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THE MUNICIPAL LIBRARY BOARD MEETING AND THE FIRST
[Municipal Library Board Meeting on October 29, 2024.]
ORDER OF BUSINESS SINCE THERE IS NOT A CURRENT APPOINTED CHAIR, WOULD BE TO ELECT A TEMPORARY CHAIR TO HOLD THE MEETING.WE'LL TURN IT OVER TO THE TEMPORARY CHAIR.
UM, ARE THERE ANY PUBLIC SPEAKERS CHAIR ARE NOT.
ALRIGHT, THEN WE'LL MOVE ON TO APPROVAL OF MINUTES.
UH, DO WE HAVE A, UM, NOT NOMINATION, DO WE HAVE A MOTION TO APPRO, HAS EVERYBODY READ THE MINUTES FOR SEPTEMBER 24TH? OKAY.
DO WE HAVE A MOTION TO ACCEPT THE MINUTES? I SO MOVE.
UM, NOW WE MOVE ON TO ITEM FOUR ON THE AGENDA REPORTS OF OFFICERS, BOARDS AND STANDING COMMITTEES.
UH, THE TEMPORARY CHAIR I UNDERSTAND AND SUBMITTED A, UM, OH, OKAY.
SO THIS IS, THIS THE UPDATE FROM THE FRIENDS OF THE DALLAS PUBLIC LIBRARY MEETING.
UM, THIS IS FROM ANNE HARDING.
I DID ATTEND THE FRIENDS OF THE DALLAS PUBLIC LIBRARY MEETING ON BEHALF OF THE MLB LAST WEEK.
ONE OUTCOME THAT WILL INTEREST YOU IS THAT THE BO DPL VOTED TO JOIN THE VOTE NO DALLAS COALITION THAT IS WORKING AGAINST CHARTER AMENDMENTS ST AND U.
YOU CAN READ MORE ABOUT THIS EFFORT@VOTENODALLAS.COM AND THAT YOU WAS NOTED BY THE ADVOCACY COMMITTEE AS PARTICULARLY HARMFUL TO THE LIBRARY AS IT WILL COST THE CITY MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO COMPLY FUNDS THAT WILL COME FROM OTHER CIVIL SERVICES LIKE THE LIBRARY.
REMEMBER THAT AS PRIVATE CITIZENS, WE MAY VOTE AND CAMPAIGN IN ANY WAY, BUT AS THE MUNICIPAL LIBRARY BOARD, WE HAVE NO OFFICIAL POSITION.
AND THIS IS SUBMITTED BY ANN HARDY.
AND DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR ANNE ONLINE? NO.
LET'S MOVE ON TO ITEM FIVE, STAFF REPORTS AND BRIEFINGS.
AND, UM, HEATHER LOWE, WOULD YOU GIVE US THE DIRECTOR'S REPORT, PLEASE? SURE.
SO, AS YOU ALL KNOW, OCTOBER 1ST STARTED THE, UM, NEW FISCAL YEAR FOR CITY OF DALLAS.
AND SO OUR YEAR ONE OF THE LIBRARY STRATEGIC PLAN HAS BEGUN.
UM, WE DID, I BELIEVE WE WENT OVER THE OBJECTIVES.
SO I WANNA PROVIDE A SMALL UPDATE ON WHERE WE ARE ON OBJECTIVES FOR THIS PARTICULAR YEAR.
UM, UNDER CREATING OPPORTUNITIES FOR LEARNING AND DISCOVER.
ONE OF THOSE, UH, OBJECTIVES IS TO COLLABORATE WITH OTHER DEPARTMENTS AND IDENTIFY EXISTING PROGRAMS, UH, ACROSS PART ACROSS DEPARTMENTS TO REDUCE, UH, DUPLICATION OF EFFORTS.
WE DID FINISH, UM, A CITYWIDE AUDIT BETWEEN THE PARKS DEPARTMENT, THE, THE, UH, LIBRARY AND ACTUALLY THE YMCA ON YOUTH SERVICES.
AND THERE WERE NO FINDINGS WHERE WE HAD DUPLICATED SERVICES, SO THAT THAT SHOWS WHERE WE HAD, WE'VE ALL GOT A LOT OF WORK TO DO AND THERE'S PLENTY OF ROOM, UM, TO CONTINUE SERVING THE YOUTH AND THE COMMUNITY.
UM, WE ARE ALSO LAYING THE GROUNDWORK TO HELP OUR EACH BRANCH LOCATION COME UP WITH HYPER LOCALIZED NEIGHBORHOOD PLANS FOR PROGRAMMING.
UM, THE NEXT GOAL WAS TO PROVIDE CUSTOMER RESPONSIVE TECHNOLOGY, AND WE ARE, THE TWO OBJECTIVES THERE ARE TO MOVE OUR LIBRARY CATALOG SYSTEM TO A HOSTED INSTANCE, WHICH WILL MEAN THAT OUR CATALOG IS MUCH MORE EASILY UPDATED.
UM, FEATURES WILL BE EASIER TO UPDATE AND IT'LL, IT'LL BE A MUCH MORE RESPONSIVE SYSTEM FOR THE COMMUNITY.
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WE ARE ALMOST ALL THE WAY THROUGH IT'S APPROVAL PROCESS FOR THAT.SO WE FULLY EXPECT THAT CHANGE TO HAPPEN IN THE NEXT, UM, PROBABLY NEXT SIX MONTHS OR SO.
WE'RE ALSO SET TO MEET WITH THAT DEPARTMENT TO CREATE A, UM, A TECHNOLOGY PLAN UNDER CULTIVATE VIBRANT MATERIALS COLLECTION.
WE ARE WELL UNDERWAY WITH ONE OF THE BEGINNING OBJECTIVES, WHICH WAS TO, UM, DO A SYSTEM-WIDE INVENTORY AND STRATEGIC LEADING OF THE COLLECTION, UM, WHICH IS ACTUALLY REALLY IMPORTANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THE ITEMS THAT ARE ON OUR SHELVES ARE ONES THAT ARE RELEVANT AND THINGS THAT PEOPLE WANNA USE.
