* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:02] OKAY. GOOD AFTERNOON [Municipal Library Board Meeting on June 24, 2025.] EVERYONE. TODAY'S TUESDAY, JUNE 24TH, 2025. THE CITY OF DALLAS MUNICIPAL LIBRARY BOARD MEETING FOR JUNE HAS BEEN CALLED TO ORDER AT 5:03 PM WE HAVE A QUORUM PRESENT. LEGAL NOTICE HAS BEEN POSTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE TEXAS OPEN MEETINGS ACT, AND THIS MEETING HAS BEEN DULY CALLED WITH THAT. ITEM TWO. ON TODAY'S AGENDA WILL BE PUBLIC COMMENTS. DO WE HAVE ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WHO HAVE REGISTERED TO SPEAK AT TODAY'S MEETING? HEARING NONE. NEXT ITEM. ITEM THREE IS APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM THE MUNICIPAL LIBRARY BOARD MEETING ON MAY 20TH, 2025. IS THERE A MOTION FOR APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES OVER? OKAY. IS THERE A SECOND? THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER HARDING. UM, ANY DISCUSSION RELATED TO CORRECTIONS OR CHANGING CHANGES TO THE MINUTES? OKAY. HEARING DONE? ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. OKAY. THOSE UFOS SAY NAY. OKAY. MOTION CARRIES. NEXT ITEM. OKAY. AND NEXT ITEM. OF COURSE. I WANTED TO SHARE A FEW UPDATES OR NEW LIBRARY DIRECTOR MONICA SHORE BEGAN WORK LAST WEEK ON LAST MONDAY, AND WE ARE EXCITED, EXCITED TO WELCOME HER TODAY. UM, I ALSO WANTED TO THANK THAT HEATHER LOWE FOR HER WORK AS INTERIM DIRECTOR. THANK YOU SO MUCH, HEATHER, FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK. IT'S BEEN WONDERFUL TO GET TO KNOW ME BETTER, SO, AND I'M EXCITED TO GET TO KNOW MAN BETTER AS WELL. AND ALSO, I WANTED TO RECOGNIZE DISTRICT SEVEN BOARD MEMBER HEATHER WARNER FOR HER SERVICE. SINCE JOINING US ON THE BOARD HERE AND UNTIL , SHE JUST SHARED THAT THIS WILL BE HER BOARD MEETING. SO I JUST WANTED TO THANK YOU, HEATHER, FOR YOUR INSIGHTS ON THE BOARD AND YOUR EXPERTISE ON LIBRARY. IT WAS MY PLEASURE. WONDERFUL. UM, AND SO MOVING ON, I ATTENDED THE SMART SUMMER, UM, READING PROGRAM KICKOFF AT FOREST DEGREE BRANCH ON MAY 31ST. THE TURNOUT WAS FANTASTIC. I DON'T KNOW WHO ELSE WENT. MY 4-YEAR-OLD AND 2-YEAR-OLD REALLY ENJOYED THE ACTIVITIES, ESPECIALLY DECORATING THE TO BAGS, TO BAGS, AND THE BOOKS FROM THE ICE BEEF. SO THEY ENJOYED OUT. AND THIS PAST SUNDAY, THEY GOT THEIR PRIZES FOR READING. SO THEY PICKED UP, GOT THEIR BOOKS. THEY'RE VERY EXCITED, BUT THEY'RE TO THE ADULT KICKOFF. AWESOME. ALSO VERY FUN. AWESOME. THAT'S WONDERFUL. UM, AND SO MY SON IS EXCITED ABOUT HIS PIZZA CAP BOOK AND MY DAUGHTER ABOUT HER SPANISH CAMPING BOOK. AND SO THAT WAS SO WONDERFUL. AND ALSO, I JUST ENCOURAGE ALL OF YOU TO, I'VE BEEN TRYING TO PUSH OUT AS MUCH INFORMATION AS I CAN ON SOCIAL MEDIA, LIKE FACEBOOK, LINKEDIN, INSTAGRAM, ALL THE DIFFERENT CHANNELS. SO I ENCOURAGE ALL OF US TO TRY TO PUSH OUT INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROGRAM, UM, ONTO YOUR OWN CHANNELS, BUT ALSO INTERNAL GROUPS LIKE PARENT GROUPS OR SCHOOL GROUPS, SO, WONDERFUL. UM, SO MOVING ON TO ITEM FIVE, AGAIN, I WANTED TO WELCOME MANA HOR WHO JOINED THE CITY OF DALLAS AS THE DALLAS LIBRARY DIRECTOR A WEEK AGO MONDAY. UM, SHE FORMERLY WAS DIRECTOR OF FORT WORTH PUBLIC LIBRARY FROM 2017 TO 2023, AND SHE'S WORKED IN LIBRARIES IN WASHINGTON, DC OMAHA, NEBRASKA, SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA, AND PORTLAND, OREGON. AND I THINK WE HEARD YOU'VE HAD AN INTEREST IN GROWING LIBRARY USAGE AND EXPANDING SERVICES AND SUCH. AND SO I WANTED TO WELCOME MANA AND ALSO GIVE HER A CHANCE TO SPEAK MORE. GREAT. THANK YOU TODAY. MM-HMM . CATHERINE. AND, UH, LET ME JUST ECHO THE THANK YOU TO HEATHER. SHE DOESN'T WANT US TO MAKE A BIG DEAL, SO I'M NOT GONNA DO THAT, BUT I DON'T WANNA BE TO THANK HER FOR HER SERVICE. UM, I WAS GONNA DO MY BIO, BUT I WON'T NOW. OH, WELL, I JUST, I DIDN'T WANNA, I DECIDED I DIDN'T WANNA SAY TOO MUCH. I DECIDED NOT TO SAY TOO MUCH BECAUSE I WANTED TO. NO, GOOD. THANK YOU FOR THAT. THANK YOU FOR THAT. UH, WHAT KEVIN BEEN MENTIONED IS THAT I, I RECENTLY JUST CAME BACK FROM TWO YEARS OF LIVING IN, IN JAPAN. UM, I'VE ONLY BEEN BACK ABOUT A MONTH AND A HALF, SO, UH, I