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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda Packet - 2026-04-08AGENDA LIBRARY ADVISORY BOARD Wednesday, April 8, 2026 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. Library 706 Fourth Street, Lake Oswego, OR 97034 The Library closes at 7pm, please arrive prior to 7pm Staff Contact: Donna Harlan, 503-697-6583, dharlan@lakeoswego.city 503-697-6583 706 4TH STREET PO BOX 369 LAKE OSWEGO, OR 97034 WWW.LAKEOSWEGO.CITY Virtual Access This meeting will be held in person. To participate remotely, please email the staff contact at least 24 hours before the meeting. ADA Accommodation Requests lakeoswego.city/accommodation 503-635-0282; Relay 711 Please allow four business days to process your request. Translation Services Traducción o interpretación 翻译或传译 통역혹은번역 503-534-5738 Patrick Walsh, Chair ∙ Seth Pauley, Vice Chair ∙ Mark Pontarelli ∙ Patricia Walls ∙ Joy Fabos ∙ Lilisa Hall ∙ Liberty Planck Melissa Kelly, Staff Liaison ∙ Anna Lee, Youth Liaison ∙ Jessie Pan, Youth Liaison ∙ Rachel Verdick, Council Liaison ∙ Jim Wolper, Alternate 1. CALL TO ORDER 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES February 11, 2026 3. PUBLIC COMMENT The purpose of Public Comment is to allow community members to present information or raise an issue regarding items not on the agenda or regarding agenda items that do not include a public hearing. A time limit of three minutes per individual shall apply. Public Comment will not exceed thirty minutes in total. If you are unable to attend the meeting and prefer to provide public comment in writing, please email the comment to the staff contact listed above at least 24 hours before the meeting. 4. CITY COUNCIL UPDATE Councilor Rachel Verdick 5. SOUTH SHORE FIRE STATION PRESENTATION Kristine Artman, Assistant Fire Chief, Lake Oswego Fire Department 6. DIRECTOR’S REPORT 6.1 Maker Day review 6.2 LO Reads 6.3 Bulletin Board and Library Program policies 6.4 Council Goal and Workplan update 7. OLD BUSINESS Page 2 503-697-6583 706 4TH STREET PO BOX 369 LAKE OSWEGO, OR 97034 WWW.LAKEOSWEGO.CITY 7.1 Next proposed event, Outdoor Spaces 8. CHAIR REMARKS 9. YOUTH LIAISON REMARKS 10. FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY REMARKS 11. ADJOURNMENT Next meeting May 13, 2026 CITY OF LAKE OSWEGO February 11, 2026 Library Advisory Board Library 1 503.697.6583 706 Fourth Street PO BOX 369 Lake Oswego, OR 97034 www.ci.oswego.or.us Present: Patrick Walsh, Seth Pauley, Pat Walls, Mark Pontarelli, Liberty Planck, Joy Fabos, Anna Lee, Jessie Pan, Jim Wolper, Councilor Rachel Verdick Staff Present: Melissa Kelly, Donna Harlan Absent: Lilisa Hall 1. Call to Order The Library Advisory Board (LAB) meeting was called to order at the Lake Oswego Public Library (LOPL) on Wednesday, February 11, 2026, at 7:05 pm. 2. Minutes Motion to approve was made by Pauley and seconded by Planck. The January 14, 2026, minutes were unanimously approved. 3. Public Comment – None 4. City Council Update – Councilor Verdick • Council held a study session related to home occupation businesses. • A zoning change was approved for Kruse Way. This change is in line with city-wide goals to meet housing needs. • Council received an update on the South Shore fire station. • Councilor Verdick praised the library’s presentation to Council and all the hard work that went into making that happen. • LAB was updated on upcoming city events and Martha Bennett’s departure. 5. Lake Oswego Reads – Nancy Niland • This year’s book is Tilt, by Emma Pattee, and celebrates our 20th year of LO Reads. • Niland shared with LAB the scheduled Lake Oswego Reads events. Over 40 events have been planned to take place during the month of April. • Niland expressed gratitude for LAB and the support of all who helped make LO Reads possible, including the Friends of the Lake Oswego Public Library, and for the first time, the Lake Oswego Sustainability Network. 6. Director’s Report – Melissa Kelly Council meeting debrief • Kelly commented to LAB that she heard strong support for the library and shared takeaways: o Highlight fiscal responsibility in using funds to shore up the existing building with no added value as opposed to building a safe library within budget and accessing urban renewal funds to keep the cost low for residents. o Highlight local libraries. o Highlight that modern libraries are a hub for learning and collaboration and include outdoor plazas for learning and mental health. o Highlight that our current building is at the end of its life and we need to plan for our community’s children and future. CITY OF LAKE OSWEGO February 11, 2026 Library Advisory Board Library 2 503.697.6583 706 Fourth Street PO BOX 369 Lake Oswego, OR 97034 www.ci.oswego.or.us o Next steps include communicating Council’s non-negotiables: one library, new location and in budget. o Develop communication materials for the public and neighbors. o Create opportunities to engage with the public. o Fine tune the library concept and socialize with all groups. • Kelly then reviewed the timeline for next steps and engaged in discussion and questions with LAB. Fundraising update • Kelly covered highlights from the 2025 Fundraising report that had been sent to LAB with the packet. Bookmobile update • Rover has 11 events scheduled for March. • The library received our first event request through our online form. • Kelly shared the current bookmobile schedule and how we are building it. • Save the date: Bookmobile Lauch Party is Saturday, June 13, 5:00 – 7:00pm. Top accomplishments from 2025 and focus for 2026 Kelly reviewed with LAB the library’s top strategic plan accomplishments from 2025 in all 4 priority areas. • Serve People Beyond the building: o Purchased and received the Bookmobile. o We saw continued growth in our home delivery service. o Hold locker vendor selection has happened. o Improvements were made to virtual program functionality. • Create Space to Expand Services: o The library continued to demonstrate the need for more space. o The library expanded partnerships for adult & cultural events with community venues, including the Lake Theater & Cafe, LOSD and the Adult Community Center. o The Library of Things collection continued to grow. o Our seed library is now able to accept donations of seeds