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[Special Called Municipal Library Board Meeting on June 25, 2024.]
AS YOU WELL KNOW.SO THE REST OF THE THING WILL PROBABLY NOT BE HERE UNTIL OUR FIVE O'CLOCK MEETING, BUT I JUST WANTED TO, UM, GET YOU TOGETHER AND GIVE YOU A VERY BRIEF ORIENTATION.
I KNOW WE'VE HAD A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT IS THIS JOB, WHAT ARE WE DOING? HOW DOES THIS ALL WORK? SO I'M JUST GONNA GO OVER THE BASICS AND SINCE IT'S A A PRETTY SMALL GROUP, FEEL FREE TO JUST STOP ME AND ASK QUESTIONS AS WE GO.
BUT I THINK I WILL COVER EVERYTHING, UM, THAT YOU MAY WANT TO KNOW.
SO VALERIE IS RUNNING MY, UM, SLIDES FROM A DIFFERENT ROOM.
SO I'M JUST GONNA TELL HER TO GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
CLICK, CLICK OR NOT
SO JUST STARTING WITH THE BASICS, UM, THIS, UH, BOARD HAS 15 MEMBERS, SO THAT SHOULD NOT COME AS A WHOOP WHOOP.
NOW I'M LOOKING AT THE MEETING ATTENDANCE.
VALERIE, I'M LOOKING AT YOUR, YOUR SPREADSHEET.
GO BACK TO MY THING AND I SEE PINEAPPLES.
THAT SHOULD NOT COME AS A BIG SURPRISE TO YOU.
THERE IS ONE MEMBER PER DISTRICT, AND THEN THE MAYOR APPOINTS THE 15TH MEMBER, AND HE IS CONSIDERED AT LARGE.
NOW THE, UM, PERSON APPOINTED BY THE MAYOR IS NOT AUTOMATICALLY THE CHAIR, THE, THE MAYOR DOES DECIDE WHO THE CHAIR'S GOING TO BE, AND HE PICKED IS APPOINTED.
YOU ARE GOING TO SERVE THE SAME TWO YEAR TERM AS YOUR COUNCIL PERSON.
SO EVEN IF YOU WERE APPOINTED IN THE MIDDLE OF THEIR TERM, YOU SERVE UNTIL THE END OF THEIR TWO YEAR TERM.
AND YOU CAN SERVE, AS YOU CAN SEE BY THIS CHART, UP TO FOUR TOTAL TERMS. SO A TOTAL OF EIGHT YEARS IF YOU WERE APPOINTED THE FIRST, DURING THEIR FIRST TERMINAL.
AND AFTER THAT, YOU HAVE TO ROLL OFF THE BOARD FOR TWO YEARS, OR YOU CAN BE REAPPOINTED BY WHOEVER IS YOUR NEW COUNSELOR.
SO YOU CAN'T BE PART OF THE MUNICIPAL LIBRARY BOARD FOR 20 YEARS CONSECUTIVE
BUT AT THE END OF EVERY TERM, AND IT'S IMPORTANT FOR YOU TO KNOW AT THE END OF EACH TERM, YOUR COUNCIL PERSON WILL REAPPOINT YOU AND THEY'LL PROBABLY PICK YOU.
I DON'T ANTICIPATE THEM NOT PICKING YOU, BUT THERE IS A LITTLE BIT OF PAPERWORK THAT YOU NEED TO BE SURE AND DO TO KIND OF RE-UP YOUR PARTICIPATION WITH THE MUNICIPAL LIBRARY.
AND, UM, OUR SUPPORT STAFF, VALERIE AND FELICIA, ARE REALLY GOOD ABOUT NUDGING US ON THAT AND SAYING, HEY, HERE'S THE PAPERWORK.
BUT I I WANT YOU TO JUST UNDERSTAND YOU'RE JUST, YOU'RE SERVING CONSECUTIVELY WITH YOUR COUNCIL PERSON.
SO IF THEY DON'T GET REELECTED, YOU'RE NOT ON THE MUNICIPAL.
YOU'LL HAVE TO TALK YOUR NEW COUNCIL PERSON INTO APPOINTING YOU WITH YOU.
SO NEXT SLIDE, WE'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT WHAT WE DO AND WHAT WE DO NOT DO.
SO, UH, WE ARE AN ADVISORY COUNCIL.
SO WHAT WE DO IS EXACTLY WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE.
WE ADVISE PEOPLE, WE GIVE PEOPLE OUR OPINIONS AND WHO DOESN'T LIKE TO GIVE THEIR OPINION
BUT FIRSTLY, WE ARE ADVISING THE LIBRARY DIRECTOR JOE
AND THEN WE'RE ALSO ADVISING OUR CITY COUNCIL MEMBER ON BEHALF OF THE LIBRARY AND OUR NEIGHBORS AND FRIENDS.
SO WE'RE, I'M TELLING, UH, GAY ON L WILLIS, WHO'S MY COUNCIL PERSON, WHAT MY FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS WOULD LIKE TO SEE FROM THE LIBRARIES IN MY DISTRICT.
WE HAVE FOUR LIBRARIES IN DISTRICT 13.
AND SO WE TALK A LOT ABOUT THE NEEDS AND THE
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STRUCTURE AND THE FACILITIES AND ALL THOSE KINDS OF THINGS.BUT AS YOU HAVE SEEN IN SOME OF THESE MEETINGS, I'M ALSO ADVISING AND TALKING TO JOE DEVICE IN THESE MEETINGS AND SOMETIMES SEPARATELY ABOUT THINGS THAT ARE GOING ON AT THE LIBRARIES IN THE DISTRICT AND THINGS THAT, FOR EXAMPLE, FRIENDS GROUPS AT
OKAY, SO, UM, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.
THIS IS JUST KIND OF, UM, A GRAPHICAL REPRESENTATION OF THAT SAME KIND OF CONCEPT.
