WEBVTT 00:00:00.834 --> 00:00:08.924 - I'd like to call to order the Monroe County Public Library Board of Trustees meeting for September 16th, 00:00:08.924 --> 00:00:16.629 - 2026. Do we have any public comment at this time? Nobody online? Okay, great. Can I get a motion to 00:00:16.629 --> 00:00:24.488 - approve the consent agenda from the minutes from August 19th, monthly financial report, monthly bills 00:00:24.488 --> 00:00:29.342 - for payment, personnel report, and the board meeting calendar? 00:00:30.530 --> 00:00:37.276 - All in favor say aye aye those opposed say nay eyes have it and next we're gonna hear from Greer for 00:00:37.276 --> 00:00:43.955 - the directors monthly report You're probably sick of me saying this by now, but overall circulation 00:00:43.955 --> 00:00:50.634 - continues to be incredibly strong in 2026 We have now seen 12 consecutive months of six-year record 00:00:50.634 --> 00:00:54.174 - circ stats for overall sir. It's really fantastic. I 00:00:55.074 --> 00:01:00.945 - We have launched the indie author project through our biblio board subscription This is a service that 00:01:00.945 --> 00:01:06.929 - allows local authors to submit their own ebooks for inclusion in our local author collection page online 00:01:06.929 --> 00:01:12.629 - Lisa Champelli our collection development manager will be here in November I believe we rescheduled 00:01:12.629 --> 00:01:18.442 - her annual department update and she'll have more details to share on this new service But it's great 00:01:18.442 --> 00:01:24.370 - to see so far and we've been kind of looking at the indie author project through biblio board for about 00:01:24.370 --> 00:01:25.054 - seven years 00:01:25.218 --> 00:01:31.653 - So we finally got it in place, and we've talked to a lot of other libraries that have done this, so 00:01:31.653 --> 00:01:38.152 - it's kind of exciting to see. Preliminary summer reading numbers. I'll just share the stats, because 00:01:38.152 --> 00:01:44.843 - I don't wanna steal the thunder from Angelica or Kathy, who are gonna give some cool department updates 00:01:44.843 --> 00:01:51.407 - today. But here are the preliminary participation numbers. Children's Services had 3,267 participants 00:01:51.407 --> 00:01:54.238 - for summer reading this year. Teen had 726. 00:01:54.370 --> 00:02:01.567 - which is an all-time high for teen summer reading. Adult services had 3,329, which is phenomenal. 473 00:02:01.567 --> 00:02:08.623 - of those, by the way, were digital participants, so that's worth noting. And this is the first time 00:02:08.623 --> 00:02:16.103 - we did outreach house calls with summer reading. So for our house call patrons through outreach services, 00:02:16.103 --> 00:02:23.582 - we had 111 participants. That's pretty great. So overall, very strong numbers for summer reading in 2026. 00:02:24.802 --> 00:02:30.885 - Here at Southwest, the start of the new school year saw BMS students returning to our teen space faster 00:02:30.885 --> 00:02:36.852 - than ever, which is another indication that this branch is indeed a successful and safe space for our 00:02:36.852 --> 00:02:42.877 - teens. CATS officially assumed oversight of our downtown level up digital creativity space. CATS staff 00:02:42.877 --> 00:02:48.726 - have been training for this role for a few months while shadowing adult services staff during their 00:02:48.726 --> 00:02:49.662 - regular shifts. 00:02:49.762 --> 00:02:55.845 - We are happy to bring CATS back into an active role in providing this type of frontline digital creativity 00:02:55.845 --> 00:03:01.643 - tools and support for the community. And we are grateful to our adult services team for managing that 00:03:01.643 --> 00:03:05.054 - space and its resources so well these past five plus years. 00:03:05.890 --> 00:03:11.105 - As you all know, our annual public hearing on next year's budget takes place at County Council this 00:03:11.105 --> 00:03:16.321 - evening. Right now, in fact. So Gary is attending that meeting and we look forward to the next step 00:03:16.321 --> 00:03:20.702 - in seeking approval for the twenty twenty seven budget following tonight's hearing. 00:03:22.466 --> 00:03:28.057 - Staff day was held yesterday at our downtown library. All MCPL staff attend this annual event. Some 00:03:28.057 --> 00:03:33.815 - of you are in attendance as well, so thank you for that. It was a very successful day. We'll have more 00:03:33.815 --> 00:03:39.406 - details to share at the October meeting after we've tallied session and attendance numbers and have 00:03:39.406 --> 00:03:45.052 - also completed our annual staff day follow-up survey. We do that every year almost right after staff 00:03:45.052 --> 00:03:50.867 - day to gauge how well it went and what people wanna see us do differently or better the following year, 00:03:50.867 --> 00:03:52.432 - and that staff survey gives 00:03:52.432 --> 00:03:58.063 - really critical feedback to help us figure out are we going to do more or less of certain things? Should 00:03:58.063 --> 00:04:03.533 - we try something totally different? Is the time of year still right? Because we shifted from February 00:04:03.533 --> 00:04:08.895 - to September a few years back. So that staff feedback survey is going to go out very soon. And once 00:04:08.895 --> 00:04:14.419 - we get all of that tallied, then we'll tell you more about staff day. And finally, I want to highlight 00:04:14.419 --> 00:04:19.889 - a unique anecdote in the director's report. I usually pick one every month. This one really stood out 00:04:19.889 --> 00:04:22.302 - to me. It's from outreach services in a way. 00:04:22.818 --> 00:04:29.408 - So a staff member was at a local gas station and happened to be wearing an MCPL t-shirt, the much coveted 00:04:29.408 --> 00:04:35.812 - MCPL shirts, right? And the cashier there shared that they were never much of a reader until they were 00:04:35.812 --> 00:04:42.091 - incarcerated in the Monroe County Correctional Center and discovered our jail library collection and 00:04:42.091 --> 00:04:49.054 - its services. And that turned them into a reader. And since they were released, they're still an active reader. 00:04:49.218 --> 00:04:55.918 - So the staff member shared that with our outreach services manager, Chris Jackson, who decided to submit 00:04:55.918 --> 00:05:02.362 - it to the director's report. And that wouldn't really suck out because I think it's kind of a unique 00:05:02.362 --> 00:05:09.062 - example of the feedback we hear from the community on the impact that our collections and services have. 00:05:09.062 --> 00:05:11.806 - It's an under, not underutilized, but it's 00:05:11.970 --> 00:05:19.561 - an under-celebrated collection in service, the jail library that we have. It was great to see an interaction 00:05:19.561 --> 00:05:27.081 - with a member of the community that came back to us with a notion that this is a really valuable collection 00:05:27.081 --> 00:05:34.602 - that we have. That personal impact was great to see. I'm happy to answer any questions about the director's 00:05:34.602 --> 00:05:41.566 - report. I just want to say that staff day was really ... I could only attend the early session, but 00:05:42.178 --> 00:05:49.124 - I was so impressed. Everybody was just milling around. They were talking to each other. I was talking 00:05:49.124 --> 00:05:56.070 - to several people. And it was just really so great how everybody just interacted with each other. And 00:05:56.070 --> 00:06:03.356 - they were so happy. It was wonderful. So kudos. Well, kudos are for the person sitting behind me. Lorraine 00:06:03.356 --> 00:06:07.646 - Martin is our mastermind, but she leads a staff day committee. 