* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [Library Board on June 14, 2021.] [00:00:02] OKAY, RIGHT. DOROTHY, WOULD YOU MAKE YOUR MOTION NAIL PLACE? I MAKE A MOTION. WE APPROVE THE MINUTES OF APRIL 22ND. IS THERE A SECOND, SECOND, THIS IS TERRY I'LL APPROVE SAY AYE. AYE. ANY OPPOSED LIKE SIGN THEY WERE APPROVED. WE WILL GO NOW INTO ITEMS FOR INDIVIDUAL CONSIDERATION. AND THE FIRST ITEM IS INTRODUCTION OF A NEW LIBRARY, ASSISTANT SPANISH LANGUAGE. SO I AM SUPER EXCITED A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO. I THINK YOU HEARD ME, UH, ANNOUNCED THAT WE HAD, UM, DEVELOPED AND, UM, PUT TOGETHER FOR A BRAND NEW POSITION HERE AT THE LIBRARY THAT WE'VE NEVER HAD BEFORE. AND IF THEY FULL TIME LIBRARY, ASSISTANT POSITION DEVOTED TO SPANISH, UH, SPANISH LANGUAGE SERVICES FOR THE LIBRARY, AND I'M SUPER EXCITED TO BE ABLE TO, UM, INTRODUCE TO YOU TONIGHT, ANDREA LEON, UH, AS OUR NEW LA FOR SPANISH LANGUAGE SERVICES AT THE LIBRARY, SHE'S ALREADY STARTED. SHE'S, SHE'S WORKED HERE WITH US. UM, WE'RE THRILLED TO BE ABLE TO HAVE HER IN THIS NEW ROLE AND I WON'T STEAL ALL OF HER VENDORS. HE'S GOING TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HERSELF AND WHAT SHE HAS BEEN DOING HERE AT THE LIBRARY. I LOVE TO TALK ABOUT MYSELF. SO, UM, FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME ON HERE. IT'S SO NICE TO MEET ALL OF YOU AND PUT A FACE TO THE NAME AND, UM, SACRAMENTO. I'M SO EXCITED TO BE, TO HAVE BEEN CHOSEN FOR THIS NEW ROLE. AND WE ONLY WANT NEW AND EXCITING TO ME JUST TO COME WITH IT. UM, SO JUST SOME BACKGROUND INFORMATION ABOUT ME. UM, I HAVE A, UM, TEACHING DEGREE. I USED TO TEACH SEVENTH GRADE MATH, UH, WITH ESL CERTIFICATION. I ALSO TAUGHT FIRST GRADE. UM, BUT I DECIDED THAT I WANTED TO CHANGE. AND THEN MY MIND WENT TO THE LIBRARY CAUSE I'VE ALWAYS HAD A CONNECTION WITH THE LIBRARY. YOU KNOW, GROWING UP IN CHICAGO IS ALWAYS THERE AFTER SCHOOL. AND THEN WHEN I MOVED HERE, WELL, I MAY WALNUT CREEK MY HOME LIBRARY AND I WAS THERE EVERY DAY AFTER SCHOOL USING THEIR COMPUTER WHERE THE IMAGES NOW I REMEMBER IT WAS A LITTLE COMPUTER ROOM AND, UM, THE ACTUAL, THE, UM, CIRCULATION SUPERVISOR THAT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW REMEMBERS ME FROM THOSE DAYS. SHE POINTED THAT OUT WHEN I WENT FOR MY INTERVIEW. UM, SO YEAH, I STARTED OUT IN CIRQUE HERE IN 2018 AND I JUST KNEW THAT I WANTED TO PURSUE MY MASTER'S IN LIBRARY SCIENCE. SO I AM CURRENTLY PURSUING THAT AND WILL OBTAIN IT HOPEFULLY BY THE END OF THIS YEAR. UM, AND I'M JUST SUPER EXCITED AND I'M REALLY HOPING TO PROVIDE SOME PROGRAMMING AND SOME NEW IDEAS FOR NOT OUR HISPANIC COMMUNITY DIVERSE COMMUNITY, BECAUSE WE ALL KNOW GARLAND IS SUPER DIVERSE. UM, AND SO WE WANT TO GET THOSE NUMBERS UP, WHETHER IT BE ONLINE OR IN PERSON. AND, UM, I'M JUST SO EXCITED TO BE ABLE TO SERVICE THAT COMMUNITY AND THEN GLAD TO BE HERE. SO THAT WAS MY LITTLE SPEECH. YES, WE ARE. WE'RE THRILLED TO HAVE ANDREA AND THIS NEW ROLE. AND SHE'S BEEN WORKING WITH OUR LIBRARIANS, I THINK AT ALL OF OUR DIFFERENT LOCATIONS AND DOING SOMETHING, UM, IN DIFFERENT PROGRAMS WITH GA ISD, SOME STORYTIMES, AND I THINK SOME ADULT PROGRAMS AS WELL, BUT IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH, AND WE'RE REALLY EXCITED TO DIVE HEAD FIRST INTO THIS WONDERFUL ENDEAVOR AND REALLY BE ABLE TO TARGET AND PROVIDE BETTER SERVICES FOR OUR SPANISH LANGUAGE COMMUNITY IN GARLAND. SO THIS IS OUR ONE OF OUR FIRST STEP, BUT IT'S, BUT IT'S A GIANT STEP FOR US AND WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT IT. DEFINITELY. ANDREA. YEAH, OF COURSE. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME TO HAVE LIKE A COMMENT OR ANYTHING YOU WANT TO SAY ABOUT IT TO HER, ANDREW, NOTHING BAD AS YOU CAME. THANK YOU. AND WE APPRECIATE, YOU KNOW, TO HELP US REAL. THAT'S GOING TO BE GREAT. YES. I'M READY TO GET DEFINITELY MORE INFORMATION OUT THERE. A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE STILL APPREHENSIVE ABOUT, YOU KNOW, USING THE LIBRARY, SO HOPEFULLY WE CAN CHANGE THAT. THAT'S GOOD. THANKS. VERY MUCH. OF COURSE. OKAY. THE NEXT ITEM IS THE COVID LIBRARY OPERATIONS UPDATE. OKAY. I DON'T HAVE A LOT TO BE ABLE TO, OR A WHOLE LOT. WE'VE DONE SO MUCH IN SUCH A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME THIS SPRING, BUT AS OF JUNE 1ST, AGAIN, WE ARE BACK TO A HUNDRED PERCENT CAPACITY WITH STAFF IN THE LIBRARY, NO LONGER WORKING FROM HOME. WE ARE BACK OPEN AT A HUNDRED, HUNDRED PERCENT CAPACITY FOR THE PUBLIC. [00:05:01] UM, WE HAVE PUT, UH, NEWSPAPERS AND MAGAZINES BACK OUT TO THE PUBLIC, UM, TO BE ABLE TO READ WELL IN THE LIBRARY. AGAIN, WE'RE NO LONGER QUARANTINING LIBRARY MATERIALS THEY'RE CHECKED IN USING OUR AMH MACHINES ARE AT FULL CAPACITY AND WE HAVE STARTED ACCEPTING DONATIONS AGAIN. SO IF YOU HAVE ANY MATERIALS THAT YOU'VE BEEN SAVING UP AT YOUR HOMES, WAITING FOR US TO ACCEPT DONATIONS, AGAIN, WE, WE ARE ACCEPTING THOSE AT ALL OF THE