Colorado State Library Annual Report

Fiscal Year 2015 Colorado State Library Annual Report

Welcome

I am pleased to present the Colorado State Library’s annual report of activities and programs underway for the state’s library staff and residents. It is an honor to be part of such a talented and dedicated staff here at the CSL.

This annual report is a departure from earlier years in both design and intent. The brief format highlights some of the numbers gathered throughout the year to show how what we do benefits those who receive our services. What isn’t as easy to capture is the day-to-day work by staff to visit Colorado libraries for consulting, deliver online and in-person continuing education, guidance, and assistance that address questions brought to us from across the state.

We accomplished much in FY15. Managing grants for early learning, delivering reading materials to those with reading impairments, helping those in institutions connect with families through literature, offering free books to all four-year olds in the state, and cataloging the state’s publications for access by all are just a few of the successes this year. Of course, helping libraries improve their collections through the State Grants to Libraries is always a highlight.

For more information about our State Library services, go to www.ColoradoStateLibrary.org.

- Gene Hainer, Assistant Commissioner

Professional Development

The Colorado State Library provides workshops, webinars, presentations, consulting, and other continuing education opportunities throughout the year over multiple platforms. Staff from across the State Library have shared their leadership and expertise with local, statewide, and national audiences.

Consultations

37,617

Continuing Education

346 workshops, webinars, presentations, etc.

9,467 participants

continuing education

What kind of trainings did we offer?

Makerspaces: What's the Deal?

Supporting Parents in Early Literacy Through Libraries

Advocating for Intellectual Freedom in Your Correctional Library

It's Elementary, My Dear Watson: Sharing Evidence of Your School Librarian Awesomeness!

A Port in the Storm: How to Find Disaster Information

Decision Making: Crystal Ball or Magic 8 Ball?

What did participants say about the trainings?

9 in 10 agreed the training was worthwhile

3 in 5 rated the training as excellent

7 in 10 would "definitely" recommend the training to others

quotes by continuing education partners

Summer Reading

Each year, Colorado public libraries offer engaging summer reading programs to encourage children of all ages, teens, and adults to read and learn for fun and to prevent summer learning loss. The 2015 theme was STEM and CSL provided continuing education sessions, program resources, marketing, and educational materials to support local libraries in their summer learning activities and collections.

What happened after participating in summer reading?

3 in 5 parents of children ages 4-6 reported that their children's

ENJOYMENT OF READING

READING SKILLS

READING BY CHOICE

increased as a result of summer reading.

How did summer reading make a difference for children and families?

quotes by summer reading participants

Colorado Talking Book Library

For people who cannot read standard print, the Colorado Talking Book Library provides free audio, braille, and large print books keeping them connected to reading, stories, and adventure. CTBL serves more than 6,500 active individual patrons and 500 organizations and has at least one patron in every county in Colorado.

Circulation

image of a book

727,098 physical items and

57,287 digital downloads.

Or, 112 items in and out, and 9 downloads, for every individual patron!

Patron Outcomes

89% reading books for pleasure image of a book

43% learning more about a personal interest image of a book

13% staying more connected to community image of a book

quotes by ctbl patrons

One Book 4 Colorado

In its 4th year of the program, OB4CO provided a copy of the same book to every 4-year-old in the state to encourage early literacy and kindergarten readiness. In 2015, the book was How Do Dinosaurs Get Well Soon? by Jean Yolen and Mark Teague. Over 75,000 books were given away at more than 500 sites, including public libraries, Reach Out and Read Health Clinics, and Denver Preschool Program preschool classrooms.

The Giveaway

75,000 books - in English and Spanish - distributed to each 4-year-old in Colorado

What did participating agencies say about OB4CO?

97% agreed that "the book giveaway helped my agency promote reading among young children."

67% agreed that "after OB4CO, more families view libraries as a resource for books and activities related to childhood reading."

quote from One Book 4 Colorado librarian

mother and child reading

State Grants to Libraries

In 2015, 301 public, school, academic, and institutional libraries received $2,000,000 with each grantee receiving a minimum of $3,000. Nearly all of the grantees used the funds purchase books, databases, and e-books to update their library’s collection and fill unmet needs of their patrons.

Grant Money

state grants inforgraphic

What did grantees say about the funding?

9 in 10 said the funds were "essential" or "important" to updating the library's collection and purchasing materials targeted to fill unmet needs.

4 in 5 said the funds were "essential" or "important" to increasing materials circulation.

quotes from state grants recipients

State Publications

Established in 1980, the Colorado State Publications Library’s mission is to provide Colorado residents with free permanent public access to information produced by state government. The collection of over 134,000 documents includes information produced by state agencies such as budgets, consumer information, legislative reports, and directories.

Circulation

196,147 total circulation (print and digital)

99% of circulation is digital

Patron Contacts

258,156

Library Jobline

A free service that connects libraries and job seekers in Colorado and beyond. Over 4,000 jobs posted since 2007.

2015 By the Numbers

graph of Library Jobline jobs posted each year

graph of Library Jobline users

graph of Library Jobline jobs posted each year

DART

A web application for collecting, managing, and analyzing data and statistics about library services.

Transactions

dart inforgraphic

394,184 transactions occured in 2015

bringing the total to 1.8 million total as of June 2015

Who is Using DART

45 libraries around Colorado

5 new libraries added in 2015

Read to the Children

A partnership between the State Library/Institutional Library Development and Colorado Department of Corrections Libraries, this program allows parents and other close relatives to record themselves reading a book, then send the recording and book to the child. Read to the Children has led to increased literacy skills of offenders and the children, strengthened parent-child relationships, and developed an interest and enthusiasm for reading.

What are caregivers saying about Read to the Children?

9 in 10 report that RTC is helpful as a way for their child to connect with the offender

8 in 10 said their child's enjoyment of reading has increased

7 in 10 said the time their child spends reading increased, and their child's relationship with the offender improved

Direct impact on children's lives

quote from read to the children caregiver

Institutional Libraries

This unit addresses the needs of approximately 16,000 Colorado citizens residing in 38 state-funded institutions. Its mission is to provide the leadership and expertise that Colorado’s state institutional libraries need to meaningfully impact the lives of users, their families and their communities.

Collections

5,998 titles were purchased in 2015

265,960 items in the library collections

Impact

654,368 books circulated in DOC facilities

5,365,818 hours offenders spent reading outside the library

quote from CDOC library staff

Financials

Where does the money come from?

quote from read to the children caregiver

Where does the money go?

quote from read to the children caregiver