00:06:07.842 --> 00:06:15.466 - With a small group of staff every year who really do the heavy lifting and they do everything from planning 00:06:15.466 --> 00:06:22.666 - the agenda to reaching out and Identifying and booking a keynote speaker to figure out what the foods 00:06:22.666 --> 00:06:29.726 - gonna look like the pacing of the day Everything comes from that committee. So they're the ones who 00:06:29.726 --> 00:06:36.926 - do the real work, but Lorraine Martin deserves a real acknowledgement Any other questions or comments 00:06:40.610 --> 00:06:47.010 - I liked your story. I just want to also comment that it just goes to show the library is for everyone 00:06:47.010 --> 00:06:53.660 - at any age. People who were not library users as children, there's still so much here to be found. That's 00:06:53.660 --> 00:06:59.934 - exactly right. I really like that. Next up, we're going to hear from Greer about the elevator bits. 00:07:00.258 --> 00:07:06.187 - Yes, so quick update on the elevator project and the bids the bids for updating our downtown elevators 00:07:06.187 --> 00:07:12.058 - were opened on Tuesday September 8th in a public meeting at the downtown library at 1 p.m We received 00:07:12.058 --> 00:07:17.814 - three bids which we opened and read aloud during the meeting all three bids came in around the same 00:07:17.814 --> 00:07:23.685 - price point We're looking at between four hundred and five hundred thousand dollars, which is more or 00:07:23.685 --> 00:07:25.182 - less what we expected and 00:07:25.474 --> 00:07:31.508 - Our elevator consultant is currently reviewing these bids and will advise us on the next steps. And 00:07:31.508 --> 00:07:37.783 - so we will share the decision on the preferred vendor and what those next steps look like in the coming 00:07:37.783 --> 00:07:43.998 - weeks. And then once we have done that, we can then schedule the work to occur at a time that is least 00:07:43.998 --> 00:07:46.110 - inconvenient to patrons and staff. 00:07:46.274 --> 00:07:52.076 - As a reminder, these are three elevators downtown the two main public elevators. Everyone thinks of 00:07:52.076 --> 00:07:58.226 - in the center of the atrium that go from the first floor up to the third and then another elevator around 00:07:58.226 --> 00:08:04.087 - a back corner, which is a staff elevator. It goes down to the first floor in the teen space and goes 00:08:04.087 --> 00:08:07.742 - up second and third floor and then up to a little known space. 00:08:07.906 --> 00:08:15.250 - At the downtown library called the penthouse which has all of our surplus shelving and other stored 00:08:15.250 --> 00:08:22.889 - items So very important elevator all three of those need more or less a gut update and that's what this 00:08:22.889 --> 00:08:30.968 - project is going to be I'm not sure we always prefer to be done all at once rather than to phase a renovation 00:08:30.968 --> 00:08:36.990 - or construction project because phasing takes more time and then we have to shift 00:08:37.250 --> 00:08:42.142 - around where people can go and not go. But a lot of that depends on the vendor. 00:08:48.002 --> 00:08:54.024 - can you remind me where the funding for this if this was an anticipated expense that I Recall you have 00:08:54.024 --> 00:09:00.046 - been expecting for a while where the funding will come from. Yes So so this was going to be a building 00:09:00.046 --> 00:09:06.302 - improvement project that we often use capital outlay funds for if you look at the beginning of the finance 00:09:06.302 --> 00:09:12.324 - report, you'll see that we're in a very very good position heading into the back half of the year with 00:09:12.324 --> 00:09:14.078 - respect to likely surplus and 00:09:14.242 --> 00:09:19.951 - And particularly our local income tax revenue checks are strong enough And I want to say it's twenty 00:09:19.951 --> 00:09:25.717 - two thousand a month For the rest of the year that that combined with our existing surplus will allow 00:09:25.717 --> 00:09:31.709 - us to use operating funds To fund that particular project. So it's a little early to say for sure. That's 00:09:31.709 --> 00:09:37.022 - how we're gonna do it But that's what we would prefer is to use our own operating funds. Yeah 00:09:42.434 --> 00:09:49.273 - Can I get a motion to hear about our surplus items? Okay, we have five items to surplus this month We 00:09:49.273 --> 00:09:55.977 - have two black metal cabinets that were previous previously used in vital if you remember vinyl had 00:09:55.977 --> 00:10:02.816 - a soft renovation over the summer And we have two black metal cabinets. We just don't need anymore we 00:10:02.816 --> 00:10:09.118 - also have two large ping-pong tables that were previously used in the downtown teen space and 00:10:09.218 --> 00:10:14.637 - They're hidden in a back hallway that leads to an emergency exit. It's actually not a safe place to 00:10:14.637 --> 00:10:20.164 - put them. We don't do the ping pong programming we did once upon a time, and we've got two large ping 00:10:20.164 --> 00:10:25.800 - pong tables. So I can't recall who the local entities we've reached out to to see if they're interested 00:10:25.800 --> 00:10:31.273 - in taking these, but as you all know, we typically do that with large surplus items rather than say, 00:10:31.273 --> 00:10:33.278 - well, we're just going to junk them. 00:10:33.634 --> 00:10:39.210 - But we don't have a guarantee yet as to who wants all of those items But we do need to surplus them 00:10:39.210 --> 00:10:45.010 - and then finally we have a set of particle board lockers that were originally Installed in the downtown 00:10:45.010 --> 00:10:50.642 - teen space. We're gonna probably replace those with more traditional metal metal lockers They didn't 00:10:50.642 --> 00:10:56.498 - really work for us in terms of their size and ability to hold students backpacks when they come in after 00:10:56.498 --> 00:10:59.230 - school and they're also in that same hallway and 00:10:59.362 --> 00:11:05.432 - Presenting a little bit of a safety hazard. So we're looking to surplus those five items And as we do 00:11:05.432 --> 00:11:11.501 - I will read the resolution aloud and then pass it around and we'll have to pass it that way and bring 00:11:11.501 --> 00:11:17.868 - it back so whereas the equipment listed below is no longer needed by the library and whereas the estimated 00:11:17.868 --> 00:11:23.878 - value of the items listed below is less than a thousand dollars and the library has the authority to 00:11:23.878 --> 00:11:28.222 - sell transfer demolish or junk the items under Indiana code 5 22 22 6 or 00:11:28.386 --> 00:11:35.838 - public or private sale or transfer without advertising or Indiana code 5-22-22-8 worthless property. 