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WE'VE CONFIRMED THAT WE HAVE A QUORUM.
THE MEETING OF THE LIBRARY BOARD DECEMBER 8TH, 2025 IS CALLED TO ORDER.
I HOPE YOU HAD A WONDERFUL THANKSGIVING.
UH, THE FIRST ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS TO APPROVE THE MINUTES FROM NOVEMBER 10TH.
THOSE HAVE BEEN PROVIDED FOR YOU.
I MOVE TO APPROVE THE MINUTES AND THE 10TH.
AND SECOND TO APPROVE THE MINUTES AS PRESENTED.
WE'LL MOVE ON TO THE ITEMS FOR INDIVIDUAL CONSIDERATION.
FIRST ONE, CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLANNED AND BOND PROGRAM UPDATES.
HOPE EVERYONE HAD A HAPPY THANKSGIVING.
UM, HAVE JUST, UH, A COUPLE OF SMALL UPDATES FOR THE NORTH AND SOUTH PROJECTS, UM, THAT WE TALKED ABOUT A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO.
AND JUST AS A REFRESHER, NORTH AND SOUTH GARLAND LIBRARIES HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF DEDICATED FUNDS FROM THE 2019 BOND PROGRAM THAT ARE GOING FOR INTERIOR MODIFICATION.
UM, SOUTH HAS ABOUT $2.3 MILLION.
UM, SO THESE PROJECTS ARE BEING MANAGED BY OUR PROJECT MANAGEMENT OFFICE.
WE'VE BEEN WORKING TO, UM, SELECT AND THEN ONBOARD THE ARCHITECTS FOR BOTH PROJECTS.
SO, UH, I CAN FINALLY ANNOUNCE THE CONTRACTS ARE SIGNED FOR BOTH PROJECTS.
WE HAVE DSGN, UM, FROM NORTH, AND THEY WERE THE ARCHITECT WHO DID THE EXTERIOR MODIFICATION FOR THAT BUILDING WITH THE, THE BIG YELLOW, UH, LIBRARY SIGN.
AND THEN FOR SOUTH, WE HAVE SEVEN 20 DESIGN WHO, UH, JUST COMPLETED THE CENTRAL GARLAND LIBRARY.
SO WE HAVE HISTORY WITH BOTH, UM, ARCHITECTURAL FIRMS. WE'RE EXCITED TO WORK WITH BOTH ARCHITECTURAL FIRMS. UM, WE'VE ACTUALLY KICKED OFF, UH, BOTH PROJECTS AND ARE IN SCHEMATIC DESIGN CURRENTLY, WHICH IS VERY, AND ALSO AS A REMINDER, THE THE WANTS, UH, AND NEEDS KIND OF ARE LARGER THAN WHAT THE, THE FUNDING IS FOR.
SO WE'RE LOOKING AT A WAY TO BE ABLE TO, TO PHASE SOME OF THE, THE WORK, UM, AND PLAN IT AS WE GO.
UM, FOR NORTH, UH, WE HAVE OUR PRIORITY LIST AGAIN THAT WE, WE'VE REVIEWED WITH THE CRITICAL BUILDING ISSUES THAT HAVE BEEN COMPLETED WITH SAFETY, FURNITURE AND TECHNOLOGY, UM, ALL BEING BIG THINGS THAT WE WANNA ACCOMPLISH WITH THIS PROJECT.
POSSIBLE CONSTRUCTION, IF EVERYTHING GOES ACCORDING TO THE SCHEDULE, COULD START IN EARLY SUMMER, LIKE LATE MAY, EARLY JUNE FOR NORTH.
UH, DO YOU REALIZE THAT THAT MAY, IF IT STARTS THAT EARLY, HAVE AN IMPACT TO THE SUMMER READING PROGRAM? BUT WE'LL WORK THROUGH THAT.
I'M, UH, GONNA BE OPTIMISTIC THAT IT WILL START IN EARLY SUMMER.
UM, NORTH ESPECIALLY, THERE'S A WAY, UM, TO, I THINK EASILY PHASE THAT PROJECT WITH THE SCOPE OF WORK STILL, UH, REMAIN OPEN WHILE THE CONSTRUCTION IS HAPPENING AND PROVIDING SERVICES, UM, TO THE PUBLIC.
AND THEN FOR SOUTH, UM, AGAIN, THIS IS THE LIST OF PRIORITIES.
UH, IN ORDER WITH, UM, THE CRITICAL BUILDING ISSUES ARE ALMOST COMPLETE.
THEY WERE SETTING THE NEW HVAC UNIT ON TOP OF THE BUILDING TODAY.
AND THEN, UM, YOU, THE CONTROLS, UM, SECURITY CAMERAS, ACCESS CONTROLS, TECHNOLOGY, LOOKING AT THE, THE FLOOR FOR WORKSPACE, UH, BOTH FOR THE YOUTH SERVICES AREA AND THEN FOR ADULTS.
AND THEN WE'LL HAVE A SMALLER EXTERIOR, UM, BUILDING PROJECT.
THAT'S A SEPARATE PROJECT THAT WILL BE COMING PROBABLY IN JANUARY OR FEBRUARY.
AND SHARING MORE DETAILS ABOUT THAT PROJECT.
UM, THIS ONE, UH, PROJECT IS A, A LARGER SCOPE, SO IT NEEDS A LITTLE BIT MORE PLANNING ON THE FRONT END.
THE POSSIBLE CONSTRUCTION START FOR SOUTH WILL BE A FALL 2026.
DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? I HAVE ONE.
WHAT IS THE EXPECTED USEFUL LIFE FOR FURNITURE? YOU GET NEW CHAIRS, OF COURSE, YOU HOPE YOU, YOU KNOW, YOU HOPE IT'LL LAST FOREVER.
BUT, UM, REALISTICALLY, HOW, HOW LONG BEFORE WE START REPLACING THINGS? UM, I THINK IT DEPENDS ON THE WEAR AND TEAR OF, OF THE FURNITURE.
I WILL SAY, UM, FOR, FOR CENTRAL, WE HAD SOME PIECES THAT
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WERE ORIGINAL TO THE BUILDING THAT WERE PURCHASED IN THE SEVENTIES.THERE WERE REALLY WELL MADE PIECES OF STURDY, STURDY PIECES OF FURNITURE, UH, RECOVERED, REPAIRED OVER A LONG PERIOD OF TIME.
I DON'T KNOW BY TODAY'S STANDARDS THAT WE COULD PURCHASE THAT THING, THAT WILL HAVE THAT MUCH LONGEVITY.
JUST FROM A COST STANDPOINT AND HOW THINGS ARE MADE NOW, MASS PRODUCTION OF THINGS, UM, WE, WE HOPE TO GET, I WOULD SAY, 15 TO 20 YEARS.
UH, BUT I CAN DEFINITELY CHECK WITH, UM, BOTH SETS OF ARCHITECTS.
I THINK THEY WOULD BE HAPPY TO BE ABLE TO GET THAT LONG.
AND IT ALSO DEPENDS ON WHAT THE PIECE OF FURNITURE IS.
IF IT'S A READER TABLE, WE EXPECT TO BE ABLE TO GET A, A LONG LAUGH OUT OF THOSE READER TABLES.
SOME OF THE CHAIRS AND THINGS THAT ARE PUT UP, TAKEN DOWN, PUT UP, TAKEN DOWN, AND, YOU KNOW, HAVE A LITTLE MORE WEAR AND TEAR.
IT MAY BE A LITTLE BIT LESS OF A WHY.
UM, THERE WAS SOMETHING I WAS, SOUTH'S FURNITURE IS ACTUALLY IN PRETTY GOOD CONDITION.
