Brownsville Public Library System Advisory Board

Brownsville Public Library System Advisory Board April 8, 2024 Minutes Hybrid Present Absent Guests Chair George E. Olivo, Alisha Hernandez, Bertha Juan Guerra, Brenda Trevino, Josephine Balboa, Vice Chair Chris Pineda, Pena Lisa Rodriguez, Lazaro Castro, Courtney Martin Leal, Nora Garza Taylor, Kayla Trevino, Jose A. Gonzalez, Bobbi (Virtual). Audria West Vasquez, Angelita Leal, Jennifer Chavez (Virtual) 1) Call Meeting to Order – Meeting called to order by Mr. George E. Olivo at 5:33pm. 2) Discussion and Action of Approval of Minutes – Mr. Martin Leal motions to approve the minutes. Mr. Chris Pineda seconds. All in favor. 3) Public Comment – Mr. Juan Guerra provides a comment as a member of the public. He shares that he attended the Public Library Association Conference and explains that this is the first time this library has sent someone to this conference. Mr. Guerra states that he learned a lot and that we are ahead of the curb in comparison to other libraries. He states that some libraries are struggling both financially and with ideas. Mr. Guerra says that he wanted to share the library staff are a great team and a great library but there’s still more to come. He states that we are not the best in the nation, there are things to grow, but we are very close to that. Mr. Guerra states that this conference is every two years and Ms. Brenda Trevino will be going with someone else going for the following years. He shares that the conference is not to have only fun but to learn and improve. 4) Library Report a) Adult Services, presented by Jose A. Gonzalez: Ms. Gonzalez starts by reviewing new banners displayed on the light posts outside of the library. These banners showcase different services the library has to offer ranging from movie/video games that are available for check out and the availability of meeting/study rooms. Mr. Gonzalez goes over programs from the past month such as Computer Classes, Tax Information Class, Adult Slime Day, and the Golden Egg Challenge. He also reviews the Little Libraries, which have been successful. Mr. Gonzalez then discusses programs to be held this coming month such as First-Time Homebuyer Workshop, Book Face Challenge in honor of National Library Week, Let’s Get Cookin, showing of “La, La, Land” for Movie Night, Gardening for Adults, Adult Services Committee, and Game Night. Mr. Leal then asked what is done during the cooking class. Mr. Gonzalez explained that the food items are purchased by the library and patrons are shown how to cook the dish. He also shared that the patrons are provided with the ingredients so that they can have hands on experience making the dish as well. Mr. Olivo asked Mr. Rodriguez to share more about the Adult Services Committee is where they invite the community to visit the library and see if they can give more ideas for programming. He shares that a survey is handed out to patrons as well to give feedback as to what they’re interested in. b) Youth Services, presented by Kayla Trevino: Ms. Trevino began by reviewing the Easter Eggstravaganza events at both branches. She explains that the event went well despite the rain that prevented the egg hunt from taking place outside. She stated that last minute games were made to make up for the lack of the egg hunt. Ms. Trevino shared that despite the weather, 380 people attended the event at the Southmost Branch and 630 people at the Main Branch. Ms. Trevino then reviewed the Puffy Paint activity for Kid’s Night which was Easter themed as well. She shared the turnout for this program was 104 kids at the Main Branch and 51 kids at the Southmost Branch. Ms. Trevino then went over regular programs for the month of April such as Toddler Playdate, LEGO Day, Stories and Snacks, Movie Night showing of “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” and DIY Bird’s Nest and Library Olympics programs for Kid’s Night. Mr. Olivo comments that these are great ideas and good attendance. Mr. Guerra adds that the staff are not afraid to try something new and even with all these programs, we still continue the normal day to day operations. Mr. Pineda then questions if there were any lessons learned regarding the Eggstravaganza event. Ms. Trevino responds that next year she will have a contingency plan in place and have games prepared. She also states that having two Easter bunnies instead of one so that when one goes on break, the other one can come out, so the line keeps moving. Ms. West adds that she attended the event at the Southmost Branch, and she did not realize the egg hunt was missing as she and her kids