DIFFERENT LIBRARY LOCATIONS. WE'VE ALSO STARTED IN, KATHLEEN'S GOING TO TALK ABOUT IT A LITTLE BIT MORE IN HER PORTION. WE'VE STARTED IN-PERSON PROGRAMMING AGAIN AT A REDUCED CAPACITY THAN WHAT WE NORMALLY DO DURING THE SUMMER. AND WE'VE BEEN DOING THEM OUTSIDE JUST AS ANOTHER LAYER OF SAFETY, UM, IN CONJUNCTION WITH SOME OF OUR PARKS AND REC CENTERS THAT WE HAVE HERE IN GARLAND. UM, AND THEN THE LAST THING IS THAT WE, UM, MASKS AND SOCIAL DISTANCING ARE NOW OPTIONAL FOR STAFF. IT'S NOT MANDATORY ANY LONGER FOR STAFF TO, UH, BE DISTANCED OR, UM, WEAR A MASK IT'S ENCOURAGED IF YOU'VE NOT BEEN FULLY VACCINATED OR IF YOU WERE COMFORTABLE WEARING A MASK, BUT YOU DON'T HAVE TO IN THE LIBRARY FOR PATRONS OR STAFF ANY LONGER. UM, I HAVE A QUESTION. WHAT, WHAT DID THE SIGNS ON THE DOORS SAY RIGHT NOW? UH, AND, AND I SAY THAT I, I, I DON'T GO TO A LOT OF STORES, BUT MY GROCERY STORE SAYS ONE THING. AND MY, YOU KNOW, MY, MY STARBUCKS SAYS SOMETHING ELSE. I'M MAKING UP EXAMPLES THAT MAYBE IT JUST THE SIGNAGE ON THE DOORS AT THE VARIOUS BRANCHES REPRESENT WHATEVER IS CURRENT. I BELIEVE IT'S ENCOURAGING. IT SAYS MASS ARE ENCOURAGED, WHICH IS THE LAST THING THAT THE CITY SENT OUT. SO THAT'S FROM PUBLIC AND MEDIA RELATIONS. AND SO WHATEVER THEY SEND US, THAT'S WHAT WE HAVE. AND THAT WAS THE LATEST, THE LAST UPDATE. AND THAT WAS WHEN, UH, GOVERNOR ABBOTT STATED THAT, UM, MASKS WERE NOT MANDATORY. THE CITY STILL SAID THAT STAFF HAD TO, SO WE WERE STILL WEARING THEM. AND THEN, THEN, UH, COUNCIL MADE THE DECISION THAT IT WOULD BE, UM, VOLUNTARY FOR STAFF ALSO, BUT THE, THE SIGNS SAY ENCOURAGED. AND I, I DON'T KNOW. I SEE THAT ON A LOT OF, UM, SIGNS AS YOU'RE ENTERING IN THAT IT'S ENCOURAGED. THAT'S GREAT. I MEAN, I THINK JUST IN GENERAL, THINGS ARE IN FLUX AND PEOPLE ARE CATCHING UP WITH THEIR SIGNAGE OR THEIR ATTITUDES ARE EVOLVING AND SO ON. SO, AND I WAS AT THE LIBRARY ON SATURDAY AND I FORGOT TO LOOK AND SEE WHAT THE SIGN SAID. SO THANK YOU. ANYBODY ELSE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT? NOPE. OKAY. WE'LL GO TO SAVE, WHICH IS CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN, BOND PROGRAM UPDATES. THE FIRST ONE IS CENTRAL ADVERSARY THAT WILL GOING TO COVER THE CENTRAL LIBRARY FOR US TONIGHT. RIGHT. SO RIGHT NOW, UM, WE ARE CURRENTLY IN THE SCHEMATIC DESIGN PHASE OF THE CENTRAL LIBRARY CONSTRUCTION PROJECT, UH, PROJECT. THE GOAL OF THE SCHEMATIC DESIGN PHASE IS TO PRODUCE A COMPLETE DESIGN OF THE ENTIRE PROJECT, INCLUDING THE SPECIFIC MATERIALS, USE THE EQUIPMENT THAT'S GOING TO BE USED THE SYSTEMS AND THE SPACES, UH, INCLUDED IN THE PROJECT. UH, ALSO DURING THIS PHASE, ALL ENGINEERING CONSIDERATIONS STUFF THAT WE DON'T REALLY DO A LOT WITH, UH, AS A LIBRARY STAFF, BUT THEY BRING IN STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS, MECHANICAL, UH, AND ELECTRICAL AND PLUMBING, UH, ENGINEERING. UH, WE DON'T REALLY GET COMPLETELY INVOLVED IN THAT. WE HEAR ABOUT IT. UH, WE SHOW THEM WHERE THINGS ARE IN THE BUILDING, BUT WE DON'T REALLY, UH, BECOME INVOLVED IN THAT PART. UM, ALSO DURING THIS PHASE, UM, BECKY KING LIBRARY, ADMINISTRATION, AND CITY CONSTRUCTION PRINT, UH, PROJECT MANAGEMENT STAFF, WE MEET BIWEEKLY WITH THE, UH, WITH OUR ARCHITECT AND INTERIOR DESIGN. UH, YOU MAY REMEMBER OUR ARCHITECT IS A SEVEN 20 DESIGN. UM, AND WE, UH, MEET WITH DURING THOSE MEETINGS, WE MEET WITH A HOST OF CONSULTANTS, UH, CIVIL AND STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS, UM, UH, MEP MECHANICAL, ELECTRICAL AND PLUMBING ENGINEERS, THE LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT. UH, WE HAVE A LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT THAT WE'RE WORKING WITH, UH, THAT ARE CALLED THE STUDIO OUTSIDE. AND ALSO, UH, WE HAVE AN IT SECURITY [00:10:01] AND AUDIO VISUAL CONSULTANT, UH, THAT WE MEET WITH AND TALK WITH ABOUT, ABOUT THE DESIGN OF, OF DIFFERENT SYSTEMS, UH, IN THE LIBRARY. SO FOR OUR PART, UH, MAINLY THE AREAS THAT WE HAVE BEEN PARTICIPATING IN AND DOING A LOT OF, UH, A LOT OF, UH, UM, WORK IN, UH, UH, WE'RE, WE'RE LOOKING AT THE FINAL DESIGN AND LAYOUT OF THE FOUR SPACE IN THE BUILDING, AND WE'RE GETTING, WE'RE MOVING QUITE, UH, QUITE A WAYS THROUGH THAT PART. UH, SOME OF THE BIG TAKEAWAYS THAT WE'RE HAVING, THAT, THAT I, I CAN TALK ABOUT A LITTLE BIT IS WE'RE LOOKING AT MOVING THE MAIN ENTRANCE OF THE CENTRAL LIBRARY TO THE WEST SIDE OF THE BUILDING, UH, FROM THE, ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE BUILDING. UH, WE'RE LOOKING AT MOVING THE ENTIRE CHILDREN'S COLLECTION AND ELECT, UH, CHILDREN'S AREA TO THE LOWER LEVEL OF THE LIBRARY AND MOVING ALL THE ADULT MATERIALS THAT ARE DOWN ON THE LOWER LEVEL UP TO, UH, THE MAIN BUBBLE, THE, UH, GROUND LEVEL OF THE LIBRARY. UM, WE'RE LOOKING, UH, LOOKING TO LOCATE A LARGE, THE LARGE PROGRAM ROOM THAT WE HAVE CURRENTLY ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE BUILDING. WE WANT TO LOCATE THAT, UH, NEAR TO THE ENTRANCE