WE ARE THE COLORFUL GROUP IN THE MIDDLE GIVING OUR OPINION.
AND SO WE ARE ADVISING THE LIBRARY DIRECTOR LIBRARY.
SHE'S GOING TO TALK TO THE LIBRARY STAFF AND BRANCH STAFF.
IT'S NOT REALLY OUR JOB OR OUR ROLE TO BE GOING TO PEOPLE ON JOE'S TEAM DIRECTLY OR GOING TO, FOR EXAMPLE, ONE OF THE, THE BRANCH MANAGERS DIRECTLY AND SAYING, YOU NEED TO DO THIS.
IF WE SEE A PROBLEM, WE NEED TO BE GOING TO JOE AND SAYING, YOU KNOW, I'M CONCERNED ABOUT THIS.
IT WOULD BE GREAT IF NOT GOING TO THE BRANCH MANAGER AND SAYING, WELL, THE FRIENDS GROUP REALLY WANTS US TO DO THIS, SO IT WOULD BE COOL IF YOU DO
SO, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T WANNA OVERSTEP OUR BOUNDS.
AND THE SAME IS TRUE ON THE OTHER SIDE.
THIS WE'RE TALKING TO A CITY COUNCIL MEMBER, NOT REALLY CITY STAFF THAT EITHER.
UM, SO ON THE NEXT SLIDE, I REALLY WANNA TALK JUST A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT WE DON'T DO.
AND, UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE DON'T DO IS SET PUBLIC POLICY.
WE ARE NOT A GROUP THAT IS COMING UP WITH POLICY AND DETERMINING WHAT THE LIBRARY IS AND IS NOT GONNA DO.
WE DO NOT CONTROL LIBRARY OPERATIONS.
YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT GOING IN AND SAYING WE NEED TO DO X, Y, Z.
WE ARE ADVISING AND GIVING OUR OPINIONS ON THINGS, BUT THE CONTROL OF LIBRARY OPERATIONS IS REALLY UP TO IZE AND ROUTINE.
UM, WE DO NOT IN ANY WAY METAL IN DAILY PROCESSES OR HR MATTERS.
IF WE SEE A PROBLEM, WE CAN ALERT JOE THAT MAYBE WE HAVE SEEN A PROBLEM OR, YOU KNOW, A LIBRARY STAFF MEMBER WAS BEING VERY RUDE TO LIBRARY PATRONS OR THINGS LIKE THAT.
IT IS NOT OUR JOB TO STEP IN THE MIDDLE OF THAT, AND WE WANNA BE VERY CAREFUL ABOUT THOSE BOUNDARIES.
UM, AND THE LAST TWO, WE DON'T ENDORSE CANDIDATES FOR OFFICE AND WE DON'T WORK TO RAISE MONEY FOR THE LIBRARY.
WHEN I SAY WE DON'T ENDORSE CANDIDATES FOR OFFICE, THIS IS IN OUR OFFICIAL CAPACITY AS A MUNICIPAL LIBRARY BOARD MEMBER.
SO I CAN'T PUT MY NAME ON A POSTCARD FOR JOE
WHAT I CAN DO IS SAY, ANN HARDING, FRIEND OF JOE SMITH, WHO IS RUNNING FOR OFFICE, ENDORSES MY FRIEND JOE SMITH AS A PRIVATE CITIZEN, I CAN ENDORSE.
OKAY, SO THE SAME IS KIND OF TRUE ABOUT WORKING TO RAISE MONEY FOR, FOR THE LIBRARY.
THIS GROUP AS A WHOLE, THE MUNICIPAL LIBRARY BOARD IS NOT A FUNDRAISING GROUP.
THE FRIENDS OF THE DALLAS PUBLIC LIBRARY IS, THEY, THEY RAISE A TON OF MONEY.
UM, BUT THAT IS NOT TO SAY THAT I AS AN INDIVIDUAL PERSON CAN'T DECIDE TO RAISE MONEY FOR THE LIBRARY OR GIVE MONEY TO THE LIBRARY FOR THAT MATTER.
IT'S JUST NOT THE ROLE OF THIS BOARD.
WE ARE HERE TO ADVISE AND COMMENT AND HELP WITH STRATEGY.
WE ARE NOT REALLY WORKING TO DO THE FUNDRAISING SIDE.
UH, THE FRIENDS OF THE DALLAS PUBLIC LIBRARY WOULD LOVE TO HAVE YOU JOIN THEM IF YOU ARE INTERESTED.
SO LET'S TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UM, ON THE NEXT SLIDE, UM, WHAT YOU CAN DO IN THIS ROLE, BECAUSE I THINK THAT THAT'S KIND OF THE BIGGEST QUESTIONS IS WHAT ARE BEST PRACTICES? HOW DO I MAKE THE MOST OF THIS ROLE? AND THE VERY FIRST THING IS, THE BIGGEST THING IS UNDERSTAND AND EDUCATE YOUR DISTRICT.
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SO TELL ALL YOUR FRIENDS, TELL YOUR NEIGHBORS, TELL PEOPLE AT THE LIBRARY THAT YOU ARE THEIR MUNICIPAL LIBRARY BOARD REPRESENTATIVE.AND TALK TO PEOPLE ABOUT THE THINGS THAT YOU HAVE LEARNED IN THESE BOARD MEETINGS.
YOU KNOW, EVERY BOARD MEETING WE HEAR FROM A DIFFERENT LIBRARY STAFF ABOUT SERVICES AND PROGRAMS AND WHATNOT.
AND THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE WANT TO SHARE WITH THE GENERAL PUBLIC.
WE REALLY WANNA TALK TO THEM NOT ONLY ABOUT THESE DIFFERENT THINGS THAT WE LEARNED AT THE MEETINGS, BUT HELP THEM SEE THE VALUE OF THE LIBRARY.