SO AS WE MOVE FORWARD AND PLANNING FOR THE COLLECTION OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL YEARS, WHERE, UM, WE HAVE ACCURATE DATA ON HOW PEOPLE USE THE COLLECT, WHEN IS THAT GONNA HAPPEN? IT'S ONGOING.
WE'VE, WE'VE ALREADY STARTED, WE'VE DONE A LOT OF WEEDING, UM, AND WE, WE DID SOME TRAINING OVER THE SUMMER ON, ON THAT AND, UM, WE'RE WELL UNDERWAY.
UM, IN TERMS OF REDUCING BARRIERS TO ACCESS, WE ARE, UH, IN THE PROCESS OF FINALIZING A, UH, CONTRACT FOR A NEW DESIGN OF OUR WEBSITE, WHICH WILL INCLUDE A SPANISH LANGUAGE VERSION, UM, UNDER PROVIDING INSPIRING AND WELCOMING COMMUNITIES.
WE ARE CURRENTLY UNDERWAY IN A DA UPGRADES, SO SOME OF THOSE ARE PART OF THE BOND AND SOME OF THEM ARE, UM, SAVINGS THAT WE FOUND TO, UM, UPGRADE BATHROOMS AT EIGHT LOCATIONS AND DOORS AT SHOP 10 LOCATIONS, INCLUDING, I KNOW SKYLINE JUST HAD NEW RAMPS OUTSIDE INSTALLED.
UM, AND WE WILL BEGIN WORKING ON THE KIT OF PARTS FOR THE LIBRARY, UH, IN NEXT MONTH.
UM, THAT IS BASICALLY THE LIST OF ITEMS THAT WE TAKE TO THE BOND DEPARTMENT AND TO, UM, ARCHITECTS AND PLANNERS AND WHAT WE NEED IN LIKE, WHAT'S NON-NEGOTIABLE IN BUILDING A NEW LIBRARY.
SO THAT'S ALL PART OF OUR BOND PROCESS.
CAN YOU ELABORATE A LITTLE BIT ON THAT? BECAUSE I REPRESENT D ONE AND I GET QUESTIONS ALL THE TIME ABOUT WHEN, WHEN'S THE LIBRARY, THE NEW LIBRARY GONNA BE BUILT? SO IS THIS NOT RIGHT AWAY IN D ONE
UM, SO THE KIT OF PARTS, THE KIT OF PARTS IS REALLY NOT ABOUT ANY ONE PARTICULAR LIBRARY LOCATION.
IT'S REALLY, YOU KNOW, WE NEED INDIVIDUAL STUDY ROOMS, WE NEED A MEETING, A LARGE MEETING ROOM, SPACE, AUDITORIUM SPACE.
IT, YOU KNOW, IT HAS TO HAVE SO MUCH SPACE FOR SHELVING AND COMPUTERS AND OUTLETS.
IT'S, IT'S MORE, IT BARE MINIMUM FOR WHAT GOES INTO A LIBRARY.
SO THESE ARE THE THREE THAT WERE JUST APPROVED WITH THE BOND.
SO THIS IS ACTUALLY, THIS IS A LITTLE BIT SEPARATE FROM THE BOND.
UM, WE USE IT IN BOND PROJECT PROJECTS, BUT IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE RELATED TO ANY ONE LIBRARY PROJECT.
IT'S REALLY LIKE, THIS IS WHAT A LIBRARY IN 2024 SHOULD HAVE AS A MINIMUM ACROSS THE BOARD.
WE CAN, WE WILL, WE WILL HAVE LOTS OF UPDATES ON THE BOND.
WE ACTUALLY HAD A MEETING WITH THE, THE BOND OFFICE THIS AFTERNOON, UM, AND COMMUNICATING THE LIBRARY'S VALUE.
WE ARE WORKING ON AN INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS PLAN, UM, WHICH WE THINK WILL HELP, UM, HELP OUR STAFF BE BETTER SPOKESPEOPLE FOR THE LIBRARY.
AND THEN FINALLY, UNDER DEVELOPING FUTURE READY STAFF, WE ARE, UM, IN THE PROCESS OF DEVELOPING A TRAINING POLICY AND TRAINING SCHEDULE.
OH, IS THERE A QUESTION? SORRY.
WELL, I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU INCLUDED SOME FORM OF SPACE TO DISPLAY ART IN FUTURE LIBRARIES.
UH, IT'S ONE OF THOSE KEY COMPONENTS OF A LIBRARY THAT SOMETIMES GET NEGLECTED, ESPECIALLY WITH BISHOP ARTS, BUT EVEN ANY OTHER LIBRARY, THERE ARE CREATIVE PEOPLE OUT THERE WHO ARE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR A PLACE TO DISPLAY THEIR WORK AND IT BRINGS MORE PEOPLE INTO THE LIBRARY.
YEAH, OF COURSE, DISPLAY SPACES, I BELIEVE ALREADY IN THE KIT OF PARTS, BUT THAT'S DEFINITELY SOMETHING WE'LL BE TAKING IN CONSIDERATION.
UM, SO THE FINAL POINT IS WE ARE, WE'RE WORKING ON A SORT OF THREE YEAR PLAN FOR TRAINING FOR OUR STAFF.
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AND THAT'S LIKE BY POSITION.UM, SO VERY SPECIFIC AND IT'S HELPING US NOT ONLY PLAN OUT WHAT TRAINING WILL PROVIDE, BUT WHAT TRAINING WE MIGHT NEED EXTERNALLY.
UM, AND THEN WE WILL THEN MOVE ON TO, OH, THERE'S ANOTHER HAND.
WE CAN'T, YOU, ARE YOU ABLE TO TYPE A QUESTION IN THE CHAT? WE'RE NOT ABLE TO HEAR.
I'LL ASK A QUESTION WHILE DONNA'S WORKING ON HER SOUND FOR THE REDOING THE CATALOG.
I AM A FREQUENT USER OF THE CATALOG, AND VERY OFTEN THERE ARE MANY VERSIONS OF A BOOK.
LIKE IF YOU TYPE PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, FOR EXAMPLE.
IT'LL HAVE SIX DIFFERENT LISTINGS FOR THE SAME ACTUAL PAPER BOOK AND THEN ANOTHER LISTING FOR THE, AND I MEAN, THERE MAY BE 15 DIFFERENT LISTINGS FOR THE SAME ITEM.