to expand seed library offerings. o New youth programs including a sensory dance lab and Korean storytime were added. o We also made several accessibility improvements at the library. • Increase Awareness of the Library’s Value: o The library presented to Council several times and we currently send Council an update through the weekly email from the city manager about library events and facilities. o We created an annual report that highlights achievements, needs, value and impact, which we will continue to do on an annual basis. o Our welcome brochure has been translated into multiple languages. CITY OF LAKE OSWEGO February 11, 2026 Library Advisory Board Library 3 503.697.6583 706 Fourth Street PO BOX 369 Lake Oswego, OR 97034 www.ci.oswego.or.us o We hired a Library Communications & Public Relations Coordinator. • Support Staff Wellbeing and Growth: o Improvements were seen in staff communications and through additional training. o Throughout the year we have made smooth transitions in hiring and training new staff. o A new volunteer handbook was created to orient volunteers as they support the library staff in numerous ways. • Other Highlights for 2025: o There was a significant amount of background work completed by LOPL staff for our library to become fine free. o The library increased the number of school visits and student library cards that have been issued. Kelly explained to LAB the library’s focus areas for 2026 related to the 4 priority areas. • Serve People Beyond the Building o We plan on developing site partnerships as well as an operations plan and budget for hold lockers. o The city is moving forward on improving the website, and we look forward to improved accessibility and functionality. • Create Space to Expand Services: o We will continue to demonstrate possibilities and learn more about community priorities for the future through great ideas like Maker Day. o Communications and engagement with the community related to a future new library is a huge focus. • Increase Awareness of the Library’s Value: o Communications and engagement with the community related to the needs of a future library is also part of this goal. o Library staff will be attending more community meetings and events. o We will continue to engage and communicate with City Council. o Increased engagement with volunteers is another focus so they know what is going on with this building and what we are working on to allow them to be advocates for the library. o Establishing a foundation for fundraising for a future library is a 2026 goal. o With our Communications & Public Relations Coordinator, we will focus on branding and messaging consistency while also capturing and using more testimonials. • Support Staff Wellbeing and Growth: o We plan to improve communications across departments as well as develop and implement best practices for staff committees. CITY OF LAKE OSWEGO February 11, 2026 Library Advisory Board Library 4 503.697.6583 706 Fourth Street PO BOX 369 Lake Oswego, OR 97034 www.ci.oswego.or.us • Another major goal for 2026 is to develop the strategic plan for 2027-2029. Timeline for 2027– 2029 • Kelly provided a timeline for LAB related to developing and finalizing the library’s strategic plan for 2027-2029 including: o Sharing the process and timeline with stakeholders. o Gather public feedback and process the feedback. o Update staff, Council and key stakeholders by late summer for managers to create a draft strategic plan. o Present a finalized plan to Council for adoption in November. o Share the plan with the public. • LAB members discussed with each other the timeline, the strategic plan, goals and next steps once the plan has been adopted . 7. Old Business Maker Day • Kelly outlined final plans for Maker Day using the collaborative planning document . • An event passport given to participants when they enter the library. • Kelly provided the station locations and activities throughout the library. • Promotional plans for the event were shared with the group. • There will be a testimonial booth called the “Dream Machine” for participants to record their testimonials. • Library staff are ordering swag to be given to participants as they leave the event. • LAB then discussed the final ideas, survey questions and data collection methods. 8. Chair Remarks • Walsh thanked Pontarelli and Pauley for the sensory display they made for the library. • Anisha Oruganty is the recipient of a SASEE award, and she is the second LAB Youth Liaison to receive the award in recent years. • Walsh informed the group that he has information regarding Phil Wikelund’s memorial service. • Walsh is very appreciative of LAB members and Councilor Verdick. 9. Youth Liaison Remarks • Lee and Pan have been in contact with library staff member Ann a related to the social media takeover. • The content calendar has been created. Lee and Pan are working on ideas for making content. • The two are also in contact with youth services librarian Jackie, regarding social media posts. 10. Friends of the Library Remarks • Walls updated LAB as to the lease status of both Booktique locations . • It was also shared that book donations are down, so if you have books, or your neighbors do, please donate to the Booktique. CITY OF LAKE OSWEGO February 11, 2026 Library Advisory Board Library 5 503.697.6583 706 Fourth Street PO BOX 369 Lake Oswego, OR 97034 www.ci.oswego.or.us 11. Adjournment Motion to adjourn was made by Pontarelli, seconded by Pauley. The meeting was adjourned at 9:11 pm. We will not have a March 2026 meeting. The next LAB meeting will be held on April 8, 2026. Respectfully submitted, Donna Harlan Lake Oswego Public Library Library Program Policy Library programs provide opportunities, resources and shared space to educate, enrich, entertain and engage community members. Priority is given to programming that aligns with City Council goals and the Library’s strategic plan, to meet the needs and interests of the community’s diverse population. This includes educational programming of an arts, sciences, cultural or humanities nature, and programming that encourages civic engagement and community discourse. The Library also hosts events and classes that highlight the Library’s services or collections, as well as entertainment and other programs of