BECAUSE WHAT I HEAR A LOT, AND WHAT I ESPECIALLY HEARD DURING THE THE, UM, BOND ELECTION IS WHY ARE WE BUILDING NEW LIBRARIES? DOES ANYBODY EVEN READ BOOKS ANYMORE? AND YOU, AS THE MUNICIPAL LIBRARY BOARD REPRESENTATIVE, WANT TO BE ABLE TO SPEAK INTELLIGENTLY TO THAT AND SAY, WELL, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE DO STILL READ BOOKS.
OUR CIRCULATION NUMBERS ARE IN THE HUNDRED, THE THOUSANDS EVERY MONTH.
YOU MAY NOT KNOW THAT NUMBER OFF THE TOP OF YOUR HEAD, BUT YOU'VE SEEN THE REPORTS FROM JOE.
BUT DID YOU KNOW THAT THE LIBRARY ALSO DOES X, Y, Z? WE DO STORY TIME.
THIS IS WHAT WE NEED A BUILDING.
WE DO GED CLASSES, WE DO ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE OR ALL OF THESE THINGS THAT, THAT WE'VE LEARNED ABOUT.
UH, ANOTHER REALLY GREAT THING YOU CAN DO IS SPEAK UP AT TOWN HALLS.
YOUR CITY COUNCIL PERSON IS GOING TO HAVE TOWN HALLS ON A PRETTY REGULAR BASIS.
THERE ARE SOME OF THE SUMMER THAT ARE GONNA BE ABOUT THE BUDGET, BUT THERE ARE ALSO OTHER, UM, TOWN HALLS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.
AND I GO TO ALMOST EVERYONE THAT MY, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER, UM, HOSTS, AND SHE ALWAYS INTRODUCES ME.
SHE INTRODUCES EVERY ONE OF HER COMMISSION APPOINTEES WHO IS IN THE ROOM.
BUT THAT'S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR PEOPLE IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD WHO ARE THERE TO LEARN ABOUT WHATEVER, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES IT'S A TOWN HALL ABOUT SANITATION SERVICES, BUT IT'S A WHOLE GROUP OF PEOPLE FROM MY AREA WHO ARE COMING TOGETHER.
THEY'RE CIVIC-MINDED, AND THEY'RE SEEING ME LEARNING MY NAME.
AND INVARIABLY, SOMEONE OR SOME MANY SOMEONES WILL STOP ME AFTER THE TOWN HALL TO ASK QUESTIONS SPECIFICALLY ABOUT THE LIBRARY OR TO TELL ME WHAT THEY LIKE OR DON'T LIKE ABOUT THE LIBRARY, WHICH IS ALSO GREAT TO KNOW.
SO YOU'RE REALLY TRYING TO UNDERSTAND GETTING INFORMATION FROM YOUR DISTRICT, BUT YOU'RE ALSO IMPARTING INFORMATION TO YOUR DISTRICT.
YOU'LL ALSO WANT TO REALLY GET TO KNOW THE LIBRARY STAFF FOR THE LIBRARIES IN YOUR DISTRICT.
UM, IN DISTRICT 13, I HAVE FOUR LIBRARIES, THE, UH, PRESTON ROYAL PARK FOREST BOOKMARKS AT NORTH PARK MALL AND V PARK.
AND SO I HAVE INTRODUCED MYSELF TO ALL THE LIBRARY STAFF.
I GREET THEM MY NAME WHEN I GO IN.
THEY'RE ALWAYS HAPPY TO SEE ME.
UH, BUT I'VE ALSO JOINED THE LOCAL FRIENDS GROUPS AT SOME OF THOSE LIBRARIES.
SO TWO OF THOSE LIBRARIES HAVE A FRIENDS GROUP, WHICH IS, UH, JUST A GROUP OF VOLUNTEERS WHO GET TOGETHER AND HELP THAT PARTICULAR BRANCH AND OR PARTICULARLY RAISE MONEY FOR THAT BRANCH.
BUT IT'S A GREAT WAY TO TALK TO PEOPLE WHO ARE VERY PASSIONATE ABOUT A VERY SPECIFIC BRANCH AND FIND OUT WHAT THEY ARE THINKING ABOUT THE LIBRARY.
AND OF COURSE, YOU'LL WANT TO ATTEND LIBRARY PROGRAMS AT YOUR BRANCH, UM, BUT ALSO AT CENTRAL, JUST WHATEVER INTERESTS YOU.
I MEAN, I'M SINGLE AND HAVE NO CHILDREN, SO I AM NOT GETTING UP AND GOING TO STORY TIME.
UH, BUT THERE ARE A LOT OF FUN PROGRAMS THAT I DO ATTEND.
AND AGAIN, IT'S A GREAT WAY TO JUST REALLY GET TO KNOW, UH, THE PEOPLE THAT ARE IN YOUR DISTRICT AND EXCITED ABOUT THE, UH, LIBRARY.
ON THE FLIP SIDE OF THAT, YOU'RE GONNA WANNA EDUCATE YOUR COUNCIL MEMBER.
AND AN EASY WAY TO DO THAT IS TO SEND REGULAR EMAIL UPDATES MAYBE ONCE A MONTH.
OR IF YOU FIND SOMETHING VERY INTERESTING ABOUT THE LIBRARY THAT YOU WANT TO SHARE WITH THEM, UM, YOU CAN FORWARD INFORMATION FROM THE MUNICIPAL LIBRARY BOARD MEETINGS.
UM, WE USUALLY HAVE SOME KIND OF HANDOUT OR IF THERE'S A PRESENTATION, YOU CAN GET THAT PRESENTATION AND SHARE IT WITH THEM.
