Library Administration – Melanie Lightbody, County Librarian

The budget process has finished for the time being. As we anticipated all along, the 2018-2019 fiscal year budget will be tight but the staff isdedicated to continueserving the public to the best of its abilities, despite the obvious constraints that must be imposed.

Strategic Plan. As previously announced, the Library’s strategic plan is moving forward with the hiring of the Ideation Collaborative.Sam McBaneMulford is the principal and will be leading the Library Advisory Board and Library Staff through the strategic planning process.

Search for Assistant Director. The County Human Resources Departmentreceived 20 applicants for the position.We expect that HR will have completed the screening process by the time you receive this report. Ideally, the position should be filled by the beginning of September.

Library Amnesty Month. Library Administration worked with County Administration to developa proposal for Library Amnesty Month. If the Board of Supervisors approves the initiative as anticipated, the month of Septemberwill officially be designated Library Amnesty Month. Library Administration appreciates and values all the suggestions of the LAB and looks forward to implementing this initiative.

Countywide News: The people of Butte County elected two new supervisors this past June: Debra Lucero and Tami Ritter. Department heads, as well as our LAB members, are encouraged to contact them.

ParadiseBranch,Emily Goehring,BranchLibrarian

  • April 11th - Branch Librarian Emily Goehring provided a presentation to the SIRS (Sons in Retirement).
  • April 14th- Senior Library Assistant Paula Tarrant facilitated the Teen Book Buy for Paradise teens at Barnes and Noble.
  • May 9th-11th - Emily Goehring attended the Harwood Lab in Ontario, CA to learn the Harwood Method.
  • May 4th- Emily Goehring conducted outreach at the Butte Community Baby Shower on behalf of the Library System.
  • May 4th- The Paradise Library hosted Cops N’ Kids.
  • May 10th- Karen Rigby and Paula Tarrant hosted the 4th Annual Book Club Social.
  • May - Emily Goehring attended the Paradise Unified School District Board of Trustees meeting and received the PUSD endorsement proclamation for the Summer Reading Program 2018.
  • May 22nd- Paula Tarrant spokeabout library resources to the Child Development classes at Paradise High School. She did three sessions and spoke to a total of 67 students.
  • May 23rd- Paula Tarrant provided a library tour for the 2nd grade class of teacherKatie Schrum.
  • June 8th- The Paradise Branch Library hosted a kickoff party for Summer Reading 2018.
  • Rhoda Boyd created an adult summer reading activity to run from June 1st to July 31st.
  • Emily Goehring created and coordinated The Great American Read, Butte County Tournament of Books was by for the Library System which will run through October.
  • June 13th- The Paradise Ridge Fire Safety Council and Chief Hawks of CalFire did a presentation on Fire Preparedness for 10 patrons. There will be a second presentation July 25th.
  • June 21st- Literacy Services went to the Paradise Branch to implement Camp Kindergo.
  • June 28th- Karen Rigby and Paula Tarrant hosted a stuffed animal sleepover.
  • June 29th- Emily Goehring hosted a rock painting program.

