This Year, Your Support Matters More Than Ever!

Throughout this challenging year, the Los Angeles Public Library has continued its unwavering commitment to serving our city and communities. Before 2020 comes to an end, we want you to know that your support makes it possible for us to help the Library remain RESILIENT in times of crisis, help individuals and families RECOVER from the hardships presented by this pandemic, and provide the literary and educational resources to REBUILD our world from home. We’d like to share a snapshot of how library lovers like you can make an impact with a year-end gift that will empower the Los Angeles Public Library to thrive for generations to come.

Keeping You Connected 

Since March, the Library has swiftly improved its virtual platforms to provide even greater accessibility to ideas and information across all audiences. Summer at the Library, one of the most popular literacy programs throughout the Library’s history, moved online this year, offering entertaining and educational reading activities to engage kids and adults. “Reading is important because in a funny way it helps me stay sane and it gives me a better imagination ‘cause it helps me escape from what’s happening right now into a world of a book,” said Leah Flores, a young patron of the Ben Franklin Library who mastered the Summer Reading challenge (pictured, left).

 

Keeping You Safe

Rising to the challenges of this ever-changing world, librarians have been tirelessly working to help patrons navigate digital resources. As Senior Librarian Tina Princenthal told the Los Angeles Times about working the Library’s InfoNow desk from her home: “For my department it’s been very important that we’re able to really listen to people and reassure them that the things that they’re familiar with at the library, like having access to books, are available now in the form of e-books, and the things that they’re used to like coming into the library to read the newspaper, they can now do that through their computer.”

In addition to maintaining everyday services, librarians have also created a “Safer at Home” photo archive to document the experiences of Angelenos during this historical moment of the pandemic. Of course, one of the most exciting moments of the recovery process this summer was when the LAPL opened 20 branches for the Library To Go pickup service. Proving patrons were eager to check out physical books, over 115,000 holds were placed in just one month.

 

Keeping You Engaged

The Library’s ability to adapt and persevere has set a fierce example for how our community overcomes adversity. Individuals have flocked to the Library’s online resources seeking out learning opportunities. In just the first three months of the pandemic, 64,000 people signed up for an e-card to access e-books, audiobooks, streaming media, and more. Over 1,014,446 items were digitally borrowed in April 2020—a one-month record for the Library.

While in-person schools have been closed, virtual storytimes were viewed 35,500 times between April and June, while 17,786 students logged into Live Homework Help between March and June for online tutoring. Almost 40,000 participants have taken part in STEAM programming, including online science and engineering workshops. Even in a time of crisis, the Library inspires learning and provides free access to essential resources.

 

The Los Angeles Public Library has remained a steady comfort to our communities through this period of change, and our Library staff have worked hard to keep you and your families connected, safe, and engaged while Covid keeps us apart. The free digital resources provided by the Library to millions of Angelenos have proven to be more critical and in-demand than ever.

Making a gift to the Library Foundation before December 31 will help keep the Library RESILIENT throughout this pandemic, help families RECOVER with free educational and professional services, and REBUILD the Library of the 21st century with equitable access to free digital resources for everyone.

Visit LFLA.org/Give by December 31 to have your gift MATCHED
by Wendy Smith and Barry Meyer up to $15,000!

More ways to give by December 31: 

  • Gifts of appreciated securities, such as stock and mutual funds, are excellent ways to support the Library and may provide generous tax savings.
  • If you are 70 1/2 or older, up to $100,000 can be distributed tax-free from your Individual Retirement Account to support the Library.
  • Consider making a charitable gift through your Donor Advised Fund.
  • Call 213.292.6242 to make your gift over the phone.
  • Gifts can be mailed to the Library Foundation of Los Angeles,
    630 W. 5th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90071. Tax ID # 95-4368250.

Please contact Sharon Padua, Director of Major and Planned Gifts at [email protected] with any questions or to learn more.

On behalf of everyone at the Library Foundation of Los Angeles, THANK YOU for supporting us this year, and for giving generously to champion the work of the Los Angeles Public Library.

Share on

Interview with Dr. Patricia K. Kuhl and Dr. Andrew N. Meltzoff

The first five years of life are the most critical for learning. As children are using technology earlier and more frequently than ever, ALOUD tackles the neuroscience of screen time during COVID. Dr. Patricia K. Kuhl and Dr. Andrew N. Meltzoff, internationally recognized experts in child development and co-directors of the University of Washington Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, share from their research on social, cognitive, and linguistic development in a conversation with Library Foundation Director of Public Programs Jessica Strand. Click the video below to hear how learning with screens is transforming children—from learning languages and shaping culture, to interpreting media and acquiring biases:

Share on

“What We’re Learning About Online Learning”

“Students tend to learn less efficiently than usual in online courses, as a rule, and depending on the course. But if they have a facilitator or mentor on hand, someone to help with the technology and focus their attention — an approach sometimes called blended learning — they perform about as well in many virtual classes, and sometimes better.”