interest to the community. Programs are not intended to promote commercial, religious, or partisan causes. Program selection and scheduling is determined and approved by the Library Director or designees based on the interpretation of this policy. • Library programs are open to the public and programs presented within the Library facility are free of charge. • Due to space limitations, safety considerations, or the nature of the program, pre -registration might be required for some events. • The Library may make age recommendations for certain programs, such as those tailored for children or teens. • Library-sponsored programs may also be offered at other locations in the community. The majority of these off-site programs are also free, except in rare circumstances when working with specific community partners such as private business venues. • Performers or authors may sell their works as part of a Library program. Sale of any other products is not permitted unless authorized by the Library Director or designee. • The Library reserves the right to photograph or film program participants for publicity purposes , in accordance with the Library’s Photography and Recordings Policy. • Library programs shall comply with all local, state and federal laws and ordinances. • Library sponsorship of a program does not constitute an endorsement of the content of the program or the views expressed by the presenters or participants . Revised March 31, 2026 Lake Oswego Public Library Bulletin Board Policy The Lake Oswego Public Library provides bulletin board space in the lobby area with the goal of providing information for all people of the community. One bulletin board is reserved for official government notices, and the other bulletin board is available for postings from individuals, nonprofit groups, or private businesses. The public bulletin board is designated as a limited public forum for displaying community events, non- profit information, and other information of interest to the Lake Oswego community. The bulletin board shall be available to all persons and groups, for any purpose consistent with the laws of the State of Oregon, ordinances of the City of Lake Oswego, and the Library’s Code of Conduct. Bulletin board items must be submitted to library staff to be considered for display in accordance with the rules of the policy. Items which are posted by the public without prior authorization will be removed. Due to space limitations, the following rules apply. Postings will be managed on a first-come, first-served basis. Postings will be stamped with the date they are posted on the board and the oldest postings will be removed first. 11x17 is the maximum size for postings. The Library may limit organizations to one posting at a time. The Library may prioritize community event and non-profit information over commercial advertising. The Library reserves the right to refuse to post, and remove announcements, which are judged not to meet the above criteria. The Library does not endorse any goods or services, makes no representation as to the accuracy of information, and assumes no liability for the quality or safety of any goods or services that may be the subject of postings. The Library is not responsible for returning posted items or for the unauthorized removal of posted items. Appeals may be made in writing to the Library Director or their designee within 10 business days. The Library Director or designee will review the posting against this policy and make a final decision within 10 business days from receipt of the appeal. The final decision will also be communicated in writing. Revised February 2026 Lake Oswego Fiscal Year to date ending June 2026 General Information Number of new borrowers/patrons added 258 2,240 Number of registered borrowers 26,053 26,053 Books and other print items Number of physical units owned 122,052 122,052 Number of physical units added 1,112 7,755 Audio Materials Number of physical units owned 15,633 15,633 Number of physical units added 117 485 Video Materials Number of physical units owned 17,802 17,802 Number of physical units added 85 589 Other library materials Number of physical units owned 952 952 Number of physical units added 3 15 Total of physical items owned 156,439 156,439 Total of physical items added 1,317 8,844 Magazine Issues Number of physical units owned 1,829 1,829 Number of physical units added 134 957 Holds Placed 11,760 108,350 Holds Filled 9,885 88,984 Holds Expired 13 196 Holds Expired on shelf 1,398 12,450 Circulation of library materials at all facilities for the fiscal year Library2Go & Advantage Circulation Combined 14,603 123,304 E-book Reader Circulation with material type of CHILD 3 28 E-book Reader Circulation with material type of YA 1 8 Number of Circulation of Electronic Materials 14,607 123,340 Adult Checkouts 16,047 141,201 Adult Renewals (via WorkFlows and PAC)9,621 83,472 No Longer Used -- Adult Renewals (via Shoutbomb)397 3,367 February 2026 Lake Oswego Fiscal Year to date ending June 2026February 2026 Adult Renewals (via TeleCirc)34 607 Adult Renewals (TOTAL)10,052 87,446 YA Checkouts 686 7,407 YA Renewals (via WorkFlows and PAC)630 6,252 No Longer Used -- YA Renewals (via Shoutbomb)41 240 YA Renewals (via TeleCirc)0 1 YA Renewals (TOTAL)671 6,493 Child 1st-time circ excluding E-book Reader uses 10,276 91,704 YA 1st-time circ excluding E-book Reader uses 685 7,399 Child Checkouts 10,279 91,732 Child Renewals (via WorkFlows and PAC)6,087 57,473 No Longer Used -- Child Renewals (via Shoutbomb)432 4,194 Child Renewals (via TeleCirc)6 53 Child Renewals (TOTAL)6,525 61,720 Total 1st-time circulation 41,615 363,644 Total renewals 17,248 155,659 Total circ of Adult materials 26,099 228,647 Total circ of YA & Childrens materials 18,161 167,352 Total circ of YA materials 1,356 13,892 Total circ of Childrens materials 16,804 153,452 Total circ 58,866 519,331 Self-Check Circulation Self-check checkouts 22,762 203,409 % of physical item checkouts at self-checks 84.3%84.6% Check Ins items CHECKED IN via book drop or circ desk return 28,888 255,492 items CHECKED IN from "in transit" status 21,199 185,106 TOTAL items checked in 50,087 440,598 Lake Oswego Fiscal Year to date ending June 2026February 2026 Items loaned to other libraries Items loaned to other libraries