Brownsville Public Library System Advisory Board

Brownsville Public Library System Advisory Board Monday October 10, 2022 Minutes Hybrid Present Absent Guests Rubi Gonzalez Rachel Ayala Josephine Balboa Jose Gonzalez Alisha Hernandez Alma Knopp Maribel De Leon Kayla Trevino George E. Olivo Lisa Rodriguez Lazaro Castro Chris Pineda Melinda Clayton Juan Guerra Cynthia Lizardi-Burlette Courtney Taylor Sarined Garcia Brenda Trevino 1) Call Meeting to Order – Meeting was called to order by Mr. Chris Pineda at 5:32pm. 2) Discussion and Action of Approval of Minutes – Mr. Olivo motioned for approval. Mrs. Lizardi Burlette seconded. All voted aye, and minutes were approved. 3) Citizen Comment – No Comments 4) Marquee Update – Ms. Brenda Trevino updated the board that this Marquee project has been completed. Both marquees are fully connected, running, and showing graphics. Mr. Guerra stated that he believes the Marquee advertising seems to be working as patron numbers have increased. Mrs. Lizardi asked how it works for circulating announcements. Mr. Guerra answered that there is a program where staff puts in the announcement, and it automatically rotates. Mrs. Lizardi then asked if there is a possibility of marketing advertisement for other businesses. Mr. Guerra stated that the library would need to ask our legal team to see if this something the library can do, and how to go about it. 5) Discussion of FY23 Library Work Plan – Mr. Guerra explained to the board what the workplan is and what it represents to the city. It is broken down in three sections, which are Governance, Infrastructure, and Quality of Life. Mr. Guerra went over each section and its details. For section 2, Mrs. Hernandez asked if the YA books have their own area at the Main Branch. Ms. Trevino answered that currently all YA books are next to the Adult Non- Fiction collection, and that is why on the work plan the library wants to create a section specifically for the YA collection. Mr. Guerra went on to explain that even though the work plan has not been approved by commission, some of the projects have already begun and others have been completed. Mr. Pineda asked what role the advisory board has in this work plan. Mr. Guerra answered that the board provides the ideas and insight from the public to the library. Many of the projects seen on the work plan were needs and ideas identified by the board. 6) Library Report a. Youth Services – Ms. Kayla Trevino informed the board that the newest program (Lego Day) has become a hit with the public and will continue to be a regular program. The library hosted Mrs. Suzanne Shepard in September, and she came in and did Story Time on her book Rocket the Space Giraffe. Ms. Sarined spoke in detail about the science experiments and activities that families were able to enjoy and take home with them for teen nights. Ms. Sarined continued to explain the upcoming events for October just for teens: Teen Read Week (Oct. 15 and 19), Book Tasting, Teen Cosplay Contest, Anime Club, Teen Night, and Crack the Code: Mystery Murder (Scavenger Hunt). Ms. Sarined also stated that she is promoting the Teen Advisory Council during all these events and has 7 individuals who are interested. Mr. Pineda asked if there is an application, and Ms. Sarined answered that for now she is just giving information and finding out who is interested. Once the council is ready to be created then there will be an application and more promotion. Ms. Lizardi-Burlette asked how many teens the library was looking to recruit. Ms. Sarined stated she initially wants 15, but the council will probably comprise of 7-10 individuals. Ms. Lizardi-Burlette then asked if there will be a council for each branch or only one. The idea is for there to be one council for both branches that would alternate meeting locations, just like the Library Board. Ms. Trevino then continued with the other events the children’s department will be hosting for October, starting with Spooky STEM Night (the children will get to make slime, spooky cookies, science experiments, and vampire bat craft with everyday items). Another event the library is looking forward to is the Old City Cemetery Haunted Tour in collaboration with the Brownsville Historical Association (BHA). This event did require registration, and registration filled up the same day it opened on 10/03/22. BHA normally does charge for this event but is doing this tour for the library for free. The other event that required registration and filled up the same day was the Fright Night Escape Room. There will be an escape room at each library on two different days, and 12 groups were able to register, for a total of 60 people. The library will allow walk-ins if there is enough time for other groups to participate. Her final updated was on the Trunk or Treat which will be on Wednesday, October 26th from 6:30pm – 8pm. So far 12 business/organizations have confirmed to volunteer, and staff is still trying to reach out to other groups. Mr. Olivo asked if this is new program and what is the projected attendance. Ms. Trevino answered that this a new program and they are expecting about 500 people. b. Adult Services – Mr. Gonzalez started explaining why he appeared like a chef, he explained that the library will be holding a cooking class, Ants on a Log. He continued with the presentation beginning with the Adult Literacy Computer Classes. He explained that the students are now asking for advanced classes and asking for two classes per day. He discussed the different topics the classes went over this cycle. Mr. Pineda asked whether the classes are mostly in English or Spanish. Mr. Gonzalez answered that while the classes are bi-lingual, the classes at the Southmost Branch are predominantly in Spanish. Each class is tailored to the needs of the students attending.  Mr. Gonzalez went on to present on the little lending libraries that the library goes to and fills them up for the public. Ms. Lizardi-Burlette asked if the library could also provide newspapers and magazines that are out of circulation. Mr. Gonzalez stated that it is a possibility, and he will investigate it. The little libraries that the library filled up this past month were Lopez High School, Friendship of Women, Leon Gardens, Paredes Elementary, Centro Cultural Cameron Park, and Olivera Park. He then told the board of the adult programming activities the library hosted in relation to Hispanic Heritage month: Latin Karaoke Night, Latin Movie Night, Explore your Hispanic Roots, Hispanic themed Book Club meeting, and Día de Los Muertos DIY Doll. c. MakerSpace Services – Lazaro Castro began by reporting that requests for 3D prints are still increasing. There was an individual who requested a whole Dungeons and Dragons play set with figurines and all. Also, many of the props for the Escape room were printed using the 3D printers. For programing, MakerSpace hosted DIY Rockets, where kids used bottle and water pressure to launch the bottles. The kids truly enjoyed this project and were even developing games of their own to enjoy this project longer. Future programing will be Bring Ghostly Friends to Life. Patrons were able to create typical white sheet ghosts using cheese cloth and plaster. Mr. Castro went on to state that he has been working close with Ms. Taylor to work on a grant so we can purchase new machine to expand MakerSpace services. Finally, the library is working on signage to make MakerSpace more attractive. Mr. Pineda asked if the same patrons are asking for 3D prints or is the library seeing new people. Mr. Castro answered that the library is seeing both. d. Outreach – Ms. Taylor reported to the board all the locations the library made an appearance at, beginning with The Mexican Consulate. She reminded the board that this is a monthly outreach location. The second place was the Farmers Market, which the library hopes will also become a new home for outreach. The library was able to attend Palm Grove Elementary School parent night and Perkins Middle School’s Open House. Finally, the library was able to attend the City of Brownsville Careers & Coffee Expo. The library was able to reach out to the community and show what careers are available at the library and in extension the City of Brownsville. The library was able to do on-site interviews and showcase other ways the library can help the public build their resumes and job skills through databases and other services. For the month of September, the library was able to reach out to 600+ people. Also, since the library is at the end of the fiscal year Ms. Taylor wanted to inform the board that the library was able to reach out 6,700 people for this fiscal year. Ms. Lizardi-Burlette asked which event had the largest turnout throughout the year. Ms. Taylor answered that Gladys Porter Zoo Kids Appreciation Day event had the largest attendance. 7) Adjournment – Mrs. Hernandez made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Mr. Olivo seconded. Meeting was adjourned at 6:36 pm.