HAVEN'T BROKEN MYSELF OF BOWING A LITTLE BIT. SO IF YOU SEE ME DOING THAT, I APOLOGIZE IN [00:05:01] ADVANCE. I'M SURE I'LL GET OVER IT. UM, I HAVE BEEN IN PUBLIC LIBRARIES, AND I'M SORRY, I KEEP FORGETTING THERE'S PEOPLE HERE. I HAVE BEEN IN PUBLIC LIBRARIES FOR 27 YEARS AT THIS POINT. STARTED, UH, WORKING WITH CHILDREN AT THE CENTRAL LIBRARY IN PORTLAND, OREGON. AND THEN I DID OUTREACH TO ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS. AND, AND FROM THERE, UH, I MOVED TO OMAHA, NEBRASKA AND WAS SORT OF OFF TO THE RACE WITH SAYING YES TO PEOPLE WHO REALLY BELIEVED IN MY POTENTIAL. AS YOU HEARD, MOST RECENTLY, I WAS IN FORT WORTH WHERE I INHERITED THE LIBRARY SYSTEM FROM AN 18 YEAR DIRECTOR WHO PRIOR TO BEING IN FORT WORTH WAS HERE. SO IT'S NOT UNUSUAL FOR DALLAS AND FORT WORTH TO SHARE STAFF AND FOR US TO BE INVESTED IN NORTH TEXAS AS A METROPLEX AND AS A BIG LIBRARY COMMUNITY. UM, I, I REALLY AM SO THRILLED TO BE BACK IN NORTH TEXAS AND IN THIS AREA. I, I DIDN'T, MIGHT NEED TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO, HOW TO MUTE SOMEONE. UM, I, I WASN'T PREPARED TO LEAVE, BUT WHEN SOMEONE ASKS YOU IF YOU WANNA LIVE OVERSEAS FOR TWO YEARS AND NOT WORK, THERE'S REALLY ONLY ONE ANSWER TO CARE. AND SO MY FUTURE WAS PRETTY UNCERTAIN WHEN I CAME BACK. AND IT JUST OCCURRED TO ME ONE DAY TO LOOK AND SEE, UH, WHAT HAD EVER HAPPENED WITH JOE'S POSITION. AND I WAS JUST REALLY THRILLED TO SEE THAT IT WAS NOT ONLY POSTED, BUT REALLY AT THE VERY END OF THE OPPORTUNITY TO APPLY. AND SO, ALL OF THIS HAS HAPPENED VERY QUICKLY FOR ME, ALTHOUGH IT'S BEEN SLOW FOR YOU EVER SINCE JOE LEFT, BUT IT, IT'S BEEN VERY FAST FOR ME. SO ALL OF THAT TO SAY IS, I KNOW LIBRARIES DEEPLY, BUT I DON'T KNOW DALLAS. I REALLY DON'T. AND I WILL FREELY ADMIT THAT THE WAY WE ARE SORT OF SITUATED DALLAS AND FORT WORTH, IT'S, IT'S A LOT TO TRAVERSE. IF YOU GO TO FORT WORTH OFTEN, YOU WOULD KNOW THIS. IT'S A BIG LIFT TO GO ALL THE WAY OVER THERE. AND IT WAS THE SAME IN THE OTHER DIRECTION. I JUST DIDN'T SPEND A LOT OF TIME OVER HERE. SO I HAVE, UH, WE HAVE MY ASSISTANT FEE MANAGER ACROSS THE STREET. I HAVE A 30 DAY, 60 DAY, AND 90 DAY PLAN. AND, AND REALLY THE FIRST 30 TO 60 DAYS, IT'S JUST LEARNING DALLAS. AND I'D BE HAPPY TO SHARE THAT. I HAVEN'T EVEN SHARED THAT WITH STAFF YET. UM, BECAUSE IT'S STILL, IT'S STILL WITH LIZ. AND I'M WAITING, I'M WAITING FOR FEEDBACK, BUT I'M STILL, I'M MOVING FORWARD WITH IT. I, I NEED TO VISIT EVERY LOCATION. THAT'S A, THAT'S A BIG LIFT AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, BECAUSE IT'S NOT JUST VISITING AND WALKING AROUND FOR 15 MINUTES. I WANNA VISIT, SIT DOWN WITH THE STAFF, I WANNA TALK WITH THEM, MEET THEM, HEAR THEIR CONCERNS, TAKE THEIR QUESTIONS. HEATHER HAS GRACIOUSLY PUT TOGETHER A SCHEDULE FOR THAT. I'M GOING TO BE VISITING THREE TO FOUR BRANCHES EVERY THURSDAY WITH SOME, A DIFFERENT PERSON FROM THE LEADERSHIP TEAM SO I CAN GET TO KNOW THE LEADERSHIP TEAM AS WELL. SO BRANCH VISITS WILL HAPPEN THROUGHOUT, THEY GO ALL THE WAY THROUGH MID AUGUST. AND THEN I ALSO NEED TO DO HERE AT CENTRAL, SO PROBABLY UP THROUGH INTO OCTOBER, I WILL BE VISITING ALL THE LOCATIONS AND MEETING WITH ALL THE STAFF. IN ADDITION TO THAT, I, I AM REACHING OUT TO YOUR REPRESENTATIVES, YOUR APPOINTED ELECTED OFFICIALS TO MEET WITH THEM. OBVIOUSLY, THIS IS A TERRIBLE TIME TO TRY TO DO THAT BECAUSE THEY'RE RIGHT NOW ROLLING INTO RECESS. SO THERE'S THE, THE LAST COUNCIL MEETING OF THE SESSION TOMORROW, AND THEN NOTHING FOR JULY. SO IF YOU DON'T HEAR OF ANYTHING , THAT'S WHY MANY OF THEM ARE GOING OUT OF TOWN. SO MANY OF THOSE WILL BE PUSHED PROBABLY INTO AUGUST. AND THEN, UH, ALL THE DIRECTORS OF THE OTHER DEPARTMENTS, IT'S IMPORTANT THAT I KNOW I HAVE GOOD RELATIONSHIPS WITH THEM. WE INTERSECT WITH SO MANY DEPARTMENTS ACROSS THE CITY THAT YOU MIGHT NOT EVEN EXPECT. WE SHOULD HAVE RELATIONSHIPS WITH CODE COMPLIANCE. AND, UH, IT'S NOT CALLED PROPERTY MANAGEMENT HERE. IT'S CALLED FACILITIES AND REAL ESTATE FACILITIES AND REAL ESTATE. UH, WE RUN A LOT OF BUILDINGS. WE NEED TO HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH THEM, NOT TO MENTION THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. WE LOVE HAVING FIRE CHIEF STORY TIMES, ALL OF THOSE TYPE OF THINGS. SO IT IS IN OUR BEST INTEREST FOR ME TO HAVE GOOD RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE OTHER DIRECTORS, THE ACS ACROSS THE STREET. AND THEN OF COURSE, THERE'S STAKEHOLDERS, WHICH INCLUDE ALL OF YOU. AND THAT'S THE LIST THAT I HAVEN'T REALLY CONSTRUCTED YET. SO THAT'S A REQUEST TO YOU THAT IF YOU HAVE PEOPLE IN YOUR DISTRICT OR YOUR COMMUNITY THAT YOU THINK I SHOULD MEET WITH, PLEASE SEND THOSE, THOSE FOLKS MY WAY. I WOULD LOVE TO MEET WITH THEM. I DON'T KNOW WHAT I DON'T KNOW, AND I DON'T KNOW WHERE I SHOULD MEET AT THIS POINT, SO PLEASE DO TO HELP. I WOULD VERY MUCH APPRECIATE, UM, [00:10:01] WE TALKED, WHEN WE SAT AND TALKED ABOUT THE AGENDA MM-HMM . A LOT OF IT WAS JUST BEING OPEN TO TALKING ABOUT WHATEVER IT IS YOU ALL WANNA TALK ABOUT. IF THERE'S ANYTHING YOU WANT TO KNOW ABOUT ME OR ABOUT MY VISION FOR LIBRARIES, UH, I I'M HERE AND OPEN TO ANYTHING THAT'S, THAT YOU WANNA, THAT YOU WANNA TALK ABOUT WITH A CAVEAT THAT I MAY NOT BE ABLE TO BE DALLAS SPECIFIC BECAUSE OF, OF WHAT I KNOW, BUT HAPPY TO TALK ABOUT. WELL, MAN, YEAH. AS A, AS A FORT WORTH NATIVE AND EXPAT, I'D BE HAPPY TO SHARE MY INSIGHTS WITH YOU ON YES. TELL ME EVERYTHING. LIKE, AT LEAST TO, TO THOSE OF US FROM ACROSS THE TURNPIKE, I APPRECIATE THAT. UM, AND I, I DON'T MEAN TO, UM, WELL, I'M JUST CURIOUS, YOU KNOW, THE, THE, THE CENTRAL LIBRARY DOWNTOWN . YEAH. IT'S LIKE I SAID, IT'S BEEN 14 YEARS SINCE I LIVED THERE. MM-HMM . BUT IT, IT SEEMS TO HAVE SORT OF, YOU KNOW, GONE THE WAY AT THE DODO. UH, I'M EXAGGERATE MM-HMM . UH, BUT, BUT NOW I UNDERSTAND IT, IT'S KIND OF ASCENDANT AGAIN, WITH A NEW BUILDING AND WHAT HAVE YOU. UH, GIVE US AN ELEVATOR SPEECH ABOUT IT, KIND OF WHAT, WHAT LED TO THAT? YEAH. SO, SO WHAT WHAT WHAT IS BEING MENTIONED IS THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM, I SUPPOSE, WHICH IS THAT I CLOSED THE CENTRAL LIBRARY IN FORT WORTH. AND SO, UNDERSTANDABLY, WHEN I CAME HERE AND WHEN I WAS INTERVIEWING, THERE WAS A LOT OF CONCERN ABOUT THAT, ESPECIALLY FROM THE STAFF THAT I WAS GONNA COME HERE AND TRY TO CLOSE THIS LIBRARY. UM, WHAT I'VE BEEN SAYING TO THE STAFF IS, LIBRARIES ARE HYPER-LOCAL. THERE'S A LOT OF SIMILARITIES BETWEEN LIBRARIES AND DIFFERENT CITIES, BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, THE DECISIONS THAT YOU MAKE IN A PARTICULAR LIBRARY ARE MADE BECAUSE OF THAT PARTICULAR COMMUNITY. SO THE, HERE'S WHY I WAS IN SUPPORT OF CLOSING THE CENTRAL LIBRARY IN FORT WORTH, AND IT WAS NOT MY IDEA, TO BE CLEAR. IT WAS, CITY MANAGEMENT WAS APPROACHED BY A DEVELOPER WHO WANTED TO BUY THAT SITE AND, UH, TURN IT INTO MIXED USE RESIDENTIAL DOWNTOWN, POTENTIALLY WITH A LIBRARY IN IT, JUST NOT AS LARGE. SO UNLIKE DOWNTOWN DALLAS, DOWNTOWN FORT WORTH DOESN'T HAVE THE RESIDENTIAL POPULATION TO SUPPORT A LARGE CENTRAL . UM, THE PEOPLE WHO DO LIVE DOWNTOWN SKEW OLDER AND WELL, AND THEY DON'T GO TO THE, THEY DIDN'T GO TO THE CENTRAL LIBRARY. THEY WOULD GET IN THEIR CAR AND THEY WOULD DRIVE, THIS IS FOR YOU TO SOUTHWEST REGIONAL ON HUON. THEY WOULD DRIVE TO A BRANCH WHERE THEY FELT MORE COMFORTABLE. THAT LIBRARY WAS 450,000 SQUARE FEET, WHICH IS A FRACTION OF THIS BUILDING, BUT FOR THE MOST PART, IT'S SAT EMPTY THE MAJORITY OF THE TIME. THE EXCEPTION TO THAT WOULD BE WHEN WE, UM, WHEN WE HAD LARGE SCALE AUTHOR EVENTS OR PUPPET FESTIVALS, THINGS LIKE THAT, THE SAME THINGS THAT BRING IN LARGE GROUPS OF PEOPLE INTO THIS BUILDING. AND THEN IT WOULD BE ACTIVATED AND VIBRANT. BUT IF YOU WERE THERE EVERY SINGLE DAY, LIKE I WAS, BECAUSE MY OFFICE WAS THERE, IT WAS DEAD, TO BE HONEST, WITH THE SAME A HUNDRED TO 150 PEOPLE EVERY DAY, ALL DAY LONG. AND 150 PEOPLE MIGHT SOUND LIKE A LOT FOR A BRANCH, BUT THAT'S NOT A LOT FOR A LARGE CENTRAL LIBRARY. ALSO, THE BUILDING WAS, UM, SHOWING A AGE. IT'S MUCH, MUCH NEWER THAN, THAN THIS BUILDING, BUT ABOUT A DECADE. BUT STILL DEFERRED MAINTENANCE, OLD CARPETS, JUST TO CLEAN THE CARPETS ALONE, NOT EVEN REPLACE THEM, WOULD'VE COST A MILLION DOLLARS. SO ALL OF THESE THINGS SORT