AGAIN, ATTENDING TOWN HALLS IS A GREAT WAY TO GET
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TO KNOW THEM.AND FOLLOWING YOUR COUNCIL MEMBER ON SOCIAL MEDIA IS ALSO A GOOD WAY TO GET TO KNOW THEM BETTER IF THEY ARE NOT, UH, IN SOME CASES THEY'RE NOT A PERSONAL FRIEND OF YOURS.
GAY DON WILLIS IS A PERSONAL FRIEND OF MINE, SO I DON'T REALLY HAVE TO GET TO KNOW HER, BUT I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE ON OUR BOARD AND OTHER COMMISSIONS WERE APPOINTED BY A COUNCIL MEMBER THAT IS A FRIEND OF A FRIEND.
AND SO YOU'RE REALLY GONNA WANT THIS COUNCIL MEMBER TO KNOW YOUR NAME AND, UM, ANSWER YOUR CALLS AND TEXTS WHEN YOU SEND.
BUT ONE OF THE REASONS THAT WE'RE REALLY DOING THIS IS SO THAT WHEN BUDGET ROLLS AROUND OR OTHER THINGS THAT HAVE TO DO WITH THE LIBRARY, THE COUNCIL MEMBER IS VERY WELL EDUCATED AND INFORMED ON HOW MUCH, UH, VALUE THE LIBRARY AND ESPECIALLY THE BRANCHES IN THEIR DISTRICT ADD TO THE COMMUNITY.
SO WE REALLY WANT THEM TO BE HYPER AWARE AND LOOK VERY FAVORABLY ON WHAT WE'RE DOING.
SO, UH, THE FINAL THING YOU'RE GONNA WANNA DO NEXT SLIDE IS, UM, INFORM YOUR LIBRARY.
AND I THINK WE REALLY TALKED ABOUT THIS A LITTLE BIT ALREADY.
UM, BUT YOUR, YOU WANT TO ATTEND ALL OF THE MUNICIPAL LIBRARY BOARD MEETING AND DON'T BE AFRAID TO SPEAK UP AND GIVE YOUR OPINION BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT YOU WERE HERE FOR, IS GIVING ADVICE, GIVING YOUR OPINION, GIVING YOUR PERSPECTIVE FROM YOUR PARTICULAR DISTRICT.
UM, YOU CAN EMAIL JOE THE GUYS ANYTIME, UM, AND SHARE COMMENTS.
YOU'VE HEARD FROM TOWN HALLS, GOOD AND BAD.
UM, SHE LOVES TO HEAR, UM, IF A PARTICULAR STAFF MEMBER HAS DONE SOMETHING REALLY GREAT OR YOU OBSERVED A PARTICULAR, UM, INTERACTION WITH PATRONS THAT, THAT YOU WERE REALLY IMPRESSED BY.
SHE LOVES TO, TO HEAR THAT, THOSE KUDOS.
UM, BUT YOU ALSO WANNA SHARE INPUT FROM THE FRIENDS GROUPS THAT YOU MIGHT BE A PART OF.
AND, UM, AGAIN, THE GOOD AND THE BAD.
I ATTEND THE, UM, AS I SAID, THE PRESTON ROYAL BRANCH FRIENDS GROUP, AND THEY ARE A VERY, VERY OPINIONATED BUNCH AND HAVE A LOT TO SAY ABOUT WHAT IS GOING ON AT THE LIBRARY AND WHAT CAN BE IMPROVED.
AND JOE IS ALWAYS, UM, QUITE AMUSED TO HEAR WHAT THEY HAVE TO SAY.
SO WE DEFINITELY WANT TO INFORM YOUR LIBRARY.
UH, SO I'M JUST GONNA END VERY QUICKLY WITH SOME OF THE REQUIREMENTS OF THIS POSITION.
IN OTHER WORDS, HOW TO NOT GET KICKED OFF THE BOARD
AND IT'S REALLY PRETTY SIMPLE AND I THINK THAT YOU CAN, UH, MANAGE TO HIT ALL OF THESE.
UM, REQUIREMENT NUMBER ONE IS YOU MUST LIVE IN THE CITY OF DALLAS.
YOU DO NOT NECESSARILY HAVE TO LIVE IN YOUR DISTRICT.
SO IF YOU DECIDE TO BUY A NEW HOUSE AND MOVE, DON'T THINK, OH, NOW I CAN'T BE ON THE LIBRARY BOARD ANYMORE.
YOU JUST HAVE TO BE IN THE CITY OF DALLAS.
UM, YOU HAVE TO BE CURRENT ON YOUR CITY OF DALLAS UTILITY BILLS, SO PAY YOUR WATER BILL, PAY YOUR SANITATION, DON'T GET IN TROUBLE THERE.
UM, ATTEND AT LEAST 75% OF THE BOARD MEETINGS AND AS WE'VE KIND OF TALKED ABOUT A LITTLE BIT, UM, STAY FOR THE WHOLE MEETING, KEEP YOUR CAMERA ON, BUT THAT, THAT COUNTS YOU AS ATTENDING.
AND, UM, VALERIE'S ACTUALLY IN THE BACKGROUND COUNTING TO SEE WHO IS AT THE MEETING AND WHO HAS MISSED MEETINGS.
IF YOU MISSED TOO MANY MEETINGS, YOU WILL BE KICK TO THE CURB.
SO I JUST WANT, I KNOW I TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UM, THE FRIENDS GROUP, BUT I WANT TO GIVE A LITTLE BIT MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FRIENDS OF THE DALLAS PUBLIC LIBRARY BECAUSE I THINK THAT THERE IS, UM, A LITTLE BIT OF, THERE'S OVERLAP, BUT THERE'S ALSO FROM THE GENERAL PUBLIC, A LITTLE CONFUSION ABOUT WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE MUNICIPAL LIBRARY BOARD AND THE FRIENDS GROUP.
