COUNCIL AGENDA: 12/10/15 ITEM: d(3) CITY OF LSs SAN JOSE Memorandum CAPITAL OF SILICON VALLEY TO: HONORABLE MAYOR FROM: Jill Bourne AND CITY COUNCIL SUBJECT: 2014-2015 ANNUAL LIBRARY DATE: November 23, 2015 USAGE REPORT Approved Date , COUNCIL DISTRICT: Citywide RECOMMENDATION It is recommended that the Neighborhood Services & Education Committee accept the Fiscal Year 2014-2015 Report on Library Usage. OUTCOME The Committee will be informed about FY 2014-2015 achievements and service trends at the San Jose Public Library. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY During the 2014-2015 fiscal year, San Jose Public Library (SJPL) demonstrated a commitment to enriching lives with a vast array of collections, programs, and services that foster life-long learning, make innovative use of technology, expand access to ideas and information, and value a culturally diverse community. By expanding service to six days per week at Branch Libraries in 2015-16, SJPL will build upon its legacy of successful services to the people and communities of San Jose. SJPL's services are anchored by eight Strategic Priorities: Open more Library hours and Online Services; Increase access to collections and try new methods to access content; enrich life-long learning for all ages; Ensure Libraries are safe, welcoming, and up to date; Connect people to current technology; Strengthen and seek partnerships that enhance services; Engage staff and volunteers with opportunities for growth and development; and Boost public awareness of Library services and value. HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL November 23, 2015 Subject: 2014-2015 Annual Library Usage Report Page 2 BACKGROUND The report is prepared annually for presentation to the Neighborhood Services & Education Committee. ANALYSIS San Jose Public Library is one of the busiest library systems nationwide, with more than 6 million visits and 9.88 million items checked out in FY 2014-15. More than 400,000 residents possess library cards, and each customer checks out an average of 10 items per year, well above the national average of 6. Attendance at library programs in FY 2014-15 increased by 4.4% over the previous year. However, limited open hours at Branch Libraries contributed to a 5% decrease in circulation and overall visits during FY 2014-15. The San Jose Public Library is guided by eight strategic priorities that reflect a commitment to innovation and learning. 1) Open more Library hours and online services Residents of San Jose affirmed their support for libraries by passing a 25-year extension of the Library Parcel Tax in June 2014. With stable funding in place, the Mayor's March 2015 budget message set forth a clear vision to open branch libraries six days per week. The Library developed a new, efficient staffing model based on the 2014 Audit of Library Hours and Staffing that would increase open hours by 38% at all branch locations with the addition of 36.83 FTE. With unanimous support from City Council, the Library recruited and hired 92 new staff and promoted 60 staff from March to June 2015, for a total of 152 personnel transactions. On July 11, 2015, the Library launched six day service with celebrations at Branch Libraries across the City. During the first month of expanded service in July 2015, SJPL welcomed close to half a million customer visits, over 40,000 more than in July 2014. 2) Increase access to collections and try new methods to access content California Room Since joining SJPL in January 2015, the new California Room Librarian/Archivist at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library has enhanced access to the digital repository of historical artifacts, maps, journals, and images held in the Library's historic collections. The California Room website logged 32,026 visits in FY 2014-15. Since January of 2015, the contents of 143 items (books, journals, maps, and yearbooks) have been uploaded to the website and a total of 1,858 new digital images have been added to the digital repository. Three dedicated volunteers HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL November 23, 2015 Subject: 2014-2015 Annual Library Usage Report Page 3 are engaged, along with staff, in scanning, uploading, and describing maps, yearbooks, and City Directories, as well as transcribing portions of the Pueblo Papers, a collection of documents that represents the issues and events in and around the Pueblo de San Jose de Guadalupe and its adjacent mission, Santa Clara de Asis. In February 2015, the California Room participated in Code Across, a weekend of civic hacking events timed to coincide with both the last weekend of the Code for America Fellows' residency and International Open Data Day. In addition, the California Room hosts guest speakers on First Wednesdays, with topics ranging from local architecture to the history of Japantown. Language Collections San Jose Public Library provides items for loan in more than 20 languages and dialects. Eighteen locations offer collections in at least four languages (Chinese, English, Spanish, Vietnamese). Other languages collected include