00:11:35.838 --> 00:11:43.290 - Now therefore be it resolved that the Board of Trustees of Monroe County Public Library declares the 00:11:43.290 --> 00:11:51.037 - following item surplus and authorizes disposition of the items. All in favor say aye. Aye. Those opposed 00:11:51.037 --> 00:11:52.734 - say nay. Ayes have it. 00:11:57.186 --> 00:12:00.766 - Next up, we're going to hear from Angelica in Children's Services. 00:13:05.858 --> 00:13:12.786 - Hello, everybody. My name's Angelica Candraria, and I am the children's services manager at the downtown 00:13:12.786 --> 00:13:19.450 - branch. So what everybody's here is to hear about summer reading. That's our biggest event all year. 00:13:19.450 --> 00:13:26.246 - And just as a reminder, we did split up four years ago. We used to just have one children's board, and 00:13:26.246 --> 00:13:33.240 - then we started to cultivate a tween area inside of our children's downtown area. So we thought splitting 00:13:33.240 --> 00:13:34.494 - them up would give 00:13:34.658 --> 00:13:41.162 - autonomy to those tweens who don't feel like a teen but are not children. And so for the children, zero 00:13:41.162 --> 00:13:47.667 - to six, we do it based more on just creating that habit of reading. So it's a number of books. And then 00:13:47.667 --> 00:13:54.296 - tweens, it's based on minutes. Just because when you're getting into school, that's when you start seeing 00:13:54.296 --> 00:13:56.798 - more of a progression of how kids read. 00:13:56.962 --> 00:14:05.086 - Someone can read it in three hours, a 300-page book, but someone else might take a couple of days. So 00:14:05.086 --> 00:14:13.050 - we didn't want to make any of those tweens feel bad for not being able to accomplish things just as 00:14:13.050 --> 00:14:21.094 - fast as their peers. And this year, it was unearth a story. So you can only imagine all the facts we 00:14:21.094 --> 00:14:26.590 - learned about dinosaurs. Oh, and beef, actually. Forgot some things. 00:14:27.138 --> 00:14:35.341 - Some popular activities, which are jokes, art, and storytelling. And so jokes are one of the things 00:14:35.341 --> 00:14:43.545 - we look for every year. And so I have some here. Why didn't the toilet paper cross the road? It got 00:14:43.545 --> 00:14:51.994 - stuck in a crack. Why don't fish play basketball? They're afraid of the net. And last one, why did the 00:14:51.994 --> 00:14:56.670 - banana go to the doctor? Because he wasn't peeling well. 00:14:58.626 --> 00:15:04.606 - So we love hearing those kind of anecdotes. The children love doing it. Some we have to pretend because 00:15:04.606 --> 00:15:10.644 - they don't quite make sense. You know, they did make them up. But we do like having that kind of concept 00:15:10.644 --> 00:15:16.222 - of them going over that barrier of talking to us and seeing us as people and not as authorities. 00:15:25.218 --> 00:15:33.504 - This year we asked them to write a letter to a dinosaur. And so I have one here and it says, Dear Rex, 00:15:33.504 --> 00:15:41.790 - I hope you're having a good day in Jurassic Park. Have you found new humans or friends? See you later. 00:15:41.790 --> 00:15:49.996 - From Luke. And I have several other long ones here that the tweens and children decided to give us so 00:15:49.996 --> 00:15:53.214 - I could bring them here for you to see. 00:15:55.906 --> 00:16:01.601 - And so we just like them to be creative, and we love seeing it so everyone can see. And we like to see 00:16:01.601 --> 00:16:07.241 - what they like to do. They love giving us things and hearing that praise from us, especially from all 00:16:07.241 --> 00:16:12.771 - of our staff. So we like to do the jokes, art, and storytelling, and we do keep them up in the back 00:16:12.771 --> 00:16:18.522 - because staff do really like looking at them. Can you make sure they know how to say the words? Because 00:16:18.522 --> 00:16:21.950 - when they always like to tell me, no, you're not saying that. 00:16:22.786 --> 00:16:29.202 - Oh, believe me, we had a weekly challenge where they had to determine if a dinosaur bones was extinct 00:16:29.202 --> 00:16:35.680 - or extant, which I didn't know extant meaning it was still alive, so I learned something too. And then 00:16:35.680 --> 00:16:42.473 - another one had to tell us which dinosaur it was from different pictures and how many times I got corrected 00:16:42.473 --> 00:16:44.926 - by a child was I could not keep count. 00:16:48.898 --> 00:16:56.789 - All right, and this year we did have an all-time high of 3,200 sign-ups for all of the branches system-wide. 00:16:56.789 --> 00:17:04.028 - And then here is the breakdown. We are pretty close to what we were last year for completion. We're 00:17:04.028 --> 00:17:11.774 - just slightly under, but that is due to that we had more sign-ups and more completions overall. We did see 00:17:12.834 --> 00:17:18.447 - an increase for tween. As you can see here when we did start doing it, it was a slow climb, but this 00:17:18.447 --> 00:17:24.005 - year I think they really did like the dinosaur theme and they got used to having their own board so 00:17:24.005 --> 00:17:29.563 - more kids came, especially in that tween area. So we are seeing a progression of an increase, which 00:17:29.563 --> 00:17:35.454 - is really good. After the pandemic, a lot of libraries are really struggling to get back to their numbers 00:17:35.454 --> 00:17:38.622 - and we will reach that probably in the next year or two. 00:17:42.466 --> 00:17:49.463 - And this is our overall stats. I know you're all gonna ask again why we have 99 programs. Last year 00:17:49.463 --> 00:17:56.810 - was 85. I tell my staff every year, don't try and beat last year's number. We want you to survive summer 00:17:56.810 --> 00:18:03.807 - reading, but they just love our community and wanna give them the best experience. And so we had 99 00:18:03.807 --> 00:18:07.166 - this year, and that is with one member missing. 00:18:07.522 --> 00:18:14.820 - So we do have a new staff member, Kristen, so it might increase next year. And then we had about 3,100 00:18:14.820 --> 00:18:21.905 - participants throughout the summer. I'm really proud of that we did increase the partnerships. Last 00:18:21.905 --> 00:18:29.486 - year it was eight, and this year it was 11. So we were partnering with more organizations like the Natural 00:18:29.486 --> 00:18:36.926 - History Museum and trying to find those partners that can enhance our summer reading theme for our kids. 00:18:40.450 --> 00:18:48.305 - And the next is our second annual Battle of the Books. And the kids really love this program. And so 00:18:48.305 --> 00:18:56.237 - last year, a fourth grader, I believe, came to the desk and asked if we could do Battle of the Books, 00:18:56.237 --> 00:19:04.480 - because I believe it was at Rogers. They only do it for fourth grade. And she had so much fun, she wanted 00:19:04.480 --> 00:19:07.902 - to keep on doing it. And so we told her to, 00:19:08.482 --> 00:19:16.156 - give us a comment card and she didn't believe us that we read these comment cards. So this is her comment 00:19:16.156 --> 00:19:24.048 - card that I'll pass around. So Paul and Drew did it this year and we had about 17 teams and 85 participants. 