Los Angeles County Public Library

COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES PUBLIC LIBRARY AGENCY REPORT

COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES PUBLIC LIBRARY

ICAN DATA ANALYSIS REPORT 2009-2010

No-Fault Library Card for Foster Children The County of Los Angeles Public Library reaches out to children in at-risk populations. While some foster children in Los Angeles County have caregivers who take on the financial responsibility necessary in securing a library card for their foster children, many of them are reluctant to take on that responsibility. In the event of a change in placement, the child may use the card irresponsibly and the original caregiver may be responsible for subsequent library fines or charges for lost library materials.

Since October 2002, the Public Library and the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) have worked together to provide a “no-fault” library card for foster children. DCFS is responsible for any fines or overdue materials and fees for lost materials checked out by foster children enrolled in the program. Currently, more than 1,580 children have received library cards through this program. There were 240 children who received the no-fault library card in Fiscal Year (FY) 2009-2010.

Library Cards for Probation Youth During FY 2009-10 the Public Library continued its partnership with the Probation Department. Each youth received a library card after incarceration at a Juvenile Hall or probation camp. During FY 2009-2010, 3,515 library cards were issued. Many school based probation officers are regularly bringing their clients to County Libraries to learn about and use library books and resources. The Library and Probation Department are exploring on how to expand their partnership.

Total number of library cards issued through this program: 15,611

Live Homework Help The County of Los Angeles Public Library offers a free on-line Live Homework Help program. The website is www.librarytutor.org. It is available in English and Spanish from 1:00 pm – midnight every day. Free tutoring sessions with a qualified tutor are available on-line in English, Math, Science and Social Studies. All that a student needs is access to the Internet and a County of Los Angeles Public Library card. Since 2005, students have logged on for free tutoring sessions more than 262,717 times. In FY 2009– 2010, more than 72,000 students used the service.

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Early Childhood Programs

Family Place Family Place is designed to assist families to strengthen their knowledge about support for their children's early childhood development and learning. The Public Library provides warm, welcoming spaces for parents and children to learn together. The Libraries provide parent/child workshops where parents are introduced to community resources that can assist them to answer questions and deal with issues of child rearing. In 2009-2010, the County Library expanded the program from 29 sites to 32. Over 25,000 children and caregivers were reached through the library programs and parent training.

The County of Los Angeles Public Library also hosted the first Family Place Training Institute ever held outside of New York. The West Coast Family Place Training Center, which is based out of the Carson Regional Library, was funded by the California State Library and First 5 Los Angeles. The newly refurbished children's department and meeting room served as the learning environments for 26 librarians from thirteen different California library jurisdictions. Attendees spent three days in November, 2009, learning about the importance of providing programs and services for infants, toddlers, and their caregivers, and how to implement the Family Place program effectively in their libraries.

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