IS THAT GONNA BE FIXED OR CONSOLIDATED? OR IS THERE SOMETHING THAT AS USERS WE CAN DO? IN A WAY, IN A WAY, YES.
MOVING THE CATALOG HOSTED IS PART OF FIXING THAT PROBLEM.
UM, ONCE IT'S HOSTED, WE, IN OUR, OUR LATEST CONTRACT WITH THE VENDOR, UM, WE HA WE HAVE A PRODUCT CALLED, UM, POLAR.
OUR LIBRARY CATALOG IS CALLED POLARIS.
IT'S A PRODUCT CALLED POLARIS VEGA.
UM, AND IT'S WHAT IS CALLED A DISCOVERY LAYER.
WE'RE GETTING DEEP INTO LIKE LIBRARY LINGO.
UM, BUT THAT'S BASICALLY SOMETHING THAT HELPS PEOPLE FIND THINGS.
UM, AND IT IS, IT IS IMPLEMENTING A NEW, UM, RECOMMENDATION AMONG LIBRARY STANDARDS THAT WORKS BE GROUPED TOGETHER.
SO, SO WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, IF YOU LOOK, IT CAN BE HARD TO FIND THINGS IN OUR CATALOG NOW, BUT IF YOU, IF YOU, UH, SEARCHED FOR PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, YOU WOULD GET ONE RECORD, IT WOULD HAVE LARGE PRINTS, YOU KNOW, REGULAR, YOU KNOW, PHYSICAL BOOK, EBOOK, ALL IN THE SAME RECORD, AND YOU CAN CLICK THROUGH FOR THE FORMAT OF THAT SAME ITEM.
WELL, I THINK SOMETIMES IT, IT'S LIKE ALSO EDITIONS, LIKE THIS IS THE 1956 EDITION, THIS IS THE 1980 EDITION.
THIS IS A, YOU KNOW, SPECIAL PAPERBACK ON THE HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY EDITION KIND OF SITUATION.
ALSO, NOT JUST IT'S AN AUDIO BOOK VERSUS A HARDCOVER.
I MEAN, THERE WILL STILL BE SOME COMPLEXITY.
WE'LL, NEVER, I DON'T THINK WE'LL EVER BE AT A PLACE WHERE YOU SEARCH JUST PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND THERE'S 30 VERSIONS.
UM, BUT WE'LL ALSO ONCE, ONCE WE'RE INTO THAT, UM, INSTANCE OF THE CATALOG, WE'LL BE ABLE TO SEE THE BACKEND AND, AND HAVE SOME, UM, SOME CONTROL OVER HOW IT DISPLAYS AND WHAT THE USER EXPERIENCE IS.
AS HEATHER HORNER SAYS IN THE CHAT, DIFFERENT ISBN NUMBERS SOMETIMES
UH, I HOPE THAT IT'S NOT GOING TO BE TOO HELPFUL.
UH, MEANING AI, UH, ONLINE I WILL OFTEN, UH, TYPE IN SOMETHING THAT'S PERFECTLY SPELLED AND I'LL SAY, UH, I'LL GET A MESSAGE.
DO YOU MEAN SO AND SO, SO I HOPE THE CATALOG IS, IF YOU TYPE IN JANE AUSTIN, I HOPE IT WON'T SAY, DO YOU MEAN LOUISA MAY? ALCOCK
I MEAN, IT'S NOT, IT'S, THERE'S NO LIKE AI BOT INVOLVED, BUT SOME SPELLING SUGGESTIONS BECAUSE PEOPLE MAY NOT KNOW HOW TO SPELL TOLSTOY.
YOUR DOKY, LIKE, I'M NOT SURE I COULD SPELL THAT, UM, CORRECTLY ON THE FIRST TRACK.
SO THERE WILL BE SPELLING SUGGESTIONS, BUT IT WON'T BE LIKE A GOOGLE WHERE IT JUST AUTOMATICALLY ASSUMES THAT YOU MEAN ONE THING OVER ANOTHER.
CAN IT BE MODIFIED ONCE IT'S UP AND RUNNING? YEAH, WE'LL HAVE, WE'LL HAVE QUITE A BIT OF CONTROL OVER, OVER THE US YOUR EXPERIENCE.
SO THE CATALOG IS GONNA BE UPGRADED.
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IT'S GONNA BE HOSTED AND THERE'LL BE A NEW WEBSITE.SO IS THAT GONNA HAPPEN SIMULTANEOUSLY,
SO THE CATALOG IS GONNA COME AND THEN WE'RE GONNA HAVE THE, THE NEW, THE CATALOG WILL BE THE FIRST PIECE, AND THEN WE'LL HAVE THE NEW LAYERS OF LIKE VEGA, THE DISCOVERY PIECE.
UM, HOW DID THAT NOW, SO WE'RE MOVING TO A HOST, SO IT'S ALL ON, ON ACTUAL SERVERS RIGHT NOW.
SOME OF THEM ARE VIRTUAL, SOME OF THEM ARE PHYSICAL, BUT THEY'RE ALL SERVERS THAT ARE MAINTAINED BY THE, UM, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES DEPARTMENT, UM, WHICH HAS, YOU KNOW, LIMITED AMOUNT OF BANDWIDTH, NO PUN INTENDED, BANDWIDTH IN TERMS OF, OF WHAT THEY CAN SERVICE.
THERE'S A APPROVAL PROCESS FOR, FOR EVERY UPGRADE.
AND SO WE'VE, YOU KNOW, WE'VE TENDED TO LAG TWO OR MORE YEARS BEHIND ON UPGRADES JUST BECAUSE BANDWIDTH.
AND SO WHERE GONNA BE NOW, SO IT'LL BE HOSTED WITH THE, THE VENDOR, INNOVATIVE, THE VENDORS, AGAIN? INNOVATIVE.
AND YOU SAID SPANISH WILL BE MORE SPANISH? YEAH.
THE WEBSITE WILL HAVE A, A NATURAL TRANSLATED, BUT THEY WON'T BE AUDIO.
DO YOU KNOW, LIKE A TIMELINE? WE DON'T HAVE A CONTRACT YET.
WE'VE, WE'VE BEEN, BEEN BURNED MANY TIMES MAKING A, A BOLD SUGGESTION ON WHEN WE THOUGHT WE WOULD GET A NEW WEBSITE.