OF THE LIBRARY, SO THAT IT'S A LITTLE BIT MORE ACCESSIBLE. WE ALSO ARE MEETING WITH THE LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT ABOUT WHAT IT'S GOING TO LOOK LIKE OUTSIDE OF THE BUILDING IN OUR, I DON'T HAVE A HUGE AMOUNT TO SHARE WITH YOU, BUT OUR MAIN GOAL IN, IN, IN, IN MEETING WITH THE LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT AND OUR GOAL FOR THE OUTSIDE OF THE LIBRARY IS TO CREATE MORE GREEN SPACE AROUND THE LIBRARY. UH, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT OF PARKING LOT AND THERE'S NOT VERY, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE SOME REALLY NICE TREES IN THE WEST PARKING LOT, BUT THERE'S REALLY NOT A LOT OF GREEN SPACE, UH, AROUND THE LIBRARY. SO WE'RE HOPING TO IMPROVE THAT PART OF IT. UM, SO WE JUST STARTED LOOKING, WE HAD A MEETING I BELIEVE, UH, LAST WEEK, UH, TALKING ABOUT THE POTENTIAL TECHNOLOGY THAT WE'RE GOING TO, UH, USE INSIDE THE LIBRARY AND INCLUDES IN OUR STUDY ROOMS. THE, YOU KNOW, WE PROBABLY WILL HAVE TV MONITORS, OUR PROGRAM ROOMS WE'LL HAVE, UH, WE'LL HAVE TO SELECT OUR, UH, OUR, UH, PROJECTION EQUIPMENT AND SOUND EQUIPMENT. SO WE'VE BEEN TALKING A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT. UM, OVERALL I THINK I WOULD SAY I, KATHLEEN AND KAREN CAN ALSO CHIME IN, I THINK WE'RE PRETTY PLEASED AND EXCITED ABOUT THE DESIGN SO FAR. WE STILL HAVE A LITTLE WAYS TO GO. UM, BUT I THINK, UH, THUS FAR, UH, WE'RE PRETTY EXCITED AND STILL TRUDGING ALONG, HOPEFULLY, UH, GETTING TO BE IN BEFORE TOO LONG OR TO THE NEXT PHASE THAT NEEDS, I THINK OUR HOPE IS OUR INTENT IS IN MAYBE AUGUST OR SEPTEMBER WHEN GROUP HAVE PLANS A LITTLE MORE FINALIZED, INVITING SEVEN 20 BETTY MAUREEN, UM, TO BE ABLE TO COME AND PRESENT TO YOU WHERE WE'RE AT WITH THE PROJECT AND HOPEFULLY CROSS FINGERS GIVE, UM, A PREVIEW OF SOME OF THOSE CHANGES LOOK LIKE, AND THE, THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT THAT WILL BE IN PERSON. SO SOME OF THOSE THINGS ARE JUST, MY OPINION ARE EASIER TO SEE IN PRINT THAN IT IS, UH, THROUGH ZOOM, THROUGH A SHARED SCREEN, YOU'RE DOING FINDING A PLACE TO MOVE TO. WE ARE WE'RE STEADILY LOOKING. THERE'S, THERE'S A CHANCE THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO, UH, RENT A TEMPORARY TRAILER, UM, OR TRAILERS AND HAVE THEM IN THE WEST LOT IN BETWEEN THE LIBRARY AND THE WOMEN'S BUILDING. UM, THERE'S JUST, THERE'S NOT A LOT OUT THERE RIGHT NOW THAT THAT'S LARGE ENOUGH THAT CAN HOUSE US, BUT WE'RE WORKING AND LOOKING AND WE'LL MAKE THE, UM, WE'LL MAKE IT WORK. ANYBODY ELSE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ON THAT ONE? NOPE. OKAY. TELL US ABOUT THE WALNUT CREEK BRANCH LIBRARY. UNFORTUNATELY, I DON'T HAVE THAT MANY FUN DETAILS LIKE WIELDED TO TALK ABOUT WITH WALNUT CREEK BECAUSE WE WERE IN SUCH, UH, THE FIRST BEGINNING STAGES OF BALTIC CREEK, BUT WE'RE IN PREDESIGNED FOR WALNUT CREEK, AND IT'S BEEN A LOT OF FUN TO WORK WITH OUR ARCHITECT, WHICH IS, UM, AT BLK. UH, WE HAD THAT FIRST COMMUNITY MEETING THAT WAS BACK IN, I BELIEVE IT WAS APRIL LATE, APRIL, EARLY MAY, AND MANY OF YOU ATTENDED OR COMPLETED A SURVEY AND WE HAVE CLOSED THAT PUBLIC SURVEY. NOW WE KEPT THAT OPEN FOR A LITTLE BIT LONGER TO TRY TO GET ANY PEOPLE FROM THE PUBLIC OR PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IF WE COULD, UM, FOR THAT. SO THAT SOUND OFF THE WEBSITE AND OFF OF SOCIAL MEDIA. NOW, UM, WE'VE HELD A COUPLE OF MEETINGS BETWEEN THE LIBRARY DEPARTMENT [00:15:01] AND RE REC CENTER, UM, AND SOME OF THE PARTS ADMINISTRATION TO BE ABLE TO START THE PROCESS OF TRYING TO FIGURE OUT, YOU KNOW, WHERE ON THE PIECE OF PROPERTY MAKES SENSE FOR THE LIBRARY TO GO. UM, THE REC CENTER, YOU KNOW, IS ALSO BUILDING A GYM ON THE SITE. SO THEY'RE PLACING, UH, A NEW STRUCTURE WITH NEW AMENITIES THERE FOR THE PUBLIC, AND JUST TRYING TO CONCEPTUALIZE AND TALK ABOUT SOME SHARED PROGRAMMING AND SOME, UM, SHARED RESOURCES AND SERVICES THAT WE CAN BOTH, UH, REALLY BENEFIT FROM AND REALLY MAKE THE, THE SITE OF AN AMAZING SITE FOR WEST GARLAND. SO IT'S STARTING, IT'S MOVING FORWARD. IT'S NOT TO THE PLACE THAT CENTRAL IS YET, BUT THERE'S A LOT OF EXCITING THINGS TO COME FROM THIS PROJECT. AND THERE'LL BE SOME MORE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND INVOLVEMENT, UM, HOPEFULLY IN THE NEAR BEAUTY OF THIS PROJECT AS WELL. WELL, I'D LIKE TO ADD, UH, ONE THING, I DON'T THINK THAT NEW LIBRARY WALNUT CREEK NEEDS A CHIMNEY OR A FURNACE THERE TO BURN ANYTHING. I, THE ONE OVER AT, UH, RICHARDSON PUBLIC LIBRARIES, THE CHIMNEY, THERE IS TWO STORIES TALL, AND I'VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING BURNING THE THING. SO IT'S KIND OF A WASTE YOU'VE GOT HEATERS AND COOLERS. AND THE OTHER THING I WOULD LOVE TO SEE, AND I DON'T KNOW IF IT'LL HAPPEN, BUT THOSE ORIENTAL BOOKS THAT ARE THERE ON THE NORTH SIDE, I'D LOVE TO SEE THEM STAY IN WALNUT CREEK BRANCH. I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY ELDERLY PEOPLE