00:19:24.048 --> 00:19:31.360 - They outdid themselves with partnering with an abundance of organizations as you can see. One of the 00:19:31.360 --> 00:19:36.862 - ones I do want to point out is that we did get a free haircut for everyone. 00:19:37.026 --> 00:19:44.687 - who participated. So that's a really good thing for when they go into school. They can get a fresh cut, 00:19:44.687 --> 00:19:52.568 - look really clean, and it's provided by the library. We also had Morgan Stearns, Batonese did our t-shirts 00:19:52.568 --> 00:19:59.935 - for us, and Wonder Lab also gave free admission to all the kids. And this is some of the stuff that 00:19:59.935 --> 00:20:07.006 - we had during the summer. We did an interactive story walk, and so that was done by Joe Barber. 00:20:07.138 --> 00:20:15.388 - who used to be here at Southwest. She thought that she would like to do one indoors, because it's so 00:20:15.388 --> 00:20:23.883 - hot, and some people cannot go to the parks that they're located at. So she did interactive story walk, 00:20:23.883 --> 00:20:28.702 - and I have. And it was the Octopus Escapes by Mahi Malloy. 00:20:28.834 --> 00:20:34.951 - And so she created just a really good immersive experience for the kids. She paper mache'd huge hands 00:20:34.951 --> 00:20:41.368 - and also a huge octopus that I was going to bring, but we cannot locate it. I think it is hiding somewhere 00:20:41.368 --> 00:20:47.785 - in her back stalk room. So it was really nice to give an alternative if they were just too hot or couldn't 00:20:47.785 --> 00:20:53.182 - make it to any of the vocations, they could come to a branch that was accessible to them. 00:20:53.730 --> 00:21:00.407 - And then the dinarific partnership, as you can see, a child is very happy about seeing a inflatable 00:21:00.407 --> 00:21:07.151 - dinosaur. We partnered with our circulation staff, who willingly got into those costumes and paraded 00:21:07.151 --> 00:21:13.829 - around during story times and just randomly, and the kids loved it. I will say we did kind of scare 00:21:13.829 --> 00:21:20.974 - about two kids, but the odds are still in our favor. The Fancy Princess Dress Up Tea Party, we did partner 00:21:20.974 --> 00:21:22.910 - with Royal Encounters at IU. 00:21:23.522 --> 00:21:31.130 - And it was just a tea party for everyone. So we had princesses of all sorts come and talk to the kids, 00:21:31.130 --> 00:21:38.739 - read to them, and also drink tea with them. And then Marmot Madness, we partnered, which is down here, 00:21:38.739 --> 00:21:46.568 - with Peep Squeakery. And it was groundhogs Delilah and Edna. And so the kids loved being able to interact 00:21:46.568 --> 00:21:53.438 - with the groundhog, touch them, and also just talk to their handlers on what a groundhog is. 00:21:53.634 --> 00:22:02.217 - We have Tween Reads, and this is one of the participants of Tween Reads, and for the third year in a 00:22:02.217 --> 00:22:10.799 - row, a Tween Reads book club patron did her 4-H reading project on one of the book clubs and earning 00:22:10.799 --> 00:22:19.297 - a championship ribbon. And then the last one is Read to a Dog, which I personally love because they 00:22:19.297 --> 00:22:22.526 - come on Sundays. We usually get about 00:22:22.914 --> 00:22:30.354 - 30 to 50 people coming in for this. And they just love it. And so I have some of their baseball cards 00:22:30.354 --> 00:22:37.648 - here. So you're more than welcome to take one. Usually two to three. And so they do about 15 minute 00:22:37.648 --> 00:22:45.016 - sessions. I love Dickens. He looks like he just came back from the war in the winter. And we're just 00:22:45.016 --> 00:22:51.070 - redoing everybody's pictures. And they'll be all reading with books in their laps. 00:22:55.938 --> 00:23:02.428 - We did some sprucing up since we are kind of far down the line of any revamping or anything, but we 00:23:02.428 --> 00:23:09.177 - do still want to keep the spaces fresh and full and reaching the needs of our patrons. So Kathleen Reed 00:23:09.177 --> 00:23:16.315 - and Wyatt Reed did laps because we had a baby space inside and that was predated before we had an independent 00:23:16.315 --> 00:23:23.454 - baby space. And so we had constantly toddlers going in there and staff had to go in and do a negative kind of 00:23:23.586 --> 00:23:29.608 - interaction by telling them to leave. They didn't understand why they couldn't be in there. So we decided 00:23:29.608 --> 00:23:35.459 - to take it out. And so what we did is we flipped that baby space, made it into a reading corner, which 00:23:35.459 --> 00:23:41.311 - is this middle picture, and then gave them a bigger interactive space to pretend in this kitchen slash 00:23:41.311 --> 00:23:46.878 - shop area. And so we've had some really good feedback that they really do like this sitting area. 00:23:47.074 --> 00:23:52.809 - and just the overall space. And she is still trying to kind of develop more interactions where they 00:23:52.809 --> 00:23:58.601 - can be physical in the space because kids love running, throwing. So she wants them to give a better 00:23:58.601 --> 00:24:04.336 - kind of feeling for the library where they can do that in a safe way. She's also incorporated light 00:24:04.336 --> 00:24:10.185 - fixtures. So those are just little banners that go over the light. And the parents and kids have also 00:24:10.185 --> 00:24:12.766 - told us they love those because they kind of 00:24:12.930 --> 00:24:20.600 - makes the light a little bit softer, especially if you have those sensory issues. And then we did get 00:24:20.600 --> 00:24:28.269 - Joe Barber earlier this year. She came here to downtown from Southwest, and she's really just hit the 00:24:28.269 --> 00:24:33.758 - ground running. She's really revamped what our pre-K areas, which needed 00:24:34.050 --> 00:24:40.294 - a much loving hand to them, since they hadn't been touched in quite a while. So what she did is she 00:24:40.294 --> 00:24:46.912 - added a dress-up area, which is right outside our programming room. So they can be doctors, construction. 