We are honored to share with you the Cedar Rapids Public Library 2018 Annual Report. As a world-class library, we strive each year to improve and better serve our community.
Over the past year we have run new and innovative programs that have reached more than 52,000 people. These programs are as fundamental as Mother Goose on the Loose, a weekly literacy intervention dedicated to our earliest learners. They are as innovative as Reality Bites, a monthly engagement experience centered on a critical theme in our community such as race or religion.
Early in 2018 we launched one of our most exciting programs: Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. Through the support of the Cedar Rapids Public Library Foundation and local donors, any child in Cedar Rapids under the age of five can sign up to receive a free book mailed to their home each month. This program is one of the many ways in which the Library works to increase early childhood reading proficiency and prepare our children for school.
Our library provides vital community space to those who wish to gather, and opportunities for constructive dialogues to help bring people together. More than 108,000 people used a meeting room in the past year, making us one of the busiest library systems in the state.
We know that libraries are essential. The work we do each day is critical to those we serve and we are grateful to the staff and volunteers who make that work possible. We look forward to continuing to make a difference for our patrons and our community in the coming year.