IT'S BEEN, UM, THE ARCHITECTS WENT THROUGH AND DID AN ASSESSMENT.
SO WE'LL LOOK AT REUSING SOME DIFFERENT PIECES OF FURNITURE THAT WE ALREADY HAVE AT SOUTH.
JUST CLEANING IT UP, REPAIRING PROBABLY NORTH SNEE,
NOW SOME, SOME PEOPLE IN THIS ROOM MAY, MAY NEED TO DISCUSS THAT 15 OR 20 YEARS FROM NOW, BUT ANYBODY WILL BE IN THIS ROOM 15 OR 20 YEARS FROM NOW, SO.
ARE THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? OKAY.
I WAS EXCITED TO SEE, UH, GOOD SAM CELEBRATING THE WEST, THE OLD WEST LIBRARY BUILDING, SEEING THAT THEY HAD MOVED IN.
UM, WE'LL MOVE ON TO THE LIBRARY BOOK CLUBS.
SO WE HAVE, UH, AS YOU KNOW, UM, LARGE SELECTION OF BOOK CLUBS FOR ADULTS.
UM, I THINK WE HAVE A COUPLE FOR TEENS AND THEN DIFFERENT PROGRAMS FOR CHILDREN.
BUT, UH, DAPHNE FERRIS IS, SHE'S BACK
I'M GONNA, UM, PRESENT ABOUT ALL THE DIFFERENT BOOK CLUBS THAT WE OFFER AND SOME OF THE BENEFITS OF THE, THE BOOK CLUBS AND WHAT THEY BRING.
UH, I THINK IT IS KIND OF COME UP HERE AND THERE, UH, A COUPLE OF TIMES WHEN I'VE BEEN TALKING OR WHEN I'VE BEEN HERE.
UH, I THINK WE MENTIONED SOMETHING ABOUT THE CLUBS, UM, IN RECENT TIME.
VERY, WE'RE DOING REALLY WELL WITH BOOK CLUBS AT THE LIBRARY RIGHT NOW.
SO WE HAVE CURRENTLY NINE BOOK CLUBS FOR ADULTS.
UM, THERE ARE EIGHT PATRON BOOK CLUBS AND ONE FOR CITY OF GARLAND EMPLOYEES.
AND EACH LOCATION, UH, LOCATION HAS A BOOK CLUB NOW, UH, AND ALSO OUTREACH SERVICES.
AND I'M, I'M GONNA JUST GIVE YOU A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF EACH OF THE BOOK CLUBS AND GIVE YOU, UH, AN EXAMPLE OF THE BOOKS, UH, THAT THEY'RE READING.
AND THEN I'LL GIVE YOU A LITTLE MORE INFORMATION.
OUR NEWEST BOOK CLUB IS, UH, NORTH BOOK CLUB, AND IT'S CALLED OPEN BOOKS OPEN MINDS.
IT IS THE ONLY NONFICTION BOOK CLUB IN THE SYSTEM.
AND, UH, THEY'RE ACTUALLY HAVING THEIR FIRST MEETING THIS WEEK.
UM, SO I'M ANXIOUS TO HEAR HOW ALL THAT WORKS OUT.
UM, AND I DON'T KNOW WHY, BUT I PICKED SPRING, UH, TO SHOW, UH, YOU GUYS THE BOOKS THAT EACH OF THE CLUBS HAVE PICKED.
AND THESE ARE SOME BOOKS THAT THEY'RE, THESE ARE THE BOOKS THEY'RE GONNA BE DISCUSSING, UH, COMING UP IN THE SPRING.
SO THAT'LL BE FOR MARCH, APRIL, MAY, AND LOOKS PRETTY COOL.
TURNERS READ THE WORLD ONE BOOK AT A TIME, AND, UH, THEY'RE GOING TO EXPLORE BOOKS SET IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE WORLD.
AND AS A PART OF, SHE'LL HAVE A MINI PRESENTATION, UH, AS A PART OF THE MEETING WHERE SHE'LL TALK ABOUT THE CULTURE AND HISTORY AND GLOBAL THEMES.
UM, IT'S VERY, VERY UNIQUE BOOK CLUB.
AND THESE ARE THEIR UPCOMING SPRING, UH, BOOKS.
AND, UH, SHE, SHE SAID SHE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT, I DON'T KNOW IF Y'ALL ARE FAMILIAR WITH THE NUMBER ONE LADIES DETECTIVE AGENCY SERIES.
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SAID SHE'S STILL WORKING OUT WHICH BOOK, BUT THAT'S A REALLY NEAT SERIES.AND THEN AT SOUTH GARLAND, THEY HAVE THE OLDEST BOOK CLUB THAT ACTUALLY MILLIE, SHE'S THE MANAGER AT WEST.
SHE ACTUALLY STARTED IT YEARS AGO, I THINK IT WAS IN 2019.
AND, UH, THEY, UH, THEY DISCUSS RECENT FICTION AND THESE ARE THEIR UPCOMING BOOKS.
AND WE HAVE A SECOND BOOK CLUB AT SOUTH GARLAND.
SO THEY READ BOOKS IN SPANISH AND THEY CONDUCT THE MEETING ALL IN SPANISH, UM, WHICH WE THINK IS PRETTY COOL.
AND, UM, AND SHE'S BEEN GETTING, I'M GONNA SHOW Y'ALL SOME AT ATTENDANCE NUMBERS AT THE END, BUT SHE'S BEEN GETTING A SMALL REGULAR GROUP EACH TIME, WHICH WE'RE REALLY THRILLED ABOUT.
AND THESE ARE THEIR UPCOMING BOOKS.
AND I PROVIDED THE, UH, TRANSLATION.
IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT THOSE ARE, IF YOU CAN'T GUESS OR DON'T SPEAK SPANISH
AND AT CENTRAL, UH, WE HAVE A GRAPHIC NOVEL BOOK CLUB.
AND, UH, ONE OF OUR LI LIBRARIANS, HALEY, STARTED THIS BOOK CLUB WHEN WE WERE IN OUR TINY LITTLE BUILDING.
AND IT WAS KIND OF HARD TO HAVE A BOOK CLUB THERE.
SO THEN WE PAUSED IT AND SHE RESTARTED IT, UH, IN SEPTEMBER.
AND SHE'S GOT FOUR PEOPLE COME IN EACH MONTH, WHICH IS PRETTY GOOD HAVING JUST WITH IT, HAVING RESTARTED.
AND THEY ARE TALK ALL ABOUT GRAPHIC, UH, NOVELS.
AND HERE ARE SOME UPCOMING BOOKS FOR THEM.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE GRAPHIC NOVELS? IT'S LIKE A COMIC BOOK FOR IT'S PICTURES.
IT'S A PICTURE BOOK, IT'S ARTWORK AND THE STORY TOLD THROUGH ARTWORK AND THEIR WORDS ALSO.
UH, THRILLS AND CHILLS BIT CLUB.
THAT'S ONE OF THE BOOK CLUBS I ACTUALLY LEAD.
AND AS YOU SEE HERE, IT'S FOR, UH, LOVERS OF CRIME FICTION MYSTERIES AND THRILLERS.
IT USED TO BE CALLED MYSTERY BOOK CLUB.
AND THEN SOMEBODY TOOK ISSUE WITH THE FACT THAT I CALLED IT A MYSTERY BOOK CLUB WHEN WE WERE TALKING ABOUT A LOT OF THRILLERS.
SO I WAS LIKE, OKAY, LET'S RENAME IT
UM, AND ANYWAY, THAT, UH, WE, THESE ARE SOME BOOKS THAT WE'RE GONNA BE DOING.