COME TO READ THEM, BUT THEY'RE CERTAINLY UNIQUE. THAT'S ABOUT IT. WE'LL DEFINITELY WORK WITH, UM, THE COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT TEAM. THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS KATHLEEN HEADS UP HERE, UH, AND BUILD A COLLECTION OPENING DAY COLLECTION FOR THE NEW FACILITY, WHICH WILL HAVE, YOU KNOW, MATERIALS FOR SPANISH SPEAKERS, UM, VIETNAMESE SPEAKERS. THERE'LL BE A LITTLE BIT OF A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS THAT REPRESENT ALL CULTURES AND LANGUAGES THAT ARE REPRESENTED. I SHOULDN'T SAY ALL THAT DOMINANT CULTURES AND LANGUAGES THAT ARE IN WEST GARLAND. I CERTAINLY HOPE SO. SO THANK YOU. DO YOU WANT TO ASK THEM TO COMMENT? WELL, LET'S GO TO D ELIMINATION OF LAYER LIBRARY DISCUSSION CONTINUED. UM, LET ME JUST SHARE MY SCREEN REAL QUICK. WE, WE HAD TALKED ABOUT, UM, WE TALKED ABOUT AT OUR APRIL MEETING, UM, OUR, I HAD PRESENTED THE INFORMATION ABOUT ELIMINATING LIBRARY FUNDS IN GARLAND AND KIND OF SOME OF THE PROS AND CONS. AND I DIDN'T KNOW, THERE'S BEEN TWO MONTHS SINCE WE MET, IF ANYONE HAD ANY ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS ON ELIMINATING FUNDS, CONCERNS ABOUT ELIMINATING FINES OR MOVING FORWARD WITH THAT, UH, THAT GOAL THAT'S IN OUR STRATEGIC PLAN. OKAY. THIS IS, THIS IS THIEVES. ISN'T THIS ISN'T FUNDS NOW IT'S LIBRARY FUNDS. IT WOULDN'T BE FEES. SO I'M ON THE WRONG SCREEN. SORRY. IT WOULD BE FANS. IT WAS JUST A DIFFERENT, YES. KEEP THE FEES. IF YOU PRINT OUT SOMETHING, YOU STILL HAVE TO PAY FOR THE PRINCIPALS. I ALWAYS CONSIDERED THAT MONEY WELL SPENT BECAUSE I'M CREATING MORE BOOKS. IF I PAY A FINE JUST OLD-FASHIONED I'M SURE, BUT I ALWAYS FIGURED IT. IF I, OR I EARNED IT, I DIDN'T HEAR THE FIRST OF WHAT YOU SAID DARKLY, OR ARE YOU FINE? OLD, OLD FASHIONED, I SUPPOSE, BUT I ALWAYS CONSIDERED PAYING ANY SORT OF FINES ON BOOKS AWAY THAT I JUST CREATE MORE BOOKS. SO I UNDERSTAND, I DON'T THINK WE GET TO KEEP THE MONEY TO BUY BOOKS. IT GOES INTO THAT. I SAY PHYSICALLY I'M I FEEL AS THOUGH WE'RE JUST CREATING MORE BOOKS, BUT NO, IT DOESN'T. WE DON'T GET TO KEEP IT, BUT IT'S NICE. KEEPS YOU HONEST, BUT IT ELIMINATION WOULDN'T. IT WOULD DO IT EITHER WAY. WHAT, WHAT WAS THE AMOUNT OF REVENUE POSSIBLY LOST? IF WE ELIMINATED THE FINES WE TAKE IN SOMEWHERE IN THE RANGE OF A HUNDRED TO $120,000 IN, UM, FINES, THAT'S NOT FEEDS, THAT'S JUST FONZ. [00:20:01] WOW. UM, IT IS A LOT, UM, I WILL ALSO SAY THOUGH THAT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT A LARGE NUMBER OF THE PUBLIC HAS EXPRESSED INTEREST IN. UM, AND IT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I THINK WILL HELP OUR CITIZENS BE ABLE TO FEEL LIKE THEY HAVE BETTER ACCESS TO THE LIBRARY BY ELIMINATING THE FINES. SO MISS BETTY'S RIGHT. WE DON'T GET TO KEEP THE, THE FINES DON'T STRAIGHT BACK TO THE LIBRARY. WE DON'T GET TO KEEP THOSE IN THE LIBRARY. IT SEEMS LIKE WE'RE SURE. WHERE DOES THE MONEY GO THEN? IT GOES TO THE GENERAL FUND FOR THE CITY. OH YEAH. WHY IS THAT? THAT'S HOW WE'RE FUNDED. WE, IT GOES BACK INTO THE GENERAL FUND IT, IF THEY DID THAT AND THAT THERE'S SO MANY DIFFERENT CATEGORIES THAT TAKE DIFFERENT FEES FOR THIS CITY, I THINK THERE WOULD BE SILOS ALL OVER THE PLACE, BUT IT JUST GOES BACK TO THE CITY. CAUSE WE'RE A CITY DEPARTMENT AND THE CITY IS VERY GENEROUS WITH US. SO I CAN'T, YOU KNOW, AND SO THE, WHAT IS THE, IS THE CITY COUNCIL HAVE A POSITION ON THIS? WELL, THE, WE WOULD HAVE TO TAKE THIS TO THE CITY COUNCIL. WE, WE CAN'T DECIDE, UM, LIBRARY STAFF CAN'T DECIDE WE CAN MAKE A RECOMMENDATION AND THEN, YOU KNOW, THE BOARD CAN MAKE A RECOMMENDATION TO OUR, TO SUPPORT OR, OR NOT THE RECOMMENDATION TO GO FIND FREE. UH, IT WAS PART OF THE PACKAGE THAT WE PRESENTED TO MR. BRADFORD, THE CITY MANAGER, UM, AND ALL OF THAT HAS TO GO BEFORE CITY COUNCIL AND BE PRESENTED TO CITY COUNCIL FOR EITHER YAY OR NAY. WE HAVE A SPECIFIC REACTION TO THAT. WELL, I CAN GIVE YOU THE LONG VERSION. WHEN I, WHEN WE BROACHED THE SUBJECT A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, HE WAS NOT FOR IT. NO, HE DIDN'T SUPPORT IT. AND ALONG AND ALONG AS WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THE DIFFERENT, UM, ISSUES THAT SOME OF OUR PATRONS HAVE AND HOW SOMETHING AS SMALL AS A FINE CAN DETER PEOPLE FROM COMING AND USING THE LIBRARY, ESPECIALLY A GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO NEED THE RESOURCES AND THE SERVICES OF THE LIBRARY, HE HAS REALLY COME TO SUPPORT AND BACK GOING FINE FREE. AND THE WHAT, WHAT ARE THE, UH, ARE THERE OTHER STUDIES IN TERMS OF THE EFFECTS OF GOING FINE FREE? WHAT, WHAT ARE THE, WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES OF IT? YES. SO BY AND LARGE, MOST OF THE STUDIES THAT HAVE BEEN COMPLETED, OR THE ARTICLES THAT HAVE COME HAVE BEEN COMPLETED HAVE SHOWN THAT THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE COME BACK TO THE LIBRARY HAS INCREASED. AND THE NUMBER OF MATERIALS THAT PEOPLE