00:24:46.912 --> 00:24:53.280 - Right now, they're postmen, and they're just delivering an oodle amount of letters to us, filled with 00:24:53.280 --> 00:24:59.773 - stamps. And also, she did develop Explore Your Senses, which the kids are loving, because they can just 00:24:59.773 --> 00:25:03.582 - touch things, and they're allowed to push things on and off. 00:25:03.778 --> 00:25:10.861 - What I really like is the white in kind of the middle is, those are light fixtures, so they can turn 00:25:10.861 --> 00:25:18.014 - them on and off, and it does turn on and off. So kids love, you've had kids turning things on and off 00:25:18.014 --> 00:25:25.026 - as well, so they've really gravitated to that area. And then our last space is the tween space. And 00:25:25.026 --> 00:25:29.374 - Drew joined us, I believe in November, December of last year, 00:25:29.538 --> 00:25:35.708 - And she's really taken this under her wing and trying to make it a space that tweens can really call 00:25:35.708 --> 00:25:41.939 - their own. And so what she's done is she's added a lot more cushion spaces. This month she added some 00:25:41.939 --> 00:25:48.170 - weighted yoga balls, because kids like to bounce. They like to move. And so they weren't liking those 00:25:48.170 --> 00:25:54.279 - chairs very much because they were too stiff for them. She's very intentional in what she puts into 00:25:54.279 --> 00:25:58.494 - that cabinet next to the TV. And she's always updating that monthly. 00:25:58.818 --> 00:26:05.616 - She's also doing a junior librarian program and she's asking kids, what do you want in that space? What 00:26:05.616 --> 00:26:12.546 - do you want from us for summer reading? And they've been very vocal about what they want. So we're really 00:26:12.546 --> 00:26:19.279 - looking forward to next year, 2027 in a whole, just so we can incorporate those things in and the kids 00:26:19.279 --> 00:26:26.012 - can see that their voice matters. And so this is our yearly stats from January to August. So far we've 00:26:26.012 --> 00:26:27.646 - done about 266 programs. 00:26:28.514 --> 00:26:35.051 - We've served about 6,500 people coming to all those programs. And then, again, our partnerships were 00:26:35.051 --> 00:26:41.653 - at 28, which is much higher than last year. We are trying to not do all the work, maybe shoulder that 00:26:41.653 --> 00:26:48.125 - half and half with a partnership, just trying to realize we might not want to do it all and partner 00:26:48.125 --> 00:26:53.950 - with someone who can bring an expertise that we may not have or strengthen our expertise. 00:26:54.754 --> 00:27:00.299 - So overall, our stats are going up. And we're having a little bit more, if you can see this pie chart 00:27:00.299 --> 00:27:05.952 - over here at the bottom left, that we are trying to even out what we do for infants and tweens. Before, 00:27:05.952 --> 00:27:11.388 - it was a lot skewed to the infants, like story times, that kind of thing, where tweens would have a 00:27:11.388 --> 00:27:16.879 - lot less programming. So we're trying to shift it a little bit more to 50-50, so that way they don't 00:27:16.879 --> 00:27:17.694 - feel left out. 00:27:21.282 --> 00:27:28.325 - And then before I ask if anybody has questions, one of our library assistants has now commandeered a 00:27:28.325 --> 00:27:35.299 - fish tank, which she does a monthly frog and toad display. And it gets very detailed and intricate. 00:27:35.299 --> 00:27:42.342 - For this one, if you see the one in the middle, the red painting, that was done by a teen who visits 00:27:42.342 --> 00:27:49.455 - the Children's Department a lot. And they got into a discussion with our library assistant, Paul. And 00:27:49.455 --> 00:27:51.198 - she said that, you know, 00:27:51.298 --> 00:27:58.940 - Contemporary art isn't real art. You can just scribble something, and you can't call it art. And so 00:27:58.940 --> 00:28:06.736 - she made that red painting. And then Paul, to just vex her, made a description on the side, making it 00:28:06.736 --> 00:28:14.378 - sound very artsy, giving it some angst, some depth. And so that's the kind of things that our staff 00:28:14.378 --> 00:28:19.422 - does. They want to give kind of a fresh take on what the desk is. 00:28:19.554 --> 00:28:26.797 - creates more talking points with the kids. But then also, if a child does have a conversation, it sticks 00:28:26.797 --> 00:28:33.695 - with staff, and they can see, oh, they care. We matter to them. So it was a very funny interaction. 00:28:33.695 --> 00:28:40.731 - And also, those paintings in the back were done by library staff as well. And as you can see, we took 00:28:40.731 --> 00:28:47.422 - the frog in tow theme very, very seriously. Does anyone? Oh, so I have the winners for the youth 00:28:47.842 --> 00:28:56.523 - art month contest, and I have one for each of you all. And then I brought a example of one of the tween 00:28:56.523 --> 00:29:04.870 - programs. This is done by Drew, and she does a miniatures club. And so she made miniature cat posts 00:29:04.870 --> 00:29:12.382 - for all the kids to do. And there was also dog houses, and you could pick a dog or a cat. 00:29:18.338 --> 00:29:26.832 - And then I do have a couple of thank you notes, one from a partner. And then also, we do wonder totes. 00:29:26.832 --> 00:29:35.078 - And that's where we pick out books based on children's appeals and interests. And one is to Lily. A 00:29:35.078 --> 00:29:43.902 - child actually gave her a thank you note for an excellent job that she did. Did anyone have any questions? 00:29:52.034 --> 00:29:59.292 - I got to tell you this in person, but I wanted to share it. I really appreciated the bilingual aspect 00:29:59.292 --> 00:30:06.550 - of the summer reading program this summer as someone who's trying to raise bilingual, biliterate kids 00:30:06.550 --> 00:30:07.902 - in this community. 00:30:08.002 --> 00:30:15.680 - It was amazing to have the program available in English and Spanish. I did lie to my kids a little bit 00:30:15.680 --> 00:30:23.806 - and told them that they could only do the Spanish one if they read Spanish books. So my kids, we read a lot. 00:30:23.938 --> 00:30:30.392 - But they took it very seriously because it was a challenge, but it was truly a big highlight of our 00:30:30.392 --> 00:30:37.104 - summer. So much so that when my son started kindergarten, he told his teacher that he had read, I don't 00:30:37.104 --> 00:30:43.622 - know how many books, and he said, and in Spanish and English. So thank you for integrating just that 00:30:43.622 --> 00:30:50.270 - bilingual aspect. I know there are other languages in our community, but I really did appreciate that. 00:30:50.658 --> 00:30:57.498 - Thank you for reminding me. I just realized I didn't put that on there. This is the first year we did 00:30:57.498 --> 00:31:04.203 - bilingual in English and Spanish. We also had English and Spanish books for them to choose as their 00:31:04.203 --> 00:31:11.177 - final book prize as well. And those went very, very fast. So Emmy is now very encouraged, and she wants 00:31:11.177 --> 00:31:18.017 - to get more Spanish books to have in that prize selection. Thank you for all you've done. It's really 00:31:18.017 --> 00:31:19.358 - amazing. Thank you. 00:31:19.938 --> 00:31:48.638 - Thank you. Thank you. Next up, we're going to hear about the Southwest branch from Kathy. Expecting now. 00:31:49.090 --> 00:32:13.022 - I know, I know. Okay, I'm moving around. Oh my gosh. Okay. 00:32:13.122 --> 00:32:19.569 - Thank you for this opportunity to talk to you a little bit about what we experienced at Southwest this 00:32:19.569 --> 00:32:25.954 - year. I thought I would make it a little more interactive, a sort of choose your own adventure story. 