Literacy–HeatherTovey,LiteracyCoordinator

  • Literacy Specialist Heather Tovey is a member of the Local Childcare Planning Council and participated in planning the Week of the Young Child, which took place April 16th-20th. Week of the Young Child is a national event. The local Butte County Library Literacy events included a book giveaway (Night Animals) at each branch library.
  • April 19th- The Friends of Literacy Services met at the Umpqua Bank Conference Room in Chico, CA. Discussions included, program updates, anticipated budget concerns, supporting Adult Learners and Tutors, as well as the rapidly approaching Trivia Bee in October.
  • April 20th- The Literacy Services Coordinator gave a presentation to the Adult Education Block Grant Consortium at Butte College. of which Literacy Services is a member.
  • April 28th– The most recent Tutor Training workshop added 9 new volunteer Tutors to our roster. The next Tutor Training Workshop will be July 14th, 2018.
  • May 11th-13th- Twenty-four adult learners from California Library Literacy Service Programs in Napa, Sonoma, Pleasant Hill, Berkeley, Contra Costa, Shasta, Lake County and Butte County attended the Adult Learner Leadership Institute (ALLI) in Chico, CA (see picture below). The Institute’s workshop facilitators were all adult learners from various programs, including Butte County’s own Pete Cervantes, Adult Learner of the Year, 2017.
  • June 2nd- The Literacy Coach provided outreach at Oroville’s Hooked on Fishing.
  • June 15th- The Literacy Specialist attended the North State Literacy Coalition network meeting of which she is the President.
  • June 18th-June 22nd- The Literacy Coach (bus) traveled to each branch library and provided Camp KinderGo activities that promoted early literacy skills.
  • As of June 2018, the Literacy Coach has provided early literacy services to more than 5,363 members of our communities. We also sent 3805 books into homes throughout Butte County.
  • Library Literacy Services provided over 1,000 hours of instruction toadultlearnersduring the 2017-2018 fiscal year.
  • The Literacy Specialist continues to attend meetings to help plan the California Library Literacy Services statewide conference to be held in Sacramento September 25th and 26th. Conference attendees will include Library Literacy Specialists from throughout the State of California.

ChicoBranch– Susie Serrano,BranchLibrarian

  • Oliver Allenand Joe Rodgersplanned and implemented Mental Health Resource Fairs on May 5, 12 and 19 at the Chico, Oroville and Paradise Branches. The events were very successful in reaching out to an underserved population in our communities.
  • April 3rd - The First 5 Express visited the Chico Branch on Tuesday during our regularly scheduled story time. Families enjoyed activities on the library lawn.
  • June 19th – The Library Literacy Program’s KinderGo Camp visited the Chico Branch on the Library lawn. There were many outdoor activities, including climbing aboard the Literacy Coach.
  • Chico Branch hosted the first ever Butte Summer Reading Institute and invited all staff and volunteers to learn about what this year’s summer reading program has in store.
  • AndreaLaio and Joe created the Summer Reading Logs this year for 3 different age groups. The logs include a variety of summer activities in which to participate.
  • Summer reading and Special Programs are now in full swing. We have over 700 sign-ups for Children and Teens programs, and over 30 Adults enrolled!
  • The new Maker Lab banners are up. Many thanks to a generous donation from the Chico Chamber Young Professionals group for making the banner possible. It was designed by the Library’s tech guru, Alex Chen.
  • Kimberlee Wheelercompleted the set-up of the Sewing Lab inside the Maker space and hosted our first program.
  • Chico Friends of the Library purchased new furniture for the children’s room and new scholastic paperback books to give away as Summer Reading prizes.
  • The California Reference locked cases have been relocated to the backside of the Maker Lab. In addition, the old carpet underneath has been replaced. This has created more seating for the public. This could not have been possible without our Capital Improvement Project Manager, T.J. Cowles, and the Chico Staff. Many thanks to all!

Gridley, Biggs, and Durham – Cynthia Pustejovsky, Branch Librarian

Gridley:

  • Ashley Cane partnered with the Sycamore Middle School Librarian for a library booth at the school’s yearly Club Faire. Clubs and organizations from Gridley High School, community groups, Butte College, Chico State, CalFire and Gridley Police Department participated.
  • Manzanita Middle School continued their monthly class visits to the Gridley Branch Library.
  • During the annual end-of-the-year class visits, there were 14 Kindergarten and First Grade classes from McKinley Elementary and one from Manzanita Elementary.
  • Gridley Friends Of the Library (GFOL) presented the Don Wiley Library Service Award to Jean Curcuru for her many years of service to the group. Following the presentation, famous author Mark Twain paid a visit to the festivities. Chris LeGate, area Mark Twain impersonator, volunteered to do the program in appreciation for all that GFOL does for the library.
  • There were 3 weekly class visits by McKinley School’s Special Needs class during their summer school program.
  • Butte County Library Literacy Services’ Camp KinderGo came to a story time.
  • During the Summer Reading Program, children are really enjoying picking out their prize books.
  • Adults have enjoyed participatingin Library Bingo and Great American Read.

