San Diego Public Library Foundation
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
The Library Foundation SD aims to strengthen communities by supporting free and equitable education programs and resources that allow San Diegans to build thriving futures for themselves and their families, resulting in more people with fulfilling careers, healthy finances, and better social, health, and economic outcomes.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Early Childhood Literacy
Sharing books, conversations, and songs with young children helps develop language and social skills and leads to more motivation, confidence, and success in school. The Library Foundation SD supports library programs that build essential literacy skills, including:
-My First Library Card, which introduces children aged 0-5 and their families to the library, setting them up to be lifetime readers. Families receive a welcome bag with their baby's first library card and a copy of Odi's Library Day, a bilingual board book.
-Summer Reading Program, which has encouraged more than one million children and teens to discover recreational reading and prepared them to return to school confident and ready to learn.
-Families for Literacy, which helps break the cycle of intergenerational low literacy by teaching low-literate parents and caregivers how to read to their children and be their children's first teacher.
Education & Lifelong Learning
The Library invests in both youth and adults by providing essential programs and resources that positively impact educational attainment, employment rates, self-sufficiency, financial literacy, and community participation.
-READ/San Diego is an award-winning adult literacy program that has helped more than 22,000 adults learn to read and write with the support of more than 300 reading tutors.
-Do Your Homework @ the Library offers free access to homework help in English and Spanish at 10 libraries throughout San Diego, as well as virtually, plus school supplies, online research tools, and digital resources, all within a safe and engaging learning environment.
-Library NExT, a partnership with UCSD, prepares underserved middle and high school students for college and the workforce, increasing access to advanced STEAM education, college preparation assistance, and workforce development training through curiosity-driven workshops.
Social Justice & Equity
Libraries remain one of the few places where every community member can access information, regardless of their station in life. The Library Foundation SD is working to build library resources and programming that are diverse, multicultural, and inclusive.
-A new Library Master Plan ensures that future investments in the library are targeted to the areas of most need and greatest impact, and provides a two-decade road map for the library's future that does not leave any community behind.
-The Library Foundation, library, and San Diego Unified School District are partnering to place an EXCEL library card in the hand of every student in the district by 2025. These cards allow students to use books, homework help, computers, and online tools.
-The Library Foundation SD's advocacy efforts ensure strong public support for library services. Since 2013, we have successfully advocated for a 66% increase in the library's operating budget.
Economic & Workforce Development
A world-class city needs a thriving economy fueled by a strong workforce. The Library Foundation SD supports programs that help individuals learn new skills, pursue their passions, and open career pathways.
-More than 170,000 San Diegans over the age of 25 do not have a high school diploma. The Adult High School Diploma programs offers adult students the opportunity to earn an accredited high school diploma online, bolstering future employment and earnings prospects.
-In partnership with Media Arts Center San Diego, the City Heights/Weingart library is preparing teens to tell their stories through film and digital media in a six-week training program that leads to internships with the city.
-A new MicroBusiness Center offers personalized business coaching appointments, classes and workshops, and an entrepreneur-in-residence program in partnership with the Librarys IDEA Labs (high-tech maker spaces that offer access to 3D printers, music production software, and other technology).
Cultural & Civic Engagement
Libraries are vital places of meaningful interaction, representation, and inclusion, and serve as important venues for fostering conversations about issues affecting San Diego communities deeply, as well as cultural conversations about literature, the arts, and society.
-The library's acclaimed arts and culture exhibition program, with its flagship art gallery at the Central Library @ Joan Irwin Jacobs Common, showcases visual arts and cultural exhibitions while promoting local artists and creative community groups.
-With Library Foundation support, the library is creating three new Digital Memory Labs where patrons can access, digitize, and share photos, slides, and other analog media. The labs in high need areas and five new pop- up mobile labs give underserved communities a way to tell their stories and preserve their cultural histories.
-Viewed as a trusted civic institution, all San Diego Public Library locations serve as ballot drop-off sites.
Digital Learning & Access
Access to technology is not a luxuryit is a lifeline. Too many San Diego households lack broadband Internet. Learning loss during the pandemic is expected to have a lifelong impact, corresponding to an individuals health and wellbeing, personal finances, crime and incarceration likelihood, and participation in civic life.