AND THAT THIRD BOOK, LONG BRIGHT RIVER, A TV SERIES HAS RECENTLY BEEN MADE OF IT.
WE ALSO HAVE SILENT BOOK CLUB.
AND HAVE Y'ALL HEARD OF SILENT BOOK CLUB? IS THAT I KNOW TERRY HAS, AND SHE CAME TO IT ALSO.
IT WE'RE ACTUALLY AN OFFICIAL REGISTERED, UH, UH, CLUB, UH, BELONGING TO THIS GREATER ORGANIZATION.
IT'S, UH, THE ACTUAL NAME OF THE GROUP IS SILENT BOOK CLUB.
AND IT'S, UM, YOU HAVE PEOPLE COME TOGETHER FOR MAYBE A LITTLE BIT OF SOCIALIZING AT THE BEGINNING, AND THEN ABOUT AN HOUR OF READING SILENTLY.
AND THEN IF THE PEOPLE WANT TO, THEY HAVE A LITTLE SOCIALIZING AT THE END.
UM, PEOPLE MEET IN PARKS, THEY MEET IN LIBRARIES, THEY MEET IN CA.
I'M TALKING ABOUT THE GLOBAL THING.
WE MEET IN THE LIBRARY, UH, BARS, WHATEVER, YOU KNOW IT.
AND, UM, WHAT WE DO IS WE HAVE IT AFTER HOURS ON A FRIDAY, ONCE A MONTH.
AND, AND WHEN WE HAVE OUR PART WHERE EVERYONE RE SO THEY MEET FOR 30 MINUTES, THEY SOCIALIZE, WE PROVIDE SOME LIGHTS, SNACKS, AND THEN THEY GO AND THEY CAN PICK ANY PLACE IN THE, UH, CENTRAL LIBRARY THAT IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.
AND THIS IS THE ONE TIME ADULTS CAN GO TO THE CHILDREN'S AREA.
AND WE ALWAYS HAVE PEOPLE THAT GO.
AND IF YOU'VE BEEN RECENTLY, IF YOU'VE SEEN THE LITTLE CUTOUT OR WHAT DO YOU CALL THOSE, THE LITTLE NOOKS IN THE WALL, THE LITTLE DUCKS AND THE STAIRS.
WE ALWAYS HAVE PEOPLE
AND OF COURSE, JUST ALL OVER THE LIBRARY, THEY'LL SPREAD OUT AND IT'S JUST QUIET READING.
IT'S A SOCIAL CLUB FOR INTROVERTS.
THEY SAY, OH, THAT SOUNDS SO WONDERFUL.
WE HAVE A VERY DIVERSE GROUP AGE WISE.
AND, UH, IT'S NOT JUST, UH, YOUNGER PEOPLE.
IT'S ALL KINDS OF PEOPLE COME TO IT AND IT'S VERY NICE.
AND WE GIVE THEM THE OPTION AT THE END TO MEET AND, UH, TALK ABOUT THEIR BOOKS AND WHY THEY'RE THERE.
AND MOST EVERYBODY DECIDES TO TAKE PART IN THAT.
'CAUSE YOU DON'T HAVE TO, YOU CAN STAY AND READ UNTIL EIGHT.
EVERYONE HAS TO BE OUT BY EIGHT.
BUT, UH, MOST EVERYBODY GETS TOGETHER.
AND YOU TOOK PART IN THE, THE LITTLE DISCUSSION PART AT THE END? I DID.
AND I WAS, UM, I WAS, I WAS, THERE WERE PROBABLY 25 PEOPLE THERE.
YOU KNOW, MEN, WOMEN, OLD, YOUNG, SOME OF EVERYBODY.
AND, AND A VERY DIVERSE LIST OF WHAT PEOPLE WERE READING.
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FROM REALLY VERY DENSE, YOU KNOW, THINGS THAT REQUIRED A LOT OF, A LOT OF CHEWING ON TO, YOU KNOW, TO FLUFFY STUFF, WHICH IS FINE.AND, YOU KNOW, AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN.
AND I DID LOOK TO SEE IF IT'S LISTED IN THE OFF THE SHELF, WHICH IT IS.
SO YES, WE PLANNED A THIN IT, BUT, BUT DATES ON MY CALENDAR.
AND THEN FOR THOSE, THERE'S A LITTLE SNAPSHOT FROM THE WEBSITE.
WELCOME TO THE INTROVERT, UH, HAPPY HOUR.
UM, AND HERE'S SOME SHOTS OF, UM, PEOPLE SPREADING OUT AROUND THE LIBRARY.
THIS ONE LADY, SHE ALWAYS LOVES TO SIT BY THE WINDOW AND LOOK OUT ON THE STREET.
PERFECT PLACEMENT OF THOSE CHAIRS.
UM, OUR OUTREACH GROUP, UH, THEY HAVE A COUPLE OF, UH, THE CLUBS.
ONE IS FOR CITY OF GARLAND EMPLOYEES.
AND, UH, WHEN THEY STARTED IT CENTRAL WAS STILL CLOSED AND THEY WERE MEETING AT THE, UH, SQUARE EVEN WHEN IT WAS GETTING KIND OF HOT.
BUT THEY HAD PEOPLE FROM A FEW DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS SHOW UP AND THEY'D EAT THEIR LUNCH AND TALK ABOUT WHATEVER BOOK.
UH, AND THEN SINCE CENTRAL HAS OPENED, THEY HAVE USED, I BELIEVE, OUR CONFERENCE ROOM AND THEY MEET DURING THE DAY AT NOON, UH, TO DO THIS.
UM, AND YEAH, THAT'S, AND HERE'S SOME SHOTS FROM, I DID, HOLD ON.
THEY ALSO HAVE THE, UM, CELEBRITIES ABOUT TOWN.
HAVE I EVER USED THIS BEFORE? SORRY.
THEY HAVE THIS, UH, CELEBRITIES ABOUT TOWN.
THEY MEET AT THE LAKEWOOD BREWING COMPANY.
AND, UH, THIS IS THE ONE BOOK CLUB THAT TAKES PLACE.
AND THESE ARE THE BOOKS THERE ARE GONNA BE READING IN THE SPRING.
I MENTIONED THE TEAM GARLAND READS, AND HERE ARE A COUPLE SHOTS, UH, FROM THOSE TWO BOOK CLUBS.
UM, WE ALWAYS INCLUDE, WE ALWAYS ASK THE MEMBERS OF THE BOOK CLUB, UH, BOOK CLUBS TO MAKE SUGGESTIONS AND SOME, AND SOMETIMES WE GET QUITE A FEW, UH, SUGGESTIONS.
AND SOMETIMES THEY JUST START, LIKE, PICK BOOKS FOR US.
UM, AND I CAN SAY, PERSONALLY SPEAKING FOR MYSELF, I, UH, WILL LOOK AT, I'LL TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION THEIR SU UH, SUGGESTIONS.
I'LL LOOK AT BOOK REVIEWS, BOOK LISTS, GOOD READS, BOOK RIOT.
JUST, I'LL LOOK ALL OVER THE PLACE.
AND ALSO SUGGESTIONS FROM, UH, OTHER LIBRARY STAFF ALSO.
AND THEN WE ALSO NEED TO CONSULT WITH OUR BOOK SELECTORS TO MAKE SURE THESE ARE BOOKS WE CAN ACTUALLY, UH, BUY AND HAVE AVAILABLE TO THE, UM, TO THE MEMBERS.