were entertained. Ms. Garza also questioned if there would be something done for Mother’s Day. Ms. Trevino confirmed there will be a Mother’s Day program in May. Mr. Olivo thanks Ms. Trevino for her report. c) Teen Services, presented by Kayla Trevino: Ms. Trevino reviews programs from the previous month of March such as Teen Night: Laser Tag, Teen Anime: Jujutsu Kaisen, and Teen Advisory. She also reviewed programs coming up in April such as Anime Club and Teen Advisory Club. Ms. Trevino then announces the big event planned for April “Prom-a- Palooza – Trolls Editions.” She explained this is the first time they will be doing a Teen Prom. Ms. Trevino explains that RSVP will be required and it’s for teens ages 12 to 18 years old. Mr. Leal asked about the interest for this event and Ms. Trevino responds that Ms. Morales spoke with the teens that attend the Teen Advisory meeting as well as other big events that have teen volunteers and there seems to be good feedback. Mr. Pineda asks if there will be security on site and Ms. Trevino responds that the managers/supervisors will be security, similar to the lock-in. Mr. Olivo comments that this was a wonderful report. d) Makerspace, presented by Lazaro Castro: Mr. Castro begins by announcing his return as Makerspace Advisor at the Southmost Branch. He then shares general updates for Makerspace such as staff training for the Poster Printer, streamlining Makerspace layout, and making samples for upcoming Makerspace events for April, May, and June. Mr. Olivo asked if poster printing was an issue while he was out, and Mr. Castro responded that they managed to have staff in Makerspace that were good at balancing in his absence. Mr. Castro adds that poster printing has been the most popular machine, and they want to make sure that everyone is well trained in providing this service. He then reviews the Starry Night Painting for the month of March. He shares that 73 people attended this event at the Main Branch and 59 people attended at the Southmost Branch. For the month of April, Mr. Castro stated that they will be doing a Resin Jewelry Event at both branches. He shared that for this event, they are recommending an age limit of 13 years of age and up due to contact with chemicals that can cause conditions if not careful. Mr. Olivo thanks him for his report. e) Outreach, presented by Courtney Taylor: Ms. Taylor reviews outreach events from the months of March such as Charro Day’s Soccer, Dia De Mujeres, Aging Healthy in the RGV, Farm to Heart Health Fair, KinderFun Daycare, Jubilee Career Fair, and the Brownsville Farmer’s Market. Ms. Taylor also shared for the Eggstravaganza, an in-reach table was set up where seed packet wheelbarrows were given to adults. She explains that this was to do a small planter for sunflowers in honor of Ms. Elizabeth Walker, who previously was the Library Overhead Manager. Ms. Taylor explained that a lot of the adults were thankful that they were remembered for Easter. Ms. Taylor then announced that she attended the National Digital Inclusion Alliance Net Inclusion Conference in Philadelphia. She stated that at this conference she presented to over 60 people and spoke about our Adult Computer Literacy Classes and how we dealt with our digital navigator program in Brownsville. Mr. Pineda asks Ms. Taylor if there were other librarians at the conference. Ms. Taylor responds that it was not only Librarians but also state and national level for net inclusion. She explains this could be Community Partners such as Housing Authority, Congress people, House of State, anyone who can build law and promote those programs including companies such as ACP and National things to build web fiber. Ms. Taylor then highlights BTX Fiber, which is Brownsville’s current efforts to keep the community connected. f) Friends of the Library, presented by Bobbi Vasquez: Ms. Vasquez begins by sharing that she does not have much to report but they are still looking for volunteers. She added that the librarians are helping a lot at Southmost, but they are trying to have at least one of the officers of the Friends of the Library there on Saturday. Ms. Vasquez states that the assistance from the librarians has been beneficial and expresses her appreciation. 6) Adjournment - Before asking for the motion, Mr. Olivo thanks the library staff for all the wonderful job they do in their different areas. He states that they work hard at what they do, and they are attracting more and more children. Mr. Olivo thanks staff for their dedication to their job. Mr. Leal motions to adjourn. Mr. Pineda seconds. All in favor. Meeting adjourns at 6:20 PM.