within resource-sharing network (LINCC)15,454 128,687 Interlibrary Loans - Items Loaned to All Other Libraries (OCLC)245 1,655 Total loans to other libraries 15,699 130,342 Items borrowed from other libraries Items borrowed from libraries within resource-sharing network (LINCC)13,315 118,027 Interlibrary Loans - Items Borrowed from All Other Libraries (OCLC)118 751 Total loans from other libraries 13,433 118,778 NET ILL using a shared catalog of automation system (LINCC)2,139 10,660 Lake Oswego Fiscal Year to date ending June 2026 General Information Number of new borrowers/patrons added 229 2,469 Number of registered borrowers 26,263 26,263 Books and other print items Number of physical units owned 121,351 121,351 Number of physical units added 1,064 8,819 Audio Materials Number of physical units owned 15,573 15,573 Number of physical units added 41 526 Video Materials Number of physical units owned 17,874 17,874 Number of physical units added 50 639 Other library materials Number of physical units owned 952 952 Number of physical units added 3 18 Total physical items owned 155,750 155,750 Total physical items added 1,158 10,002 Magazine Issues Number of physical units owned 1,854 1,854 Number of physical units added 124 1,081 Holds Placed 13,352 121,702 Holds Filled 10,841 99,825 Holds Expired 40 236 Holds Expired on shelf 1,539 13,989 Circulation of library materials at all facilities for the fiscal year Library2Go & Advantage Circulation Combined 16,576 139,880 E-book Reader Circulation with material type of CHILD 6 34 E-book Reader Circulation with material type of YA 1 9 Number of Circulation of Electronic Materials 16,583 139,923 Adult Checkouts 17,609 158,810 Adult Renewals (via WorkFlows and PAC)10,834 94,306 No Longer Used -- Adult Renewals (via Shoutbomb)487 3,854 March 2026 Lake Oswego Fiscal Year to date ending June 2026March 2026 Adult Renewals (via TeleCirc)43 650 Adult Renewals (TOTAL)11,364 98,810 YA Checkouts 823 8,230 YA Renewals (via WorkFlows and PAC)692 6,944 No Longer Used -- YA Renewals (via Shoutbomb)27 267 YA Renewals (via TeleCirc)0 1 YA Renewals (TOTAL)719 7,212 Child 1st-time circ excluding E-book Reader uses 10,809 102,513 YA 1st-time circ excluding E-book Reader uses 822 8,221 Child Checkouts 10,815 102,547 Child Renewals (via WorkFlows and PAC)6,708 64,181 No Longer Used -- Child Renewals (via Shoutbomb)646 4,840 Child Renewals (via TeleCirc)3 56 Child Renewals (TOTAL)7,357 69,077 Total 1st-time circulation 45,823 409,467 Total renewals 19,440 175,099 Total circ of Adult materials 28,973 257,620 Total circ of YA & Childrens materials 19,714 187,066 Total circ of YA materials 1,541 15,433 Total circ of Childrens materials 18,172 171,624 Total circ 65,269 584,600 Self-Check Circulation Self-check checkouts 24,412 227,821 % of physical item checkouts at self-checks 83.5%84.5% Check Ins items CHECKED IN via book drop or circ desk return 31,347 286,839 items CHECKED IN from "in transit" status 23,390 208,496 TOTAL items checked in 54,737 495,335 Lake Oswego Fiscal Year to date ending June 2026March 2026 Items loaned to other libraries Items loaned to other libraries within resource-sharing network (LINCC)16,579 145,266 Interlibrary Loans - Items Loaned to All Other Libraries (OCLC)252 1,907 Total loans to other libraries 16,831 147,173 Items borrowed from other libraries Items borrowed from libraries within resource-sharing network (LINCC)14,263 132,290 Interlibrary Loans - Items Borrowed from All Other Libraries (OCLC)121 872 Total loans from other libraries 14,384 133,162 NET ILL using a shared catalog of automation system (LINCC)2,316 12,976 Adult Services February 2026 Monthly Report Although February is the shortest month, it was packed with exciting events this year! Here’s a look back at Adult Services’ work last month. • We wrapped up our 3rd annual Winter Reading Bingo program for adults, and I’m happy to report that 85 patrons participated in the program this year, which is a 52% increase over last year! Three lucky patrons won a prize gift basket in the drawing. • The stairwell gallery featured gorgeous silk paintings by Chin Le depicting scenes of Vietnam and Oregon. • We created book displays in honor of Black History Month and Lunar New Year. We also created a fun and popular Blind Date with a Book display in which we wrapped up books and wrote a brief description of the book on the front (omitting the title and author) to encourage readers to stretch beyond their favorite authors and try something new. • Together with Circulation staff, we brought our new bookmobile to The Springs Senior Living, Hunger Fighters food pantry, the Adult Community Center, and Mary’s Woods senior living facility. We served 45 people at these locations and look forward to serving more as word spreads about our bookmobile! • We hosted a tour of the library for Mary’s Woods residents and delivered a special presentation on library services for members of the Mary’s Woods low vision support group. • Thanks to the generosity of the Friends of the Library, we hosted the following events: o First Tuesday Music featuring The Art of Korean Traditional Music with Doyeon Lim, the founder and director of the Korean Music Institute of Oregon. Lim played the gayageum and the audience enjoyed listening to the stories and meanings behind the beautiful music. o Two Ancestry Answers sessions, in which volunteers and staff assisted patrons with their genealogy research. o We wrapped up another successful season of weekly ukulele lessons at the ACC. o A Bookish Affair met virtually to discuss Mickey Chambers Shakes It Up by Charish Reid. o The Genealogy Interest Group met in-person at the ACC and online. o Two Senior Scholar programs at the ACC: ▪ “Decoding Information in the Media” with Dr. Damian Radcliffe, a journalist, researcher, and UO professor specializing in digital media trends, local news, and social media. This event was rescheduled from January. 