-Through the SD Access 4 All initiative, the library lends laptops and hotspots to those in need, increases computer lab capacity at branch locations, and expands virtual programming and digital materials.
-In partnership with the San Diego Futures Foundation, the library offers digital literacy education and drop-in technical assistance to help patrons with their devices and expand their technical skills.
-The Books Unbanned program gives young adults ages 12 to 26 living anywhere in the U.S. free access to the librarys online collection of the most frequently banned eBooks and eAudiobooks, combatting censorship and safeguarding intellectual freedom.
Where we work
Awards
2010 Alonzo Awards 2010
San Diego Downtown Partnership
External reviews
Photos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of items circulated
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Percentage of patron satisfaction
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Holding steady
New library cards issued
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
We aim to increase the quality and availability of library programs and services, sustain and grow private and public funding for libraries in the city budget; reach new audiences to communicate the importance of libraries to the overall health and wellbeing of our community; leverage the effectiveness of library programs and services; and ensure that our local libraries provide opportunities for community members to learn new skills, pursue lifelong ambitions, and achieve their dreams.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
To maximize the quality and availability of library programs and services, the Library Foundation SD takes the lead in developing innovative partnerships with local organizations and the philanthropic community. By engaging in diverse fundraising strategies, including grant applications, individual solicitations, planned giving, annual giving, and corporate sponsorships, the Library Foundation helps the library reimagine its role—creating new spaces and programs that meet the community’s changing needs, whether that is college preparation, access to digital tools and technology, entrepreneurship assistance, or high-level STEAM education. The Library Foundation acts as a liaison between the library and donors, matching philanthropic interests with programs and services, and honors and stewards donors through recognition, communication, and events. The Library Foundation partners with the Friends of the Library and the Library Commission to advocate for public support of the library by meeting with elected officials, communicating the importance of the library to local governance and the public, and engaging in collective advocacy efforts. The Library Foundation also serves as an outreach arm for the library, providing communications that feature Library news, programs, resources, and impact to 200,000 Library patrons and donors.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Since 2002, the Library Foundation has served as a supportive and innovative partner to the library—one that can respond with agility and urgency to today’s needs while also looking toward the future.
We are in the unique position of leveraging private support for a public, governmental entity and have proven that public/private partnerships can be successful. Private support generated by the Library Foundation was the driving force to construct the award-winning Central Library @ Joan Λ Irwin Jacobs Common, which opened in 2013; create the Library’s popular IDEA Labs, which offer spaces to learn about 3D scanning and printing, music production, and digital design; and enable the partnership with University of California San Diego for the highly attended Library NExT program, which provides thousands of students the opportunity to learn creative and practical skills through robotics, computer programming, and other STEAM workshops.
We continue our focus on the need to find long-term funding solutions to library’s operational and capital needs, achieved through advocacy efforts and the creation of a new Library Master Plan, and have increased our efforts in building community partnerships, which allow the library to scale and diversify its program offerings. As the demand for new and existing services grows daily, the Library Foundation is continuing to seek philanthropic partners to invest in and support essential library services and resources.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
San Diego Public Library Foundation
Board of directorsas of 03/14/2024
Rene Schor
Co-Founder and Partner, Schor Vogelzang & Chung LLP
Michael Cox
Owner and Publisher, The Official Black Magazine
Elizabeth Hanson
President, Southwest Strategies
Arnulfo Manriquez
President & CEO, Metropolitan Area Advisory Committee on Anti-Poverty in San Diego County
Renée Schor
Co-Founder and Partner, Schor Vogelzand & Chung LLP
Judith Wenker
Attorney, retired
Bryan Carpenter
Audit Shareholder, LevitZacks CPAs
Ruth Bush
Author and Professor, USD School of Nurshing & Health Science
Janice Charley
CPA, retired
Katherine Johnston
Policy Advisor, San Diego City Council District 6
Melissa Peterman
Executive Director, Townspeople
Samadi Yoeuth
Engineer, Aerospace Industry
Misty Jones
Non-voting Board Member, Director, San Diego Public Library
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
No data
Gender identity
No data
Transgender Identity
No data
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data