Brownsville Public Library System Advisory Board

Brownsville Public Library System Advisory Board July 10, 2023 Minutes Hybrid Present Absent Guests George E. Olivo Cynthia Lizardi-Burlette Josephine Balboa Bertha Gomez Rubi Gonzalez Lisa Rodriguez Kayla Treviño Nora I Garza Brenda Treviño Beatriz Morales Alisha Hernandez Melinda Clayton Anthony Chavarria Bertha Peña Courtney Taylor Chris Pineda Bobbi Vasquez 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. Ms. Alisha Hernandez seconded. All voted aye, and the minutes approved. 3) Citizen Comment – No Comments 4) Library Report a. Adult Services - Bertha Gomez presented first on the adult services in order to attend the pending adult program, Picnic Day. The program, A taste of India, taught patrons how to make naan and offered samples of different chutneys. Both Main and Southmost had over 30 patrons attend. The Daddy and Me Craft Night had finger painting and airplanes. The Adult Computer Literacy Classes continued through July, as well as outreach to the adult day cares. In July, Adult Services also hosted International Recipe Swap, for the Around the World Summer Reading Program. For August, the library will have a Back-to-School Backpack giveaway, a Cooking Class, and an Open Mic Night. Mr. Olivo asked who was provided the materials for the Back to School Giveaway and how many were given out last year. Ms. Trevino informed him the library purchased the backpacks and this is the first year the library will be hosting the event. Bertha Gomez stated the Giveaway will be held one day at Southmost, August 14th, and another day at Main, August 16th. Ms. Gomez excused herself to attend the Adult Service program. b. Youth Services – Ms. Kayla Trevino presented for Youth Services. The final registration for the Summer Reading Program was 1,408, which exceeded the goal of 800. Kayla went over the previous month's programs, including the Kids’ Nights, the presentation by the Gladys Porter Zoo, Root beer Floats with Dad, and the Summer Bash. The Summer Bash was a foam party with over 800 attendants. Other organizations were invited to participate and set-up booths for patrons, including BCFS Health and Human Services, and the Palo Alto Battlefield Historical Park. The library also had a soft play rental, this was for toddlers and small children that were not able to safely play at the other areas. Mr. Pineda ask if this was the first time having the Summer Bash and if the library learned anything from the event. Kayla informed him we have had the Summer Bash event at the Southmost Branch the previous year, with carnival rides and rock wall. Kayla informed him that the kids really enjoyed the foam, and that the library was looking into possibly purchasing a machine for future events. Also, the heat was a big factor, and in the future outside events will have tents available. Kayla moved on to the July events, including Story times, Kids’ Nights, Art Contests, presentation by Contacto Animal, Resaca de la Palma National Park, and a Magic show by John O’Bryant. Ms. Rubi Gonzalez complimented Ms. Kayla on all the fun and different the activities. Ms. Bertha Pena commented on the increase of patrons attending the programs. Kayla thanked the board. c. Teen Services – Ms. Beatriz Morales presented for the Teen Services portion. Beatriz first covered June events, such as the Maid Café, where staff dressed up and provided pastries and drinks, as well as a presentation on Maid cafes, and Art Deco Night, which included diamond painting with intricate designs and a presentation of the style. Ms. Morales then presented on the upcoming events for July, Teen Nights, The Secret of the Sphinx and Lego Eiffel Tower and August, Virtual Reality Career Fair and the Lock in at the Library. Ms. Gonzalez again complimented the programs and the success of getting teens to patriciate in the events. Mr. Pineda had a question about the demographics of the teens, such as ages and whether there were more boys or girls. Beatriz stated we don’t usually differentiate or divide our patrons into such narrowed categories but went on to mentioned that through her observations it is evenly split. d. MakerSpace Services – Anthony Chavarria start his Makerspace presentation with the June events. In June, Makerspace held a Tech Petting Zoo, which featured different STEM technologies, such as robotics, 3D designs, and circuits. The exploration theatre returned in June at the Main branch, with a new projector system. Mr. Chavarria went on to the upcoming events in July. First, DIY Machines, which will give patron a chance to demo the machines the library has available, like the Glowforge, Heatpress, and Sublimation machine; second is the Virtual Reality and Game Design with Mario Maker, which will introduce patrons to coding and design. Ms. Hernandez ask for more information of the Exploration Theatre. Anthony explains there are a variety of movies to show. Kayla further explained it is an inflatable dome with a 360° projector. Ms. Bertha Pena asked about the Mario Maker program, Anthony clarified the library will be providing the game, so patrons can design their own level of the games and test out the designs, future programs might go on to include competition between patrons. Mr. Pineda take a minute to compliment Lazaro Castro, the Southmost Makerspace Advisor, for his help with a project his son needed assistance now. e. Outreach – Courtney Taylor presented on the different outreaches the library participated in, starting with the Victoria Gardens Strong Families event hosted by Housing Authority of the City of Brownsville, that reached 70 people. The library continued to attend the Brownsville Farmer’s Market and reached 76 people. Courtney presented on the Adult Services Librarians going to the Adult Daycares. Courtney also reminder the Library Board of the upcoming Games of Texas, that the City of Brownsville is hosting. Mr. Pineda ask what kind of volunteer are needed. Courtney and Ms. Trevino explained the different types of jobs, like judging, ticket takers, crowd control, and concessions. Many positions will be filled by city employees, but volunteers are welcome to help. Courtney closed her presentation by stating the library was recognized for its contribution by BISD, on June 13th for the library’s outreach to the BISD Migrant Board. Ms. Rubi Gonzalez suggested the library attend the Frist Friday Market the city has in Market Square, as a possible outreach. Courtney states it is something she will consider, depending on availability of staff and resources. Mr. Pineda ask if there is any feedback from the Adult Daycares. Courtney informs the board that they enjoy and appreciate the library’s visit and we are looking for different ways to engage with the patrons at these locations. Ms. Bobby Vasquez suggested the Playaway devices, however many of the people have trouble with technology. f. Friends of the Library - Ms. Bobby Vasquez updated the board on the Friends of the Library. The friends put new materials as they come in and both branches now accept credit cards. Ms. Hernandez asks if there is a minimum for the credit card. Bobby states there is no minimum but is a .50 service charge. Bobby states that they are looking for volunteers to fill more hours, they current times are Monday - Thursday 4pm-8pm  and Friday –Sunday 10am- 6pm. Ms. Nora Garza suggest posting the changes and hours to Facebook to encourage more people to visit. Ms. Rubi Gonzalez ask what the minimum age for volunteers. Ms. Vasquez states the preference is 18 or older, but as young as 16 can apply. Mr. Pineda states the minimum for the city is 16, however Ms. Brenda Trevino explains the city is considering changing the age, but there has been no official change yet. 5)Adjournment – Before the motion, Mr. Olivo thanks and compliments the library and staff. Ms. Bertha Pena apologizes for not being able to attend in person and goes on to state BISD had very high attendance to all the summer schools and summer programs and that the library being able to bring in so many people while competing with BISD is a big accomplishment. Ms. Bobby Vasquez reminds people to be careful of pedestrians, stating that she was recently injured by a car in a parking lot. Motion to adjourn by Ms. Hernandez and seconded by Mrs. Rubi Gonzalez, all vote aye. The meeting adjourned at 6:08 pm.