CHECK OUT HAS INCREASED. I DON'T HAVE NUMBERS IN FRONT OF ME, BUT I CAN CERTAINLY PULL SOME OTHER STUDIES AND SEND THEM OUT TO THE BOARD IF YOU'D LIKE TO READ THEM. RIGHT. BUT THE AGGREGATE IS THAT IT INCREASES USAGE AND IT DOESN'T INCREASE THEFT. CORRECT. THEY'VE ACTUALLY HAD AT SOME PLACES A NUMBER OF VERY, VERY OLD MATERIALS RETURN. CAUSE THEY'RE NOT GOING TO PENALIZE THAT FARM. AND I DID JUST SHARE THE, UM, THE SLOT AS WELL FOR OTHER FUN FREE LIBRARIES ARE IN OUR AREA, IN THE METROPLEX, UP ON THE SCREEN. AND HAVE YOU, UM, JUST SORT OF ANECDOTALLY, ARE YOU IN CONTACT WITH LIBRARY DIRECTORS AT ANY OF THOSE PLACES THAT, WHERE YOU'VE JUST SORT OF CASUALLY CHATTED ABOUT THAT OR YES, THEY, THEY THEY'RE, THEY'RE CONCURRING WITH THE SORT OF AGGREGATE STUDY THEN? YES. MOST OF THEM ARE. I WON'T SAY THAT ALL OF THEM ARE, BUT THE MAJORITY OF THEM ARE OKAY. AND IF IT HELPS US WELL, THE AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION, UH, PASSED A RESOLUTION. I THINK IT WAS IN JANUARY OR FEBRUARY OF 2019, UM, TAKING, UH, UH, MAKING A RESOLUTION THAT YOU GOING FEND FREE, UM, HELPS THOSE WHO ARE ECONOMICALLY OR FINANCIALLY DISADVANTAGED. UM, BEING ABLE TO MAKE SOME OF THE RESOURCES AND THE SERVICES THAT THE LIBRARY HAVE MORE ACCESSIBLE TO [00:25:01] A DISADVANTAGED POPULATION BY ELIMINATING FINES. AND AGAIN, NOT ELIMINATING FEES. THIS IS JUST LATE FINES. UH, HAS THERE BEEN A SORT OF MIDDLE GROUND, UM, INSTEAD OF SORT OF THE EITHER OR HERE OF REDUCING FINES, WE TALKED ABOUT REDUCING FINES AT ONE TIME AND WE EVEN TALKED ABOUT ELIMINATING FINES FOR CHILDREN, BUT NOT ADULTS, VERY COMPLICATED IN DOING THAT. AND THEN I THINK WE'D HAVE SOME, UM, IT JUST GETS VERY COMPLICATED AND DOING SOME OF THOSE THINGS, UH, IN THE DECISION THE, THAT MY RECOMMENDATION WAS TO D IF WE'RE GOING TO DO IT, JUST DO IT, GO FIND FREE AND TAKE THE STEP TO GO FIND FOR YOU TO SERVE THE GREATER GOOD. WHEN WE, IF WE GO THROUGH THE, IF THIS GETS APPROVED AND WE DON'T HAVE FINES, THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT SOMEBODY CAN JUST KEEP A BOOK OUT FOREVER. THERE'S STILL THE THREE WEEK, UM, WRITTEN THREE WEEK, THREE WEEK CHECKOUT PERIOD. THEN THEY CAN EITHER RENEW IF THEY DON'T RENEW AND THEY DON'T BRING IT BACK, THEY ARE REMINDED. AND IF THEY STILL DON'T RETURN IT, THEN IT BECOMES A LOST ITEM AND IT'S, AND THEY'RE CHARGED FOR THE BOOK AND WE WILL STILL BE CHARGING FOR LOST AND DAMAGED MATERIALS. SO JUST BECAUSE THERE'S NOT A FINE, DOES NOT MEAN THAT, UH, THERE'S NOT A WAY TO GET MATERIALS BACK. AND, UM, IN FACT, WITH MANY OF THE LIBRARIES, THE ONES THAT, THAT, WITH THAT, I'VE SPOKEN WITH DIFFERENT PEOPLE AT THE, AT THE LIBRARIES, THEY, AS KAREN SAID, EVERY THE CIRCULATIONS GO UP AND YOU THINK ABOUT IT WITH A PARENT, A LOWER INCOME PARENT THAT HAS SEVERAL CHILDREN. THEY KNOW THAT THE FINE IS THERE, AND THEY MAY NOT WANT TO CHECK OUT MATERIALS BECAUSE IF ONE OF THOSE, IF THEY CAN'T FIND THAT BOOK, WHEN IT'S TIME TO RETURN IT, THAT FINE JUST KEEPS ADDING UP. AND WHAT WE HAVE HEARD, UH, FROM THE LIBRARIES THAT HAVE GONE FROM CHARGING FINES TO GOING FINE FREE IS THAT THESE PEOPLE START COMING BACK BECAUSE THERE'S NOT THAT FEAR OF, OH, I'M GOING TO GO BROKE, JUST TRYING TO, UH, PAY A FINE. AND SOMETIMES THE BOOKS RETURNED, BUT THEY DON'T PAY THEM. THEY CAN'T PAY THE FINES. SO WE ACTUALLY GET THE MATERIAL BACK, BUT WE DON'T GET THE PERSON BACK BECAUSE WE CAN'T, WE CAN'T, OR THE, EXCUSE ME, THEY CAN'T, UH, PAY THE FINES. AND THEN YOU'RE LOSING NOT JUST ONE PERSON, BUT PERHAPS A WHOLE FAMILY. KATHLEEN, YOU HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD, MUCH MORE ELEGANT THAN ELOQUENT THAN I ADDED THE MATERIALS. THE MAJORITY OF THE MATERIALS COME BACK, BUT WE DO LOSE THE PATRONS WHO CANNOT AFFORD OR WHO WERE ASHAMED TO COME BACK BECAUSE THEY HAVE THAT FUN. AND THROUGH THE PANDEMIC, YOU KNOW, WE CLOSED DOWN LAST YEAR, WE MADE THE DECISION TO SUSPEND FUNDS. WE DID NOT CHARGE PATRONS FANS WHILE WE WERE GOING THROUGH THIS VERY DIFFICULT TIME WITH THE PANDEMIC. AND WE STARTED TO SEE A GOOD NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO WERE COMING BACK VERY GRATEFUL THAT WE WEREN'T CHARGING FINES OR THAT WE WERE, YOU KNOW, UH, FORGIVING A FINE, JUST TO BE ABLE TO HAVE SOMEBODY COME BACK AND HAVE THE RESOURCES THAT THEY NEED, UM, TO APPLY FOR A JOB, TO APPLY FOR SOME KIND OF ASSISTANCE, TO BE ABLE TO CHECK OUT MATERIALS FOR THEIR CHILDREN WHILE THEY WERE HOME FOR THEM TO BE ABLE TO CHECK OUT MATERIALS, UM, TO TAKE HOME WITH THEM WHILE EVERYONE WAS WORKING FROM HOME OR QUARANTINED AT HOME. IT'S, IT'S AMAZING. IT'S, IT'S MORE THAN JUST GOODWILL, BUT IT REALLY, REALLY DOES. UH, IT DOES A LOT FOR THE COMMUNITY AND IT EVENS THE PLAYING FIELD, SO TO SPEAK YES, FOR THOSE THAT HAVE THE FINANCIAL MEANS TO PAY FINES VERSUS THOSE THAT MAY WANT TO, AND, AND CAN'T, SO THERE ARE SOME TIMES THEY JUST, THEY DON'T WANT TO RISK IT AND THEY DON'T, THEY WON'T EVEN COME