Tagalog, Korean, Russian, Arabic, Japanese, Persian, Hindi, Punjabi, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Tamil, Telegu, and Urdu. With over 440,000 language materials at SJPL, language collections represent almost 21% of total physical holdings and account for 20% of all materials checked out by library customers in FY 2014-15. Lucky Day Lucky Day collections launched in March 2015 and feature the newest, most in demand fiction, non-fiction, and DVD titles. Items in the collection have shorter loan periods and cannot be renewed or requested, increasing the likelihood of finding a bestseller or new release DVD on the shelf when visiting the library. Since March, Lucky Day items have been checked out 68,655 times, representing as much as 4.3% of total checkout at some locations. Science Kits Library collections include more than just books. SJPL also loans science-related kits such as Makey Makeys, an invention kit that turns everyday objects into computer touchpads or keyboards; Squishy Circuits, a design kit with activities to create circuits and explore electronics using play dough; and Finch Robots, an engaging introduction to the art of programming with support for over a dozen programming languages and environments for students as young as eight years old. Online Services In FY 2014-15, the Library website, www.sjpl.org, and the new events database, events.sjpl.org, together logged 2,875,034 visits. Categorically, locations and hours are the most popular sites, with 1,138,708 page views, while Library programs and events register a close second with 914,176 views. The Library continued to expand digital resources in FY 2014-15, balancing entertainment, recreation, and self-directed learning options. Hoopla was added for PC, tablet, HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL November 23, 2015 Subject: 2014-2015 Annual Library Usage Report Page 4 and mobile app, enabling streaming and downloading of thousands of popular titles, including movies, television shows, music albums, comics, ebooks and eaudiobooks. In turn, Library customers checked out half a million ebooks and eaudiobooks (a 26% increase over the previous fiscal year) and downloaded emagazines from Zinio 48,667 times (up 153%). In total, customers explored online resources on topics ranging from business to homework more than 10.6 million times. New offerings included Pronunciator, a tool for language learning, and Beanstack, with reading recommendations for parents. Treehouse (an online interactive education platform providing courses in web, mobile, and technology business development) exploded in popularity in FY 2014-15, with 13,245 video views, 1,751 quizzes taken, and 1,268 badges of accomplishment earned. Library Cards Anywhere In May 2015, the Library launched a remote access service to increase accessibility and enhance ongoing outreach activities. Remote access allows staff to register new library customers using a laptop and issue library cards anywhere in an instant, thereby providing immediate access to the Library's resources and online services. Since inception, laptops have been taken to 34 events, such as festivals, Farmer's Markets, schools, and other community gatherings, expanding Library service beyond the physical buildings. There are currently two laptops available for booking, with plans to deploy the same setup on a laptop at each branch. 3) Enrich life-long learning for all ages Early Education SJPL undertook an extensive environmental scan of the early childhood education field, local parents and caregivers, and library agencies in summer/fall 2014. This work resulted in a comprehensive approach toward developing an Early Learning Education Strategy that capitalizes on the Library's strengths and resources and brings the Library further into alignment with community efforts surrounding early learning. The Strategy is based on four themes: provide early learning experiences, support parents and caregivers, support early educators, and serve as a community resource. During the past year, the Library increased access to play-based learning with Wee Play San Jose toys and play centers at seven locations. Each month, more than 8,000 visitors attended one of 50 weekly storytimes to engage in language and learning activities that develop pre-reading skills. The Library actively promotes 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten, a reading challenge that encourages families to share books and reading. Families read together, record their progress and then return to the Library for a certificate and school supply kit upon completion. The Library started the program in April 2015, and in the first quarter, over 1,300 children ages 0-5 registered and recorded hundreds of books. The Library provides paper logs for families to record their books or parents may download the app provided by the 1,000 Books HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL November 23, 2015 Subject: 2014-2015 Annual Library Usage Report Page 5 Foundation. For the 2015 Summer Reading Challenge, the Library worked closely with 49 preschools.and family childcare homes to expand participation to an additional 2,000 early learners.