OF SNOWBALLED. AND AS WE WENT INTO COVID, I MADE THE DECISION TO CLOSE THE LOWER LEVEL. IT WAS A STREET LEVEL, AND THEN A LOWER LEVEL, CLOSED THE LOWER LEVEL, AND MOVED MOST OF THIS, THE, UH, MATERIAL UPSTAIRS AND MADE IT A ONE FLOOR LIBRARY. SO THAT HELPED WITH STAFFING, BUT THE ARCHIVES WERE IN THE BASEMENT. WE COULDN'T CLIMATE CONTROL THEN. SO IT WAS ALL OF THESE THINGS. AND NOW I'M GOING PROBABLY A LITTLE DEEPER THAN YOU'RE INTERESTED IN, BUT ALL OF THAT IS TO SAY THAT THE OPPORTUNITY TO SOLVE WHAT WAS A PROBLEM FOR THE LIBRARY LED TO A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES. SO, FOR EXAMPLE, WE WERE ABLE TO TAKE A BRANCH ON THE SOUTH SIDE BY A, UH, A MALL CALLED LA GRANDE PLAZA, WHICH IS A SORT OF A HISPANIC FOCUSED MALL THAT'S VERY, VERY VIBRANT. PEOPLE COME FROM ALL OVER THE METROPLEX TO GO TO THAT MALL, HAD AN OLD LIBRARY ACROSS THE STREET. WE CLOSED THAT LIBRARY AND OPENED A LIBRARY INSIDE THE MALL CALLED LACA. AND IT WAS MODELED AT THE BOOKMARKS. DPL WAS VERY GENEROUS IN SHARING INFORMATION ABOUT BOOKMARKS. AND THAT HELPED. AND WE TURNED THAT OLD BRANCH INTO THE FORT WORTH HISTORY CENTER. SO WE TOOK A LOT OF THE ARCHIVES [00:15:01] OUT OF THE BASEMENT, PUT THEM IN A BRANCH SPACE, AND THEN WERE ABLE TO PUT THE MOST RARE AND COMPROMISED MATERIAL INTO OFFSITE CLIMATE CONTROLLED STORAGE. WE WERE ABLE TO START AN OPERATION CENTER, WHICH MOVED THE BACK OF HOUSE STAFF OUT OF THE CENTRAL LIBRARY AND INTO A NEWER, NICER OPERATION CENTER. AND THEN WE CLOSED. AND TO BE HONEST WITH YOU, THE, THE GOAL WAS NEVER TO OPEN ANOTHER LIBRARY DOWNTOWN. IF I HAD STAYED, WHAT I WOULD'VE PUSHED FOR WAS A NEW CENTRAL LIBRARIAN, PANTHER ISLAND, WHICH PROBABLY ONLY MEANS SOMETHING TO YOU BECAUSE PANTHER ISLAND IS A NEW, THEY'RE, THEY'RE REVITALIZING PANTHER ISLAND WITH BRAND NEW RESIDENTIAL COMMERCIAL, IT WOULD'VE BEEN A PERFECT SPACE. I LEFT, AND THAT GOT AWAY FROM THE CITY. YEAH. SO IT IS WHAT IT IS NOW. BUT THAT WAS WHY I, I WAS IN SUPPORT OF CLOSING THE CENTRAL LIBRARY. THAT'S NOT NECESSARILY THE CASE HERE. I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF ISSUES WITH THIS BUILDING. THIS IS A BEAST OF A BUILDING. I TOOK A TWO HOUR TOUR LAST WEEK. THIS IS A BUILDING CLEARLY DESIGNED FOR A PAPER-BASED WORLD THAT WE NO LONGER LIVE IN. SO THERE IS SPACE, WE DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH NOTHING BUT SPACE. IT SEEMS LIKE THERE'S A LOT OF DEFERRED MAINTENANCE ON THIS BUILDING, A LOT OF ISSUES. AND I THINK THE CONVERSATION IS WORTH HAVING ABOUT THIS BUILDING, BUT I WOULD NEVER HAVE THE EXACT SAME CONVERSATION THAT I HAD IN FORT WORTH. THIS IS A MUCH LARGER BUILDING. MUCH LARGER, YES. YES. BECAUSE YOU RECALL THAT SECOND FLOOR WAS NEVER DEVELOPED. AND YOU KNOW, I I KNOW A, A CAREER LIBRARIAN NEVER LIGHTLY CLOSES ANY LIBRARY. NO. AND I'M JUST CURIOUS TO HEAR DIRECTLY FROM YOU WHAT THE CIRCUMSTANCES. WELL, I THINK WHEN YOU CONSIDER WHERE THE BUDGET IS FOR A LIBRARY THAT HAS A CENTRAL LIBRARY, LET ME BACK UP. WHEN YOU CONSIDER THE BUDGET OF ANY PUBLIC LIBRARY, THE VAST MAJORITY OF THAT BUDGET GOES TO PEOPLE. USUALLY SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 60 AND 90% OF A BUDGET IS PEOPLE. SO HOW YOU USE THOSE PEOPLE IS PROBABLY THE MOST IMPORTANT DECISION A DIRECTOR CAN MAKE. WHEN YOU HAVE A GIANT CENTRAL LIBRARY, THAT'S WHERE THE MAJORITY OF YOUR RESOURCES ARE GONNA GO. JUST TO, JUST TO KEEP IT OPEN. THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. THANK YOU. UH, OH, SORRY. STAND. OKAY. OKAY. SO I'VE, I GUESS, BEEN INVOLVED WITH THE DALLAS PUBLIC LIBRARY SINCE, SINCE I MOVED HERE. UM, I'VE BEEN INVOLVED WITH TWO FRIENDS GROUPS. SO I'VE BEEN RAISING MONEY SINCE 90, 96. ONE CHALLENGE, I GUESS I'D GIVE TO YOU IS THE STAFF TURNOVER. UM, BACK BEFORE COVID, JOE TALKED ABOUT THEY WERE GONNA DO SOME SORT OF A SALARY SURVEY MM-HMM . BUT I NEVER HEARD THE RESULTS. BUT MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT WE'RE ABOUT 10 TO $15,000 BELOW WHAT EVERY OTHER LIBRARY SYSTEM IN THE REGION IS PAYING MM-HMM . AND SO WE ARE LOSING LOTS OF QUALIFIED INDIVIDUALS. WE'RE ALWAYS HAVING TO TRAIN SOMEONE NEW BECAUSE WE'RE