AND WE TRY REALLY HARD TO GET, UH, CHEESE BOOKS THAT WHERE IT'LL, WHERE WE CAN GET 'EM IN PRINT, EBOOK AND AUDIO, UH, FORMATS.
'CAUSE YOU KNOW, DIVERSITY OF, UH, INTEREST AND HOW TO READ THESE BOOKS.
UH, AND THERE ARE QUITE A FEW PEOPLE THAT LIKE AUDIO BOOKS.
UM, BUT WE OBVIOUSLY CAN'T BUY BOOKS FOR EVERY SINGLE, UM, BOOK MEMBER, UH, BOOK CLUB MEMBER.
AND THEN WE'LL ASK THEM TO TRY TO DO THEM IN A TIMELY MANNER.
AND ALSO, IF YOU CAN GET FROM OTHER LIBRARIES, IF WE, IF WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH, UM, BENEFITS OF BOOK CLUBS.
SO, UM, I THINK I MENTIONED A STORY BEFORE.
SEVERAL OF SEVERAL OF YOU HAVE HEARD THIS, BUT THERE ARE SOME NEW MEMBERS ON THE, UH, BOARD NOW.
UH, WE HAD IN THE THRILLS AND CHILLS BOOK CLUB, WE HAD A BOOK CLUB MEMBER WHO HAD BEEN WITH US FOR, UH, OVER A YEAR, WHO, WHO PASSED AWAY.
AND WE FOUND OUT, WE, WE DIDN'T KNOW AT FIRST.
WE KIND OF FOUND OUT ACCIDENTALLY.
UH, BUT ANYWAY, UM, AND SO WHEN WE NEXT HAD OUR MEETING, WE WERE ALL TALKING ABOUT HER AND WHAT A NEAT LADY SHE WAS, AND, YOU KNOW, THAT KIND OF STUFF.
AND THEN IT LED TO A DISCUSSION OF HOW IMPORTANT THESE MEETINGS WERE TO THE PEOPLE THAT COME TO OUR, TO OUR BOOK CLUB.
AND, UM, IT WAS A VERY MOVING DISCUSSION.
AND, UM, I PERSONALLY, WHEN I'M DOING PROGRAMMING, I AM, I AM QUITE AWARE OF OUR PROGRAMS. THEY'RE NOT JUST ABOUT WHATEVER CRAFT OR WHATEVER
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BOOK WE'RE DISCUSS DISCUSSING, BUT I KNOW HOW IMPORTANT THE SOCIAL COMPONENT IS TO PROGRAMMING.AND, UH, THEY TALKED ABOUT THAT TOO.
UM, SO IT IS JUST AS IMPORTANT AS WHATEVER WE'RE DOING.
AND, UM, SO ALSO, SO BOOK CLUBS ARE GOOD FOR THAT SOCIAL CONNECTION.
IT HELPS COM COMBAT LONELINESS.
THERE ARE A LOT OF SINGLE OLDER PEOPLE AND YOUNGER PEOPLE TOO.
WE DO HAVE YOUNGER PEOPLE IN OUR BOOK CLUBS ALSO MM-HMM
UM, UH, BUT IT, AND, AND WE HAVE SEVERAL PEOPLE WHO COME EVERY TIME, OR, OR THEY'LL COME WHEN THEY WANT.
WE HAVE SOME PEOPLE THAT COME FOR A PARTICULAR BOOK, BUT WE HAVE A CORE GROUP OF PEOPLE THAT COME EVERY TIME AND THEY'RE MAKING FRIENDSHIPS WITH EACH OTHER TOO, WHICH IS, WHICH IS GREAT.
UM, ANOTHER BENEFIT OF BOOK CLUBS IS, UH, PATRONS GET TO SHARE THEIR THOUGHTS AND, AND OPINIONS AND IMPROVE THEIR SOCIAL SKILLS, BUILD CONFIDENCE AND IMPROVE SELF-ESTEEM.
I FORGOT TO SAY I GOT THIS FROM A, AN ARTICLE THAT I FOUND IN, UH, PSYCHOLOGY TODAY ONLINE, UM, IN REFERENCE TO THIS, UM, ONE, WHEN WE WERE HAVING THAT DISCUSSION, THAT SAME DISCUSSION AFTER THAT, UH, CLUB MEMBER HAD PASSED AWAY, UM, ONE OF THE, UH, GENTLEMAN THAT WAS AT THE MEETING, HE WAS TALKING ABOUT HOW HE HAD STARTED ATTENDING ACTUALLY ONE OF THE OTHER BOOK CLUBS.
AND AT FIRST HE FELT REALLY SHY ABOUT TALKING ABOUT ANYTHING.
AND THEN OVER TIME HE REALIZED, OH, THIS IS OKAY.
AND HE JUST REALLY HAS BLOOMED BECAUSE HE JUST, HE COMES TO THE MEETINGS WITH HIS NOTES, HE MARKS UP THE BOOK AND ACTUALLY THE OCTOBER THRILLS AND CHILLS BIG CLUB.
I GOT SICK THAT DAY AND I ASKED HIM TO FILL IN AND HE DID AND APPARENTLY WENT REALLY WELL.
SO HE WENT FROM SHY TO LEADING THE BIG CLUB.
BOOK CLUBS OFFER A SAFE SPACE TO EXPLORE SOCIAL ISSUES THAT CAN ENHANCE PERSONAL GROWTH AND SOCIETAL CHANGE.
AND LIKE I SAY HERE, OUR PATRONS, THEY HAVE THEIR OPINIONS AND WE, WHETHER WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE BOOKS OR MAYBE SOME OF THE CONVERSATION THAT COMES FROM THE BOOKS, UM, WE'RE NOT ALL OF THE SAME MIND.
WE HAVE GREAT DISCUSSIONS, WE REALLY DO.
UM, MY EXPERIENCE HAS BEEN EVERYONE'S RESPECTFUL AND WE HAVE A GOOD TIME.
UM, DISCUSSING BOOKS IMPROVES CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS AND INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENT.
A FEW, A FEW OF YOU WENT TO THE ONE BOOK, ONE GARLAND EVENING WITH MARCELLA ENTENTES.
AND THOSE QUESTIONS THAT THEY ASKED WERE FANTASTIC.
I THOUGHT THEY WERE INTELLECTUAL
IT WAS REALLY, IT WAS REALLY GREAT.
AND LIKE I WAS SAYING ABOUT THE GENTLEMAN IN OUR BOOK CLUB, HE'S NOT THE ONLY ONE, AT LEAST IN THE BOOK CLUBS THAT I'M A PART OF, THEY COME, THEY READ THE BOOKS AND THEY COME AND ARE READY TO DISCUSS AND THEY WANNA DISCUSS, AND THEY'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO THE NEXT BOOK.
UM, AS FAR AS ATTENDANCE, SO OUR, I PUT IT IN ORDER OF WHEN THE CLUBS BEGAN AND ALL THAT IN GREEN.
THOSE ARE ALL NEW BOOK CLUBS, AND THIS IS KIND OF THE RANGE OR THE AVERAGE NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT'LL COME PER MEETING.
AND ALL OF THESE MEET ONCE A MONTH.
UM, SO THAT ONE AT SOUTH, OUR OLDEST ONE, SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 12 TO 16 WILL COME EACH TIME.
UH, IT'S RANGED FROM 11 TO 20, AND THAT REALLY IS PUSHING IT, I HAVE TO SAY
THAT'S THE ONE THAT MEETS AT LAKEWOOD.
UH, AND THEN THE EMPLOYEE ONE, THEY'RE, THEY HAVE ABOUT THREE THAT ARE SHOWING UP, UH, THE SPANISH ONE RANGING BETWEEN THREE TO SIX PEOPLE EACH TIME.