IN. AND I THINK I MADE THE, OR I SENT IT AT ONE OF THE PRESENTATIONS. IT MAY HAVE BEEN TO COUNCIL COUPLE MONTHS AGO. I REALLY DON'T WANT SOMEONE TO HAVE TO MAKE A DECISION OF, DO I PAY MY LIBRARY FINE? OR DO I PUT GAS [00:30:01] IN THE CAR? WHICH SEEMS LIKE IT SEEMS LIKE AN ABSURD THING TO HAVE TO, TO DECIDE, OF COURSE, YOU'RE GOING TO PUT GAS IN THE CAR, YOU'VE GOT TO GO TO WORK, OR YOU GOT TO GO TO THE GROCERY STORE. YOU'VE GOT THINGS THAT YOU HAVE TO DO. AND IT'S, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE SO MANY RESOURCES, PROGRAMS, SERVICES HERE AT THE LIBRARY THAT CAN REALLY BUILD AND BENEFIT. SO MANY PEOPLE, ALL WALKS OF LIFE. WE DON'T WANT THAT TO BE THE REASON THAT YOU DON'T COME BACK THROUGH OUR DOORS AND YOU DON'T TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE RESOURCES AND THE SERVICES THAT WE OFFER THAT HELP PROVIDE A BETTER LIFE FOR YOU IN WHATEVER CAPACITY THAT LOOKS LIKE. SO AT WHAT POINT THOUGH, DOES THE, UM, A NON-RETURN BOOK GET LEVIED, I GUESS, THE FUNDING TO REPLACE IT, YOU HA, LIKE I SAID, YOU HAVE THE, DEPENDING ON THE ITEM, I'M JUST GOING TO SAY A BOOK. SO IT'S THREE WEEKS OUT. AND, UH, IF YOU DON'T RETURN IT, YOU ARE, ARE GIVEN REMINDERS. WE HAVE THE, UH, PHONE REMINDERS AND THERE'S, OTHERWISE YOU CAN GET REMINDED LIKE WITH, UM, TEXTS, WELL, TEXT MESSAGE THE LIBRARY OFF. AND THEN, UM, TRYING TO THINK WHAT THE EXACT TIME IS, UH, THE NUMBER OF DAYS IT GOES AFTER 10 DAYS, IT'S IT'S YOU ARE, UH, BLOCKED FROM, UM, NOT IT'S $10 AFTER HELPED ME OUT GUYS, DO Y'ALL REMEMBER GOING BLANK ONCE YOUR ADAM IS OVERDUE, YOU CANNOT CHECK OUT ANY MORE MATERIALS ON YOUR CARD. AT THE END OF 60 DAYS, I BELIEVE IT'S 60 DAYS CHARGE THE FULL PRICE OF THE ITEM PLUS A PROCESSING FEE, BECAUSE WE ASSUME THAT ITEM IS LOST AT THAT POINT. OKAY. NOW, IF YOU RETURN THE ITEM, YOU KNOW, THAT YOU'RE NOT CHARGED THE PRICE OF THE ITEM AND THE PROCESSING FEE, IF YOU CONDITION AS LONG AS IT'S IN GOOD CONDITION. ABSOLUTELY. BUT, YOU KNOW, UM, THAT, THAT BASICALLY COVERS THE ACTUAL MATERIALS, THE FONT, AND REMOVING THE FINES IS SORT OF MOOT BECAUSE WE ALREADY HAVE A PROCEDURE TO ACTUALLY RECOVER, LOST MATERIAL. OKAY. WELL, THAT MAKES SENSE TO ME. I MEAN, UM, AS LONG AS WE STILL HAVE A SYSTEM IN PLACE TO HAVE A CONSEQUENCE FOR LOSING MATERIAL, I THINK, I MEAN, I AGREE WITH YOU THAT, UM, ELIMINATING THE FINE SEEMS TO PRODUCE, UM, A GREATER GOOD IN, IN TERMS OF HELPING PEOPLE COME BACK. AND, UM, IF THEY HA IF THEY ACTUALLY HAD THE MATERIAL, IF IT'S JUST A MATTER OF, YOU KNOW, THEIR SCHEDULE AND GRACIE FAMILY LIFE AND BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, YOU KNOW, THERE'S, THERE'S REALLY NO, NO BENEFIT OF PENALIZING THAT, UM, IT SEEMS LIKE THE, THE PENALTY FOR AN ACTUAL LOST ITEMS IS STILL THERE AND THAT'S, THAT'S SIGNIFICANT. AND SO, YEAH, THAT, THAT MAKES SENSE TO ME, ANYBODY ELSE, UM, KAREN WANT THE BOARD TO LIKE, MAKE A MOTION TO, UM, RECOGNIZE OUR OFFICIAL POSITION. THAT'S WHAT I WOULD LIKE. I'D LIKE TO GO WHEN WE GO PRESENT IT WITH THE BUDGET, BE ABLE TO SAY EITHER WAY, IF, IF THE BOARD SUPPORTS THE BOARD DOESN'T SUPPORT, BECAUSE COUNCIL WILL ASK THAT AND THAT WILL WEIGH HEAVILY IN COUNCIL'S DECISION. OKAY. WELL, I, I MOVED TO SUPPORT THE REMOVAL OF FINES FROM THE LIBRARY, BECAUSE I BELIEVE IT WOULD FOSTER GOODWILL. ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? DO WE NEED A COUNT OR JUST, CAN WE SAY AYE? AYE, AYE. AYE. AYE. ANY OPPOSED? IT'S DONE. THANK YOU. OKAY. DOKEY, THE NEXT THING IS SUMMER READING PROGRAM AND I BET MS. JACQUELINE, YOU WOULD BE CORRECT. YEAH. HAS, HAS ANYBODY FROM THE BOARD BEEN UP TO, [00:35:01] TO CENTRAL TO SEE THE, THE WINDOW PAINTINGS THAT HAVE BEEN YOU? YOU CAN GO OFF SCREEN SABRINA, UM, SABRINA, SABRINA PAINTED ALL OF OUR WINDOWS. THE THEME FOR SUMMER RATING IS TALES AND ENTAILS WITH ANIMALS AND BOOKS. AND SO SHE TOOK ALL OF THE, THE ANIMALS THAT WERE USED. LET'S SEE, THAT'S WHAT THE, IT LOOKS LIKE. AND SHE TOOK ALL OF THESE ANIMALS AND SHE PAINTED THEM ON OUR WINDOWS. SO, UM, THEY LOOK REALLY, THEY LOOK REALLY GREAT, BUT OUR, UH, PROGRAM GOT STARTED ON MAY 30TH AND IT'S FOR BIRTH TO ADULTS. AND WE HAVE DIFFERENT. THE BREAKDOWN IS BIRTH TO PRE-K, UH, GRADES KINDERGARTEN THROUGH SIX, AS GRADES SEVEN THROUGH 12 AND THEN ADULTS. AND THERE'S TWO WAYS TO REGISTER. YOU CAN COME IN PERSON AND GET A PRINTED, UH, LOG, AN ACTIVITY LOG, OR YOU CAN USE BEAN STACK, WHICH WE USE TWO YEAR. WE GOT IT TWO YEARS AGO OR LAST YEAR, SORRY I KICKING GET THE BUTTON DONE. SO, UM, SOME OF THE I'M JUST GONNA GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF WHAT'S ON SOME OF THE ACTIVITIES. THEY, UM, LIKE READ A BOOK WITH AN UGLY COVER, TELL A LIBRARIAN, A JOKE, READ AN EBOOK USING LIBBY OR OVERDRIVE, DRAW A NEW COVER FOR YOUR FAVORITE BOOK. UH, GO FOR A PICNIC AT A GARLAND PARK, READ A BOOK THAT MAKES YOU LOL LAUGH OUT LOUD. UM, READ A BOOK THAT IS NOT SET IN THE UNITED STATES. VISIT THE GARLAND