UM, SO THERE'S, UH, A FRIENDS OF THE DALLAS PUBLIC LIBRARY, AND WE LIKE TO CALL THIS THE BIG FRIENDS, AND THEY ARE OVER THE WHOLE ENTIRE DALLAS PUBLIC LIBRARY SYSTEM.
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SEPARATE FROM THE LIBRARY, BUT THEY DO SUPPORT THINGS THAT THE LIBRARY HAS DONE AND HAVE DONE SO FOR SEVEN DECADES.SO THEY'VE BEEN AROUND A, A REALLY LONG TIME.
SO THEIR MAIN FOCUS IS RAISING MONEY.
AND IN FACT, UH, LAST YEAR THEY RAISED ALMOST $700,000 FOR LIBRARY PROGRAMS AND SERVICES.
THEY COVER EVERYTHING THAT THE, THE CITY OF DALLAS BUDGET DOESN'T COVER.
UM, THEY WERE VERY INSTRUMENTAL IN, UM, FINANCING SOME OF THE RENOVATIONS IN THIS BUILDING, BUILDING IF YOU STAY FOR THE FRIENDS, UM, ANNUAL MEETING TONIGHT, YOU'LL SEE THIS, THE BEAUTIFUL SEVENTH FLOOR, IT COMPLETELY REDONE.
UM, BUT THEY'VE, THEY'VE RAISED A LOT OF MONEY, UM, FOR A LOT OF LIBRARY NEEDS.
THEY SPONSOR A LOT OF THE BIG PROGRAMS LIKE THE SMART SUMMER
SO WHEN LIBRARY STAFF GOES TO TRAININGS AND CONFERENCES, THE FRIENDS, UH, BUDGET PRETTY MUCH PAYS FOR ALL OF THAT BECAUSE IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT THE CITY OF DALLAS BUDGET REALLY COVERS.
UH, THE OTHER BIG THING THAT, THAT THE FRIENDS GROUP DOES IS, UM, GRASSROOTS ADVOCACY ON, UH, THE BUDGET.
AND YOU'LL SEE A LOT OF THAT IN THE COMING IN JULY AND AUGUST AS WE ROLL INTO BUDGET SEASON.
AND YOU SAW THEM REALLY ADVOCATE FOR THE DALLAS BOND PROPOSITIONS.
SO OF COURSE, WE AS INDIVIDUALS ON THE MUNICIPAL LIBRARY BOARD CAN ADVOCATE AND DO TO A CERTAIN EXTENT BECAUSE WE'RE EDUCATING OUR CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS.
BUT THE FRIENDS, UM, GROUP REALLY PUTS A LOT OF TIME AND MONEY AND EFFORT BEHIND REALLY KIND OF HARDCORE ADVOCATING TO THE CITY COUNCIL AND THE MAYOR ON, UH, LIBRARY NEEDS.
AND THEY DO HAVE A, UM, ADV ADVOCACY COMMITTEE, AND A LOT OF THE PEOPLE ON THAT COMMITTEE DO GOVERNMENT RELATIONS FOR A LIVING.
SO THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE REALLY A VERY BRIGHT BUNCH.
UM, ANYONE CAN JOIN THE FRIENDS OF THE DALLAS PUBLIC LIBRARY.
IT'S $20 A YEAR, SO IT'S NOT SUPER EXPENSIVE.
AND AS A MEMBER YOU CAN SERVE ON ANY OF THEIR COMMITTEES.
UH, THEY DO HAVE A BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND THEY, UM, ADMIT BY NOMINATION TO THE BOARD, USUALLY 10 TO 15 PEOPLE A YEAR.
IT'S REALLY BASED ON, UM, BASED ON THE BOARD AS PEOPLE ROLL.
BUT IT IS A THREE YEAR TERM, SO BEWARE IF YOU DECIDE TO DO THAT.
UM, MY DEAR FRIEND PATTY FLAT DOMINATED ME FOR THE FRIENDS BOARD, AND SHE DIDN'T TELL ME THAT IT WAS A THREE YEAR TERM, AND I FOUND THAT OUT IN ORIENTATION.
SO YEAH,
BUT IT'S IMPORTANT TO KNOW THAT A LOT OF THE BRANCHES ALSO HAVE FRIENDS GROUPS.
AND SO THE FRIENDS OF THE PRESSED ROYAL LIBRARY, FOR EXAMPLE, THESE ARE ALL SEPARATE ORGANIZATIONS.
THE MAJORITY OF THEM ARE 5 0 1 C THREES, SO THEY CAN RAISE MONEY AND IT'S TAX DEDUCTIBLE.
AND THEY ARE NOT AFFILIATED WITH THE BIG FRIENDS OF THE DALLAS PUBLIC LIBRARY.
THEY, WE HAVE, I WILL TELL YOU, WE HAVE HAD DISCUSSIONS WITH THE, THE GROUPS AND THEY'RE NOT INTERESTED
UH, BUT IF YOU, UM, THEY'RE ALL SEPARATE ORGANIZATIONS.
THEY HAVE A SIMILAR GOAL, BUT THE, THE FRIENDS GROUPS THAT ARE AT THE, THE INDIVIDUAL BRANCHES ARE FOCUSED JUST ON THAT BRANCH.
AND THE PRESTON ROYAL FRIENDS JUST WANTS TO RAISE MONEY FOR THE PRINCE ROYAL BRANCH AND THE PROGRAMS AND SERVICES THAT THEY OFFER, NOT THE, UH, SYSTEM AS A WHOLE.
SO THEY'RE A LOT MORE FOCUSED ON STORY TIME NEEDS.
THESE BOOKS, OR OUR CRAFT GROUP NEEDS TWO SEWING MACHINES WHO CAN PURCHASE THAT.