00:32:25.954 --> 00:32:32.464 - So on this handy-dandy library cart, which I consider the backbone of the library because we have moved 00:32:32.464 --> 00:32:38.787 - so many materials on there, and using some scars from story time. I had to wait to assemble it today 00:32:38.787 --> 00:32:41.854 - because I was taking key pieces from the branch. 00:32:42.242 --> 00:32:48.670 - We've got this opportunity to, what story do you want to hear? And I numbered them because I ended up 00:32:48.670 --> 00:32:55.034 - using multiple scarves because I couldn't hide all the items. So, who would like to get started here 00:32:55.034 --> 00:33:00.958 - the first? And I'm going to try not to whip it off so dramatically that I fling the artifact. 00:33:28.130 --> 00:33:35.100 - the library, which makes us more accessible for all. And because, oh yeah, I wanted to also have a few 00:33:35.100 --> 00:33:42.003 - things. I partnered it with how this month is also Library Card Sign Up Month, which means we're more 00:33:42.003 --> 00:33:49.379 - accessible, we're making more library cards. Let's celebrate. Marketing department, CNM, they make wonderful 00:33:49.379 --> 00:33:56.214 - stickers, and I brought the two that we have for this month so that everyone can have a sticker. How 00:33:56.214 --> 00:33:56.958 - do I enjoy 00:34:02.530 --> 00:34:09.087 - We're now a bus. So, yay, round of applause, because it was a minor miracle, because we didn't expect 00:34:09.087 --> 00:34:15.579 - it to happen, and when it did, we're just like, I was like, that's a bus! You know, like at the info 00:34:15.579 --> 00:34:22.200 - desk. And I was like, oh my gosh, check the website, see what's happening, and we got all excited. So, 00:34:22.200 --> 00:34:28.821 - yep, that's the first one. And I'm trying to keep it short, so maybe we can do all of them. All right, 00:34:28.821 --> 00:34:30.878 - seven. Dun, dun, da! All right. 00:34:44.578 --> 00:34:53.161 - awarded a grant from the wall at the wall grant and we were able to buy multiple robots along with iPads 00:34:53.161 --> 00:35:01.335 - and now we're able to do programming leaning into stem and we were able to buy enough that they can 00:35:01.335 --> 00:35:09.182 - partner together and really get their hands on robots. So they all got literacy based names and 00:35:11.266 --> 00:35:16.905 - And when we were like, oh my gosh, can we come up with names? And then we were like, but it's gotta 00:35:16.905 --> 00:35:22.770 - be a really good name. And we're like, Corduroy, yes, that works. But it was really interesting because 00:35:22.770 --> 00:35:28.973 - also when you're put on the spot, you're like, can I name multiple characters from the children's department? 00:35:28.973 --> 00:35:34.613 - Yes, I can, but are they the ones we want to put on our robots? So we were quizzing a lot of people 00:35:34.613 --> 00:35:35.966 - on who's your favorite. 00:35:41.410 --> 00:35:48.880 - This is when I debated. All right, here we go. All right. I came back from vacation and Puppet Cathy 00:35:48.880 --> 00:35:56.793 - was on my shelf. And the reason I included Puppet Cathy is not only how well they've got me nailed because 00:35:56.793 --> 00:36:04.485 - usually there's a pencil behind the ear, there are Post-it notes. If you know me, I stay organized with 00:36:04.485 --> 00:36:09.662 - Post-it notes. But the real reason that I brought this out is because 00:36:10.018 --> 00:36:16.913 - The creativity that the staff brings to the programming is incredible. Often we're talking about what's 00:36:16.913 --> 00:36:23.675 - your passion? What do you really like doing? Can we partner it up with the need we're seeing from the 00:36:23.675 --> 00:36:30.570 - community? How can we use recyclables? How can we get really effective with how we're using our budget? 00:36:30.570 --> 00:36:37.332 - How can we bring people together to create and create a sense of community? And a lot of our crafting 00:36:37.332 --> 00:36:39.454 - programs now are very much like 00:36:40.130 --> 00:36:45.880 - seeing intergenerational. We've had people say, you know, like, I've only been in town a little while. 00:36:45.880 --> 00:36:51.797 - And then everybody in the room was like, oh, have you been too? And they started talking about highlights 00:36:51.797 --> 00:36:57.379 - around the community. And it's this sense of welcome. We're glad you're here. We hope you like some 00:36:57.379 --> 00:37:03.016 - of the things that we think are really important in our community. And we're also going to be making 00:37:03.016 --> 00:37:08.766 - things. And we're also going to be leaning over and being like, how did you figure out how to do this? 00:37:09.090 --> 00:37:16.514 - And this is the skill that they're bringing to these programs that just get everyone excited. And we're 00:37:16.514 --> 00:37:23.653 - trying to make some of our descriptions a lot more open-ended. It's not our crochet and knit group, 00:37:23.653 --> 00:37:31.077 - it's craft club. And then we see an increasing range of crafts that people bring in and they feel like, 00:37:31.077 --> 00:37:38.430 - oh, this definition includes me, I'm gonna come and join in. And it just made me laugh so hard because 00:37:38.562 --> 00:37:46.101 - I was just like, oh my gosh, yeah, that's me, because it's a Star Wars shirt. And it's got Post-It notes 00:37:46.101 --> 00:37:53.426 - all over the place, although I'm really in trouble if my Post-It notes start fluttering away from me. 00:37:53.426 --> 00:38:01.037 - And this is the kind of detail that they bring to their programming that I so appreciate. Because they're 00:38:01.037 --> 00:38:06.494 - excited, that shared when they go into the program, and that sense of, hey, 00:38:06.594 --> 00:38:17.030 - come spend some time at the library this is for you, is very apparent. And they also said, if I go on 00:38:17.030 --> 00:38:27.261 - vacation again, I should put Puppet Kathy right there. They could come get some advice and continue 00:38:27.261 --> 00:38:34.014 - on. And I was like, ooh. So, others? Bye. That one I can lip off. 00:38:34.466 --> 00:38:43.142 - and it's actually magnetic. All right. So we had an empty, can you see? Okay. We had a wall space in 00:38:43.142 --> 00:38:51.989 - the children's room designed for our magnetic wall. And the goal of the magnetic wall was to reinforce 00:38:51.989 --> 00:39:01.438 - early literacy through shapes, colors, movement. And we have this in plan and the space was set aside for it. 00:39:01.570 --> 00:39:09.035 - And then the Kiwanis said, we'd like to make a donation to the branch. And I was like, do I have a project 00:39:09.035 --> 00:39:16.361 - for you? And they really just went all in with generosity. And we got our magnetic wall right now. We've 00:39:16.361 --> 00:39:18.942 - got our gears, which are so popular. 