REPORT TO BOARD OF LIBRARY TRUSTEES
SUBJECT
Title
Proclamation of April 7-13, 2024 as National Library Week
Report
COUNCIL PILLAR
Enhance Community Engagement and Transparency
BACKGROUND
National Library Week (April 7-13, 2024) is a time to celebrate our nation's libraries and their contributions to the intellectual, educational, cultural, and civic life of their communities. The theme for National Library Week 2024 is "Ready, Set, Library! Race to discover the possibilities at your library."
The residents of the City of Santa Clara saw a need for a local library as far back as 1870, when the Santa Clara Library Association formed and collected over 300 volumes to share with residents at Odd Fellows Hall on Washington and Franklin Streets. Since the construction of the first Santa Clara City Library (Library) in 1955, where the Mission Branch Library now stands, the possibilities and resources shared by City residents have grown exponentially. With a current collection of approximately 398,500 items, circulating over 2.15 million times in Calendar Year (CY) 2023, the Library now offers more resources and opportunities than ever for our residents to benefit from. With dedicated funding, the Library was able to meet community demand for expanded hours in CY 2023, increasing systemwide public open hours to 144 hours per week, up from 88 hours per week, marking a significant recovery from the impacts of COVID on public services.
With welcoming technology centers sharing free public access to computers, e-resources and technology classes and support, the library provides the tools and training to help the public connect with critical, current online resources. Additionally, popular new classes help the community learn how to use and leverage emerging Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) technologies. Technology services also allow community members to digitize and archive historic and family photos and collections.
Beyond the typical lending and technology res...
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