LOSING SIGNIFICANT NUMBERS OF STAFF. MM-HMM . AND I TALKED TO A LIBRARIAN, WELL, LIBRARY STAFF MEMBER TODAY WHEN I WAS VISITING ONE OF MY LIBRARIES, AND THEY MENTIONED THAT THEY COULD MAKE MORE MONEY WORKING AT A, A WAREHOUSE VERSUS WORKING AT THE LIBRARY. AND THAT WE HAVE STAFF WHO ARE BASICALLY HOMELESS BECAUSE WE DON'T PAY ENOUGH TO OUR EMPLOYEES. SO I KNOW THAT THEY'RE GONNA TRY AND CUT THE BUDGET BECAUSE THEY ALWAYS TRY AND CUT THE BUDGET. BUT CAN YOU, I GUESS, MAKE THE CASE THAT LIBRARIANS ARE JUST AS IMPORTANT AS POLICE OFFICERS IN OUR CITY WHEN IT COMES TO, UH, CITY STAFF? I APPRECIATE. I THANK YOU. I APPRECIATE THAT. UM, I AM AWARE OF THE SALARY ISSUES, NOT ON A VERY DEEP LEVEL. I HAVE STARTED HEARING ABOUT THAT, AND I'M AWARE OF SOME COMPRESSION ISSUES. UM, AND, AND WE'LL KEEP ABSOLUTELY FIGHTING FOR FAIR WAGES FOR OUR STAFF, AND THEY NEED TO BE COMMENSURATE WITH, WITH LIBRARIES AROUND [00:20:01] THE METROPLEX. YOU'RE RIGHT. OTHERWISE, WE LOSE, WE LOSE PEOPLE TO OTHER LIBRARIES, UM, AS TO WHETHER I CAN MAKE PEOPLE SEE THAT WE'RE ON THE SAME LEVEL AS POLICE. I, I, I THINK THAT'S PROBABLY NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN. BUT WHAT I THINK I CAN DO IS, IS WORK TO HAVE PEOPLE VALUE THE LIBRARY, UM, AND, AND REALLY SEE US AS ESSENTIAL TO, TO A HEALTHY CITY. UM, I THINK IT'S A BIT OF A LOSING BATTLE TO COMPARE OURSELVES TO POLICE, BUT WE CERTAINLY COULD COMPARE OURSELVES TO PARKS, TO COMMUNITY SERVICES, TO THE MYRIAD OF OTHER DEPARTMENTS THAT PEOPLE VALUE SO HIGHLY. AND THIS MAY BE AN OPPORTUNITY. I DON'T KNOW, HEATHER, AND WE TALKED ABOUT THE COMMUNITY SURVEY TO THIS GROUP AT ALL. UM, WE HAVE IN THE PAST. YEAH. BUT NOT THIS YEAR. NOT THIS YEAR'S, NO. THE RESULTS CAME OUT, I THINK AFTER OUR LAST MEETING. OKAY. WELL, BEAR WITH ME BECAUSE I, I, I HAVEN'T, THIS IS ALL FROM LAST WEEK'S MEMORY, BUT YOU KNOW, WE, EVERY YEAR THE CITY GOES OUT AND ASKS THE CITIZENS WHAT IT VALUES, WHAT THEY THINK OF SERVICES, VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS, AND WE RANKED VERY HIGH. IN FACT, WE BEAT FIRE THIS YEAR FOR THE FIRST TIME. I BELIEVE THIS, WE TELL ALL OUR FRIENDS TO LAST SURVEY, I DIDN'T LIBRARY, HI, WHATEVER WORKED, WHATEVER WORKS. BILL AND ALEX WOULD SAY LIBRARY SIGNIFICANTLY MOVE UP IN THE PRIORITY. I THINK WE WERE LIKE AT 7% MM-HMM . AND WE WERE UP TO 10%. YEAH. AND THAT WAS SHOWN TO YOUR COUNCIL MEMBERS LAST WEEK. AND THE LIBRARY WAS CALLED OUT SEVERAL TIMES. SO WHAT WE COULD DO IS SEND THAT SURVEY TO YOU ALL, UM, SO THAT YOU CAN LOOK AT IT YOURSELVES. BUT, UM, I THINK WHAT WE NEED TO DO IS JUST BUILD ON THAT FEELING AND THAT SUPPORT MONEY. IF YOU DON'T MIND JUST JUMPING INTO TO AN BETTER ANSWER, UH, OR TO ANSWER STAN, WITH WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING, THEY DID COMPLETE THAT, UH, COMPENSATION STUDY, AND IT DID HELP. WE ARE MORE COMPETITIVE WITH THE SUBURBS THAN WE USED TO BE. WE'RE STILL BELOW GENERALLY, I MEAN, GENERALLY JUST PER CAPITA. WE FUND THE LIBRARY AT A LIVER LEVEL THAN THE SUBURBS DO. UM, AND WE ARE ALSO CURRENTLY DOING A COMPENSATION, A COMPRESSION STUDY WITH OUR CIRCULATION REPRESENTATIVES AND OUR, UM, PUBLIC SERVICE SPECIALISTS, WHICH ARE TWO, TWO OF OUR LOWER PAID POSITIONS. SO IT SHOULD HELP OUR STAFF THAT NEED IT MOST. AND HEATHER, CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, BUT I THOUGHT I WAS TOLD A FEW DAYS AGO THAT WE ACTUALLY, OUR TURNOVER RATE IS NO, WE HAVE A CONCEPTUALLY LOW TURNOVER, RIGHT. WE, WE HAVE VERY COMMITTED STAFF. UM, I, I DON'T THINK WE'RE SEEING AS MANY PEOPLE LEAVE FOR THE SUBURBS AS WE DID FIVE YEARS AGO. SO WE, WE THINK WE'RE IN, IN PRETTY GOOD SHAPE WHEN IT COMES TO STAFF LEAVING. WE'RE NOT SEEING A HIGH TURNOVER AT THIS TIME. OH, YES. UM, SO A LITTLE BIT ABOUT ME. UH, I HAVE LIKE AN OPERATIONS OPTIMIZATION MINDSET, UM, GOING THROUGH. BUT, UM, BECAUSE I UNDERSTAND THAT ALL THE DIFFERENT METRICS AND DIFFERENCES BETWEEN FORT WORTH AND DALLAS, UM, AS A WAY TO MITIGATE ANY POTENTIAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR WHAT HAPPENED TO FORT FORT WORTH TO HAPPEN TO DALLAS, UM, AND I KNOW THAT WE'RE NOWHERE NEAR, UM, THE