58 people attended this presentation! ▪ “Faith Under Fire” with Dr. John S. Ott, PSU professor of Medieval European History. This presentation explored the long history of religious persecution and its modern expressions, and 54 people attended. o The next installment of Librarian April’s Digital Dive series, Spotting Scams Like a Librarian at the ACC. o A Third Tuesday Author presentation at the Lake Theater and Cafe featuring Rebecca N. Thompson, MD on her book Held Together: A Shared Memoir of Motherhood, Medicine, and Imperfect Love. The book weaves the story of Thompson’s own complicated path to parenthood together with the stories of her patients, friends, and medical colleagues. Dr. Thompson was joined by Kelly Burke, her former patient, who shared her own story with the audience. o A monthly Poetry Group meeting. o A World Cinema Series screening of the moving and uplifting film Loving Karma at the Lake Theater & Cafe. We were pleased to have the film director, Andrew Hinton, introduce the film and lead a Q&A after the screening. 51 people attended the screening, and everyone stayed to engage with the Q&A! o Our second Bring Your Own (BYO) Mystery Book Group meeting, which attracted some new and repeat patrons! o Building Bridges Book Group met in-person and online to discuss The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai. o A virtual presentation on Understanding Eating Disorders by Erin M. Lundeen, DNP, RN, CSN. o Our annual Lunar New Year Festival, which took place at Lakeridge High School. LHS’s AAPI Club and the Library have been planning and hosting separate Lunar New Year Festivals for the past few years, and we were excited to collaborate on hosting one event for the community this year! For the first two hours, we had activities for all ages and delicious banh mi, boba tea, and Chinese noodles, egg rolls, and more available for purchase. For the last 1.5 hours, the audience of approximately 600 enjoyed musical and dance performances by K-2nd grade Palisades World Language School students, Red Rubies Vietnamese Dance Group, Oregon Korean Performing Arts, and White Lotus Lion Dance. Stats Reference & Readers’ Advisory Interactions: 1,314 Programs for Adults: 21 Adult Program Attendance: 393* Programs for All Ages: 6 All-Ages Program Attendance: 668* *Does not include attendance for recorded events Silk paintings by artist Chin Le in the Stairwell Gallery First Tuesday Music featuring Doyeon Lim Oregon Korean Performing Arts performing a fan dance at the Lunar New Year Festival The Red Rubies Vietnamese dance group performing at the Lunar New Year Festival Diane Wang Dixon presenting a popular floral arrangement demo at the Lunar New Year Festival Adult Services March 2026 Monthly Report The Library has coordinated a string of meaningful community events this winter and spring, with more exciting events on the horizon! Adult Services pivoted from helping to organize the Lunar New Year Festival at the end of February to helping to implement a bustling Maker Day event in mid-March. We also began preparing to assist with LO Reads and planning for the upcoming Summer Library Challenge program for adults. Here’s a look back at our work in March: • The stairwell gallery featured beautiful artwork by our own talented On-Call Librarian, Cindy Reed. The exhibit included pastels, powder pigments, monoprints, cyanotypes, and collage, and many pieces combined vintage paper from maps, sheet music, letters, etc., with paints and ink. • We created book displays in honor of Holi, International Trans Day of Visibility, Women’s History Month and National Craft Month. • Together with Circulation staff, we brought our new bookmobile to The Springs Senior Living, Hunger Fighters food pantry, the Adult Community Center, and Mary’s Woods senior living facility. We served 67 people at these locations. • The biggest event of the month was our Maker Day! This event was conceived by the Library Advisory Board to give our patrons a taste of what it would be like to have a dedicated makerspace in a future library facility. It was a collaboration among library staff from many work groups, LAB members, and volunteers, and it was a huge success with approximately 230 participants of all ages and a lot of positive feedback. Adult Services librarians hosted a 3D printer demo station and a film/slide scanning station, and we coordinated a podcasting station with the help of volunteer sound engineer Brian Mohr and LAB member Patrick Walsh. • Thanks to the generosity of the Friends of the Library, we hosted the following events: o First Tuesday Music featuring Pianist John Nilsen, who performed blends of classical, jazz, and rock genres. Thirty-two people attended in-person, and 52 others viewed the livestream! o A two-day RootsTech Genealogy Lock-In, in which genealogy enthusiasts could participate in a free conference by FamilySearch to learn about the newest tools available for researchers. o Two Ancestry Answers sessions, in which volunteers and staff assisted patrons with their genealogy research. o A Bookish Affair met virtually to discuss Daring to Fall for the Prince by Heba Helmy. o The Natural History Book Group met to discuss the book Tribal Histories of the Willamette Valley by David G. Lewis. o A Pints from the Past session on “Jazz in Portland: Beginnings to Present Day” with author, journalist, and broadcaster Lynn Darroch, which drew an audience of 55. o The Genealogy Interest Group met in-person at the ACC and online. o A panel discussion on AI from Our Eyes, featuring students from four local high schools who discussed how they apply artificial intelligence in their daily lives and how they decipher what information they can trust. o Librarian April Younglove completed their third installment of the Digital Dive series at the ACC with their Tired of the Algorithm? Presentation. o Due to a scheduling conflict at the Lake Theater, we hosted the March Third Tuesday Author event at the library. The featured author was the award- winning Michael Balter, who shared the remarkable real-world stories that inspired his second novel, The Vatican Deal, and gave the first public reading from his upcoming third novel, which is scheduled to be released this summer. o A monthly Poetry Group meeting, this one focused on humor and limericks. o A monthly Bring Your Own (BYO) Mystery Book Group meeting. o Building Bridges Book Group met in-person and online to discuss The Mango Tree: A Memoir of Fruit, Florida, and Felony by Annabelle Tometich. o A World Cinema Series screening of the uplifting family-friendly movie Tesoros, which was filmed in a beautiful nature preserve off the Pacific Coast