A LOT OF THESE BRANCHES ARE NOT GOING GO TO THE FRIENDS OF THE DALLAS PUBLIC LIBRARY, THE BIG FRIENDS, TO SAY, WE NEED TWO SEWING MACHINES.
CAN YOU PAPER? BECAUSE THAT'S THE BIG FRIENDS ARE REALLY LIKE RAISING
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MONEY FOR THE BIG TICKET ITEMS. SO IT'S A LITTLE BIT OF, UM, DIVIDE AND CONQUER.SO THAT COVERS EVERYTHING THAT I WAS GOING TO TALK ABOUT TODAY.
AND SO I'M JUST GONNA OPEN IT UP TO QUESTIONS.
IF YOU OR WE'RE PERFECTLY HAPPY, WE CAN HAVE A LITTLE BREAK.
EVERY BRANCH DOES NOT, OH, I HAVE A QUESTION.
CAN YOU GUYS HEAR ME? SO JERRY ASKED IF EVERY BRANCH HAS A FRIENDS GROUP, AND THE ANSWER IS NO.
SOME OF THE BRANCHES HAVE A FRIENDS GROUP AND OTHERS DO NOT.
THE ONES WITHOUT FRIENDS GROUPS WOULD PROBABLY LOVE TO HAVE A FRIENDS GROUP IF THAT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU'RE INTERESTED IN STARTING, BUT IT'S SOMETIMES HARD TO MAINTAIN.
UH, WE TRIED TO GET ONE WHEN I LIVED NEAR THE BACHMAN LAKE LIBRARY.
WE TRIED TO GET ONE GOING THERE FOR MANY YEARS AND IT JUST DIDN'T REALLY GET ANY TRACTION.
SO THERE ARE SOME LIBRARIES THAT HAVE MANAGED TO SUSTAIN THEM FOR MANY YEARS.
CATHERINE, YOU HAD A QUESTION? YES.
JUST ON THE BEING INVOLVED WITH LIKE THE, THE BUDGET, UM, HEARINGS AND, AND WHEN THOSE HAPPEN, LIKE, SO IS IT CUSTOMARY OR DO YOU AS A LIBRARY BOARD MEMBER GO AND SPEAK AT THOSE AND, AND ASK THAT CUTS NOT BE MADE AND THINGS LIKE THAT? LIKE COULD YOU TALK ABOUT THAT SORT OF THING? I, I DO AND WE CERTAINLY ENCOURAGE YOU TO DO THE SAME.
SO MOST OF THE, UH, BUDGET TOWN HALLS HAVE A FORMAT IN WHICH THERE IS A PRESENTATION BY SOMEONE FROM THE CITY STAFF, USUALLY ONE OF THE ASSISTANT CITY MANAGERS ABOUT THE BUDGET AS A WHOLE AND KIND OF HOW THE BUDGET PROCESS WORKS.
AND THEN THE CITY COUNCIL MEMBER WILL SPEAK ABOUT THE BUDGET AS A WHOLE AND ESPECIALLY HOW IT MIGHT RELATE TO THE DISTRICT.
AND THEN THERE'S USUALLY A Q AND A TIME.
AND IN MOST OF THE, THE BUDGET TOWN HALLS THAT I'VE BEEN TO FOR DIFFERENT COUNCIL MEMBERS, THEY ASK YOU TO WRITE YOUR COMMENT OR QUESTION ON AN INDEX CARD RATHER THAN EVERYBODY JUST FREE FOR ALL SPEAKING.
UM, BUT I WILL, I ALWAYS, NUMBER ONE, THANK MY CITY COUNCIL MEMBER FOR SUPPORTING THE DALLAS PUBLIC LIBRARY AND SECONDARILY, ASK THEM TO NOT MAKE ANY CUT OR IF WE HAVE MORE SPECIFIC DIRECTION FROM JOE TO GIVE VERY SPECIFIC, UM, ASKS, BUT I, I NEVER HESITATE TO SPEAK OR WRITE ON AN INDEX CARD OR STAND UP AND WAVE TO EVERYONE, UM, AND LET THEM KNOW THAT THE DALLAS LIBRARY NEEDS A HUNDRED PERCENT OF THE BUDGET AND THAT IS PERFECTLY APPROPRIATE FOR US TO BE DOING GOOD.
WHEN YOU'RE GOING TO BUDGET TOWN HALL, TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE SERVICES.
I DON'T THINK EVERYONE KNOWS ALL THE THINGS THAT ON IN THE LIBRARY IN A TYPICAL DAY, RIGHT? AND YOU WANNA DO THAT NOT JUST IN A BUDGET TOWN HALL, BUT AT THE OPPORTUNITY WHEN YOU INTRODUCE YOURSELF TO PEOPLE OR WHEN PEOPLE SAY, OH, YOU'RE ON THE MUNICIPAL LIBRARY BOARD, YOU COULD SAY, YES, IT'S COOL
WELL, FOR EXAMPLE, HAMPTON IS ONE OF THE LIBRARIES I A LOT, THEY'VE GOT THE SUMMER, THEY'VE GOT SUMMER SNACKS AND THEY'VE GOT THE LUNCH PROGRAM.
THEY HAVE THREE MUSIC CLASSES, A COUPLE TIMES A WAITING LIST.
AND I DON'T KNOW WHO FUNDS IT, BUT I KNOW THAT IT IS SOMETHING THAT'S OFFERED THAT BRANCH.
WE GOT BILINGUAL STORY TIMES AT SOME BRANCHES, BUT NOT ALL BRANCHES, ALTHOUGH, UM, WELL NOT ALL BRANCHES BEING BILINGUAL OR SUB NEED A DIFFERENT LANGUAGE, DIFFERENT LANGUAGE THAN YOU MIGHT THINK OF WHEN YOU HEAR THE WORD BILINGUAL.
TALK ABOUT SEWING MACHINES OF LAWN FRIENDS.