REALM OF THAT OPPORTUNITY. I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW IF YOU HAVE, UM, METRICS OR KPIS FROM THE FORT WORTH, UM, LIBRARIES THAT WE CAN UTILIZE AND COMPARE THE DALLAS CENTRAL TO. SO THEN THAT WAY, UM, LIKE FOR EXAMPLE, YOU STATED THAT THERE ISN'T AS WELL OPTIMIZED USE OF SPACE. UM, UH, I, I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW HOW WE CAN FOCUS ON IMPLEMENTING THESE CHANGES, UM, AND BE MORE PROACTIVE WITH OUR LIBRARY BECAUSE, UM, I AM EXCITED TO SEE THE NEW CHANGES THAT ARE GOING TO HAPPEN. UM, BUT I ALSO WANT TO BE ABLE TO, UM, SHOW SOME LEVEL OF INVOLVEMENT, UM, THAT I CAN DO WITH MY SKILL SETS TO HELP. YEAH, SURE. I APPRECIATE THAT. UM, MM-HMM. TO ANSWER YOUR FIRST QUESTION, I DON'T HAVE DATA FROM FORT WORTH MM-HMM . UM, FROM [00:25:01] BACK BEFORE I LEFT. WE COULD CERTAINLY, I CERTAINLY REACH OUT TO THEM. WE COULD TRY TO GET OLD DATA FROM THEM. UM, WHAT THAT WOULD LOOK LIKE. I THINK WE NEED TO TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT WHAT EXACTLY YOU WOULD WANNA SEE FROM THEM, UM MM-HMM . BUT HOW WE OPTIMIZE THE SPACE IN THIS BUILDING, I THINK IS PROBABLY THE ONGOING CONUNDRUM. MM-HMM . UM, WHEN I TOOK, WHEN I TOOK THE TOUR LAST WEEK, THERE WAS THIS BIG SECTION OF, OF REFERENCE MATERIAL ON SOME FLOOR. I COULDN'T, I COULDN'T SAY WHAT FLOOR I WAS ON. AND, YOU KNOW, REFERENCE BOOKS ARE JUST NOT VERY COMMON ANYMORE BECAUSE MOST PEOPLE GET THEIR INFORMATION, THEIR, THEIR RESEARCH INFORMATION IN OTHER WAYS. AND, BUT WHEN I MENTIONED IT TO THE, TO THE PERSON GIVING ME THE TOUR, SHE SAID, WELL, WE COULD TAKE THEM OUT, BUT THEN WE'D HAVE EVEN MORE SPACE. SO AS YOU WALK AROUND THE BUILDING, YOU CAN SEE WHERE SHELVING HAS BEEN TAKEN OUT AND MM-HMM. UM, IT'S HONESTLY, IT'S A BIT OVERWHELMING TO KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH ALL OF IT. SO I DON'T KNOW THAT I HAVE A GOOD ANSWER FOR YOU RIGHT NOW. MM-HMM. YEAH. I THINK WE COULD POTENTIALLY LOOK AT OTHER CENTRAL LIBRARIES AROUND THE WORLD THAT ARE AS BIG AS THIS ONE AND SEE, UM, BUT I THINK WE SHOULD, MY HOPE IS THAT WE ARE OPEN TO ANY AND ALL POSSIBILITIES WITH THIS BUILDING MM-HMM . UM, BECAUSE AT THE END OF THE DAY, WHAT MY HOPE IS, IS THAT THE DECISIONS ARE MADE ARE THE ONES THAT BENEFIT THE, BOTH THE DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY AND ALSO THE GREATER DALLAS COMMUNITY WITH WHATEVER CHANGES HAPPEN. BECAUSE I THINK THERE'S, YOU, THERE'S A MISTAKE OF CLINGING TO SOMETHING THAT IS, INSTEAD OF LOOKING AT POSSIBILITIES OF WHAT COULD BE, AND I'M WITH YOU, UH, DATA NEEDS TO BE A PART OF THAT CONVERSATION AND DECISION MAKING. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. SO I, OH, YOU MIND IF I, OR, GO AHEAD. I THINK IT'S RATHER DANGEROUS TO TAKE THE ATTITUDE THAT REFERENCE BOOKS AND, AND BOOKS IN GENERAL ARE NO LONGER USEFUL, JUST BECAUSE MANY, MANY PEOPLE, MOST PEOPLE NO DOUBT, DO GET THEIR INFORMATION ONLINE, UH, IN REFERENCE BOOKS AND IN, IN THE COLLECTION IN THIS WONDERFUL LIBRARY, THERE'S INFORMATION THAT YOU WILL NEVER, EVER GET ONLINE. AND I THINK IT'S VERY DANGEROUS TO TAKE THAT ATTITUDE, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU ARE HERE YOUR FIRST WEEK. I APPRECIATE THAT. I, I WANNA CLARIFY, I DON'T BELIEVE I SAID BOOKS IN GENERAL, AND I WAS REFERRING TO A VERY SPECIFIC SET OF REFERENCE, BUT IF A SPECIFIC FLOOR THAT THE PERSON GIVING ME THE TOUR SAID WE PROBABLY DIDN'T NEED ANYMORE, BUT SHE WAS RETICENT TO TAKE IT OUT AND CREATE MORE SPACE, THERE IS A TIME AND PLACE ABSOLUTELY. FOR ARCHIVES AND FOR HISTORICAL BOOKS. BUT WE ALSO NEED TO BALANCE THAT WITH THE WAY PEOPLE ARE INTERACTING WITH INFORMATION IN THE MODERN WORLD. AND I THINK THAT'S THE TENSION THAT WE FEEL IN PUBLIC LIBRARIES, ESPECIALLY WITH LARGE CENTRAL LIBRARIES. AND MY HOPE IS THAT WE JUST CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION. I WONDER IF OTHER MEMBERS OF THE, UH, BOARD FEEL AS I DO. I'D LIKE TO, ARE WE SIMPLY A FIGUREHEAD GROUP, OR DO WE HAVE SOME POWER? WELL, I DO USE MANY OF THE RESEARCH BOOKS IN THIS LIBRARY. IT'S VERY, I THINK IT'S DIFFICULT FOR THE STAFF TO COLLECT DATA ABOUT THAT BECAUSE, FOR