LANDMARK MUSEUM. SHOW US YOUR LIBRARY CARD, DONATE A BOOK TO THE FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY. UH, CHECK OUT A BINGE BOX. BINGE BOXES ARE, UH, A COLLECTION OF MOVIES THAT ARE HAVING EITHER A THEME OR AN, AN ACTOR THAT'S IN COMMON AND IT'S ABOUT FIVE DIFFERENT MOVIES. AND THOSE ARE VERY POPULAR. ANYWAY, EACH AGE, AGE HAS AGE APPROPRIATE, AGE, APPROPRIATE ACTIVITIES AND THE LIKE AN AGE APPROPRIATE NUMBER OF ACTIVITIES. AND LIKE FOR THE YOUNGER ONES, UM, IT'S SOMETIMES ONES THAT THEY CAN DO WITH YOUNGER SIBLINGS AND STILL GET CREDIT FOR IT. OR IF AN ADULT IS READING TO THEM, THEY GET CREDIT FOR THAT. AND WHEN THEY READ THROUGH IT OR THEY DO THE ACTIVITIES, UM, THEY ARE THEY'RE PRIZES, JUST LIKE WE'VE DONE PRIZES THAT WE'VE DONE BEFORE, BUT IN A WE'RE DOING IT SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT. AND TO START WITH THE KIDS THROUGH 12TH GRADE, THROUGH 12TH GRADE, GET A WHITE PLASTIC BAG. THAT'S GOT A TURTLE. THAT'S FROM THE, THE THEME FROM THE TAILS ENTAILS AND A BOOKMARK AND A PENCIL AND ADULTS GET A REUSABLE, UH, TAILS AND TAILS GROCERY BAG WITH A PEN, AND THEN THEY CAN START TURNING IN THEIR LOGS TO GET PRIZES. AND THERE ARE, UM, A YELLOW TAILS ENTAILS BAG, WHICH ARE LIKE THE BOOK BAGS, THE BOOK PACK BAGS, AND A BOOK AND ADULTS GET A GARLAND LIBRARY, COFFEE MUG. AND THEN THERE ARE, THERE ARE DRAWINGS FOR, UH, BI-WEEKLY PRIZE DRAWINGS FOR, UM, MS. SABRINA'S HOLDING IT UP $50 GIFT CARDS IN A, WHAT IS IT? RAINBOW FISH, RAINBOW FISH. YEAH. THAT'S A FISH SCALES ON THERE. SO THEY GET TO DO MORE LIKE THAT. THEIR DIRECTIONS, RAINBOW FISH, THEY, UH, THE PROGRAMS THAT WE'VE GOT, [00:40:01] I THINK KAREN MENTIONED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT IT THAT WE'RE KIND OF GOING, WE HAVE SOME IN PERSON AND SOME, UH, I'M FROZEN, SORRY. YEAH, IT WAS, IT FROZE EVERYTHING. VIRTUA, UH, PROGRAMS. WE HAVE FAYE ON FACEBOOK EVERY WEEK. WE HAVE KIDS TIPS WHICH ARE STEM OR LITERACY OR, UM, SOUNDED AND, AND MOTION. AND THEN WE HAVE A FAMILY STORY TIME ONCE, EACH WEEK. AND THEN WE HAVE OUR OUTDOOR PROGRAM ON THE WEEKEND. AND THEN, UH, ONCE A MONTH WE HAVE A FAMILY ZOOM NIGHT AND WE CUT IT. WE REDUCE THIS, THE NUMBER OF, UH, PROGRAMS THAT WE'RE HAVING BECAUSE OF SEVERAL THINGS. ONE IS ALL OF THE THINGS THAT WE WERE DOING AT THE BOTH LOCATIONS TOO, IS TO, BECAUSE WE'RE GETTING BACK INTO THE SWING OF THING, SWING OF THINGS. AND WE DON'T WANT TO HAVE LARGE IN-PERSON PROPERTIES IS WHEN WE WOULD HAVE OUR NORMAL SUMMER READING PROGRAMS, OUR ROOMS WOULD BE PACKED. AND SOMETIMES WE HAD TO SEND PEOPLE AWAY BECAUSE THE ROOMS WERE SO HAD SO MANY PEOPLE, WE COULD NOT GET ANY MORE IN THERE. AND THAT'S NOT THE TYPE OF THING THAT WE WANTED THIS SUMMER. SO INSTEAD WHEN WE DO HAVE SOMETHING IN PERSON IT'S OUTDOORS, AND SOME OF THEM HAVE JUST BEEN AT OUR AREA PARKS, WHICH IS AN, THAT ALLOWS US TO GET OUT AND GO TO THE DIFFERENT NEIGHBORHOODS, THE DIFFERENT AREAS. AND SOME OF THEM HAVE BEEN ON THE SQUARE EITHER WITH, UM, URBAN OR MARKET OR THE, THE THURSDAY THIRSTY THURSDAY, THURSDAY, THURSDAY, AND THEN THE THERE'S WHAT'S THE WEDNESDAY ONE OR THE RATHER THE TUESDAY. THERE'S ANOTHER NAME FOR IT THAT THE CITY HAS. YEAH. I CAN'T REMEMBER THAT ONE OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD, BUT WE'RE DOING THINGS IN CONJUNCTION AND IN COLLABORATION WITH OTHER BIG EVENTS. YEP. AND I'M COMING UP, WE'VE GOT A GEO CACHING, UH, EVENT, WHICH IS TREASURE HUNT, SCAVENGER HUNT. I DON'T KNOW IF ANYBODY HAS DONE GEOCASHING BUT PEOPLE THAT ARE INVOLVED IN IT HIDE LITTLE ITEMS IN DIFFERENT AREAS. AND THEN THERE'S A GEO LOCATION AND IT'S POSTED TO THESE WEBSITES WHERE YOU, IF YOU PARTICIPATE, YOU WANT TO, YOU GO ON TO THOSE WEBSITES. SO WE'RE GOING TO HAVE IT. WE HAVE, UH, ONE OR TWO ITEMS AT EACH LOCATION, AND THEN THERE'S GOING TO BE A LOG THAT YOU PICK UP AND TRY AND FIND ALL OF THE ITEMS. AND IF YOU FIND THEM ALL, YOU CAN COME BACK AND GET A SMALL PRIZE FOR, FOR HAVING, FOR FINDING ALL OF THEM. THE THING THAT'S FUN ABOUT THAT IS YOU DON'T KEEP, YOU DON'T KEEP THE ITEM THAT YOU FIND, YOU FIND IT, YOU MARK IT, TAKE A PICTURE OF IT AND YOU PUT IT BACK FOR THE NEXT PERSON. UM, BUT THAT'S A GOOD FAMILY-ORIENTED ACTIVITY. WE ALSO HAVE, UM, ONE THAT'S COMING UP FOR DOGS AND THEY CREATE A POSTER PIECE, A MASTERPIECE. AND WHAT THE, IT SAYS CASA CASA PODCAST. SO YES, YOU HAVE A CANVAS AND YOU PUT PAINT, YOU DRIZZLE DIFFERENT COLORS, YOU PUT IT IN A LARGE ZIPLOC BAG AND YOU TAKE SOME PEANUT BUTTER OR CREAM CHEESE OR SOMETHING, AND YOU PUT IT ON THE OUTSIDE OF A PLASTIC. AND THEN THE DOG LICKS. AND AS IT'S SLICKING, IT'S SPREADING THE PAINT UNDERNEATH THE PLASTIC. SO IT SPREADS IT OUT ON THE CANVAS. AND WHEN THEY'RE FINISHED, YOU HAVE YOUR OWN MASTERPIECE OR POSTER PIECE. ACTUALLY IT'S NOT PAUL IT'S SHOULD BE TOUCHED OR PIECE, BUT WHATEVER I FEEL YOUR DOG, HE COULD DO THAT. MICHAEL, DID YOU HEAR THAT HE HAD, MIGHT STILL BE LISTENING