WE DID A SOFT REDESIGN ON SOMETHING, THE PANDEMIC, BUT IT'S STILL ALL HARD CODED, UM, WHICH IS LOUD.
IT'S EXCITING AS FAR AS WHAT YOU CAN PROMOTE AND YOU BE ABLE TO HAVE A CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, WHICH WILL MAKE THINGS EASIER.
I WOULD BE CURIOUS HOW THEY WOULD DESIGN LIKE THE CALENDAR, YOU KNOW, SO THAT'S NOT PART OF, THAT'S NOT PART OF, PART OF THIS SEPARATE PRODUCT, BUT WE HAVE THAT IN OUR SITES.
ARE THEY OKAY, I WAS JUST CURIOUS BECAUSE LAYOUT, WE'VE MADE SEVERAL REQUESTS TOO.
ARE THEY GONNA, SO THE MOBILE VERSION SHOULD TOO, WEBSITE.
UM, DONNA, IS YOUR QUESTION, WILL THE CATALOG INCLUDE OTHER LANGUAGES BEYOND ENGLISH AND SPANISH? I, I DON'T.
SOMEONE I CAN'T SEE WHO ASKED.
WE DO HAVE, UM, A WORLD LANGUAGES, UH, BOOK VENDOR THAT DOES DO CATALOGING FOR US.
SO YOU WOULDN'T NECESSARILY HAVE A SPANISH ENTRY FOR A BOOK THAT'S IN ENGLISH, BUT IF WE HAVE A BOOK THAT IS IN ARAMAIC, THE CATALOG INFORMATION WILL BE IN ARA ENGLISH AS WELL.
BUT ARAMIC DONNA'S QUESTION IS WHETHER THERE IS AN OUTLINE FOR YOUR TALKING POINTS AND IF SHE COULD RECEIVE A COPY BY EMAIL, I THINK SHE MEANS YOUR PROGRESS TOWARDS THE DIFFERENT GOALS.
YES, I CAN, I CAN SEND NOTES AFTER.
WE'LL MOVE ON TO THE EDUCATION PORTION.
UM, SO WE HAVE, UM, DEBORAH JOHNSON, OUR MANAGER OF ADULT LEARNING HERE, AND SHANNON ADAMS OUR MANAGER OF ADULT SERVICES OR ADULT SERVICES ADMINISTRATOR TO TALK ABOUT ADULT LEARNING.
I'M GONNA GO AHEAD AND SHARE MY SCREEN AND HERE WE GO.
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AND SO, ALRIGHT, SO IT'S NICE TO MEET EVERYBODY.I'VE BEEN THE ADULT LEARNING MANAGER FOR TWO YEARS AND WITH THE ADULT LEARNING DEPARTMENT, I STARTED IN 2019 AS THE GED UM, VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR COORDINATING THE VOLUNTEER LED CLASSES.
AND PRIOR TO THAT I ACTUALLY TAUGHT GED AT MOUNTAIN VIEW COLLEGE AND WOULD REFER MY STUDENTS TO THE ADULT LEARNING, UH, GED SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM.
SO I'VE BEEN SOMEWHAT INVOLVED WITH ADULT LEARNING SINCE ABOUT 2016 AND TODAY, JUST GONNA GIVE AN OVERVIEW OF THESE, UM, FIVE FOCUS AREAS AND WE'LL GO AHEAD AND DIVE RIGHT IN.
SO ADULT LEARNING, UH, BEGAN WITH ELL CLASSES AND FROM THERE IT EXPANDED TO WHAT I LIKE TO THINK OF AS A COMPREHENSIVE GED OFFERING, COMPREHENSIVE GED PROGRAM, WHICH MEANS WE HAVE STUDY DIFFERENT STUDY OPTIONS FOR OUR STUDENTS.
WE HAVE INDEPENDENT ONLINE IN PERSON.
UM, ADDITIONALLY ADULT LEARNING HAS, UH, TWO LITERACY CENTERS AND WE ALSO OFFER CITIZENSHIP CLASSES.
SO WE DO HAVE, UM, HIRED FULL-TIME INSTRUCTORS IN 2018, WHICH ALLOWED US TO OFFER, UM, CONTINUITY OF SERVICES WITH HIGHLY SKILLED FULL-TIME INSTRUCTORS.
AND OUR CLASSES ARE PRETTY MUCH EVENLY SPREAD THROUGHOUT DALLAS.
WE DO HAVE ELL CLASSES AND ADULT LEARNING CLASSES DURING THE, UM, THE PANDEMIC, WE HAD OPPORTUNITY FOR INNOVATION AND WE TRANSITIONED ALL OF OUR CLASSES TO ONLINE AND THEY WERE SO POPULAR AND IT MET, UM, A REAL NEED FOR OUR STUDENTS THAT WE HAVE KEPT THAT ONLINE PRESENCE WITH OUR CLASSES.
IT REMOVED BARRIERS SUCH AS TRANSPORTATION AND CHILDCARE.
SO WE STILL DO HAVE OUR ONLINE CLASSES, BUT WE RETURNED IN PERSON IN 20 21, 20 23, WE STARTED OFFERING THE EXCEL HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA PROGRAM, WHICH IS ON, IT'S AN ONLINE HIGH SCHOOL.
SO FOLKS WHO ENROLL IN THAT PROGRAM DO GRADUATE AND THEY, THEY DO GET A HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA, UM, WHICH IS DIFFERENT FROM THE GED, WHICH IS A HIGH SCHOOL EQUIVALENCY CERTIFICATE.
SO THAT PROGRAM IS, IS REALLY POPULAR WITH A LOT OF FOLKS WHO DO WANT THAT DIPLOMA RATHER THAN THE EQUIVALENCY CERTIFICATE.
SO, UM, SO OUR AREAS OF FOCUS, AS I MENTIONED, ARE WE OFFER EVERYTHING THAT ANYONE COULD NEED TO GET THEIR GED FROM START TO FINISH.
WE HAVE THE INSTRUCTION THAT FOLKS NEED.
WE ALSO HAVE A GRADUATION CEREMONY, WHICH IS VERY POPULAR WITH OUR STUDENTS.
