By Qingxuan Bao
Concerned about what Garden City parents say are limited and inconsistent programs for young children, community members called for improvements at a Feb. 10 library board meeting, though they acknowledged recent progress.
In response to feedback, Colleen Foley, chairwoman of the Board of Library Trustees, confirmed a $20,000 increase in the upcoming budget cycle, from $23,000 to $43,000.
Danette Ceriano Brunelli, of Garden City, said, “Over the past few weeks, I’ve seen some positive changes in children’s programming, which is very encouraging. It’s a sign that we’re moving in the right direction.”
Parents shared concerns that certain weekday activities conflict with working hours or school schedules. Others noted challenges managing multiple young children during sessions, prompting the board to consider child-to-adult participant ratios and clearer policies.
Library Trustee J. Randolph Colahan acknowledged timing issues with current program scheduling and suggested exploring alternatives.
Library Director Marianne Malagon shared that she recently met with local legislators to advocate for additional funding. She said a state senator expressed strong interest in supporting the library’s program expansion through future grants.
Malagon described how her team acted quickly in response to online community feedback. “We post all of our librarians and ask them to help us to increase the number of Storytimes,” she said.
Malagon also said the library’s administrative restructuring is helping to bring fresh ideas and greater responsiveness. “We’re really planning on kind of unifying both of our individual strengths and bringing new ideas and fresh vision,” she said.
Malagon added that following internal coordination and increased communication on Facebook, the library was able to add new Storytime sessions within two days.
“Over the past few weeks, I’ve seen some positive changes in children’s programming, which is very encouraging. It’s a sign that we’re moving in the right direction.”
Danette Ceriano Brunelli, Garden City Trustee
Operations Director Courtney Rutt Rosenblatt praised the staff’s enthusiasm. “We’re going to have a different variety of programs. It’s not going to be the same as [before], and we’re all excited about this,” Rosenblatt said. “The librarians’ outpouring [was] a reaction to our request for additional Storytimes. It was great.”
Rosenblatt said team members have taken the initiative in reorganizing program schedules and proposing creative activity formats. The library is currently building a repeatable and flexible programming template to better serve patrons across age groups.
To improve accessibility, the library has launched a new digital scheduling platform, LibCal, which streamlines event registration for families. The system enables users to register by age group, receive reminders and cancel bookings. Staff are also using LibCal’s backend data to adjust schedules based on participation trends and registration volume.
Library Board Vice Chairwoman Mary Maguire proposed a new step to collect further feedback. “One thing I’d like do next month [is set up an] interest inventory survey [to] see what people want,” she said.
Foley said the upcoming survey will be conducted using SurveyMonkey, an online platform for building and analyzing questionnaires. She said the data will help the board better understand residents’ time preferences and age-based programming needs.
In addition to the survey, library officials plan to host a volunteer expo in April, aiming to strengthen community partnerships based on gathered input.
Foley said the board will continue evaluating how best to serve the growing demographic of toddlers up to age 4 and improve community access. She emphasized that changes to timing, room capacity and registration policy are being reviewed.