of Mexico. The story follows a 6-year-old girl named Andrea who goes on an adventure searching for pirate treasure with her brother , Dylan. Fifty-seven people attended the event! Stats Reference & Readers’ Advisory Interactions: 1,444 Programs for Adults: 21 Adult Program Attendance: 769* Programs for All Ages: 8 All-Ages Program Attendance: 374 *Does not include attendance for recorded events Technology Librarian Carissa demonstrating the Library of Things’ film & slide scanner at Maker Day Librarian Josh demonstrating 3D printers at Maker Day Podcasting Station with volunteer sound engineer Brian Mohr at Maker Day Youth Services February 2026 Monthly Report In this short month of just 28 days we learned that 5th graders might be the “secret sauce” to programming for those older than 5 years, and that partnering with LOSD to host a city-wide festival is a win/win situation. We also had the pleasure of recognizing the River Grove elementary school students as the winners of this year’s winter Read-a-thon. Half of the money they raised will be coming to the library to cover the expenses of buying hundreds of next year’s OBOB titles. Enjoy photos of the creative expression of toddlers to tweens and beyond. Our newest programming is really hitting the mark. We are so thankful to the Friends of LOPL for making it possible to offer so many different options to our patrons throughout each month. Dance Lab “Big Feelers, Little Movers” Dance Lab offers a joyful, movement-filled space designed especially to welcome sensory-rich kids and their families. With flexible structure and room to move in their own way, little movers explore rhythm and expression at a pace that feels comfortable, empowering, and inclusive. Korean Storytime Our new Korean Storytime continued to grow this month, welcoming larger crowds and many happy return visitors. Families gathered to share songs, stories, and language in a warm, welcoming space that celebrates culture and connection. It’s been wonderful to see this program build community while supporting early literacy in Korean and English alike. Art Bar In honor of Black History Month, February’s Art Bar drew inspiration from the vibrant, rhythmic work of Charles McGee, inviting families to explore pattern, color, and storytelling through bold, abstract designs. Participants experimented with 3-dimensional layered shapes and repeating motifs, creating black and white paper sculptures that celebrated creativity and cultural expression. It was a meaningful way to connect art, history, and hands-on making in an open, welcoming space. StoryWalk Families took reading outdoors to Westlake Park with our winter StoryWalk, Go, Sled! Go! by James Yang. By bringing books beyond the library walls, StoryWalk helps us meet our community where they are, celebrating literacy, fresh air, and joyful learning…even in the winter months! • It was a wonderful story, a happy story! Linda (Age: 76) • I like how it includes so many different animals. Vika (Age: 9) • Incredible. Extravagant. Exquisite. Delightful. Beautiful piece of art. Sir William III (Age: 623) Winter Reading Bingo This self-directed program actually involves quite a bit of patron interaction, whether it is helping to find a book with a blue cover (easy) or find a book from the year you were born (a little more nuanced). This year’s Winter Reading Bingo turned chilly days into opportunities for exploration and fun by trying out new genres, reading under a blanket, and having fun at the Library. The program kept our community connected to books (and to each other) throughout winter break and beyond. Bookmobile: We enjoyed engaging with the community at several bookmobile stops this month. Jackie went out on the successful inaugural visit to Mercy Greenbrae, where we interacted with about 30 residents, checked out many children’s materials, and registered a few new library cards. She was also at the Westlake Fire Station stop, which faced the challenge of blustery, cold weather. We still welcomed a few patrons aboard and spoke with joggers and passersby in their cars who slowed down to ask about future opportunities to see the bookmobile. Teens & Tweens The Teen Activity Table offered a heart garland craft this month that proved to be very popular. We discovered a 10-foot garland left behind by some industrious tween or teen patron that we hung up in the teen space. The Winter Olympics themed escape room was attempted (and solved!) by two teens, who got out with just 13 minutes to spare. This was Jackie’s first experience with designing an escape room, so now she’s feeling confident about putting together the earthquake survival-themed room for April. Our Junior Teen Idea Club (previously known as Junior Teen Advisory Board) saw an increase this month after we made the decision to include 5th graders in tween programming going forward. We wrapped up February’s teen & tween programming with the Ugly Art Contest, which had four contestants who tried valiantly to make weird, bizarre, and downright bad art and had a good time doing it. Our winner was awarded a felt medal, and everyone was excited to take home their creations to display at home. We ended the month with our largest Lunar New Year Festival yet. This fourth annual event took place at Lakeridge High School where we were supported by amazing faculty and student volunteers. There was enough space to welcome 600 people who participated in activities, educational moments, performances and delicious food. Here are just a few of the many photos that capture the day. This month the Art Literacy Boards featured artwork by Oak Creek Elementary. Inspired by the artwork of Alma Thomas, the collages brought warmth, color and light to our winter walls. What’s On Your Nightstand? This month, we partnered with the Lake Oswego Review to share staff picks highlighting outstanding nonfiction for kids and teens. From fascinating biographies to eye-opening science and history titles, our reviews aimed to spark curiosity and guide families toward engaging, trustworthy reads. Stats Reader’s Advisory/reference – 413 (includes 1000BBK and New Parent Gift bags) Program attendance – 33/1115 (includes storytime, special programs, outreach and LEGO club, does not include Lunar New Year) Youth Services March 2026 Monthly