00:39:19.170 --> 00:39:25.596 - But the goal is to keep changing out what we have there to reinforce early literacy. The boards go down 00:39:25.596 --> 00:39:32.084 - to within six inches of the floor, so it's very accessible. And then at the very top, we have some space 00:39:32.084 --> 00:39:38.387 - that people can't reach and I have to use a step ladder. And then we put an early literacy tip up for 00:39:38.387 --> 00:39:44.566 - the month. So using all the space for early literacy. But the generosity of the community continues 00:39:44.566 --> 00:39:45.246 - to be just 00:39:51.746 --> 00:39:58.788 - I'll try to be very careful of this. So we run a small seed library at this branch, and we have it in 00:39:58.788 --> 00:40:05.761 - a very small card catalog. And because we know we have to go small, what we do is it's themed around 00:40:05.761 --> 00:40:12.664 - the food for the year. And then we use those supplies in our teaching kitchen to make that food. So 00:40:12.664 --> 00:40:17.566 - the first year it was a salsa garden, and then this year it was chili. 00:40:18.210 --> 00:40:24.878 - Because we like to have visuals, we planted some of the seeds from our seed library behind the desk 00:40:24.878 --> 00:40:31.680 - and under our grow lights so that they could grow. And then the staff harvested them, dried them, and 00:40:31.680 --> 00:40:38.481 - then used them in one of our programs. So we're trying to say, okay, we do need to go smaller. We are 00:40:38.481 --> 00:40:45.150 - a branch, but can we use it in multiple places? And can we reinforce, you want to grow? This is how 00:40:45.150 --> 00:40:46.750 - you can use some of it. 00:40:47.490 --> 00:40:57.441 - So, seed library, but then also we have a living plant library where we do cuttings, and then once they 00:40:57.441 --> 00:41:07.392 - root, we have those out, and that's a secondary part for our plants. Oh, I should really pull the stats 00:41:07.392 --> 00:41:17.438 - out on that. We handed out over 35 hundred seed packets this year. So, it's growing, flowering, growing, 00:41:18.050 --> 00:41:27.373 - We focused on vegetables. And then we referred everyone on flowers to downtown. So anytime we can say, 00:41:27.373 --> 00:41:36.967 - hey, this is what we have here, but system-wide, these are all the resources, we really try and reinforce 00:41:36.967 --> 00:41:45.022 - that. Yeah. Still have a couple more. Nine. Nine. Oh, this is the tricky one. All right. 00:41:49.794 --> 00:42:01.223 - on escape rooms at the break. And what I love about this is adults like to play too. And what we're 00:42:01.223 --> 00:42:12.652 - trying to do is give them a lot of opportunities too. So we run RPG club, we've got a movies versus 00:42:12.652 --> 00:42:17.566 - books club, but we also have escape rooms. 00:42:17.794 --> 00:42:24.500 - And our staff member who creates these is incredibly thoughtful and detailed about it. And also thinks 00:42:24.500 --> 00:42:31.010 - about accessibility. So for this one, I was talking to them and they were saying, shape it in a way 00:42:31.010 --> 00:42:37.846 - so it's easy to grasp, but also low vision, two different colors. So there's a layer of being thoughtful 00:42:37.846 --> 00:42:44.812 - about, well, what is the community going to enjoy, but can I include everyone? And they just ran a session 00:42:44.812 --> 00:42:47.742 - on staff day about how to do an escape room. 00:42:48.226 --> 00:42:55.005 - And they're very generous in that way. This is what I learned. This is how you can shortcut and use 00:42:55.005 --> 00:43:01.852 - some of my resources. This worked out really well in the library. And come talk to me if you want to 00:43:01.852 --> 00:43:08.903 - dive in more, and I'll share these resources with you. I will say I understand escape rooms. I've never 00:43:08.903 --> 00:43:14.462 - really successfully escaped an escape room. I love the thought that goes into it. 00:43:15.106 --> 00:43:23.700 - how they then look at the adult escape room and they make a version for tweens and teens. And how that 00:43:23.700 --> 00:43:32.210 - looks different based on what is a good fit for that age. Yeah. Yes, and because we are the mascot of 00:43:32.210 --> 00:43:40.720 - the possums, the last escape room was rescue the possums, so. I do believe they voted on that and our 00:43:40.720 --> 00:43:43.390 - possum theme continues to grow. 00:43:44.354 --> 00:43:58.686 - All right, we're down to, oh. Four is left. I've got two of these. All right, Gordon Pike, Fullerton 00:43:58.686 --> 00:44:12.734 - Pike, it's done. Oh my goodness. It's done, we're so excited. We had our construction connoisseurs 00:44:12.834 --> 00:44:19.716 - from a preschool age who loved all that road work. We learned a lot, too. We also learned how to coordinate 00:44:19.716 --> 00:44:26.279 - talking points on what's happening, how it's updating. But when that road opened from last August, our 00:44:26.279 --> 00:44:32.842 - foot traffic increased. And we had always since the beginning heard a lot of people say, oh, I haven't 00:44:32.842 --> 00:44:39.341 - been to the library in a while. And we're welcoming them in, talking about how libraries have changed 00:44:39.341 --> 00:44:42.718 - in the past 20 years. But now what we're hearing is, 00:44:42.850 --> 00:44:48.679 - Oh, I come in on Fullerton Pike, and I didn't know there was a branch here. And I just thought I'd swing 00:44:48.679 --> 00:44:54.341 - in and get a library card. And so the visibility of that road has been great for us. Our foot traffic 00:44:54.341 --> 00:45:00.114 - continues to go up. We love that it's convenient for people. We will talk about all the little benefits 00:45:00.114 --> 00:45:05.776 - of stopping by the branch if this is convenient on the way home, how we move items around through the 00:45:05.776 --> 00:45:10.494 - courier. We're like, let us give you the pitch on how this library can work for you. 00:45:11.074 --> 00:45:17.821 - We have a lot of conversations where they're just like, I haven't been in a library in quite a while. 00:45:17.821 --> 00:45:24.700 - And so when we do our welcome in, and then we do our sales pitch. So we are delighted. The construction 00:45:24.700 --> 00:45:31.645 - and the detour did not slow us down on last summer meeting. And this year, we've definitely had a strong 00:45:31.645 --> 00:45:38.391 - summer meeting. The energy of our adult services department and everyone who works here at that front 00:45:38.391 --> 00:45:39.582 - desk, the goal is 00:45:39.682 --> 00:45:46.711 - Do you say welcome in when you're coming in? So we've had our first contact and that you know, 00:45:46.711 --> 00:45:54.258 - we see you, we're here to help. The right joke is if you catch me off guard and you're a staff member 00:45:54.258 --> 00:46:02.027 - coming in, sometimes I will say welcome in and they're like, I work here. I know, but it's in the buffer 00:46:02.027 --> 00:46:09.278 - and it just pops out. So with that, what we're always trying to convey is we are glad you're here 00:46:09.826 --> 00:46:16.542 - please come ask us questions, ask us about resources, how are we a good fit for you? And if you haven't 00:46:16.542 --> 00:46:23.064 - been to a library in 20 years, a lot has changed, and