Brownsville Public Library System Advisory Board

Brownsville Public Library System Advisory Board Monday November 14, 2022 Minutes Hybrid Present Absent Guests Rubi Gonzalez Josephine Balboa Juan Guerra Alisha Hernandez Maribel De Leon Anthony Chavarria George E. Olivo Lisa Rodriguez Bertha Gomez Cynthia Lizardi-Burlette Melinda Clayton Katie Hernandez Rachel Ayala Courtney Taylor Alma Knopp Brenda Trevino Chris Pineda 1) Call Meeting to Order – Meeting was called to order by Ms. Rubi Gonzalez at 5:30pm. 2) Discussion and Action of Approval of Minutes – Mr. Olivo motioned for approval. Ms. Hernandez seconded. All voted aye, and minutes were approved. 3) Citizen Comment – No Comments 4) Library Board Appointment for December Commission Meeting – Ms. Maribel De Leon informed the board that Ms. Ayala and Ms. Gonzalez have reached the end of their terms, and the library will be presenting their vacancies at the December 6th Commission Meeting. The commissioners will then choose to either appoint a new member or reappoint the current member (if they reapplied). Mrs. Knopp asked if her term was also ending, and Ms. De Leon informed her that she still had one more year to serve. Mrs. Knopp asked if there was a way for her to trade her term with one of the other members. Unfortunately, the terms are recorded by City Secretary’s office, but Mrs. Knopp could submit a resignation letter for her position; this would be emailed to Ms. De Leon. Ms. De Leon told the board that even though the agenda item is scheduled for December 6th, there is a possibility that the item could be moved to the commission meeting on December 13th. She asked the board members to either reapply or to encourage others to apply as soon as possible. Ms. De Leon told the board she will send the members the link to the application. 5) Library Report – a. Library Holiday Hours: Ms. Brenda Trevino explained to the board how the holiday hours work within the city, and that if the holiday lands on a Saturday or Sunday these days are not considered for closure. The city observes the holiday on the Friday before  or the Monday after. This year the library has requested permission to close early (3 pm) on Nov. 18th, so staff can have a Thanksgiving celebration together. She stated that the board is more than welcome to attend the event. The library of course will be closed on Nov 24th for Thanksgiving and will also be closed on the 25th in observance of the holiday. In December the library has requested permission to close early (2 pm) on the 24th so staff can spend time with their families. On December 25th the library will be closed all day, and since the city observes the holiday the Monday after, the library will also be closed on the 26th. On Saturday the 31st the library will close at 2 pm and will be closed all day on January 1st and 2nd. Ms. De Leon will include this schedule in her email with the link to the application. b. MakerSpace Services: Ms. De Leon informed the board that MakerSpace services will be presenting first since Mr. Chavarria had a program he needed to attend after his presentation; then youth services will present. Mr. Anthony Chavarria began presenting on the last October event, Ghostly Décor. He explained how the patrons got to create their ghosts and decorate them. The event had a great turnout and patrons seemed excited and had fun at the event. He went on to showcase the heat press machines; they are being utilized more. Patrons use them to create t-shirts, design keepsakes and gift bags. Staff teach the patron how to use the machine and they just run with it afterwards. Ms. Lizardi-Burlette asked if the library had an item on display, Mr. Chavarria answered that yes, they have a tote bag designed using the heat press on display in the 3D area. 3D printing continues to grow, and the library is now offering resin printing. He said that most of 3D print requests in October were resin prints. He then discussed the upcoming events for November, which are the Perler Bead Ornaments and the Anime Glass Painting. Other exciting news for MakerSpace is the new signage they are creating for the Southmost Branch for the new MakerSpace area. Also, the library is working on procurement of new equipment that will increase the MakerSpace services the library offers the public. c. Youth Services: Mrs. Katie Hernandez began with the update of the Trunk R’ Treat event. She stated that there was a total of 1,502 attendees, and the library appreciated all the vendors who attended. The teens program had a costume contest, and kids were entered into a raffle. Mr. Pineda asked if there were any lessons learned or if any changes need to be made for the future. She and Ms. Trevino answered that the parking situation could have been better. Next year the library will reach out to traffic and PD to help with that situation. Also, a counter is needed on both sides of the park, not just on the library side. People parked and walked up from the Wildrose Side. More candy will be required, and more games to keep the kids entertained. Ms. Gonzalez asked if this can be an annual thing and alternate between the two branches. Mrs. Hernandez answered, that is the plan for future events. The branches will be alternating different events throughout the years. Mrs. Hernandez moved on to Christmas programing, which will be Book’d for Christmas. It is going to be a trail of lights with specific themes and events in mind. The trail of lights will be at the Southmost Branch from Dec. 5th – 7th and at the Main Branch from Dec. 12th – 14th. On the Mondays it will be T-Rexmas, where staff will dress in inflatable T-Rex costumes and people can take selfies with them. On the Tuesdays it will be Revenge of the Sithmas, where there will be staff dressed as Darth  Vader and other Star Wars themed items will be on display. Pictures with Santa will be on the Wednesdays, and library staff will be taking the pictures and giving it to the patrons. There will be games, prizes, and giveaways for the whole family to enjoy. d. Adult Services: Mrs. Bertha Gomez reported to the board that the library has a successful Ants on a Log cooking class in October for the whole family. They were able to come and learn to make this healthy treat. Computer classes are coming to an end at both branches for this cycle. Classes consisted of open-ended questions from simple computer functions, cyber security, and social media. Other adult orientated events were Bad Art Night where the patrons were able to create art using everyday items. Spooky Karaoke Night called for the ghouls and goblins to come out and sing. The library collaborated with AARP to create a Family Recipe Card where attendees could collect or swap recipes. In honor of Breast Cancer awareness month, the library hosted a Think Pink event where patrons created awareness ribbons out of beads. Other events were the Book Character Costume Contest and Puzzle of the Month. e. Outreach: Ms. Courtney Taylor presented. The first outreach for the month of October was the Exceptional Emergency Center Fall Fest, and the library was able to reach out to 122 patrons and network with other organizations. The library also visited the Mexican Consulate, where they were able to reach 71 patrons. The library was able to reach out to 67 patrons at the Farmer’s Market. The library attended the BISD Migrant Families Meeting, where they did crafts, games, and story time for kids during this event. The library was also invited to Perez Elementary Fall Fest Career Day and were able to see 190 students during this event. Once again, MakerSpace personnel were invited to the Zoo for the Vive Tu Vida Get Up! Get Moving! event. f. Grants: The TSLAC Digitals Navigators Grant is coming to an end and the library is wrapping up all the needs for this grant. The grant helped push the computer classes (more than 640 people attended and over 130 hours of teaching about digital literacy). This grant also introduced LinkedIn Learning and North Star to the library and the patrons. Finally, all the ordered iPads have been received, and they will be for patron checkout and in house use. Mr. Pineda asked since the grant is ending will that mean the classes will be ending? Ms. Taylor answered that the classes will not end, the grant opened the door to new funding for equipment to help with the digital divide. Another grant the library was recently awarded was TSLAC Special Projected 25 Grant FY 2023 in the amount of $25,000.00 dollars. The grant period runs from September 1, 2022, to August 31, 2023. This will help beef up the MakerSpace program by allowing the library to purchase more equipment to provide more services. One of the items already purchased and pending to arrive are two Glowforge printers (one for each branch). These printers allow the printing to look like engraving. Other equipment proposes for this grant are computers, Deskjet Printers and Sublimation Printers. Promotional material is being worked. 6) Adjournment – Motion to adjourn by Ms. Hernandez and seconded by Mr. Olivo. Meeting adjourned at 6:26 pm.