With school plans for the fall still up-in-the-air, read what research has to say:

Share on

“The gender gap in tech isn’t set in stone”

Here’s a gem from the past: “[…]we found that, from a young age, American children form the belief that boys are better than girls in these technological subjects.”

How can we close the gender gap? Dr. Meltzoff, one of the contributors and ALOUD on Science speaker, proposes a plan and it starts with early childhood education.

Share on

Welcoming the Library Foundation’s new Senior Vice President

Last month, the Library Foundation of Los Angeles welcomed our new Senior Vice President of Advancement and External Affairs.

Meet Melanie Masters Burzynski – pictured below. Melanie comes to LFLA from UCLA’s External Affairs, and has a diverse background, with prior training as both a costumer and Disney Imagineer before working in advancement.

LFLA Melanie Burzynski

We asked Melanie to answer a few questions so Library Foundation Members can get to know her better before you’re able to meet her in person:

What is your favorite book?
“A Map of the World” by Jane Hamilton. The relationship between these best friends in the midst of crisis and family tragedy brought me into the book immediately. While it was made into a movie – I have to share that it did not do the book justice.

Why are libraries important to you?
Libraries have been a continuum in my life. I recall days as a child spent in the city library, the school library… and then onto higher education and the college libraries. I think I began to truly appreciate what our library system provides once I had children. We attended for story-time, craft days, summer reading programs, a place to go to find yourself….

Why do you feel libraries are vital for communities?
Libraries are the hub of every community I have lived in. Beyond offering a place of connection, the library is also a place of access for anyone – independent of your demographic or economic situation. I like knowing it is there to offer support for people – no matter what you are going through.

What is the best book you have read during quarantine?
I’m currently reading “The Library Book“ by Susan Orlean, so I can have a better sense of the Los Angeles Public Library. I’m loving it! I’m also making my way through the audiobook “Homegoing” by Yaa Gyasi  during my morning walks with my dog, Schuyler. I’m being transformed through this novel. It’s amazing.

How do you envision the library of the future?
The library of the future… I know the library will continue to evolve technologically. And that is phenomenal – we need this. However, I also hope we don’t evolve to a place where we forget what it is like to hold a book in your hands, to turn the pages and watch the words come to life off the page, to even smell the book and feel a piece of history in your hands!

What is one thing you love about Los Angeles?
Only one thing?!?! Ok, let me see if I can answer that…I love that L.A. represents opportunity. You can do anything here – be anyone here. Just go sit and watch the sunset from Griffith Observatory. The expansive view will show you that there is a whole world out there for you to explore.

What is most exciting to you about working in the Library?
Well, I was looking to working IN the library – but since I began during COVID, I haven’t been able to be “in the office.” When we return, I am looking forward to visiting each branch. I cannot wait to meet the librarians, learn more about the communities we serve in these areas, and how we are making a difference in these families’s/individuals’s lives.

What is your favorite library memory?
My favorite memory is going to the library in my hometown of Maumee, Ohio. It’s funny because in my mind I always thought of it as a Victorian home that was renovated into a library. In going back, I see that it was a brick building built in 1917. But I guess the reason I remember it that way, is that it was “home” to me. We went regularly to the library… and it was such a welcoming place for me as a child.

How has the library helped you (and/ or your family)?
The library has helped my kids explore and figure out who they want to be. It is not just a “resource” but a place where my kids got the next “Harry Potter” book, the first of the “Warrior” cat series, found their first copies of “Captain Underpants” – and just by finding these types of books, they found a new world to explore. My kids went on to be top readers at their elementary schools. And to this day (even in high school), they love opening up a book to find a new world awaiting them!

Audiobooks, e-books, or hard copy only?
Hard copy is my book of choice! I love the feeling of turning the pages and letting the story unfold. I have also come to appreciate audio books – because traffic in Los Angeles is what it is!

What is the first thing you can’t wait to do once we are out of quarantine?
See my friends! Having happy hour via zoom is not the same as in person. I have these incredible friends here who have supported me through so much, and I just want to spend time with them. I also cannot wait to travel again. From camping, to a flight overseas, to driving to San Diego – I just want to see what’s out there and explore!

What has it been like to start as our new VP during quarantine?
I’ll never forget this – as it’s a one-of-a-kind experience. That said, I am so grateful for those I am working alongside, our colleagues at LAPL, and our Board Members. They have been so welcoming and have shared a great foundation for what LFLA is, and how we can continue to work to raise support for the 73 branches of the Los Angeles Public Library system. I’m truly enjoying this position – and am so grateful to work for a cause very close to my heart.

Welcome to the team, Melanie! We are happy to have you on board. 

Share on