IT GIVES THEM OPPORTUNITY TO CELEBRATE WHEN THEY DO ACHIEVE THEIR, UM, HIGH SCHOOL EQUIVALENCY CERTIFICATE.
UM, IN ADDITION, WE HAVE THOSE ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING CLASSES AND CITIZENSHIP LITERACY AND A SPANISH ENGLISH LANGUAGE EXCHANGE.
AND SO YOU CAN SEE HERE IS A LITTLE SNAPSHOT OF OUR GD PROGRAM, AND IT IS, WE DO HAVE VERY SOLID ENROLLMENT NUMBERS BECAUSE THERE IS SUCH A LOW BARRIER TO ENTRY FOR OUR STUDENTS.
THEY SIMPLY NEED TO SHOW UP TO THE CLASS OF THEIR CHOICE WITH, UH, EAGERNESS TO LEARN AND MOTIVATION.
IT'S ALL THEY NEED TO BRING TO THE CLASSROOM.
WE DON'T REQUIRE IDENTIFICATION, WE DON'T HAVE ARDUOUS, UH, REGISTRATION PROCESS.
SO OUR CLASSES ARE, ARE VERY, UH, READILY ACCESSIBLE.
AND WE ALSO TO MENTION THAT THE, UM,
SO AS I DID MENTION, WE HAVE THAT GD GRADUATION AND THE, THE PROGRAM IS COMPLETELY FREE FROM START TO FINISH.
SO THE SCHOLARSHIP PAYS FOR THE TEST, WHICH AT A MINIMUM WILL, WOULD COST A STUDENT $140 OUT OF $145 OUT OF POCKET.
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IF THEY TAKE ALL FOUR TESTS, OFFICIAL TESTS AND PASS IMMEDIATELY, IT HAS THE CAPACITY TO COST A LOT MORE THAN THAT IF THEY NEED TO RETAKE TESTS AND DO PRACTICE TESTS AND ALL OF THOSE THINGS.AND WE PROVIDE ALL OF THAT FOR OUR STUDENTS WITH THE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM.
SO OUR ELL CLASSES ARE ALSO VERY POPULAR FOR A LOT OF THE SAME REASONS, LOW BARRIER TO ENTRY.
UM, THEY'RE SPREAD THROUGHOUT THE CITY OF DALLAS AND WE HAVE EXCELLENT, UH, FULL-TIME INSTRUCTORS AND ALSO VOLUNTEER INSTRUCTORS CITIZENSHIP.
SO WE DO PROVIDE CITIZENSHIP TEST PREPARATION, AND I CAN TELL YOU WE HAVE A VERY SUCCESSFUL PROGRAM.
UH, WE HAVE ONE FULL-TIME INSTRUCTOR WHO'S COMPLETELY DEDICATED TO, WELL, SHE TEACHES ELL AS WELL, BUT SHE'S OUR CITIZENSHIP INSTRUCTOR AND SHE IS VERY WELL-VERSED IN THE WHOLE CITIZENSHIP PROCESS.
A HUNDRED PERCENT OF HER STUDENTS WHO HAVE TAKEN THE TEST HAVE PASSED THE TEST AND BECOME NATURALIZED CITIZEN.
AND SO THAT EQUALS, FOR FY 24, WE HAD 25, UH, STUDENTS, UM, BECOME CITIZENS THAT PARTICIPATED IN OUR PROGRAM.
UM, SHE'S VERY DEDICATED TO BEING UP TO DATE ON ALL OF THE LATEST INFORMATION, AND SHE SPENDS ABOUT AN HOUR OR TWO A DAY, SHE SAYS JUST ON THE US CITIZENSHIP AND IMMIGRATION SITE, JUST KEEPING UP TO DATE ON ANY CHANGES AND ANYTHING THAT SHE NEEDS TO INFORM HER STUDENTS ABOUT SO THAT THEY, THAT THEY REALLY GO INTO THE TASK FEELING FULLY CONFIDENT TO PASS, UH, LIGHT OF HOPE.
IMMIGRATION ALSO, UH, HA IS OFFERING CLASSES AT VICKERY PARK AND THEY HAVE BEEN FOR THE PAST TWO SEMESTERS.
WE, WE ONLY HAVE ONE, UM, CITIZENSHIP CLASS IN SPANISH BECAUSE IT, BECAUSE THERE WERE, UM, IT IS VERY, VERY FEW PEOPLE WHO DO QUALIFY TO TAKE THE CLASS IN SPANISH.
SO WE DO HAVE ONE SPANISH CITIZENSHIP CLASS, AND WE ARE GOING TO ADD ANOTHER ONE IN THE, UM, SPRING, THE SPANISH ENGLISH LANGUAGE EXCHANGE.
THIS PROGRAM OFFERS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR FOLKS IN THE COMMUNITY WHO WANNA LEARN SPANISH TO GET THAT PRACTICE THAT THEY, THEY ARE REALLY LOOKING TO THE LIBRARY TO PROVIDE.
WE GET A LOT OF INQUIRIES FOR SPANISH CLASSES, BUT WE DON'T HAVE A FULL-TIME SPANISH INSTRUCTOR.
SO THIS IS A WAY, THIS IS REAL SIMPLE TO IMPLEMENT.
THIS PROGRAM IS SIMPLE TO IMPLEMENT WITH.
YOU HAVE JUST SPANISH SPEAKERS, ENGLISH SPEAKERS, AND THEY CAN BE IN A LOW KEY, LOW STRESS ENVIRONMENT AND JUST PRACTICE AND SHARE THEIR, THEIR LANGUAGE SKILLS.
THIS PAST SUMMER WE HAD A PARTNERSHIP WITH READERS TO LEADERS AND THEY OFFERED, UH, BASIC LITERACY CLASS IN ENGLISH AND TEACHING.
IT'S A PHONICS, PHONICS BASED CURRICULUM.
IT WAS, THE STUDENTS REALLY ENJOYED IT.
SOME OF THE FEEDBACK WE GOT WERE FROM STUDENTS SAYING THAT THEY HAD MORE COURAGE AND READING AND THAT THEY COULD BREAK APART WORDS, YOU KNOW, AND RECOGNIZE WORDS THAT THEY WERE, WERE IN THEIR ACTIVE SPEAKING VOCABULARY, BUT THEY WERE UNABLE TO READ AND THEY'RE EXCITED TO REPORT THAT.