Durham:

  • Durham Library andDurham Friends of the Library (DFOL) honored eight Durham residents during National Library Week.
  • Cynthia Pustejovsky gave a presentation at April’s Community Luncheon about the history of Butte County Library, focusing on the Durham branch, and spoke about current library services and programs.
  • Crafternoons– Drop in activity for all ages (Children under 5 with adult help) every other week in April and May, weekly during Summer Reading.
  • Camp KinderGo came to a story time.
  • Summer Reading Program – Children are enjoying picking out their prize books.
  • Adults have enjoyed participating in Library Bingo and Great American Read.

Biggs:

  • The Biggs Branch hosted a Patron Appreciation Day during National Library Week.
  • During the Weekly Afterschool Activity Time, there is a different activity each week: Legos, board games, puzzles, coloring pages, and crafts.
  • Ashley Cane had a special afterschool activity program in April and May.
  • Two patrons have started a library book club, meeting on Saturday mornings.
  • Children are enjoying picking out their prize booksfor the Summer Reading Program.
  • Adults have enjoyed participating in Library Bingo and Great American Read.

eAprende – Digital Van:

  • Katy Azevedo and Mel Lightbody made a presentation to Butte County Farm Bureau about the services and resources available to farm laborers.
  • eAprende students are using the resources to apply for citizenship. Four have already completed the process and have been sworn in as citizens
  • Thanks to a California State Library Grant, Katy Azevedowill be working with the State Library to inform and assist other library systems in the creation and implementation of a similar program in their rural areas.

OrovilleBranch --Ashley Cane, County Wide Children’s Librarian and Interim Oroville BranchLibrarian

In May, the branch hosted the Mental Health Resource Fair for Oroville residents at the library, providing free information about local mental health organizations and programs available to Oroville residents. Representatives from Butte County Behavioral Health, Victor Community Support, Stonewall Alliance, and other organizations shared valuable information about how members of the Oroville community can practice self-care, and where to reach out if they need help.

Summer Reading is off to a great start in Oroville, with over 200 children and teens signed up to participate. In the month of June alone, we held 45 programs and activities for children, including our regular storytimes and STEAM activities, art programs, family movies, and even a life-sized interactive version of the retro Oregon Trail computer game!

We’ve also established a new partnership with the Oroville Boys and Girls Club. The STEM Ninjas, a group of Oroville teens, lead science, tech, and engineering activities for children every week at the library. This is a fantastic opportunity not only for children to engage in these concepts with their peers, but for Oroville teens to practice community engagement, goal-setting, and project planning. The STEM Ninjas program will continue weekly in Oroville throughout the summer until it finds a permanent schedule during the school year.

This summer we’re working with CalKIDZ and the Butte County Office ofEducation to provide free lunches for children under 18 three days a week. This was a hugely successful and beneficial program for Oroville children last year and we’re thrilled to be able to provide it again. We’ve already provided 138 meals and will continue to offer meals through the second week of August – right up until the 18-19 school year begins, helping to minimize food insecurity for families.

Countywide Children’s Programming

  • In April, BCL participated in the Week of the Young Child, celebrating children and their caregivers in partnership with the Local Childcare Planning Council. Guests from the LCPC visited storytimes at each of the branches (except for Biggs, which does not currently offer a regular storytime) to read a story, and interact and share information with our local families. The LCPC provided free copies of the story they read for families to take home and make a permanent part of their family library.
  • In June, library branches and Butte County Literacy Services worked together with First 5 of California to bring Camp KinderGO! to five of our six branches. This program aim was to help families feel prepared to make the leap to kindergarten by practicing social-emotional learning skills through exploratory play. This summer, our future kindergarteners and their families participated in dance parties, designed and built their own obstacle courses, practiced writing letters and drawing shapes in squishy paint, and so much more!
  • Youth services staff from each of our six branches offered invaluable insight and support as we worked to develop our 2018 Summer Reading Program, which is totally unique to Butte County and emphasizes system-wide unity. For the first time, families can visit any branch of the Butte County Library to sign up for and participate in the exact same program.The program we’ve devised emphasizes all reading as good reading, encourages community exploration (including all branches of the library!), and offers books as prizes to build families’ permanent home libraries.