Tasneem Watts Email & Phone Number

I retired on 12/30/2022! I managed a branch of the Anaheim Public Library. My work passions included very effective and positive leadership skills, community partnerships, outreach, literacy promotion, and using education to reduce poverty in our communities. I represented the library system on the City of Anaheim's Homeless Task Force.During the COVID-19 pandemic, library services became even more critical. The Anaheim Public Library was forced to close buildings on Monday, March 16, 2020. Within one week, we re-vamped all our services. On Monday, March 23, 2020, we began Curbside Service that thrived throughout 2020. We were the only library in Southern California to do this successfully. All fines and fees were suspended. Story times, crafts, cooking, STEAM, and cultural events were all live-streamed. Part time hours were reduced by 20 percent and there were no staff furloughs or layoffs.I began weekly outreach at local schools where food was being distributed to families. We joined them to distribute grant-funded books and school supplies for families to keep, along with craft and STEAM activities for use at home. The community response was overwhelmingly positive, with thanks coming in the form of cards, letters, candy, flowers, and gifts. For these, and for our many other efforts during the pandemic, the Anaheim Public Library received the Library of the Year award in 2021.I am especially proud of activities that I led for Workability, Adult Transition, and teens with special needs. Work groups visited weekly to perform job tasks that may help students succeed as they leave the high school environment. Our teens were completely responsible for donations processing. They sorted, scanned, boxed, and labeled donated and discarded items for transfer to Thrift Books, Better World Books, and to the Friends of the Library sale. Funds obtained from these efforts returned to the Friends for further support of library collections and programs.Additional high school students (with varying levels of abilities) visited the library every three weeks. They used computers for fun and for research, made craft projects, and practiced social skills including interacting with library staff and checking out library materials.

Listed skills include Community Outreach, Research, Teaching, Staff Development, and 23 others.