803 60 32 367 192 49 47 512 465 All Ages Programs All Ages Attendance Total Programs Total Program Attendance Self-Directed Programs Self-Directed Participation Fiscal Year 24-25 23-24 24-25 23-24 24-25 23-24 24-25 23-24 24-25 23-24 24-25 23-24 January 10 0 129 0 26 17 566 346 2 1 60 35 February 9 2 109 54 28 17 623 406 3 5 81 112 March 5 0 51 0 31 21 1,039 404 2 3 29 224 1st QTR 36 4 444 244 102 79 2,125 1,524 7 7 305 152 2nd QTR 17 7 440 344 72 59 1,475 1,422 29 4 513 658 3rd QTR 24 2 289 54 85 55 2,228 1,156 7 9 170 371 YTD 77 13 1,173 642 259 193 5,828 4,102 43 20 988 1,181 Programming: The Moorpark City Library maintains a robust calendar of programs designed to serve diverse age groups and community interests. At a minimum, the library offers: •Weekly preschool storytime •Occasional bilingual storytime events •Monthly family and/or adult-focused programs •Weekly summer reading events •Monthly teen programs •Quarterly adult and/or family events During this quarter, the library offered 85 programs, reaching a total attendance of 2,228 participants. In addition, 7 self-directed activities engaged 170 participants independently. Adult & All Ages Programming: •3 Book Club for Adults meetings (29 attendees) •3 Genre Book Club meetings (22 attendees) •2 Read It & Eat It meetings (34 attendees) •3 Crafty Adults sessions (36 attendees) •3 Writer's Group meetings (31 attendees) •12 Knot & Hook sessions (128 attendees) 11 Library Board 05/13/2025 Regular Meeting Page 6 • 3 Studio Ghibli Guild sessions (61 attendees) • 7 Rubik’s Cube Club meetings (64 attendees) Teen Programming: • 3 Anime Night sessions (7 attendees) • 4 Crafty Teens sessions (66 attendees) • 3 Teen Advisory Group (TAG) meetings (41 attendees) • 4 Teen Volunteer Training sessions (11 attendees) • 4 Pathfinder meetings (24 attendees, ages 12 and up) Children & Family Programming: • 3 LEGO Robotics classes (40 attendees) • 3 Music & Movement classes (168 attendees) • 9 Sunshine Storytime sessions (466 attendees) • 5 Mobile Library Pop-Up Events at First5 (127 attendees) • 5 outreach programs at local schools (704 attendees) • 2 Snuggly Saturdays (36 attendees) • 2 Mini Med Minds sessions (26 attendees) Self-Directed Activities: • Ongoing: board games, and trivia Tutoring & Reading Buddies: • 106 students received tutoring and literacy support this quarter Special Events: • Local Author Spotlight (15 attendees) • Stuffie Sleepover (92 attendees) The third quarter of FY 2024–25 introduced several new programs that expanded the library’s offerings for youth, teens, and families, encouraging creativity, leadership, and skill-building: • Studio Ghibli Guild: Launched as a new monthly program, Studio Ghibli Guild invites families to celebrate the films, art, and storytelling of Studio Ghibli through crafts, discussions, and community-building activities. • Rubik’s Cube Club: A limited-time program led by a teen volunteer, offering a welcoming space for children and teens to practice problem-solving and speed cubing skills. The club ran during the third quarter and was highly popular with younger patrons. • Mini Med Minds: A six-week program designed and led by a teen volunteer, Mini Med Minds explored medical topics in an accessible, engaging format for children and tweens interested in health and science. • Pathfinder Society: A new tabletop role-playing program offered in partnership with a regional Pathfinder group, providing teens and adults with opportunities for collaborative storytelling, critical thinking, and community connection. 12 Library Board 05/13/2025 Regular Meeting Page 7 Facebook Page Visits Instagram Profile Visits Teen Instagram Profile Visits YouTube Unique Views Unique Webpage Views Fiscal Year 24-25 23-24 24-25 23-24 24-25 23-24 24-25 23-24 24-25 23-24 January 464 172 246 125 11 16 58 29 13,804 21,375 February 384 253 182 208 6 26 39 36 12,802 12,562 March 442 237 219 114 10 13 38 47 13,612 9,714 1st QTR 1,525 677 753 408 29 51 103 92 32,499 32,362 2nd QTR 1,384 102 536 487 15 38 92 78 40,604 37,151 3rd QTR 1,290 662 647 447 27 55 135 112 40,218 43,651 YTD 4,199 2,041 1,936 1,342 71 144 330 282 113,321 113,164 Marketing and Outreach: The library’s presence on social media and digital platforms continued to grow this quarter, supporting both event promotion and community engagement. • Instagram featured sneak peeks of Día de los Niños crafts, behind-the-scenes looks at new displays, and teen-created content from Anime Night, helping to broaden our reach with younger audiences. • Facebook maintained strong performance with event highlights, library service promotions, and community partnership posts. • YouTube saw increased traffic to library-related video content, particularly around self-directed programming and craft tutorials. Staff attended and tabled at the following outreach events: • Moorpark High School Future Freshman Night (Feb 3) • Flory Elementary STEM Night (Feb 6) • First 5 Ventura County Love of Literacy Event (Feb 21) • Peach Hill Literacy Night (Feb 26) At these events, staff connected with hundreds of families, distributed informational flyers, and promoted the library’s fine-free policy, volunteer opportunities, and reading programs. Outreach focused on highlighting services such as Homework Help resources, volunteer programs for teens, and access to the expanded Library of Things. A special highlight this quarter was the introduction of the library’s new stargazing kits during outreach events. The kits generated significant interest, with many families excited to check them out for home use. Staff also received enthusiastic feedback 13 Library Board 05/13/2025 Regular Meeting Page 8 asking whether the library would host community star parties during the summer. This feedback is being used to explore future programming options tied to astronomy education and outdoor learning, reinforcing the library’s role as a hub for both innovation and inspiration. The Moorpark City Library deepened its collaboration with Flory Elementary School during Read Across America Week (March 2–6, 2025), creating a joyful and meaningful experience for students, families, and the wider community. As part of the week’s festivities, the children’s librarian led two schoolwide assemblies, reaching more than 400 students. The sessions featured bilingual storytelling, the incorporation of American Sign Language (ASL), meditative breathing techniques, and concluded with a lively dance party that left students energized and inspired. Earlier in the week, the teen librarian facilitated a creative project where students designed 135 bookmarks, which were later donated to local senior facilities as a gesture of intergenerational kindness. The week culminated in a highly successful Literacy Night event, where library staff connected with families, promoted library services, and issued 10 new library cards—six of them to non-English speaking patrons, marking the library’s largest bilingual cardholder milestone to date. This collaboration exemplified the power of literacy, creativity, and community spirit, and set a strong foundation for future partnerships that extend the library’s reach and impact within the school district. 14