SILENT BOOK CLUB 22 TO 25 HAS BEEN WHAT IT IS.
OF COURSE, THIS IS AN INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION, SO THEY HAVE THE BENEFIT OF
I THINK IT'S BEEN MORE LIKE FOUR THE LAST COUPLE TIMES.
AND THEN, UH, WEST THEY HAD FOUR AT THE FIR.
THEY'VE ONLY HAD ONE MEETING, SO FOUR SO FAR.
AND LIKE I SAID, UH, OPEN BOOKS OPEN MIND STARTS TOMORROW, RIGHT? YEAH.
SO, SO, SO WHEN DID GARLAND LIBRARIES FIRST START HAVING BOOK CLUBS? I'M SURE IT WAS BEFORE 2019.
THERE WAS ONE, LIKE, I'M LOOKING AT KATHLEEN TURNERS.
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YEARS AGO I WAS THE MANAGER AT THE TIME, SO IT'S BEEN A WHILE.UM, THAT ONE HAD SEVERAL STAFF MEMBERS LEADING MM-HMM.
SO THAT DID GO ON FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS.
AND, UM, AT ONE POINT STAFFING WAS PRETTY TIGHT AND WE ENDED UP, UM, WE, WE DIDN'T END IT.
WE SAID IF THEY, IF THE MEMBERS WANTED TO CONTINUE IT, THEY COULD.
UM, AND THEY DID FOR A WHILE, AND THEN IT JUST FELL APART.
AND THEN FOR, WE JUST DIDN'T HAVE ANYTHING FOR A WHILE.
AND THEN A LOT OF THE NEWER STAFF THAT CAME ON, UH, EXPRESSED AN INTEREST IN STARTING THESE BOOK CLUBS WITH ALL OF THEIR INTEREST.
AND SO WE'VE BEEN GROWING THE NUMBER OF BOOK CLUBS.
WE MAY BE AT A SATURATION POINT, I'M NOT SURE.
WELL, WHAT, WHAT I WAS THINKING THOUGH WAS, GARLAND USED TO HAVE A LOT OF CLUBS.
THERE WAS TAIL SPINNERS AND DIFFERENT, THERE WERE TWO BOOK CLUBS, UH, IN THE OLD DAYS MM-HMM
UH, IN FACT, UH, TAIL SPINNERS JUST FINALLY, I MEAN, I, I WAS A MEMBER OF THAT AND, AND ARGUED EIGHT YEARS AGO THAT WE SHOULD CLOSE DOWN, UH, AND WE FI THEY FINALLY DID IT, GOT DOWN TO THREE OR FOUR MEMBERS AND GAVE THE MONEY, UM, TO OUR LIBRARY TO BUY SOME BOOKS.
BUT, BUT I THINK THIS IS REPLACING THAT, THAT THAT USED TO BE PART OF THE COMMUNITY SPIRIT.
UM, BUT IT'S, UH, IT'S VERY INTERESTING TO ME TO OBSERVE, UM, SOCIALIZATION THAT, THAT THEY USED TO PROVIDE.
AND NOW THIS IS A, IT'S MORPHED INTO SOMETHING NEW AND DIFFERENT.
I'M INTERESTED WATCHING HOW THIS IS, UH, DEVELOPING ALSO.
AND, UH, SOME OF THE, AS I SAID, SEVERAL OF THESE ARE NEW CLUBS.
SOME OF THE NUMBERS SEEM KIND OF LOW.
IT'LL TAKE A LITTLE WHILE TO TAKE TWO THRILLS AND CHILLS.
I HAD ONE PERSON THE SECOND TIME, AND THEN I HAD TWO TO THREE FOR SEVERAL MONTHS.
AND THEN EVENTUALLY IT'S KIND OF FIND THE RIGHT GROUP OF PEOPLE, I GUESS.
AND THEN IT FINALLY BECAME A REAL REGULAR SOLID.
UM, IT IS REALLY INTERESTING TO WATCH.
AND, UM, I MEAN, I KNOW IT'S MY JOB, BUT I GET SOMETHING OUT OF IT TOO.
I ENJOY THE DISCUSSIONS AND I ENJOY THE CONNECTION IN THE COMMUNITY.
AND WE HAVE A, WE HAVE A GOOD TIME.
UM, HOW OFTEN DO THE BOOK CLUBS, UM, ADD NEW BOOKS TO THE LIST AND PLAN? IS IT ALL DONE AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR FOR THE WHOLE YEAR, OR DO THEY DO DO IT IN PIECES THROUGHOUT THE YEAR? WE, UH, WE DO IT BY THE SEASON.
UM, AND SO WE JUST, ACTUALLY, THE REASON I CHOSE SPRING BOOKS IS BECAUSE JUST RECENTLY WE TURNED IN ALL OF OUR PROPOSALS AND GOT APPROVALS FOR OUR PROGRAMS. JUST RECENTLY FOR SPRING, WE HAD TO DO PLANNING, YOU KNOW, SEVERAL MONTHS AHEAD.
AND, UH, AT A MINIMUM WE NEED TO HAVE THAT PICKED OUT IN ADVANCE.
UH, HONESTLY, I ALSO HAVE PICKED OUT BOOKS FOR THE SUMMER, UM, BECAUSE I HAD SEVERAL SUGGESTIONS FROM MEMBERS AND, UM, THEY'RE, AND I'M ALWAYS LOOKING FOR NEW BOOKS, SO I, BUT I'VE, I HAVEN'T DONE LIKE A YEAR AHEAD.
I WANNA HAVE THE FLEXIBILITY FOR, UH, THINGS TO CHANGE FOR, UM, PATRONS TO MAKE SUGGESTIONS.
THAT'S KIND OF WHAT I WAS ASKING.
I WAS WONDERING IF PEOPLE COME IN MIDSTREAM, DO THEY HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE INPUT ON OH YES.
SEASON OF BOOKS AND HOW OFTEN THAT'S YES, ABSOLUTELY.
I WANNA BE FLEXIBLE AND, AND ALLOW FOR THAT KIND OF THING.
JUST A COMMENT, THE, THE WINTER TITLES ARE LISTED IN OFF THE SHELF.
SO I TALKED TO MILLIE THE OTHER DAY AND SHE SAID, YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE TO, THEY HAVE TO MEET THEIR PUBLICATION DEADLINES, SO THEY'RE, THEY'RE ALWAYS WORKING AT LEAST THAT FAR AHEAD.
SO THAT, I APPRECIATE THE FACT THAT, UM, THE BOOK CLUBS MEET ON DIFFERENT NIGHTS YES.
THAT I HAD IN MY HEAD AT ONE POINT.
THEY WERE ALL ON THURSDAY, AND MAYBE ONCE UPON A TIME THEY WERE, BUT THERE'S SOME ON TUESDAY AND SOME ON THURSDAY NOW, WHICH I THINK IS, IS TERRIFIC.
I'VE BEEN TO I THINK THREE OF THE DIFFERENT GROUPS.
AND, UH, HAVE FELT VERY WELCOME AT ALL OF THEM BECAUSE YOU, YOU ALREADY HAVE SOMETHING IN COMMON WITH THESE PEOPLE YOU'VE NEVER MET.
AND, AND THAT'S ON PURPOSE THAT THEY'RE NOT THE SAME NIGHT.
BECAUSE ALSO WE DO HAVE PEOPLE WHO PARTICIPATE IN MORE THAN ONE
[00:30:01]
BIT CLUB.WE STARTED OUT WITH THURS THURSDAY, IT SEEMS TO BE A GREAT DAY TO DO ADULT PROGRAMMING IN THE EVENING.
