Carlsbad Reads Together drew in-person and online audiences; Friends funded author event, staff say

Senior Librarian Emily Hardy and library assistant Reuben Valenzuela presented a wrap-up of Carlsbad Reads Together 2026, which centered on Washoe's memoir Stay True and included companion titles for children and teens. Hardy summarized participation across venues and formats: the live author talk brought about 120 attendees to the Shulman Auditorium, the initial livestream received 38 views during the availability window, and combined participation across the author event and supplemental programming was reported as approximately 537 people.

"When we combined the live author talk, the online streams, and all supplemental program participation, Carlsbad Reads Together reached 537 participants," Hardy said. Staff also reported that Stay True logged "over 300 checkouts" across physical and digital formats. The program included a wide array of activities — zine making, StoryWalks, bilingual storytimes, film screenings and craft events — and received overwhelmingly positive participant feedback.

Trustees asked about the cost of the author presentation. Valenzuela said he did not have the exact figure and "believes it was 25"; Deputy Director Nye told trustees the event was funded "primarily through the Friends of the Carlsbad Library" along with staff and in-kind space services. The meeting transcript does not specify units or a confirmed amount for the presenter fee.

Staff said they will continue using a community-informed genre-selection process for 2027 and will incorporate participant feedback into future programming.

The board received the presentation and had no public speakers on this item.