TO CLASSICAL [00:45:01] HE'S MUTED, SO RIGHT. I HEARD IT. I HEARD IT. I JUST DIDN'T. YOU DIDN'T, YOU DIDN'T THINK IT, UH, WRITING TO RESPONSE. I UNDERSTAND. I UNDERSTAND. WE'RE ALSO DOING DOGGY BANDANAS. THAT WAS GOING TO ORIGINALLY JUST BE A, A, UM, A VIRTUAL PROGRAM. BUT WE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO, TO TRANSITION THAT OVER TO IN-PERSON AND WE'RE WE HAVE KITS AVAILABLE. UH, PEOPLE CAN PICK UP THE KIDS. IT HAS THE, THE MATERIAL FOR THE BANDANA, AND THEN THEY CAN DECORATE IT AS A FAMILY AND LEAVE WITH THEIR OWN LITTLE DOGGIE BANDANA. AND WE'VE BEEN DOING A LOT OF THOSE WITH KITS. WE HAD ONE WHERE YOU MAKE, UH, USING TOILET PAPER ROLLS. THEY DECORATED THOSE AND HAD THE LITTLE, UH, CREATED, UM, BINOCULARS, UH, TO GO ON NATURE WALKS. AND THEY HAD A LITTLE LIST OF THINGS TO, TO GO AROUND THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD AND LOOK FOR THINGS IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD AND CHECK THOSE OFF. AND, UM, AS USUAL, THE, THE CHILDREN'S LIBRARIANS ARE VERY CREATIVE. THE ADULT LIBRARIANS, THOSE THAT I'VE JUST MENTIONED, THOSE WERE THE ADULT, UH, CAME FROM THE ADULT LIBRARIAN. SO THEY'RE GETTING IN ON THE ACTIVITIES, THEY'RE HAVING FUN. AND WE REALLY LIKED TO SEE THAT. AND NOW THAT WE HAVE, UH, ANDREA, SHE'S DOING, UH, SPANISH LANGUAGE, THERE'S A BILINGUAL STORYTIME. AND THEN SHE'S ALSO DOING SPANISH LANGUAGE PROGRAMMING, NOT TO MENTION ALL THE STUFF WE'VE BEEN DOING WITH GARLAND ISD THAT WE I, WE TALKED ABOUT BEFORE. SO, AND IF I COULD JUST THROW OUT THINGS, KATHLEEN, IF I COULD THROW OUT IF ANYONE IS ON FACEBOOK OR TWITTER, BUT ESPECIALLY FACEBOOK, UM, THE MARKETING TEAM, CRYSTAL POSTS SOME PHOTOS FROM SOME OF THE PROGRAMS SOMETIMES, AND IT'S A LOT OF FUN TO SEE THE KIDS AND ADULTS. AND I'M HOPING SOME PUPPIES WITH THE CASO PROGRAM. UH, WE PUT LOTS OF DIFFERENT THINGS UP AND IT'S A LOT OF FUN TO SEE THAT IT WAS, I THINK, THE GONE CAMPING PROGRAM WITH THE CHILDREN, WITH THEIR BINOCULARS GOING AROUND AND HAVING A REALLY GOOD TIME. IT WAS WONDERFUL TO SEE HAVING A GOOD TIME AT LIBRARY PROGRAMS AGAIN IN THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS, SINCE WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO OFFER THOSE IN-PERSON PROGRAMS AND PARENTS ARE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THE IN-PERSON PROGRAMS TOO, I THINK, AND THANKFUL FOR THEM, BUT THEY'RE ALL KATHLEEN AND ALL OF THE PROGRAMMING LIBRARIANS, CHILDREN'S AND ADULT HAVE WORKED REALLY, REALLY HARD OVER THE LAST YEAR TO PROVIDE REALLY GREAT QUALITY, EXCELLENT PROGRAMS THROUGH THE PANDEMIC. AND NOW TRYING TO DIP OUR TOES BACK IN THE WATER AND DO THE IN-PERSON. I THINK OUR FIRST IN-PERSON ONE SOUTH, IT WAS THAT THE TURNIP TURNIP, THE BEAT TURNIP AND BEATS B E T. AND, UH, THAT ONE WAS VERY WELL ATTENDED. LIKE I SAID, I THINK THAT WAS OUR FIRST BACK IN PERSON THAT WE HAD SOMETHING AND PARENTS WERE JUST ECSTATIC THAT THERE WAS SOME PLACE THEY CAN START TAKING THEIR KIDS TO. AND, UH, THAT WASN'T PART OF SUMMER READING PROGRAM. THAT WAS A LITTLE, THAT WAS JUST BEFORE SUMMER READING PROGRAM, BUT THE KIDS PLANTED THE SEEDS, THEY TOOK THEM HOME, BUT THEN WE ALSO HAD, UM, THEY PLANTED OTHER SEEDS AND THAT WAS KEPT AT THE LIBRARY AND THEY GIVE UPDATES OF WHERE THE PLANTS ARE. SO EVERYBODY'S HAVING FUN WITH THAT TOO. AND IS IT STILL THE SAME RULE WITH THE SUMMER READING PROGRAM THAT THE LIBRARY BOARD ARE NOT ELIGIBLE FOR PRICES? UNFORTUNATELY, SO YES MA'AM. OKAY. I DIDN'T WANT ANYBODY TO GET THEIR HOPES UP LIKE THAT, DID ALL THAT. AND THEN THEY WOULDN'T GIVE ME A PRICE CAUSE THAT'S ON THE BOARD. SO, WELL, IF YOU GOT A PRIZE, IT, THEY MAY, OTHERS MAY LOOK ASKANCE AND WONDER HOW YOU MANAGED TO GET THAT. THE PAINT THOUGH. I'M JUST KIDDING. OKAY. IT SOUNDS LIKE LOTS OF FUN. WE JUST HAVE THE GREATEST STAFF DOWN THERE, THE LIBRARY, ALL THE BRANCHES I JUST DID. I REALLY GET A KICK OUT OF SEEING HOW MUCH FUN THEY HAVE, UM, WITH SOME OF THE THINGS THAT THEY COME UP WITH AND IT'S, AND HAVING COMING BACK IN PERSON AND HAVING THOSE, BUT STILL HAVING THE VIRTUAL, I THINK THAT THAT REALLY OPENS UP THAT CAN JUST, THEY CAN DO JUST ABOUT ANYTHING NOW. [00:50:01] ABSOLUTELY. NO, IT'S GREAT. OKAY. ANY MORE COMMENTS ON THAT? UH, WE'RE DOWN TO FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS. DOES ANYONE HAVE AN ITEM? THEY WON'T OWN THE AGENDA FOR NEXT TIME. WE DON'T MEET IN JULY. WE'LL MEET IN AUGUST. AND AS WE'VE SAID, AND WE'LL BE BACK OVER AT THE CITY COUNCIL WORK MY SIN. YES. MA'AM. THERE WON'T BE ANY PIANO MUSIC THOUGH TO PLAY. WELL, I MEAN, I COULD ARRANGE SOMETHING. MAYBE MICHAEL CAN BRING HIS LITTLE TAPE PLAYER OR SOMETHING THERE. IT DID NOT SOUND LIKE A TAPE PLAYER THAT WAS ASHLEY LIVE WELL, DOES IT MEMOREX? WELL, WE CAN'T BRING A PIANO, BUT MAYBE YOU CAN BRING IT DEFINITELY TOO HAPPY. ALRIGHTY. ANYTHING ELSE? IF NOT THIS MEETING IS ADJOURNED. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.