THEN THEY, AFTER THIS CLASS, THEY COULD READ THOSE WORDS.
SO THIS WAS THIS LAST SUMMER WE HAD THIS CLASS FOR ENGLISH SPEAKERS AND CURRENTLY WE ARE HAVING A CLASS FOR OUR READERS TO LEADERS IS TEACHING A CLASS AT DALLAS WEST.
THEY'RE TEACHING THE CLASS IN SPANISH TO SPANISH SPEAKERS AND GO TEACHING THEM THE RULES OF ENGLISH PHONICS.
SO SOME OF THE FEEDBACK THAT THE MANAGER HAS GOTTEN SO FAR FROM THOSE STUDENTS IS THAT THEY'RE SO EXCITED TO BE ABLE TO HELP THEIR KIDS WITH THEIR HOMEWORK BECAUSE NOW THEY CAN READ ENGLISH AND THEY CAN EXPLAIN THAT, UM, HELP THEIR CHILDREN WITH THEIR ENG THEIR ENGLISH HOMEWORK AND, AND SIMULTANEOUSLY THEY'RE OBVIOUSLY, THEY'RE IMPROVING THEIR ENGLISH SKILLS, BUT IT DOES HAVE THAT MULTI-GENERATIONAL BENEFIT.
IN FACT, IN THE ENGLISH, UM, CLASS WE HAD THIS SUMMER, WE HAD A STUDENT WHO WAS JAPANESE, BUT SHE SPOKE ENGLISH PERFECTLY.
SHE LEARNED, YOU KNOW, FROM STUDYING AS A A, A SECOND LANGUAGE, BUT SHE COMMENTED HOW GRATEFUL SHE WAS FOR THIS, THIS CLASS BECAUSE NOW SHE WAS ABLE TO HELP HER DAUGHTER LEARN TO READ ENGLISH.
SO WE CURRENTLY, WE DO HAVE A, UM, TEMPORARY, A STAFF MEMBER
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AT VICTORY PARK TEACHING.HE IS, UM, EXPANDING OUR ADULT LEARNING SERVICES THERE.
HE'S TEACHING AN ENGLISH LANGUAGE CLASS RIGHT NOW IN THE EVENING.
HE'S HAD 32 STUDENTS ENROLL IN THAT CLASS, AND HE'S GONNA START THIS NOVEMBER TEACHING, UM, LIFE SKILLS AND WORK SKILL CLASSES.
OKAY, SO WHAT, WHAT DID, WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR TOWARDS IN THE FUTURE? WE'RE LOOKING AT IT PERHAPS EXPANDING OUR CERTIFICATIONS THAT WE CAN OFFER IN OUR TESTING CENTER, PRE FOREIGN CREDENTIALING, UM, FOR FOLKS WHO DO HAVE A CREDENTIAL FROM THEIR NATIVE, UH, THEIR HOME COUNTRY AND THAT THEY NEED HELP HERE GETTING THAT SO THAT THEY COULD, YOU KNOW, HAVE THAT VALIDATED HERE FOR THE US A JOB CAREER, DIGITAL LITERACIES SKILLS AND INCREASING RECRUITMENT FOR VOLUNTEER INSTRUCTORS.
SO THAT WAS ALL I HAD FOR TODAY.
IS THERE ANY QUESTIONS? UM, I HAVE A QUICK QUESTION.
AT VICKERY PARK, YOU SAID THAT, UH, THE INSTRUCTOR HAS 32 STUDENTS AND THEN HE HAD MM-HMM,
HE'S GONNA BE ADDING LIFE SKILLS AND WORK SKILLS CLASSES.
SO WITH THOSE 32 STUDENTS, IS IT ENGLISH LANGUAGE RIGHT NOW OR? YES.
HE HAS THE, UH, ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING CLASS IN THE EVENING AT SIX AT VICKERY PARK, TWO NIGHTS A WEEK AND IS 32 STUDENTS ENROLLED.
BUT MAXIMUM, IT'S USUALLY ABOUT AROUND 20 PEOPLE WHO WOULD ATTEND AT EACH CLASS.
AND THEN IN ADDITION TO THAT, HE'LL START, HE OR SHE WILL START TEACHING THE LIFE SKILLS AND WORK SKILLS.
LET ME SEE IF THEN I, I SEE A QUESTION FROM STAN ABOUT WHAT IT WOULD COST TO EXPAND THE ADULT BASIC LITERACY CLASSES.
OH, JUST ADULT BASIC LITERACY, THE READERS TO LEADERS.
YES, BECAUSE I, YEARS AGO I HAD A A AT A TOWN HALL MEETING, I HAD SOMEONE ASKING ABOUT A BASIC LITERACY CLASS, AND THERE WAS NOTHING AVAILABLE EXCEPT IN SOUTH DALLAS AT THE TIME.
AND I MEAN, I STILL THINK THERE'S WHAT, 10 OR 15% OF ADULTS WHO DON'T BASICALLY HAVE, UH, ADEQUATE LITERACY SKILLS IN THE CITY.
SO I MEAN, IT'S, IT'S A QUESTION OF WHAT'S THE COST? IS IT SOMETHING MAYBE WE SHOULD BE ASKING OUR LEGISLATORS TO FUND IN THE NEXT LEGISLATIVE SESSION? YOU KNOW, I MEAN, IF WE COULD GET MONEY DESIGNATED FOR SUCH A PROGRAM, IT WOULD HELP.
I WOULD SAY THAT WE DON'T, IN GENERAL, UM, WE ARE NOT TAKING ANY STATE OR FEDERAL FUNDING FOR OUR, OUR ADULT EDUCATION CLASSES.
UM, IN PART BECAUSE THE FOCUS OF OUR CLASSES IS TO BE THE LOWEST BARRIER.
UM, THERE IS A LOT OF, OF, OF MONEY, UM, IN THE, THE WORKFORCE, UH,
I KNOW IT'S WORKFORCE SOMETHING.
UM, BUT ALL OF THAT FUNDING HAS PRETTY ONEROUS REPORTING AND, UM, PERSONAL INFORMATION REQUIREMENTS THAT IS REALLY A BARRIER.
