Brownsville Public Library System Advisory Board

Brownsville Public Library System Advisory Board April 17, 2023 Minutes Hybrid Present Absent Guests George E. Olivo Cynthia Lizardi- Josephine Balboa Jose Gonzalez Chris Pineda Burlette Maribel De Leon Katie Hernandez Bertha Pena Lisa Rodriguez Sarined Garcia Rubi Gonzalez Nora I. Garza Brenda Trevino Lazaro Castro Bobbi Vasquez Juan Guerra 1) Call Meeting to Order – Meeting called to order by Mr. George E. Olivo at 5:30pm. 2) Discussion and Action of Approval of Minutes – Ms. Rubi Gonzalez motioned for approval. Mrs. Alisha Hernandez seconded. All voted aye, and the minutes approved pending changes. 3) Citizen Comment – No Comments 4) Library Report a. Adult Services – Mr. Jose Gonzalez started presenting on the little libraries, and with the help of the Parks and Rec. department they have managed to fix a few of the stations that needed repair. Mr. Olivo asked if the one in Pax Uribe Park had been repaired. Mr. Gonzales answered that he was not aware of it but will check on it next time he is out delivering books. Mr. Olivo stated that to please let him know so he can keep the Rotary Club aware. Mrs. Pena then asked if the library needed help to maintain the little libraries. Mr. Gonzales said that it would wonderful if more people could help maintain the little libraries around the city. Mrs. Pena stated that she is part of another organization that could aid. Mrs. Hernandez asked if there was a map that disclosed all the locations of the little libraries. Mr. Gonzales answered that he is in communication with the Parks and Rec. department to create one, but there is a hold now due to other issues. Next item was the Adult Computer Literacy Classes, and they continue to be a success. This session wrapped up at the end of March, and the new session will begin in May. Mr. Olivo asked if the program is going to run through the summer, and the answer was yes, the program will run from May – July and break in August. in April adult services hosted cooking classes at Southmost once again, the patron enjoys it so much that it has become a regular program. They also will host a Dress for Success class, which will teach patrons how to fluff up their resume and how to dress for an interview. The movie for April will be Forest Gump, which intertwines with Disability Inclusion Week. For that week Adult Services with be having two events, which are Through Your Eyes and a sensory craft at both branches. The other programs were Recipe Swap and Candle Making class. b. National Library Week – Ms. Maribel De Leon presented to the board the events and contests that will take place during National Library Week, which is from April 23rd -29th. She explained to the board that the library is hosting a Story Writing Contest that began April 4th and will run through the rest of the  month. She then asked the board to be the judges for the writing contest, and she will be providing them the stories by May 1st via email. The winners of the contest will be announced at the May 8th meeting. There are 4 age groups, and each group will have a winner. The groups are 0-5yo, 6-12yo, 13-17yo, and 18+, and the winner of each group will win a prize. She then told the board of the three events the library will host in honor of National Library Week. Monday will be Let’s Glow Paint Party, where patrons will get to paint canvases with glow in the dark paint under black lights. A larger set of canvases will be displayed each library, and they will get to take the smaller paintings with them. Wednesday will host the little librarian event, where kids will get to be librarians. They will read to a book buddy (stuff animal) and learn to sort and shelve books. On Friday, the library will host an Open Mic. Night, where patrons will get to perform. Ms. Gonzales asked if there was a way to get flyers to the campuses like the newsletter? Ms. De Leon stated that the flyers were included with the newsletter and posted to social media. Ms. Brenda Trevino mentioned that the flyers were also included in the City’s newsletter that goes out to all city employees. c. Youth Services – Mrs. Katie Hernandez updated the board on how well the Eggstravaganza went at both locations, despite the weather. The library had to change the event from outdoors to indoors at the Main Branch, but the kids still got to do an egg hunt and get all the goodies. At the Southmost branch they had over 400 people in attendance, and at the Main Branch over 500 people. Coming soon the library will be hosting Superhero Week events from May 1st – 6th. Monday will be Superhero perler beads, Tuesday is Comic Book Trivia, Wednesday is dress like a hero Storytime, Thursday Movie Night will show Thor: Love and Thunder, Friday Lego Day, and Saturday is free Comic Book Day and Picture with Superhero characters at both branches. The Children’s Dept. at the Main branch experienced a new change, the walls were painted to match the new furniture. More changes are on the way, it is an ongoing project. Mrs. Pena commented that the color is inviting for the kids. Mrs. Alisha Hernandez asked when the work was done. The answer was about 2 weeks ago. d. Teen Services – Ms. Sarined Garcia presented on the activities the teens have been up to at the library. The first one is the Teen Game Night, where the teens enjoy themselves since they ask for more events of this nature. They have even begun bringing in their own remotes for the video game systems. During Teen Anime Club, the group got to watch Naruto, have snacks, and participate in a giveaway. The Teen Advisory Council will be meeting today at the Main Branch. Future programming is the Workforce Job Fair, where the teens and others will get to speak to agencies who are hiring. Reference for Teens will begin every 2nd Sunday at the Main Branch and every 3rd Sunday at the Southmost Branch from 2pm-4pm. Teen Services along with the Health Dept. will be hosting Yoga and Meditation classes focused on teens. e. MakerSpace