we are happy to tell you what's happening, how 00:46:23.064 --> 00:46:29.521 - we're moving and grooving, how we're right close to bachelor, what that means at 315, with our foot 00:46:29.521 --> 00:46:36.173 - traffic from 7th and 8th graders, how programming has changed in 20 years, how we're really interested 00:46:36.173 --> 00:46:38.110 - in the feedback on how we can 00:46:38.562 --> 00:46:46.238 - make it more accessible to you. So, Gordon Pike, Fullerton Pike, done. And while we don't have instruction 00:46:46.238 --> 00:46:53.483 - equipment for our youngest, there's still a lot going on here. All right, I've got two more. Anybody 00:46:53.483 --> 00:47:00.657 - want number two? Sure, I'll grab that. Okay, so we knew every year, I know, I'm gonna have to stop, 00:47:00.657 --> 00:47:07.902 - because like Storytime scarves, I'll be like, let's start shaking scarves, I'll put them right here. 00:47:08.866 --> 00:47:15.688 - Our teams, when they come in, often they will head straight to the team room and they've got video games 00:47:15.688 --> 00:47:22.381 - they wanna play, they wanna talk with their friends. They are focused on a couple of different things, 00:47:22.381 --> 00:47:29.073 - but this year we noticed with our new group, they were very into crafting. And we would go in and we'd 00:47:29.073 --> 00:47:35.765 - be in there and we would have a dedicated crafting group right there at our design table and spreading 00:47:35.765 --> 00:47:38.494 - out to where we needed to make more room. 00:47:38.690 --> 00:47:46.012 - And this was very exciting because they were taking advantage of all the resources we have. They were 00:47:46.012 --> 00:47:53.478 - coming to programs and then continuing on with crafting techniques because certain ones like the needle 00:47:53.478 --> 00:48:00.728 - felting, they do need to attend the session and learn how to use a needle safely. And I brought some 00:48:00.728 --> 00:48:06.686 - of the things they like to make. One of our goals, very much like in story time is 00:48:07.330 --> 00:48:14.501 - Come to a story time, learn some of the urban literacy, go home, and hopefully it becomes private daily 00:48:14.501 --> 00:48:15.742 - routine with you. 00:48:16.130 --> 00:48:23.353 - With the teens, if they latch onto a craft they like, and then they are making things at home, we get 00:48:23.353 --> 00:48:30.505 - really excited. We did have someone who really liked needle felting, and then when we went out to do 00:48:30.505 --> 00:48:37.233 - the summer reading talks at the schools, they're like, hey, this is what I was making at home. 00:48:37.233 --> 00:48:44.527 - We love that. We're like, come up and tell us about what you enjoy making. So I've got a mix of needle 00:48:44.527 --> 00:48:46.014 - felting, the 3D pen, 00:48:46.498 --> 00:48:54.459 - I don't know if you've ever used one. I am not very coordinated on getting the plastic to then stick 00:48:54.459 --> 00:49:02.342 - together and make things, so I'm always in awe of what they made with the 3D pen. Our button maker, 00:49:02.342 --> 00:49:10.461 - they love making buttons. I love that they wanna draw, express themselves, and then wear it. We've got 00:49:10.461 --> 00:49:15.742 - a jewelry kit. This is just a little bit of how they're coming in, 00:49:16.130 --> 00:49:22.422 - I think about they've been at school all day. How long has it been since they had lunch? They do want 00:49:22.422 --> 00:49:28.653 - to talk to their friends, but here they are creating. And we want to make sure we have the resources 00:49:28.653 --> 00:49:34.945 - so that they can keep on making whatever they're interested in. And the one thing they were hoping we 00:49:34.945 --> 00:49:40.990 - could get, somebody made a cheese bracelet. They used the Shrinky Dinks and then also Pony Beads. 00:49:41.218 --> 00:49:50.005 - And I'm like, oh my gosh, I was like, I saw that and I was like, I want a cheese bracelet. So the creativity 00:49:50.005 --> 00:49:58.228 - coming out of our seventh and eighth graders and now also high schoolers coming back, especially from 00:49:58.228 --> 00:50:03.710 - South, I love that because they are such a generous group of teens. 00:50:04.162 --> 00:50:10.944 - I love it when I'm sitting at the desk and somebody comes in and they're like, oh, both the PlayStation 00:50:10.944 --> 00:50:17.661 - 5 and the Nintendo Switch are busy. And our ask is, if you want to join, ask them if you can join. And 00:50:17.661 --> 00:50:24.378 - a lot of times they're scooting over on the bench and they're like, sure, hop in. We'll show you where 00:50:24.378 --> 00:50:30.900 - we're at. The kindness of inclusion that we're seeing from our teams is so hopeful. And I just love 00:50:30.900 --> 00:50:33.182 - having a big space for each other. 00:50:35.874 --> 00:50:45.369 - So we continue to add equipment to our teaching kitchen, and this year we added a fridge. And that has 00:50:45.369 --> 00:50:54.957 - been a good fit because what we're seeing is an increase in reservations from the public, organizations 00:50:54.957 --> 00:50:57.630 - to use the teaching kitchen. 00:50:57.858 --> 00:51:05.094 - we're very much listening to feedback because it is no small feat to get 12 people or a larger group 00:51:05.094 --> 00:51:12.401 - all cooking together. And we're always listening, what would make this space more accessible? What do 00:51:12.401 --> 00:51:19.565 - we need so that your organization can use this space and cook? So our comment card is going to work 00:51:19.565 --> 00:51:27.230 - out, but we're also listening when they're talking to us about it. So some things happening in the branch. 00:51:27.618 --> 00:51:36.515 - Yeah. Any questions? Thank you. Was this one handcrafted? I got the impression someone designed that. 00:51:36.515 --> 00:51:45.586 - 3D printed. That's a lot to 3D print. That's pretty cool. So we use that for programming. We have board 00:51:45.586 --> 00:51:54.046 - games and activities in the all ages space. And if a piece goes missing, we try and 3D print it. 00:51:54.338 --> 00:52:02.697 - What we're looking into is some feedback from patrons about accessibility for pen holders. We're looking 00:52:02.697 --> 00:52:10.657 - to print some of those and have those in our all-age space. But really taking the resources we have 00:52:10.657 --> 00:52:18.697 - and using them in a variety of ways. Yeah. Amazing. I am always learning. I've got a really fabulous 00:52:18.697 --> 00:52:24.190 - staff. They've got a lot of energy. They've got a lot of creativity. 00:52:24.610 --> 00:52:34.003 - And I would probably love for you to work with them. You have a lot of energy too. I gotta do my job 00:52:34.003 --> 00:52:43.675 - just to keep up with them. Yeah, some days I'm like, I am hustling to keep up with you as a collective. 00:52:43.675 --> 00:52:52.510 - But they're very impressive. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Any other questions or comments? 00:52:55.458 --> 00:53:05.214 - Do I have a motion to dismiss? So moved. Second. All in favor say aye. Aye. Aye. Being adjourned.