PARTICULARLY IF SOME OF OUR STUDENTS HAPPEN TO BE UNDOCUMENTED, THEY'RE VERY UNLIKELY TO WANT TO TAKE A CLASS IN THAT ENVIRONMENT.
SO IT'S REALLY MORE ABOUT WORKING WITH THE FRIENDS TO MAINTAIN THE FUNDING THAT WE HAVE TO VERY GENEROUS FUNDING FROM, UM, THE ATMOS LITERACY, UH, INITIATIVE.
SO ATMOS ENERGY FUNDS A LOT OF OUR PROGRAMS, WE'VE HAD FUNDING THROUGH THE TEXAS STATE LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES COMMISSION.
UM, AND THEN THE, THE CITY SUPPORTS THE PROGRAM THROUGH THE SALARIES OF OUR INSTRUCTORS AND OUR COORDINATORS, UM, TO REALLY BE PRIVATE FUNDING COULD EXPAND THE, OR, OR CITY BASED FUNDING COULD EXPAND THE PROGRAM.
SO, DEBORAH, TODAY, IF, IF YOU WANTED TO GROW, ARE YOU RUNNING OUT OF INSTRUCTORS OR I GUESS ARE YOU TURNING AWAY STUDENTS TODAY IF YOU WANTED TO GROW OR WE NEED TO.
WE, OH, WE REALLY ARE NOT TURNING AWAY
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STUDENTS.IN FACT, WE KEEP OUR, UM, WE KEEP OUR ENROLLMENT OPEN FOR AT LEAST, UH, A COUPLE MONTHS AFTER THE SEMESTER STARTS.
AND, AND THEN EVEN LIKE A MONTH BEFORE IT CLOSES, WE DO, WE WILL CLOSE ENROLLMENT AND JUST HAVE STUDENTS ADVISE THEM TO RETURN TO THE, YOU KNOW, CLASS THE NEXT SESSION.
I THINK THOUGH OUR CLASSES ARE NOT, I THINK THAT MAYBE THE, WELL, WE KEEP OUR, OUR ENROLLMENT OPEN.
WE CAN'T HAVE CLASSES EVERY TIME OF THE DAY IN EVERY PART OF, OF THE CITY AND PARENTS.
I MEAN, OUR CLASSES ARE VERY FULL.
UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK FOR US IT'S REALLY TEACHERS MATERIAL TO SOME EXTENT SPACE BECAUSE WE ALL, WE ALSO HAVE A HOST OF OTHER PROGRAMS THAT MAY HAVE
SO IT'S, IT'S BALANCING ALL THOSE THINGS TOGETHER.
SO I, I HAVE HEARD DEBORAH SAY PREVIOUSLY THAT SHE IS ALWAYS LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEER INSTRUCTORS, BUT A LOT OF PEOPLE WON'T DO IT BECAUSE IT'S A BIG COMMITMENT YOU HAVE TO DO EVERY WEEK FOR MM-HMM.
WE, WE DO HAVE, UH, SOMETIMES IT CAN BE HARDER TO FIND THOSE ONLINE.
GD INSTRUCTORS, PARTICULARLY THE LANGUAGE ARTS IS, IS ACTUALLY THE HARDEST POSITION TO FILL AN ONLINE INSTRUCTOR WHO COULD TEACH LANGUAGE ARTS.
SO THAT'S READING AND SOME WRITING.
I THINK THAT WOULD BE OUR HIGHEST NEED AREA THERE.
AS FAR AS THE POSITION, MOST DIFFICULT TO FEEL JUST BECAUSE OF THE SKILL THAT IT TAKES TO TEACH READING AND WRITING ONLINE IS, IS IT'S PRETTY COMPLEX.
OTHER QUESTIONS?
THE VOLUNTEER CLASSES TYPICALLY ARE 11 TO 12 WEEKS LONG AND THEY MEET, UM, ANYWHERE.
YEAH, THEY, WE HAVE JUST, WE HAVE SOME CLASS, LIKE THE GED CLASSES THAT MEETS ONCE A WEEK FOR LIKE AN HOUR AND A HALF.
SO IT'D BE ABOUT AN HOUR AND A HALF A WEEK FOR THAT LONG PREP TIME.
AND I THINK THAT THAT CONCLUDES THE, THE EDUCATION PORTION.
UM, DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR HEATHER IN GENERAL AT THIS MOMENT? I DO
UM, SOMEONE ASKED ME FROM D ONE ABOUT THE SEED PROGRAM AND, UM, IT'S APPARENTLY 14 LOCATIONS.
WHAT ARE THE, YOU KNOW, WHERE DO THE SEEDS COME FROM? HOW'S IT FUNDED? UM, JUST, JUST A QUICK IF YOU, IF YOU CAN, HEATHER.
YOU MIGHT ACTUALLY ASK, I COULD SPEAK TO IT A LITTLE BIT, BUT I THINK MY INFORMATION MIGHT NOT BE AS UP TO DATE AS I CAN.
WE WILL SEND OUT THE LIST OF THE 14 LOCATIONS BECAUSE I DON'T THINK I CAN TELL THEM TO YOU OFF THE TOP
WELL, THERE ARE SOME THINGS I COULD TELL YOU THAT WAY THAT'S NOT ONE OF THEM.
AND SO WE GET SEEDS IN A VARIETY OF WAYS.
ONE OF THEM IS PEOPLE, WHAT WE TEACH PEOPLE HOW TO HARVEST THEIR SEEDS, DRIVE THEM OUT, AND PROVIDE THEM TO US.
AND THAT IS NOT AS GOOD AS WE DO.
WE'LL ALSO PURCHASE A LOT OF SEEDS, BUT WE PURCHASE FROM LIKE HEIRLOOM VENDOR.
WE WE'RE VERY CAREFUL ABOUT THE TYPES OF SEEDS THAT WE PURCHASE.
SOME OF THOSE ARE FUNDED BY SOME OF THE BRANCH FRIENDS GROUPS, SOME OF THOSE WE PURCHASE SEEDS FROM PROGRAMMING MONEY WITH FRIENDS.
