Carlsbad Reads Together reports increased participation and sold-out author event

Library staff presented a final report on Carlsbad Reads Together 2024 at the May 22 board meeting, highlighting circulation and program attendance and outlining plans for 2025.

"If you haven't figured it out, I'm the senior librarian, Bill Sanwald," Sanwald told trustees as he and co-chair Ashley Vindon reviewed the program. The committee selected three titles for 2024: Detective Mole (children's), Sadie (teen) and The Maid (adult). Staff said the adult selection, The Maid, performed especially well across formats, with a majority of the program's audiobook use.

Staff provided counts for programs and circulation: in April the library ran 27 supporting programs; cinema clubs and other activities produced nearly 900 attendees in one month; the culminating Nita Prose author event drew about 194 people in the Shulman Auditorium; the Carlsbad History escape room produced 50 take-home kits that were all claimed. Presenters summarized overall program impact by saying they had more than 1,000 event participants and a total of 1,056 book and audio checkouts for the program year.

Presenters also acknowledged a community concern about the teen selection Sadie but said the teens who participated found the discussion substantive and appreciated deeper themes.

Looking forward, staff said a chair has been selected for the 2025 committee and that staff will compile a vetted list of candidate books for a community vote in the fall following selection standards (recent publication, English/Spanish availability, typically 300-400 pages).