THEY BOUGHT TWO SEWING MACHINES AND THEN A MEMBER DONATED ONE.
SO THEY HAVE THREE BECAUSE THEY'RE OFFERING, OFFERING BASIC SEWING CLASSES, WHICH IS A VERY POPULAR PROGRAM THAT WE WOULD'VE THOUGHT OF ALL PLACES.
THE LIBRARY GONNA SEW AT THE LIBRARY.
AND THE PRESTON ROYAL FRIENDS JUST BOUGHT TWO SEWING MACHINES FOR BRI ROYAL.
YEAH, THEY'RE OFFERING SEWING CLASSES THERE TOO.
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THE STAFF AND PROGRAMMING PERSON BECAUSE SHE HAD AN IDEA AND IT WAS VERY SUCCESSFUL.BUT YOU KNOW, THAT'S, THAT'S WHY YOU HAVE A BRANCH SUPPORT GROUP.
THEY CAN DO THE IMMEDIATE SUPPORT TERM SMALL NEEDS.
YOU KNOW, WHEN I THINK OF BIG FRIENDS, I THINK OF 10,000 AND ABOVE BRANCH SUPPORT GROUPS IS 10,000 AND BELOW.
IF I CAN GET A COUPLE THOUSAND DOLLARS, I'M QUITE HAPPY BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, IT'LL GO FURTHER QUICKER.
IT'S A SHAME WE DON'T HAVE MORE MONEY IN THE SYSTEM, BUT YOU KNOW, WE'RE WORKING ON IT.
NICE TO GET BACK TO SEVEN DAYS A WEEK, BUT WORKING ON IT.
YEAH, BUT IT'S, IT'S A CHALLENGE.
AND FRIENDS GROUPS, I MEAN, THAT I'M DEALING WITH RIGHT NOW DOESN'T HAVE A FRIEND GROUP.
THEY HAVE TWO PEOPLE AND THEY'RE ELDERLY AND DON'T GET OUT.
WELL I'VE BEEN TALKING TO MY CITY COUNCIL WOMAN BECAUSE I, SHE NEEDS TO STEP UP TO THE PLATE BECAUSE SHE KNOWS MORE PEOPLE THAN I DO IN THAT PART TOWN.
I CAN TELL YOU WHAT A FRIENDS GROUP DOES.
IF YOU EVER NEED SOMEONE TO COME AND TELL YOU WHAT, I'VE GOT THE BYLAWS.
IF YOU WANNA USE THE BYLAWS AND I KNOW THE PROCESS.
I'VE DONE IT A COUPLE TIMES, BUT WELL, THE ONLY THING YOU NEED TO START A FRIENDS GROUP IS A FLYER THAT SAYS WE'RE STARTING A FRIENDS GROUP.
HERE'S THE, HERE'S WHAT TIME AND DATE WE'RE MEETING AND PEOPLE JUST SHOW UP AND I HAVE A FRIENDS GROUP.
AND THEN AT THAT MEETING YOU SAY, OKAY, OUR NEXT MEETING IS GONNA BE IN A MONTH.
EVERYBODY LIKE THE TIME AND DATE.
YOU GOTTA START SOMEWHERE AND YOU GOTTA HAVE DEDICATED PEOPLE WHO ARE WILLING.
ALICIA, QUESTION ALL CLEAR? YEAH, IT IS.
UM, YEAH, THINKING ABOUT DISTRICT FIVE, UM, THERE AREN'T FRIENDS GROUPS, HOWEVER, UM, I, I MEAN I HAVE MY OWN PERSONAL BASE OF FRIENDS, YOU KNOW, IF I SPEAK TO THEM, DONATING FOR SPECIFIC THINGS FOR THOSE BRANCHES.
UM, SO I WAS VERY CURIOUS TO KNOW THAT THAT IS SOMETHING THAT I CAN DO CITIZEN DOWN TO AT THE, AT THE END OF THE DAY.
UM, AND SO ALL OF THE INFORMATION, GREAT.
THAT ONE IN PARTICULAR, UM, WAS HELPFUL.
AND DO, HAVE YOU MET YOUR LIBRARY STAFF? I HAVEN'T, NO.
SO YEAH, THINGS WITH FAMILY AND FIRST IN THE FAMILY, ET CETERA.
IT'S BEEN ROUGH SINCE I WAS APPOINTED.
UM, SO I'M GETTING STARTED THIS SUMMER.
AND WHICH LIBRARY DO YOU GO TO THE MOST? UM, YOU CLOSER TO THAT ONE? YES.
SHE HAS A PRETTY GOOD IDEA OF WHICH LIBRARIES.
SO HOW IS THAT, WHAT'S THAT? WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TEAM? SOMETHING THAT THEY WERE, I THINK THAT THEY WERE USED FOR BLACK MONEY, BUT WE ARE AWARE.
BUT MELISSA SAID THEY CAN'T GO HOME UNTIL IT'S 82 BEFORE HOURS, FOUR HOURS
I'M FEELING LIKE, YOU KNOW, I JUST THINK TO LIKE SWEAT
[00:35:07]
SAUNA, HOW YOU LOOK AT IT, SOMETHING LIKE THAT.YOU HAVE FIRE AWAY 15 MINUTES OF OPEN, YOU'VE BEEN HERE FOR THREE MAYORS OR CAN YOU JUST TALK ABOUT SINCE YOU STARTED, HOW'S THE ORGANIZATION CHANGED? YEAH, YOU KNOW, IT'S ALWAYS SCARY WITH EVERY CHANGE, BUT IT SEEMS LIKE IT CHANGES ARE ALWAYS SO I STARTED UNDER MARY SUE MOM.
SO, AND HE WAS WONDERFUL TO WORK WITH.
