DATE: June 20, 2017
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Kelley Worman-Landano, County Librarian
SUBJECT: Resolution to retroactively accept a non-monetary book donation from United States Citizenship and Immigration Services
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
Adopt Resolution retroactively accepting and expressing gratitude for the non-monetary donation of children and teen books valued at $4,000 to the Fresno County Public Library from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
REPORT
There is no Net County Cost associated with the recommended action. The recommended action is required to satisfy the reporting requirements under Chapter 762.12 of the CAO Management Directives for donations greater than $500 in value. Approval of the recommended action will allow the Fresno County Public Library to accept the donation of children and teen books valued at $4,000 from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The books are to be given to participants of the Library’s 2017 Summer Challenge and Lunch at the Library programs and began to be distributed on June 12, 2017.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
Your Board may choose to not accept the donation, which will result in not handing out free books to children and teens who participate in this year’s Summer Challenge and Lunch at the Library programs.
RETROACTIVE AGREEMENT:
The request to accept the donation is retroactive to June 12, 2017 due to a delay in finalizing the receipt of the donation. Books were received in May 2017 and were required to be distributed beginning June 12, 2017 for the Summer Challenge and Lunch at the Library programs.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no Net County Cost associated with the recommended action. There is no increase in appropriations or revenue, since the donation is non-monetary in value. The Library will provide an in-kind contribution of $5,226 for coordination of the Summer Challenge and Lunch at the Library programs. The in-kind contribution covers a percentage of salary and benefits for one Librarian II with indirect costs calculated at 10%. The Library’s salary, benefits, and overhead costs are part of the Library’s Measure B Org 7511 FY 2016-17 Adopted Budget and will be included in the FY 2017-18 Recommended Budget.
DISCUSSION:
USCIS is the government agency that oversees lawful immigration to the United States. One of the missions of USCIS is to promote instruction and training on citizenship rights and responsibilities and to provide immigrants with information and tools necessary to successfully integrate into American civic culture. The USCIS has partnered with the Library to offer “Citizenship Corners” located in 14 Library branches. These Citizenship Corners have materials and handouts to help prepare people for the naturalization process.
According to Oxford Learning, when students are away from school during the summer months, many experience what is known as the “summer slide.” Children who are idle and do not read over the summer can lose an average of two months of reading skills. Once students start the school year behind their peers, it is hard to catch up and keep up, and the gap tends to widen. It is estimated that as much as two-thirds of the income-based achievement gap is due to summer learning loss. The Summer Challenge offers enriching activities that will improve children’s literacy skills and combat the “summer slide.” The Lunch at the Library program provides nutritious meals and enrichment activities to youth ages 1-18 that might not otherwise have access to healthy food apart from free or reduced-cost meals during the school year.
On January 31, 2017, your Board approved and authorized the Chairman to execute an Agreement with Fresno County Economic Opportunities Commission (FCEOC) for an At-Risk After-School Meal Program and Summer Food Service program. The FCEOC has partnered with the Library to provide the popular Lunch at the Library program to help bridge nutrition and learning loss over the summer months. On June 6, 2017, your Board proclaimed June 12, 2017 through August 4, 2017 as the time for Reading by Design via the Fresno County Public Library’s 2017 Summer Challenge and Lunch at the Library programs. These programs will run from June 12, 2017 through August 4, 2017. During the programs, the Library will give away free books to those who participate in the Summer Challenge. Participants will receive a book when they sign up. The participants will be provided with a reading log that focuses on activities and reading. If the participant completes ten activities by July 9, 2017, they will be eligible to enter a prize drawing. If the participant completes all of the activities in the log by August 6, 2017, they will earn a second free book and get entered into a grand prize drawing. The books were delivered to the Library in May 2017 and began to be given away on June 12, 2017 when the Summer Challenge and Lunch at the Library programs began. The intent is to give children books to call their own and to help them build a small library of their own should they choose to do so.
REFERENCE MATERIAL:
BAI #5, June 6, 2017
BAI #30 January 31, 2017
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
On file with Clerk - Resolution
On file with Clerk - Request for Acceptance of Donation
CAO ANALYST:
Samantha Buck