Camarillo Board of Library Trustees
AGENDA REPORT
Date: August 27, 2025
To: Honorable President and Trustees
From: Greg Ramirez, City Manager
Submitted by: Mandy Nasr, Library Director
Subject: Library Activity Updates – Receive and File
BACKGROUND
Staff provides the Library Board of Trustees monthly updates on activities at the Camarillo Public Library.
DISCUSSION
A Library & RFBC Activity Report from July 2025 is included as Attachment 1, featuring Library Highlights, Professional Development, Literacy/ESL and updates on the Russell Fischer Business Collection (RFBC) for the month of July.
The Camarillo Public Library has selected Lady Tan’s Circle of Women by Lisa See for Camarillo Reads 2025. Lisa See is the New York Times bestselling author of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane, Island of Sea Women, Peony in Love, Shanghai Girls, Dreams of Joy and China Dolls. See was honored as National Woman of the Year by the Organization of Chinese American Women in 2001, was the recipient of the Chinese American Museum’s History Makers Award in 2003, and received the Golden Spike Award from the Chinese Historical Society of Southern California in 2017. She sits on the boards of Los Angeles Opera, The Music Center, the 1871 Chinese Massacre Foundation and the Trusteeship, which celebrates women of achievement and influence in diverse fields.
Lady Tan’s Circle of Women is a historical fiction novel inspired by the true story of a woman physician from 15th-century China. Kirkus, a well-known American book review magazine, gave Lady Tan’s Circle of Women a starred review: “The lives of women in 15th-century China are illuminated in this engrossing novel…See creates a rich story about a girl born into an aristocratic family…Women’s friendships in a world where they have little freedom shape a quietly moving book.” Lady Tan’s Circle of Women has been on the New York Times Top 10 Bestseller list and was a Goodreads finalist for Historical
Library Activity Updates – Receive and File
August 27, 2025
2 7
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Fiction in 2023.
The Library will host Lisa See for an author talk on Saturday, September 27 at 2:00 p.m. in the Community Room. Free tickets will be available at the 2nd Floor Reference Desk beginning September 2. Each individual will receive one ticket. The Library will host additional Camarillo Reads programming throughout September that relate to Lady Tan’s Circle of Women. A search for Lady Tan’s Circle of Women on camarillolibrary.org will return regular print, large print and audiobook formats. A search on camdigital.overdrive.com will return the eBook and eAudiobook digital formats.
Additional activities and programs planned for August are included in the August Camarillo Library Newsletter, included herein as Attachment 2.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no budget impact as a result of this action.
CEQA DETERMINATIONS
Not applicable
RECOMMENDATION
Receive and file
ATTACHMENTS
1. Library & RFBC Activity Report, July 2025
2. Library Newsletter, September 2025
REFERENCE MATERIALS – AVAILABLE FOR REVIEW AT CITY HALL None