Report March Madness on the court can’t hold a candle to March Madness in the Children’s Library. The space literally bloomed; with art literacy bulletin boards inspired by Kandinski, tissue paper flowers filling pots at the ArtBar, and a community-built pollinator garden. In between those activities, we hosted Drawn 2 Art, three first grade classes from Lake Grove, and participated in Maker Day. And that is all on top of storytimes in four different languages, an increasingly popular Dance Lab, and Baby Sign Language. But wait, there’s more. On March 31st we read stories about Fire Engines and welcomed one of LOFD’s own engines to the library. Our tween population is blossoming as well as they discover their voice at Junior Teen Idea Club meet-ups and craft programs. MAKER DAY IT’S NOT A BOX: POLLINATOR GARDEN The promise of a fire engine brought 119 people to Pre-school Storytime on March 31st Drawn to Art workshop Lake Grove First Graders with their new library cards Lake Grove First Graders ask about their library TEENS & TWEENS It was another packed month for the tweens and teens of LOPL. The Teen Advisory Board filmed its 2026 PSA for the upcoming Summer Library Challenge. The theme was Marvel/Avengers, and the teens had great fun wielding a mix of handmade and community-sourced props during filming. Be on the lookout for this video, which is being edited by Tualatin Valley Community Television and will be done later this spring! At Junior Teen Idea Club, we made yarn crafts and discussed a possible future paper mâché program. Cards for Care, cohosted by a Lake Oswego teen who has a project called Letters of Light, drew 19 teens who produced 54 beautiful and thoughtful cards for hospitalized children at Randall’s Children Hospital at Legacy Emanuel. The month wrapped up with Black Light Painting for Tweens, which ironically occurred on the sunniest day of the year thus far. A couple of tween painters left with glowing creations and a black light bulb to illuminate them at home. Filming in the Conference Room Some of the Cards for Care produced by teen volunteers OUT AND ABOUT IN THE COMMUNITY Youth Librarians were out and about on the Bookmobile, visiting Mercy Greenbrae and the LORAC. Our newest Storywalk was installed at West Waluga and provided good connections to the library during a very rainy month. STATISTICS Reader’s Advisory/reference – 609 (includes 1000BBK and New Parent Gift bags) Program attendance – 32/1060 (includes storytime, special programs, outreach and LEGO club) CIRCULATION SERVICES I just got my first LINCC library card! Lots of materials on Monday mornings! HIGHLIGHTS • It was a short month, but February proved busy for Circulation, especially in the area of materials movement! We saw 50,087 items checked in which is close in comparison to the numbers of our longer months. We also had 215 seeds checked out, marking the coming Spring season. • We continue training staff to drive and work on the bookmobile, breathing more life into our outreach stewardship services. • LINCC libraries have added the North American Bigfoot Museum to our free Cultural Pass Express venue list and recorded a short Instagram video with LO’s own sasquatch! • One of our younger patron’s entries was chosen for this month’s book return wall art inspiration. Brought to life by youth librarians, Alina’s piece was titled “Polka Dot Axolotl.” (seen below) NOTABLE STATISTICS *The Circulation Services statistics will now include total circulation of materials, checkout of materials at outreach events (public and residents-only), and library cards issued at outreach events (public and residents-only). **The Library was closed Monday, February 16 for Presidents Day. Total Circulation Outreach checkouts Items checked in Items sorted by AMH Items renewed Items borrowed from outside the County Items loaned outside the County Items borrowed from LINCC libraries Items loaned to LINCC libraries Holds filled Held items not checked out Total library cards issued to new members Library cards issued at Outreach eCards issued Home Deliveries Carts shelved Average daily carts shelved Cultural Pass reservations Seed Library Checkouts Indoor Visitors Curbside Visitors Self-checkout 58,866* 94* 50,087 39,831 17,248 118 245 13,315 15,454 9,885 1,398 258 4* 43 55 826 29 82 215 12,461** 10 84.54% HIGHLIGHTS • Spring is here and the seed planting has begun! Our seed checkouts nearly doubled during March, a true sign of the planting season. • The Rover Bookmobile toured around town in March, visiting the Indoor Playground at LORAC, The LO Fire Station on Jean Rd, Rivergrove Elementary, all in addition to our routine stops to senior living facilities, Hunger Fighters, and Mercy Greenbrae. • No surprise, our Maker Day event drew a significant crowd this year and the number of visitors to the library soared to 810! We are very appreciative to our staff, volunteers, board members, and community for making this day happen! (Photos featured above) CIRCULATION SERVICES NOTABLE STATISTICS Total Circulation Outreach checkouts Items checked in Items sorted by AMH Items renewed Items borrowed from outside the County Items loaned outside the County Items borrowed from LINCC libraries Items loaned to LINCC libraries Holds filled Held items not checked out Total library cards issued to new members Library cards issued at Outreach eCards issued Home Deliveries Carts shelved Average daily carts shelved Cultural Pass reservations Seed Library Checkouts Indoor Visitors Curbside Visitors Self-checkout 65,269* 126* 54,737 43,627 19,440 121 252 14,263 16,579 10,841 1,539 229 3* 41 45 916 30 137 416 13,395 9 83.8% *Library cards issued at Outreach represents the cards made with a preference of Bookmobile holds pickup, not the overall number of cards created. **The Library was closed Friday, March 13 for building maintenance. Technical Services Department February 2026 Monthly Report Meeting the Challenge of World Languages Materials Processing Our Library has a significant, ongoing commitment to providing materials for our entire community, including materials in languages other than English. The Library regularly orders non-English language books, and we’ve also received donations of these sometimes difficult-to-acquire items. Just as for all other materials in the