UM, SO THAT'S WHERE IT STARTED.
AND THEN WE RAN OUT OF THURSDAY, SO THEN WE HAD A TWO STAY, I THINK WE HAD TUESDAYS AND THURSDAYS NORMALLY.
AND THE SILENT BOOK CLUB PARTY.
BUT ANYWAY, THAT, THAT'S HOW THAT CAME ABOUT THOUGH.
AND I THINK CELEBRITY'S ABOUT TOWN EITHER WEDNESDAY, I THINK SO.
OKAY, THE NEXT ITEM IS LIBRARY BOARD BYLAWS UPDATE.
UM, ANTOINETTE SENT AN EMAIL, UH, KIND OF CAPTURING IT HAS, UM, THE UPDATED BYLAWS.
UH, CITY COUNCIL ADOPTED AN UPDATED OR APPROVED AND UPDATED BYLAWS FOR ALL BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS, UM, BACK IN OCTOBER OF THIS YEAR.
UM, THE BIG TAKEAWAYS, UH, CHANGES ARE LISTED HERE ON THIS SLIDE.
UM, AND THEY WERE, UH, BELIEVE SENT OUT ONE COPY HAD, UH, HIGHLIGHTED PORTION WHAT THOSE, UM, CHANGES HAVE MADE TO IT.
UM, THE CHAIRPERSON MAY SERVE A MAXIMUM OF TWO CONSECUTIVE TERMS, AND UPON COMPLETION OF THE SECOND TERM, THE CHAIRPERSON SHALL BE INELIGIBLE TO SERVE AGAIN IN THAT ROLE UNTIL AT LEAST ONE FULL TERM HAS PASSED.
UM, AND IT'S THIS SAME CONCEPT FOR THE VICE CHAIR, UH, AS WELL.
UM, AND THEN THE CHAIRPERSON AND VICE CHAIRPERSON SHALL BE ELECTED ANNUALLY AT THE FIRST REGULAR MEETING IN SEPTEMBER.
UH, WE'VE BEEN DOING THAT IN OCTOBER, BUT WE'LL JUST DO IT ONE MONTH AHEAD OF TIME.
SO I JUST WANTED TO BRING THIS TO EVERYONE'S ATTENTION AND MAKE SURE EVERYONE, UM, HAS THAT INFORMATION.
SO ANTONETTE, I THINK IS UPDATING THE, UM, THE BINDERS.
SO YOU SHOULD HAVE THE UPDATED BYLAWS IN YOUR BINDERS AS WELL, BUT IT APPLIES TO ALL BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS, CORRECT? YES, SIR.
INCLUDING THE PLANNING COMMISSION, INCLUDING FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND, INCLUDING THE PLANNING COMMISSION.
I THINK THAT'S A VERY GOOD THING,
WELL, AND AS THIS APPLIES TO THE, TO THE LIBRARY BOARD, UM, I'VE BEEN CHAIR FOR MORE THAN TWO YEARS.
KRISTEN IS IN HER SECOND YEAR AS VICE CHAIR.
SO NEXT SEPTEMBER WE WILL HAVE AN ELECTION AND WE, UM, WILL HAVE DIFFERENT NEED, NEED TO HAVE DIFFERENT PEOPLE IN LEADERSHIP.
SO, UM, SECOND TERM OR SECOND, I WAS JUST SELECTED BY, SO YOU, THE SECOND TIME VICE CHAIR? NO.
DID YOU SKIP A YEAR? DID IT GO FROM YOU TO ADAM? I WASN'T EVER THINK THIS IS, WE CAN GO BACK AND CHECK.
SO HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN CHAIR? I DUNNO HOW LONG I'VE BEEN CHAIR, UM, SINCE, SINCE SINCE BETTY RETIRED.
AND BETTY WAS AN INSTITUTION, BUT I, AND I THINK BETTY WAS ON THE BOARD FOR SOMETHING LIKE 25 TO 28 YEARS, SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
AND WAS A CHAIR FOR, I DON'T KNOW, A VERY LONG TIME.
AND WHEN SHE SHOWED UP AT CITY COUNCIL, SHE SHOWED UP
SO, WELL, WELL BEFORE THE MEETING IN SEPTEMBER, THERE'LL BE SOME INFORMATION AND, YOU KNOW, YOU'VE HEARD SOME OF ME SAY, YOU KNOW, WE ALWAYS WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE IS AN ELECTION.
UM, UM, THE, AS AS A CHAIR, ONE OF, YOU KNOW, MY HORROR SCENARIOS WOULD BE TO SAY, ARE THERE ANY NOMINATIONS AND HAVE PEOPLE LOOK HORRIFIED.
ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ON THIS? I THINK THE IDEA IS JUST TO SHAKE THINGS UP A LITTLE BIT AND, UM, MAKE SURE THAT THERE ARE SOME NEW IDEAS.
I KNOW I APPRECIATE THE FACT THAT OUR BOARD HAS PEOPLE WHO, UH, ARE APPOINTED IN EVEN YEARS AND PEOPLE WHO ARE APPOINTED IN ODD YEARS.
AND BETWEEN THAT AND PEOPLE JUST NATURALLY COMING AND GOING, IT, IT GIVES A GOOD MIX OF EXPERIENCE AND NEW PERSPECTIVE, AND THE BOARD NEEDS BOTH.
IS THAT THE ONLY THING THAT AFFECTS US? YES, SIR.
I THOUGHT WE WERE GONNA ROLL OUT A WHOLE BUNCH OF RULES ON
[00:35:01]
JUST SERVING OR IS THERE, THERE'S NO LIMIT ON SERVING.UM, IT'S JUST THE CHAIR, VICE CHAIR ROLES? YES.
LIKE THAT'S ALL THERE IS ON THAT.
AND THE, UH, NEXT ITEM IS CENTRAL LIBRARY STATISTICS.
I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT SHARING THE LIBRARY STATISTICS OR CENTRAL LIBRARY STATISTICS.
UM, SO AT OUR, I THINK IT WAS THE LAST MEETING, IN THIS MEETING, UH, THERE WAS A REQUEST TO KIND OF HAVE A COMPARISON OR AN UPDATE TO SEE HOW CENTRAL WAS DOING SINCE IT OPENED IN JULY, UM, JULY 12TH, I BELIEVE.
UM, SO WE'RE GONNA, OH, I NEEDED JUST SET ONE THING UP.
UM, WE'RE GONNA LOOK AT JULY, UH, THROUGH NOVEMBER OF THIS YEAR, BUT WE'RE GONNA COMPARE IT TO 2024 AND THEN 2019, UM, THE REASON FOR DOING THAT 2024 CENTRAL LIBRARY WAS STILL, UH, OVER IN ITS, UM, ABBREVIATED STATE, UH, UH, THE CLEA CENTRAL LIBRARY EXPRESS.
SO COMPARING 24 AND 25 FIGURES IS NOT AN APPLES TO APPLES COMPARISON.
UM, WE WENT BACK SIX YEARS TO 2019 BECAUSE IT'S THE, THE FIRST FULL YEAR OF SERVICES THAT WAS NOT IMPACTED BY THE PANDEMIC AND THAT THERE WAS NOT SOME FORM OF CONSTRUCTION HAPPENING AT CENTRAL LIBRARY.
SO THERE, THERE IS A GAP THERE, BUT THAT'S THE METHODOLOGY OF USING THE 2019 FIGURE.
SO, UH, OUR VISITORS, UM, WE'VE GOT, UH, LET'S SEE, 2019 IN THE BLUE, 24 IN THE RED, AND 25 IN THE GREEN.
