Madeline Peña Feliz

• Provide strategic leadership and oversight for the Engagement and Learning Division, which includes 70 full-time employees and four subdivisions with seven departments, and serves Central Library and 72 locations.
• Oversee key service areas and initiatives, including Volunteer Services, Community Outreach, Adult and Youth Services, Adult Literacy, Immigrant Services, Career Online High School, Cultural Programming, and Reading Initiatives.
• Manage a $6M program budget from City and Foundation sources.
• Serve on the Library's senior leadership team.
• Co-Chair of the Central Library Centennial Celebration 1926-2026.

• Provide strategic leadership for the Community Engagement and Outreach Department.
• Oversee mobile and bilingual outreach services, volunteer programs, Friends of the Library groups, and special initiatives that advance equity, inclusion, and community engagement. Guide services for underserved populations, including Spanish speakers, older adults, and homebound patrons.
• Serve as the Library's Language Access Officer, ensuring compliance with City policy.
• Cultivate partnerships with public agencies, funders, and community stakeholders.

Accomplishments

• Led the development and implementation of the Library's Language Access Plan to expand equitable access to services and resources for non-English-speaking communities.
• Modernized volunteer engagement systems by launching a new volunteer management platform, streamlining volunteer recruitment, onboarding, and management, and developing a process to meet City regulations and requirements.
• Created a centralized Friends of the Library database to track over 60 support groups. Led a cross-departmental effort to update the Memorandum of Agreement in collaboration with Friends groups, the Business Office, and the City Attorney to improve transparency and accountability.
• Led emergency outreach efforts following the January 2025 wildfires, providing mobile services at FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers and temporary shelters, including internet access, printing, scanning, library cards, and books.
• Expanded the Library's outreach presence by making it a regular and visible participant at large and small community events across the City. Achieved 14,000 new library card sign-ups in the current fiscal year. Launched a new Community Bookshelf program to place books in laundromats, barber shops, medical clinics, and spaces serving homeless and LGBTQ+ youth, focusing on underserved communities.

• Managed the Library's digital branch, lapl.org, along with digital signage, mobile app, email marketing, and special digital projects.
• Served as project manager for evaluating, acquiring, and implementing public-facing technology solutions that enhance access, engagement, and service delivery.

Accomplishments

• Transformed existing tools into marketing assets by launching a digital signage system using public and staff computer screens; adding promotional content to catalog homepages, checkout receipts, and hold emails; creating landing pages to highlight heritage months and new collections; using blog-based content marketing; and pitching the idea to brand the book bike and book returns.
• Led the development and implementation of significant digital projects, including the Library's mobile app, the Tessa digital archive platform, the Video Wall, email marketing platform, and key web accessibility improvements.
• Directed the Library's digital strategy during the COVID-19 pandemic, transforming lapl.org into "The Library from Home" and leading digital engagement efforts for patrons and staff during library closures.
• Developed the Los Angeles Libros Festival, a bilingual book festival that celebrates Latino culture and literature and draws more than 5,000 attendees annually to Central Library.
• Served as spokesperson for the Library's Latino Outreach and New Americans campaigns by recording digital ads in English and Spanish and representing the Library in various media outlets.

• Managed the selection, acquisitions, promotion, and evaluation of the Spanish-language collection for Central Library and 72 branches.
• Oversaw the budget and acquisition process for all non-English materials.
• Provided translations and coordinated content development in Spanish-language for marketing materials, the website, and social media platforms.

• Played a key role on the Public Relations and Marketing Division team, contributing to strategic projects including the award-winning “LAPL Misses You” campaign.
• Developed the library’s social media policy, expanded its digital presence, managed online communities, and trained staff in effective digital engagement.
• Coordinated digital marketing initiatives and created multimedia content for the library’s website and social media platforms.

• Provided reference services and delivered library instruction sessions to students and faculty, helping them connect with appropriate library collections and academic resources. Developed and maintained instructional materials and research guides.

• Assisted with the evaluation, selection, and acquisition of Spanish-language materials for the library system.
• Developed content for the Spanish-language website and translated materials for digital platforms, promotional use, and internal systems.
• Produced promotional videos and contributed as a member of the Innovation Task Force and Web Redesign Committee.