Services – Mr. Lazaro Castro presented on the updates for Makerspace. The first activity was Spaghetti Tower Night, and the kids had to build a tower that will hold the marshmallow at the top. This allowed the kids to be creative and think outside of the box. Total attendance for this event was twenty- one patrons at Southmost and twenty-eight patrons at the Main Branch. At the beginning of April MakerSpace held their Poster Printing class, and this is to continue the classes on the various machines the public can use in the library. The library designed and then printed a large poster the kids could color in. Attendance for this event was sixteen patrons at Southmost and fifteen patrons at Main. The purpose of the printer was so kids could create their own poster for Science Fair Projects, or for fun things like a birthday poster. The public can now use it and the library charges 1$ for each linear foot. Grants updates, items for the CDBG have been building quotes for items to purchase. On the TSLAC grant everything has been expensed, except for the iMac computers that are pending information on Apples behalf. Ms. Gonzalez asked what the CDBG Grant bought. Mr. Lazaro explained that the library will purchase two new 3D printers, which are faster than what they have now. Also, a large engraver since patrons have mentioned that the Glowforge has size limit. Finally, a new Dell computer and monitor to run all the machines. Ms. Gonzalez then asked what would happen to all the current machines. The answer is nothing, they will continue to use the current machines, and all MakerSpace is doing is adding value to the  department to meet patron needs. Ms. Gonzalez recommends that the library invest in a direct to film printer. Mr. Castro stated that there are things that he and Mr. Chavarria are discussing what other services MakerSpace can provide and how to get all these machines. Mrs. Pena asked if there is a timeline. He answered that yes, they must meet the timeline set by the grants. Mrs. Pena asked if there is an evaluation required by the grants. Yes, the grants ask that the library survey the patrons, and most of the surveys state that they patrons use the machines for personal items. MakerSpace is also working on staff training, so all staff will understand the process of using the different machines. This will allow everyone to assist in the department if an advisor is not available. f. Outreach – Ms. De Leon explained she will be giving this report since Ms. Courtney Taylor is out of the office. The first place the library visited was UTRGV Health Pachanga, where staff were able to reach a total of 199 patrons and give out information on the new items the library has for checkout. Second place was the Mexican Consulate, which is a partnership the library has built with them. Staff were able to reach thirteen patrons. The third place visited was Día de La Mujer Internacional event at the Event Center. Staff was able build positive support with women in our community and were able to reach out to 208 patrons. The fourth event was one hundred Years of Texas State Parks at Resaca de la Palma State Park. Staff were able to give out more information on library services and promoted the adventure packs. Staff were able to see 207 patrons at this event. BCHC invited the library to visit with them during their All of Us Research Program, and staff visited with forty-two patrons. Ms. Bertha Gomes paid a visit to Valley Grande Manner and was able to craft with the fourteen patrons she visited with. Mr. Jose Gonzalez was invited back to Mi Jardin Adult Daycare and visited with seventy-two patrons. He discussed with them the cooking class and other available services. The library had a table at the farmers market, where they shared with 302 patrons all the new MakerSpace services that are available at both branches. The library made its usual stop at B- Metro and was able to reach 143 patrons who were commuting to and from places. BCHC also invited the library to attend the BCHC Migrant Farwell Health Fair. They promoted the different databases the patron can use outside of the library, ACLC classes, free events, and notary service. They saw a total of seventy- four patrons. Finally, during the Easter event the library did in reaching by setting up an info table for patrons to get more information or apply for a library card. Mrs. Hernandez asked if the library planned to display any of this information on the marquee. She said that most of the time she passes by there are funny or cute quotes on the marquee but believes that it would be more useful to have information about events or services. Mr. Guerra answered that we have a staff member who will take care of this, but the library will take her suggestions into consideration for future posts to the marquee. Ms. Gonzalez asked if there is a way to do a MakerSpace Monday or YouTube video where each service is promoted and displayed. Mr. Guerra answered that the library is trying to get more staff to do more of this type of programming. It’s in the works, but the library will get there. Ms. Gonzalez suggested making it into a contest for the best video about library services. Mr. Guerra agreed that may be a great idea. Ms. Brenda Trevino mentioned that Katie Hernandez was promoted to Assistant Branch Manager at the Southmost Branch Library. Ms. Bobbi Vasquez reported that the Friends of the Library and how they are doing. She encourages more donations and is trying to do a big book sale with the library. They are increasing their opening hours. They are donating $8,000 for the Summer Reading Program. Ms. Hernandez asked what type of donations they are looking for, Bobbi answered that all types but patron like the DVD and audio books. Mr. Olivo then suggested she reach out to the Jr. Service League for volunteers, that they must do community service hours this work for them. 5) Adjournment – Motion to adjourn by Mrs. Pena and seconded by Ms. Gonzalez. The meeting adjourned at 6:35 pm.