UM, THE BOTTOM LINE IS THAT WE ARE TRENDING ABOUT 8% ABOVE THE PRE PANDEMIC NUMBERS WITH THE NUMBER OF VISITORS WHO ARE COMING INTO CENTRAL LIBRARY, WHICH IS FANTASTIC.
WE WANNA BE ABLE TO SUSTAIN THAT.
WE WANNA BE ABLE TO, TO GROW THAT NUMBER OVER TIME.
UM, AND THERE'S ONE, UH, BULLET HERE THAT EVEN, UH, SHOWS THAT 25 GAINS ARE STEADY EACH MONTH SUGGESTING STEADY DEMAND, NOT A ONE TIME SPIKE.
UH, WE HAVEN'T HAD A, A FULL SUMMER OR YEAH, WE'VE JUST OPENED IN JULY.
SO WE PROBABLY WILL SEE A SPIKE ON SOME OF THOSE, UM, THOSE MONTHS THAT WE HISTORICALLY HAVE HAD SPIKES IN, BUT WE JUST DON'T HAVE THAT DATA QUITE YET.
SO THIS IS THE ONE, UM, THIS IS THE ONE ANOMALY, UH, WITH ALL OF THE STATISTICS.
AND THIS IS CENTRAL LIBRARY'S PHYSICAL CIRCULATION FROM THE SAME TIME PERIOD.
AS YOU CAN SEE, UH, IT'S, IT'S STILL TRAILING BEHIND THE PRE PANDEMIC NUMBER WITH 109, ALMOST 110,000 ITEMS, UH, CIRCULATED THUS FAR, UH, IN 2015 OR 2025.
UM, PART OF THIS IS, I THINK THE, UM, THE TYPE OF USE HAS CHANGED.
LIBRARY USE HAS CHANGED A LITTLE BIT.
SO DURING THE PANDEMIC, UH, WHETHER IT WAS, I THINK WILL SAID EARLIER, KATHLEEN, I CAN'T REMEMBER WHICH ONE WE WERE MEETING ABOUT THIS, UM, BECAUSE OF NEED DURING THE PANDEMIC, EVERYTHING SHIFTED OVER TO THAT E-CONTENT, LIBBY OVER FIVE, UH, HOOP, THOSE TYPES OF FORMATS.
UM, SOME PEOPLE MADE THAT CHANGE AND NEVER CAME BACK TO THE PHYSICAL FORMAT.
UM, WE ARE GOING TO BE DOING A DEEPER DIVE INTO THESE NUMBERS TO LOOK AT WHAT MAKES UP THAT NUMBER, WHAT MAKES UP THOSE TRENDS.
BUT THAT'S GONNA TAKE A LITTLE BIT OF TIME FOR US TO DO TOGETHER SOME OF THOSE NUMBERS AND DO THAT ANALYSIS, BUT WE CAN DEFINITELY BRING THAT BACK.
I DID WANNA SHOW THOUGH OUR DIGITAL CHECKOUTS THROUGH OVERDRIVE OR, OR LIBBY WITH THE EBOOKS AND EAU BOOKS.
UM, THE ONE THING I NEED TO MENTION HERE IS THAT THESE DIGITAL CHECKOUTS ARE SYSTEM WIDE.
UM, WE CANNOT PINPOINT JUST PEOPLE WHO, UH, USE CENTRAL LIBRARY.
UM, AS YOU CAN SEE, UH, WHILE PHYSICAL, UH, CIRCULATION DECLINED, UM, DIGITAL SOURCE HAVE INCREASED GREATLY.
AND THAT, UH, 2019 COMPARISON, UH, BEING IT'S INCREASED 50%, WHICH IS A, A BIG JUMP.
UM, EVERY YEAR, EVEN BEFORE 2019, WE WERE SEEING A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF GROWTH, UH, YEAR OVER YEAR, UH, WITH PEOPLE MAKING THAT JUMP, UH, USING OUR DIGITAL RESOURCES.
THERE IS A COST TO THAT BECAUSE OUR DIGITAL CONTENT IS NOT INEXPENSIVE.
AND THE, THE PLATFORM HAS, HAS CHANGED THE WAY YOU, UH, ACQUIRE SOME
[00:40:01]
OF THOSE PUBLISHERS HAVE CHANGED THE WAY YOU ACQUIRE SOME OF THOSE TITLES.WHETHER IT'S THE LICENSE IS GOOD FOR 26 CHECKOUTS OR 52 WEEKS, OR HOWEVER I MAY BE GETTING THAT WRONG.
BUT, UM, THERE, THERE ARE LIMITATIONS THAT IT'S NOT JUST A YES.
UM, NOW WE'LL MOVE TO LIBRARY PROGRAMS. UM, THESE PROGRAMS, EXCUSE ME, WE'RE JUST GONNA LOOK AT IN-PERSON PROGRAMS, JUST REGULAR PROGRAMS. UM, DURING THIS TIME PERIOD, WE OFFERED VIRTUAL PROGRAMS THAT'S TAKEN OUTTA THE EQUATION AND WE OFFER PASSIVE PROGRAMS THAT'S TAKEN OUTTA THE EQUATION.
THIS IS A TRADITIONAL LIBRARY PROGRAM.
THE VISITORS WAS, UH, LOOKING AT THAT WAS EXCITING.
THE DIGITAL CONTENT'S EXCITING.
THIS IS IS VERY, VERY EXCITING.
SO LOOKING AT OUR ADULT PROGRAMMING, UM, WE'VE ACTUALLY INCREASED ATTENDANCE BY AN INCREDIBLE AMOUNT.
UH, BUT THAT'S DUE IN PART TOO.
WE'RE ALSO OFFERING MANY MORE ADULT PROGRAMS THAN WHAT WE WERE DOING IN 2019.
WE DIDN'T HAVE, WE HAD SOME ADULT PROGRAMS, BUT WE'VE REALLY PUT A LOT OF EFFORT TIME IN BUILDING OUR ADULT PROGRAM CONTENT.
I WILL, UH, WE'LL LOOK AT WHAT THE, UM, AVERAGE PARTICIPATION PER, UH, PER PROGRAM IS AT AT THE END.
HAVE A SLIDE WITH THAT INFORMATION ON IT.
UM, THE ONE, UH, EXCITING THING IS, I THINK THE SECOND BULLET IS ATTENDANCE, GROWTH, OUTPACES VOLUME, SUGGESTING HIGHER APPEAL SERIES AND STRONG, STRONGER MARKETING AND OUTREACH.
AND WE'VE BEEN DOING AN INCREDIBLE AMOUNT OF MARKETING AND OUTREACH FOR OUR PROGRAMS. AND I THINK GETTING THE WORD OUT HAS HELPED, ESPECIALLY WITH, UM, ADULT.
AND AS DAPHNE MENTIONED, SOME OF THE PROGRAMS, DEPENDING ON WHAT IT IS, IT DOES TAKE A LITTLE BIT OF TIME TO GET, UM, PEOPLE GET THE RIGHT GROUP, GET THE, THE MESSAGE OUT TO, UM, PEOPLE TO COME.
BUT ONCE IT, IT TAKES HOLD, IT USUALLY, UM, HAS A LOYAL FOLLOWING AND THEY START INVITING PEOPLE AND THEN THEY START INVITING PEOPLE AND IT JUST BUILDS.
SO IS IT CORRECT TO CONCLUDE THAT PEOPLE ARE COMING INTO THE BUILDINGS TO ATTEND PROGRAMS BUT THEY'RE NOT TAKING BOOKS HOME? CORRECT.