UM, HIS WIFE WAS ACTUALLY INVOLVED IN FRIENDS AND SHE HELPED RAISE MONEY SOME A PROGRAM WHICH WOULD THEN JUST SOME OF THE, SHE SORT OF INVOLVED KNOW THEY'RE ALL CHAIR FROM THEM, PROGRAM A CHAIR AWAY AND SIT ON.
UM, AND THEN WHEN AC GONZALEZ WAS THE CITY MANAGER, WE ALL KNEW HIM SUPPORTER IN LIFE AND YOU KNOW, WAS A COMPLETE, AND THEN THE FIRST MEETING WITH HIM IS, WAS VERY, HE KNEW ABOUT THE LIBRARY.
SO I WAS LIKE GREAT THAT IN THAT SAME SITUATION WITH KIM, UH, HAD MY ONE-ON-ONE HER, SHE EXPRESSES, SHE AGREED
AND SO YOU ALL KNOW THAT THE CITY MANAGER IS
SO YOU KNOW, I'M FOCUSING MORE ON THE CITY MANAGER, MAYOR, INTERACT WITH THE MAYOR, LIKE FOR THE MAYOR FOR THE SUMMER READING PROGRAM ACTION I HAVE, UNLESS I'M IN SOME TROUBLE OR I HAVE THAT STRONG, BUT IT'S NEVER BEEN DIFFERENT BUT GOOD USUALLY.
WE HAVEN'T STARTED THE ACTUAL MEETING YET.
SO I'M JOAN THE LIBRARY DIRECTOR.
SO EVERY TIME WE GET A CHANGE IN LEADERSHIP, YOU HOPE THE LEARNING CURVE WON'T BE WE'LL SEE HOW, AND THERE WAS A QUESTION BEFORE ABOUT WHICH BRANCH NEEDS HAVE FRIENDS GROUPS.
SO, AND THEN WE HAVE THAT'S AND JOE HAS TO LIST THE PRESIDENT.
SO WE, SO ANYBODY WANTS A LIST OF THE PRESIDENTS OF EACH GROUP TO SEND OUT AND JEFF KITNER FROM THE FRIENDS OF THE DALLAS PUBLIC LIBRARY,
[00:40:01]
THEY STARTED INHE HAS ACTUALLY STARTED, UH, VERY INFORMAL MEETING THAT THE FRIENDS, GROUPS, LEADERS ALL GET TOGETHER EVERY, I THINK EVERY OTHER MONTH.
SO THEY'RE ALL, YEAH, WE TALKED ABOUT EARLIER THE GROUP GROUPS ARE UNRELATED TO ONE ANOTHER.
RIGHT? THEY'RE ALL ONE C3 BYLAWS, THEIR WORDS.
BUT THE ONE COMMON THING THEY ALL SUPPORTING THEIR MISSION, LIKE THE PRINCE OF THE DALLAS PUBLIC LIBRARY IS TO SUPPORT MISSION.
BOTH THE LIBRARY, THEIRS IS SUPPORT THAT.
SO THEY DO THEIR OWN FUNDRAISING, USUALLY BOOK SALES,
UM, WE ASK THEM TO WORK WITH US ON THAT.
DON'T WANT APPLY FOR THE SAME GRANT THEY'RE APPLYING FOR AND COMPETE WITH EACH OTHER.
THAT'S THE ONLY THING
ARE WE FAR ENOUGH ALONG IN THE BUDGET PROFIT THAT YOU SAY SPECIFIC THINGS WE SHOULD BE NUDGING OUR
THAT'S UM, I THINK THAT'S THE ADVOCACY MESSAGE.
WE'LL KNOW WHEN WE CAN SHARE MORE.
SHE STARTS MEETING WITH ALL THE
WHEN I SAY KIM, I MEAN KIMBERLY ADVISOR TOLD INTERIM CITY MANAGER
UM, JULY WHERE COUNCIL BOOK ON RECESS IS LIKE OUR BUSIEST TIME BECAUSE THAT'S WHEN WE GET ASKED ALL BUDGET QUESTIONS WHEN WE'RE NEGOTIATING BACK AND FORTH WITH THE CITY MANAGER.
SO IT'S USUALLY A PRETTY BUSY BUSY TIME FOR US AND WE JUST NEVER KNOW WHEN WE'RE ALL KIND OF ON PINS AND NEEDLES IN
AND MANY TIMES IT'S LIKE I NEED DATA THE SAME DAY.
AND SO WE'RE ALL JUST SORT OF WAITING TO BE ASKED QUESTION.
SO IF OUR NOTHING NEW COUNCIL MEMBER OR THE CITY STAFF COMES TO US AND ASK THEIR PROBATION, THE RIGHT THING TO DO IS DIRECTLY BACK.
AND SO I'M GONNA TALK ABOUT THIS.
I'M ACTUALLY, I'M TALK ABOUT THAT I'VE BEEN SURE.
SO YEAH, WE WORKED WITH FRIENDS, UM, TO PUT OUT AN ADVOCACY AND THAT GROUP IN THE PAST WE'VE DONE A ONE PAPER THAT HAS
WHAT WE'RE ASKING FOR, WHAT IS THE MESSAGE WE SHARED, CAN WE SHARE THAT? WE SHARE THAT WITH ALL THE COUNCIL MEMBERS
[00:45:01]
AND SO THAT WHEN YOU GO TO THE WE ALL THINGS, MY NAME'S MICHELLE AND THAT'S SAM.OH WHERE? HIS NAME? MINE'S MINE.
YEAH, JUST OFFICIALLY END THIS ONE.
WHAT'S IT CALLED? SPECIAL CALL SESSION IS ADJOURNED.
WE'RE GONNA HAVE A FIVE MINUTE RECESS WHERE YOU COULD SIT HERE UNTIL THE FIVE O'CLOCK STARTS
I DUNNO IF I NEED TO DO ANYTHING ELECTRONICALLY.