Library’s collections, it’s the Technical Services Department’s job to catalog, process, and label each of these items for use by the public. This presents a particular challenge when the language in question employs non-Latin characters; such as Chinese, Japanese, Korean, or Cyrillic—none of which are used by staff in our Department. Our retired colleague Todd Mecklem pioneered a workflow for printing native- language characters on our spine labels for these collections, using specific online resources, as well as clever incorporation of the character-recognition capabilities of the modern smartphone. After Todd’s retirement in May of last year, Gabrielle Hoffman has stepped forward to take on the challenging and time-consuming processing of these collections. During February alone, Gabrielle added 140 new items to the Adult and Children’s World Languages collections—a remarkable accomplishment, given the difficulty of the task, and on top of many other processing & ordering responsibilities. Technical Services Department March 2026 Monthly Report Thoughtful Packaging Makes the Library of Things More Sustainable One of the original values behind our Library of Things is sustainability—why should every person with a temporary need for a tool or appliance have to purchase one of their own, when the community has items to share, at their Library? Packaging of Library of Things items has been a key consideration from the very beginning. Really Useful Boxes brand storage boxes were selected for their wide range of available sizes, and also for their sturdiness and durability. As it turns out, they have another benefit as well: sustainability. All Really Useful Boxes products are made primarily from polypropylene, which is the most commonly used recyclable plastic. While the boxes are very sturdy, and the vast majority of them are still going strong year after year, Library of Things is a heavily used collection, and over time it’s not uncommon for one of the boxes, lids, or handles to need replacement. In the past, it’s been unclear how we could recycle the discarded boxes, and many were thrown away out of caution. This month, however, Republic Services, the company that manages Library waste, has let us know that we’re welcome to just drop any broken boxes we have in our curbside recycling bin. Another win for sustainability! Volunteer & Special Events FEBRUARY 2026 Report Total Volunteers Serving 131 Total Volunteer Hours 599 Collaborated with Library staff and our wonderful Friends of the Library to support three days of early book and ticket giveaway on February 9, 10 and 11th. Along with a supplemental delivery of books/tickets to BOOKtique following the giveaway, the Friends were able to add/renew many new members and to give away about 100 books. It was a huge success! Completed the calendar and passport items for our fabulous new Communications Coordinator to design our Lake Oswego Reads 2026 brochure. It is beautiful and filled with 40 events and programs! Coordinated Home Delivery volunteers for all assisted living communities and other patrons who can’t come to the library. This program continues to grow and evolve! We have more than doubled the number of patrons using the program and continue to bring on new volunteers to accommodate the increase. Provided Setup for February 2026 Library events. New volunteers have been recruited and trained to setup for all First Tuesday and Poetry Group events to offer continuity to lead event staff. Created some fun displays for our treasured library volunteers to celebrate Valentine’s Day. This was in conjunction with our staff celebration of Palentine’s Day. We held a staff bake sale and provided delicious treats to our staff and volunteers! The volunteer and special events department enjoyed its first Portland State University mentee. Brandon Lazo worked with his professor, Daneen Bergland, to seek out a mentorship involving community volunteering. Brandon worked on events, including LO Reads and MLK Day preparation, shelf reading, cleaning/organizing and delivering library materials that were rejected by BOOKtique to Goodwill on a weekly basis. Brandon is an incredible young man and will continue volunteering until summer. Volunteer & Special Events MARCH 2026 Report Total Volunteers Serving 133 Total Volunteer Hours 1040 Thanks to our Friends of the Lake Oswego Library and our fabulous volunteers, we distributed 430 copies of the Lake Oswego Reads 2026 selection Tilt to LINCC card holders in drive through and walkup formats! The giveaway on Sunday, March 1st was completed in an hour. Staff started a waitlist for copies of the book. Thankfully patrons read Tilt quickly and returned copies to the library. We were able to satisfy the waitlist the following week! We coordinated Home Delivery volunteers for all assisted living communities and other patrons who can’t come to the library. This program continues to grow and evolve! We have more than doubled the number of patrons using the program and continue to bring on new volunteers to accommodate the increase. We provided setup for March 2026 Library events, including our first Makers Day on March 14th. Thanks to the Library Advisory Board for the idea and volunteer help! The photo above is of a delighted patron who made his own 3D printed glasses! As part of the Sunshine Committee, we arranged for a gathering on a Friday night after closing. It was a wonderful chance to get together as a team and enjoy one another’s company. Future gatherings are planned! We met with multiple Lake Oswego Reads presenters to review tech needs and details for 40 presentations planned for the month of April. We also coordinated Portland Productions, TVCTV and LOSD for LO Reads Art Show on April 7th and LO Reads Author Event on April 26th at Lakeridge High School. These events are professionally filmed, edited and streamed on our Library YouTube channel. Began planning a Volunteer Engagement event for May 1 st at the Library. The purpose of this event will be to offer updates on the library’s strategic plan, answers questions and create a band of informed volunteers who can advocate for our library vision. We gave multiple interviews with staff from The Review to promote Lake Oswego Reads and highlight events where attendance is highly encouraged!