AT THIS POINT IN TIME WHEN THEY'RE GOING HOME, THEY'RE NOT TAKING PHYSICAL BOOKS.
THEY MAY BE CHECKING 'EM OUT STILL, BUT IT'S, YEAH.
GOING BACK, WE, WE WANNA LOOK AT WHAT PARTS OF THE COLLECTION ARE REALLY CHECKING OUT.
WE KNOW OUR CHILDREN'S MATERIALS, UH, BY THE EMPTY SHELVES DOWNSTAIRS.
SO WE'VE GOT SOME, UM, WE'VE GOT SOME NUMBERS TO PULL AND LOOK AT.
UM, TEEN PROGRAMMING, IT'S KIND OF IN THE SAME BOAT AS THE, THE ADULT PROGRAMS. UM, BUT NOT, NOT NEARLY TO THE EXTENT.
SO ATTENDANCE FOR TEEN PROGRAMS HAS INCREASED BY 875%, BUT AGAIN, WE ARE OFFERING MORE TEEN PROGRAMS THAN WHAT WE WERE.
WE DO HAVE, UH, A DEDICATED GROUP WHO ARE WORKING.
THEY HAVE TEEN ADVISORY BOARD.
UH, THEY'RE WORKING WITH VOLUNTEER PROGRAMS. THEY'RE REALLY TRYING TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS WITH, UH, TWEENS AND TEENS AND FIND OUT WHAT IS IT THAT YOU WANT, WHAT WILL YOU COME FOR? AND THEY'VE, UH, PUT A LOT OF WORK INTO CULTIVATING PROGRAMS THAT KIDS WILL COME TO OR TEENS WILL COME TO SEE.
ARTS AND CRAFTS ARE VERY POPULAR, UH, WITH TEENS, ANYTHING STEM.
AND THEN OUR CHILDREN'S PROGRAMMING, UM, ATTENDANCE HAS INCREASED BY 266% FROM 2019.
WE'VE ALWAYS OFFERED A GOOD NUMBER OF CHILDREN'S PROGRAMS, BUT WE ARE OFFERING MORE CHILDREN'S PROGRAMS NOW.
BUT I'LL EVEN HIGHLIGHT IN 2024 TO 25, THE NUMBER OF PROGRAMS OFFERED.
WE INCREASED THE NUMBER OF PROGRAMS THAT WE OFFERED, EVEN IN OUR SMALLER, UM, TEMPORARY FACILITY.
UM, BUT NOW WE ARE JUST THE, THE, UH, NUMBER OF FAMILIES WHO ARE COMING IN AND, AND BRINGING THEIR CHILDREN HAS REALLY INCREASED.
UH, IN FACT, CHILDREN'S PROGRAMS DOUBLED, UH, VERSUS 2019.
UM, PARTICIPATION NEARLY TRIPLED, SHOWING STRONG FAMILY DEMAND ATTENDANCE PER PROGRAM IS HIGHER.
UM, AND THEN A FALL SURGE ALIGNS WITH BACK TO SCHOOL ROUTINES AND SEASONAL FAMILY PROGRAMS. AND THIS IS A SLIDE I WAS REFERRING TO EARLIER.
[00:45:01]
GREAT TO LOOK AT, UH, ALL THE NUMBERS AND THE, JUST THE, THE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WHO ARE COMING.BUT THE BREAKDOWN OF WHAT IS OUR AVERAGE, UH, NUMBER OF PEOPLE COMING TO A PROGRAM, UH, YOU CAN SEE WITH THE EXCEPTION, UM, OF THE ADULT PROGRAMS, WE'RE REALLY INCREASING THAT PER PROGRAM PARTICIPATION.
AND I DON'T THINK THE ADULT, UH, PARTICIPATION IS REALLY ANYTHING TO BE UPSET ABOUT.
AND HAVING AN AVERAGE OF, WE'LL SAY 17 WHOLE PEOPLE COMING TO THE PROGRAM INSTEAD OF 17.4%
SO WE'RE GETTING A GOOD RETURN ON INVESTMENT.
WE DO GO THROUGH A PROCESS WITH THE PROGRAMS AT CENTRAL AND EVERYWHERE TO SEE DOES IT, IS WHAT WE'RE OFFERING, UM, RELEVANT, HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE ARE COMING TO IT, UH, DOES THE EFFORT OUTWEIGH THE, THE NUMBER? AND REALLY TRYING TO ASSESS WHEN IT'S TIME TO, TO CHANGE, ADD SOMETHING NEW, SUNSET, SOMETHING, UM, INTO THE MIX.
BUT ALL IN ALL, UM, OUR USAGE FOR CENTRAL HAS BEEN EXTREMELY POSITIVE AND WE'RE EXCITED TO SEE WHERE IT GOES.
IF YOU WENT BACK 20 TO 2000 OR 1990 OR SOMETHING, WOULD IT BE FLAT OR WOULD IT BE, I PRESUME THE LIBRARY WAS DOING THOSE THINGS BACK IN THOSE, WE WERE DOING SOME FORM OF A COMBINATION OF THOSE THINGS, BUT WE PROBABLY WEREN'T DOING AS MANY THINGS FOR ADULTS AND TEENS AT THAT TIME AS WHAT WE'RE DOING NOW.
BUT YOU WERE DOING IT FOR CHILDREN BACK THEN.
SO YOU EVER, UM, CAN YOU DE AGGREGATE THIS DATA? I'M CURIOUS LIKE TIME OF DAY WHEN IS LIKE PRIME TIME? UM, PLEASE, WE CAN DO THAT WITH PROGRAMS, VISITORS, UH, MAY BE A LITTLE BIT HARDER TO ACCOUNT DATA, BUT WE CAN DEFINITELY THINKING ABOUT PROGRAMS JUST 'CAUSE I KNOW THERE'S CERTAIN TIMES I'M LIKE, GEEZ, I WISH I COULD GO TO THIS.
ARE THERE ANY OTHER COMMENTS? I THINK THESE NUMBERS REFLECT A LOT OF CREATIVITY AND PLANNING AND HARD WORK AND INVOLVEMENT WITH, WITH STAFF.
AND CONGRATULATIONS TO THEM AND TO YOU.
AND PLEASE TELL THEM WE SAY NICE THINGS ABOUT THE BIO.
THEY'RE A LITTLE TIRED RIGHT NOW.
SO I THINK EVERYONE CAN INHALE AND EXHALE, BUT THE EXCEPTION OF A FEW MAKER PROGRAMS HERE AND THERE.
BUT THEY'RE, WE HAVE A GREAT TEAM.
WE ARE DEFINITELY IN, LET'S CIRCLE BACK AFTER THE HOLIDAY SEASON.
UM, ARE THERE ANY OTHER COMMENTS? OKAY.
IF NOT, WE'LL MOVE ON TO FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS. DOES ANYONE HAVE ANYTHING THEY WOULD LIKE TO, UM, SEE TALKED ABOUT IN A FUTURE MEETING? UH, KAREN, DO YOU REQUIRE A, UM, I'M HAPPY TO SECOND CHANTELLE'S RECOMMENDATION FOR ANY, YOU KNOW, DISAGGREGATED DATA.
ANYTHING ELSE HAVE, HAVE YOU DECIDED ON THE ONE GIRL IN ONE BOOK AND THE NEXT ONE WE CAN BRING AN UPDATE TO THAT, BUT AS A PRESENT, NOT YET.
I'M VERY CURIOUS TO SEE WHAT YOU DO NEXT.
WELL THERE BEING NO FURTHER ITEMS, WE ARE ADJOURNED.