TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: Philippe Eskandar, City Manager
BY: Cathi Johnson, Community Services Director
DATE: November 13, 2024
SUBJECT: RATIFICATION OF THE FY 2023-24 CALIFORNIA STATE
LIBRARY REPORT
STRATEGIC PLAN CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS
Efficient, Responsive, and Effective City Services
Fiscally Responsible and Transparent City Government
BACKGROUND
Each year, the California State Library requires all public libraries to submit an annual report. The California State Library Report summarizes financials, staffing, programs, and services offered by each public library. The data submitted acts as a tool for analysis among state libraries and can be used to support funding requests.
Pursuant to California Education Code §18927, the Library Board of Trustees is required to submit the California State Library Report to the City’s legislative body, the City Council. On October 28, 2024, the Library Board of Trustees voted to receive and file the Report and recommended it for ratification by the City Council.
DISCUSSION
Attachment 1 is Crowell Public Library’s submission for fiscal year (FY) 2023- 24, which was submitted on October 23, 2024. Some highlights of the report are:
• Library visits have increased; 210,365 visits were recorded in FY 2023-
24. 184,617 visits were recorded in FY 2022-23, compared to 183,064 Steven W. Huang, DDS, Mayor
Gretchen Shepherd Romey, Vice Mayor
Tony Chou, Council Member
Calvin Lo, Council Member
Steve Talt, Council Member
in FY 2021-22. This is a fourteen percent increase from FY 2022-23 to 2023-24.
• The number of questions answered at the Reference Desk increased from 6,494 in FY 2022-23 to 9,118 in FY 2023-24. This is a forty percent increase from the previous year.
• During FY 2023-24, the Library welcomed 10,968 program participants.
This is a twenty-eight percent increase over 2022-23, in which there were 8,584 recorded instances of participation.
• During this reporting period, 72 teens volunteered 397 hours, as compared with FY 2022-23, when 49 teens volunteered 292.5 hours from January 2023 to June 2023.
FISCAL IMPACT & PROCUREMENT REVIEW
There is no fiscal impact and procurement review is not applicable.
LEGAL REVIEW
The City Attorney's office has reviewed and approved as to form.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the Council ratify the FY 2023-24 California State Library Report. If the City Council concurs with staff’s recommendation, an appropriate motion would be:
“I move to ratify the FY 2023-24 California State Library Report.”
ATTACHMENTS
1. FY 2023-24 California State Library Report