AND, UM, WE'RE, WE'RE CURRENTLY ASKING FOR A GRANT NOW AND TO WORK ON THE WEST PLAZA, WHICH WOULD ALSO INCLUDE SOME SUPPORT FOR OUR SEED LIBRARIES.
UM, WHAT, WHAT'S THE WEST PLAZA? UH, THE WEST SIDE OF THIS BUILDING, UM, IT'S, IT WAS DESIGNED AS A WALKWAY.
UM, BUT WE'RE GONNA CLOSE IT IN TO MAKE IT A DEMONSTRATION GARDEN AREA.
BUT WORKING WITH OFFICE OF E, UH, OFFICE, OFFICE OF, UH, ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY AND SUSTAINABILITY, NOT EMERGENCY.
UM, AND SO, UM, WE'RE WORKING WITH A GRANT AND WORKING ON A GRANT FOR THAT.
IF A BRANCH WANTS TO CONSIDER EXPANDING, THEY, THE MANAGER NEEDS TO HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH, UM, THEIR
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DISTRICT MANAGER AND WE CAN SEE WHAT ELSE WE CAN SUSTAIN AND SUPPORT.IT IS CERTAINLY SOMETHING THAT WE ARE ACTIVELY INTERESTED IN, UM, AND CONTINUING OUR WORK IN THIS AREA.
SO IF YOU FIND OUT THAT YOUR BRANCH IS NOT PART OF THE SEED DISTRIBUTION, THAT COULD, THAT COULD BE KIND OF AN ORGANIC THING THAT COULD START AT YOUR BRANCH AND THEN YOU YEAH.
TO THE MANAGER GUIDELINES, WE WOULD WANT TO FOLLOW OUR GUIDELINES FOR OUR SEED LIBRARY, BUT IT IS, WE CAN DO EXPANSIONS, ESPECIALLY AT BRANCHES THAT HAVE FRIENDS GROUPS.
'CAUSE WE'D REALLY TRY TO SUPPORT THOSE ONES THAT DON'T.
UM, BECAUSE SOMETIMES THEY'RE IN HIGH EQUITY NEED AREAS WHERE PLANTING AND GARDENING IS SOMETHING THAT WE REALLY WANNA SUPPORT.
AND NOT THAT WE DON'T WANNA DO IT IN OTHER PARTS OF THE CITY, BUT AS WE'RE TRYING TO BALANCE THOSE NEEDS OUT.
AND THAT'S, I THINK,
UM, SO IT'S REALLY A CONVERSATION BETWEEN THE BRANCH STAFF AND THE SIXTH FLOOR STAFF.
THEY TRAIN AND GUIDE THROUGH THE PROCESS.
I WOULD JUST EXPLORE IN GENERAL, AND IT'S THE CITY LIFE EDUCATION AND WORK SKILLS.
SO A LITTLE BIT OF A MOUTHFUL.
'CAUSE OF THE CITY LIFE PIECE OF IT, URBAN GARDENING, THAT'S A PROJECT THAT STARTED EIGHT, SEVEN OR EIGHT YEARS, SEVEN OR EIGHT YEARS AGO.
SO IT'S REALLY, IT'S GONE FROM REALLY BEING HERE TO JUST BEING AT A COUPLE LOCATIONS TO NOW BEING AT ALMOST HALF.
WELL THANK YOU FOR THAT INFORMATION.
WE CAN DRAW THIS MEETING TO A CLOSE.
YEAH, BECAUSE IT'S THANKSGIVING, SO IT'S A SPECIAL DAY.
CAN YOU, CAN YOU GUYS HEAR ME? YES, WE CAN.
UM, SOMEONE MENTIONED SOMETHING ABOUT A FRIENDS GROUP.
I KNOW, UM, MY LIBRARY DOESN'T HAVE ONE AND I DIDN'T KNOW IF HOW TO GO ABOUT HELPING THEM.
SO IF THERE'S ANY RECOMMENDATIONS, I KNOW YOU HAVE TO KIND OF GET A, A GROUP OF PEOPLE TOGETHER AND KIND OF BEFORE YOU CAN LIKE, ORGANIZE, BUT ANY INPUT OR INSIGHTS, UM, WOULD BE APPRECIATED.
YEAH, THERE'S, WE HAVE, UM, AS PART OF A PROCESS A FEW YEARS AGO, UM, OF TRYING TO SORT OF UNITE ALL, ALL THE, THE SMALLER FRIENDS GROUPS.
WE HAVE A, A GUIDE TO, TO FRIENDS GROUPS.
I MEAN, IT PUT SHORTLY IT'S, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE TO HAVE PEOPLE THAT ARE WILLING TO PUT IN THE WORK TO HAVE A 5 0 1 C3.
AND THAT IS QUITE A BIT OF WORK IF YOU'VE EVER BEEN PART OF THAT PROCESS.
WHAT'S YOUR LIBRARY? RAPHAEL? BRETT.
YOU'RE WELCOME TO COME TO ANY OF OUR FRIENDS MEETINGS.
UH, WE'RE NORTH OAK CLIFF LIBRARY.
WE MEET THE THIRD WEDNESDAY OF EVERY MONTH AT SIX O'CLOCK.
AND COULD I GET MY HAND ON THAT GUIDE? UH, YES, I WILL.
ANYTHING ELSE? I HAVE A NOTE ABOUT THE SIXTH FLOOR.
I GOT A LETTER FROM
I WORK WITH SEVERAL DIFFERENT, UH, BRANCH FRIENDS GROUPS AND CAN WALK YOU THROUGH THE PROCESS.
ON THE SIXTH FLOOR, I HAD A, A LETTER FROM CODE ENFORCEMENT SAYING THAT YOUR, YOUR BRANCHES ARE SIX INCHES TOO FAR IN THE STREET OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
IT'S, IT'S VERY HARD TO TRACK DOWN ANYTHING LIKE THAT ONLINE.
SO I WENT TO THE FIFTH FLOOR, THEY REFERRED ME TO THE SIXTH FLOOR.
AND THE LIBRARIANS THERE WERE EXTRAORDINARY.
I MEAN, THEY PINPOINTED EXACTLY WHAT I NEEDED TO KNOW.
I WAS IN THE RIGHT, I'M HAPPY TO SAY
CIVIC EMPOWERMENT HAD A TRANSCRIPT, I GUESS FOR ADJOURN.