EXAMPLE, I USE THE EIGHTH FLOOR GENEALOGY SECTION A LOT. AND THERE ARE, THERE'S A LOT OF INFORMATION IN THOSE BOOKS THAT I'M AT THE LIBRARY LOOKING IN THOSE BOOKS, BECAUSE THAT INFORMATION IS NOT ONLINE. THEY'RE LITERALLY ONLY WRITTEN COPIES. BUT I PULLED BOOKS OFF THE SHELF AND LOOK THROUGH THEM TO SEE IF IT HAS THE INFORMATION I WANT AND PUT IT BACK ON THE SHELF. SO THE LIBRARIAN DOESN'T KNOW THAT I LOOKED AT 23 BOOKS THAT DAY, BECAUSE THEY'RE ALL NON CIRCULATING, AND THERE'S NOT ANY RECORD OF ME TAKING THEM OFF THE SHELF AND PUTTING THEM BACK ON, OR, YOU KNOW, ANYTHING LIKE THAT. SO I THINK THERE, THERE IS A LOT OF VALUE TO HAVING REFERENCE BOOKS LIKE THAT, BUT THERE HAS TO BE SOME KIND OF WAY THAT WE'RE MAYBE TRACKING IT BETTER. AND, AND LET ME, LET ME MAKE A DISTINCTION. AND THIS IS VERY SORT OF INSIDE BASEBALL, A DISTINCTION BETWEEN A GENEALOGY COLLECTION THAN WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT, WHICH IS GENERAL REFERENCE. THERE REALLY IS A DISTINCTION, AND I THINK THIS IS SPLITTING HAIRS AT THIS POINT. I, I THINK BOOKS ARE IMPORTANT. I DO, GENEALOGY IS A WHOLE DIFFERENT ANIMAL, WHICH IS WHY I CREATED THE FORT WORTH HISTORY CENTER, WHICH ALSO HAD GENEALOGY IN IT. I VALUE ARCHIVES, I VALUE GENEALOGY. WHAT WE'RE TALKING, [00:30:01] WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT IS, UM, AN OLD DICTIONARY PERHAPS THAT NO ONE HAS LOOKED AT IN A DECADE SITTING ON A RANDOM SHELF ON A FLOOR IN THIS BUILDING THAT IS VERY DIFFERENT THAN THE DEEPER THAT YOU'RE DOING WITH GENEALOGY. I, I DO HAVE ANOTHER THING THAT I WOULD LIKE TO TALK ABOUT. SURE. UM, I AM ASSUMING IT MIGHT BE A CONSTITUENT, BUT, UM, SOMEONE SENT ME AN ARTICLE FROM THE FORT WORTH REPORT, UM, AND IT HAD, YOU KNOW, SOME QUOTES, UM, THAT YOU'VE STATED IN THE PAST, AND I WANTED TO KNOW, UM, IF YOU COULD, UH, ELABORATE MORE ON THEM, UH, KNOWING IF THE STANCES HAVE CHANGED. BECAUSE, UH, THE ARTICLE IS TALKING ABOUT HOW, UM, FORT WORTH LIBRARIANS, UH, ARE CURRENTLY FACING, LIKE ASSAULT AND HARASSMENT FROM THE JOB AND FELT UNSUPPORTED BY LIBRARY ADMINISTRATION. AND IT WENT INTO, UH, INFORMATION REGARDING THE HOMELESS POPULATION. AND, UH, SOME OF THE QUOTES THAT, UH, THE REPORTER STATED THAT CAME FROM YOU, UM, STATED THAT, UH, THE HOMELESSNESS AND VIOLENCE ARE COMMUNITY ISSUES AND NOT A LIBRARY ISSUE. AND OF COURSE, THERE'S THE OTHER ASPECT OF, UH, THE QUOTE, WHICH IS, THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS GUARANTEED SAFETY. UM, AND I UNDERSTAND THAT THE CIRCUMSTANCES AND EXPERIENCES IN FORT WORTH IS DIFFERENT FROM THE CIRCUMSTANCES AND EXPERIENCES IN DALLAS. BUT, UM, I UNDERSTAND THAT WE HAVE HAD PREVIOUS DISCUSSIONS ABOUT THE HOMELESS POPULATION, AND I WANTED TO KNOW IF YOU, UM, HAD ANY CHANGES IN THOUGHTS, UH, ON YOUR QUOTE OR, UM, IDEAS, BECAUSE I KNOW THAT, UM, YOU STATED THAT IT'S A COMMUNITY ISSUE, BUT THE LIBRARIANS ARE PART OF THE COMMUNITY AS WELL. UM, AND I WANTED TO KNOW, UH, WHAT YOUR THOUGHTS ARE. SURE. YOU KNOW WHAT, I APPRECIATE AN OPPORTUNITY TO, TO TALK ABOUT THAT EMAIL OR THAT ARTICLE, AND I'M GLAD TO KNOW THAT IT WAS SENT TO ALL OF YOU. THE ONE THING, SO I WOULD SAY A FEW THINGS ABOUT THAT. ONE IS IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO BE A PUBLIC FIGURE WITHOUT NEGATIVE THINGS SAID ABOUT YOU. AND I WOULD CHALLENGE YOU TO FIND ANYTHING ELSE THAT WAS SAID ABOUT ME, THAT ON THAT LEVEL, THIS IS THE ONLY NEGATIVE ARTICLE THAT I'VE EVER EXPERIENCED. AND IT WAS REALLY PAINFUL AND UNFORTUNATE FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS. UM, ANONYMOUS STAFF WENT DIRECTLY TO THE PRESS. I, I, TO THIS DAY, DON'T KNOW WHO THEY WERE, BUT I KNOW THAT THERE WERE TWO OR THREE OF 'EM. AND I SAT DOWN WITH THE REPORTERS FOR 90 MINUTES AND THEY PULLED OUT THOSE TWO THINGS THAT YOU SAID, AND THEY WEREN'T EVEN COMPLETE QUOTES, SAFETY AND SECURITY. WHEN I INTERVIEWED FOR THIS POSITION, I DON'T THINK ANYONE WAS IN THE STAKEHOLDER PRESENTATION THAT I, YOU WERE RIGHT. WE WERE ASKED TO LIST OUR, UH, TOP ISSUES IN LIBRARIES AND SAFETY AND SECURITY WAS ONE OF MY TOP ISSUES. AND IT CONTINUES TO BE, THERE'S ACTUALLY NOT MUCH DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FORT WORTH, THE OLD FORT WORTH CENTRAL LIBRARY, AND THE DALLAS CENTRAL LIBRARY. THE ONLY DIFFERENCE IS SCALE STAFF WERE PUT IN POSITIONS EVERY DAY WHERE THEY WERE FELT UNSAFE, AND IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO KEEP THEM SAFE AND HOW TO PROTECT THEM. ONE OF THE REASONS THAT WE CLOSED THE LOWER LEVEL WAS FOR THAT REASON WHEN I SAID THAT HOMELESSNESS IS NOT A LIBRARY ISSUE, IT'S A COMMUNITY ISSUE. I STAND BY THAT STATE. HOMELESSNESS IS NOT A LIBRARY ISSUE. IT IS ABSOLUTELY THE CITY'S ISSUE. BUT WHAT HAPPENS IS THAT WE RUN BUILDINGS WHERE PEOPLE GO INSIDE ALL DAY LONG, AND THEN THE CITY GETS TO FORGET ABOUT THOSE PEOPLE BECAUSE THEY'RE INSIDE. AND THEN WE HAVE STAFF INSIDE WHO HAVE TO DEAL WITH, UH, THREATS OF VIOLENCE, MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES, DRUG USE. I MEAN, IT IS VERY UPSETTING WHAT IS HAPPENING IN PUBLIC LIBRARIES RIGHT NOW. NOT ALL OF THEM, NOT THE, NOT THE OUTLINE BRANCHES, I'M SURE, BUT THERE ARE ALWAYS TWO OR THREE HOTSPOTS IN ANY LARGE CITY WHERE IT'S A REAL PROBLEM. AND WHAT THIS, WHAT THESE STAFF PEOPLE DID NOT UNDERSTAND IS THAT I WAS FIGHTING FOR THEM WITH THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE, AND I COULDN'T TELL THEM. AND THE DAY, A LOT OF WHAT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT WHEN I TALKED ABOUT THOSE A HUNDRED TO 150 PEOPLE WHO WERE IN THE LIBRARY EVERY DAY, [00:35:01] THAT'S WHO I'M TALKING ABOUT. AND THAT'S WHAT STAFF WERE DEALING WITH. AND WE CAN TRAIN THEM ON DEESCALATION, WE CAN SUPPORT THEM AS MUCH AS WE CAN, BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, YES, I COULD NOT GUARANTEE THEIR SAFETY. MM-HMM . I CAN'T GUARANTEE ANYONE'S SAFETY SITTING IN THIS ROOM. SO I STAND BY THOSE STATEMENTS. THEY WERE JUST UNFORTUNATELY WRITTEN AS PART OF A REAL SMEAR ARTICLE AGAINST ME THAT I WAS INCREDIBLY DISAPPOINTED TO READ WHEN I FACTORED IN HOW MUCH TIME AND ENERGY I GAVE TO TRY AND SHARE MY PERSPECTIVE. NOW, NOT EVERYONE NEEDS TO AGREE WITH ME, BUT I TAKE THE STAFF'S, UH, THEIR SAFETY SERIOUSLY, AND I TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY FOR THEM TO HAVE A HAPPY AND HEALTHY WORKPLACE. SERIOUSLY. BUT WE'RE IN A TOUGH POSITION IN LIBRARY, AND I STOOD IN FRONT OF THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE IN FORT WORTH, AND I SAID, I'M AT THE END OF THE LEGAL LIMIT AS TO WHAT I CAN DO HERE. I CAN, I HAVE STRONG RULES OF BEHAVIOR. I HAVE A MATRIX OF, UH, ESCALATING, UH, BANNINGS AND WARNINGS. STAFF ARE EMPOWERED TO CALL THE POLICE WHEN THEY FEEL UNDER THREAT. WE HAVE EVERYTHING IN PLACE. AND I STILL, I STILL WORRY EVERY SINGLE DAY THAT SOMETHING TERRIBLE IS GOING TO HAPPEN IN ONE OF MY LIBRARIES. AND I CARRY THAT WITH ME HERE TO DALLAS. SO, YEAH, I STAND BEHIND THOSE STATEMENTS. THERE ARE JUST WRITTEN IN, IN AN UNFORTUNATE ARTICLE, AND I'M SORRY ABOUT THAT. OF COURSE. AND, UH, SOME, UH, FOLLOW UP THAT I HAVE IS FROM THAT ARTICLE. FROM THAT, OH, GO AHEAD. I THINK IF WE COULD, I KNOW WE HAVE TO MOVE THE MEETING ALONG TO TRY TO GIVE EVERYONE A CHANCE TO SPEAK TO, AND THEN I WANTED EVERYONE TO INTRODUCE THEMSELVES AS WELL. DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION? YEAH. I WAS JUST GONNA SAY, UM, I'VE NOT WORKED IN A PUBLIC LIBRARY, BUT I AM A, I AM A CERTIFIED LIBRARIAN AND VERY ACTIVE IN THE STATE, AND I'VE WORKED WITH A TON OF PUBLIC LIBRARIES. AND SO THE ISSUES THAT WERE DISCUSSED IN THIS ARTICLE THREE YEARS AGO, UH, FIRST OF ALL, THERE IS A DIFFERENT DIRECTOR THERE, SO WE'RE NOT REALLY SURE WHAT THE ENVIRONMENT LOOKS AT THE BRANCHES THERE, BUT THIS IS A NATIONWIDE EXPERIENCE. AND IF YOU READ ANY ARTICLES FROM PUBLIC LIBRARIAN LEADERS AND PEOPLE ON THE GROUND, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT EVERY CITY IN THE NATION DEALING WITH. AND SO I JUST WANT TO MENTION, I WANT TO UPLIFT THAT, THAT AS AN URBAN SYSTEM, THIS IS UNFORTUNATELY SOMETIMES WHAT COMES WITH A JOB. AND IT'S A VERY, VERY DIFFICULT POSITION TO BE IN. AND I ALSO WANNA MENTION THAT ARTICLE WAS WRITTEN THREE YEARS AGO. SO WE JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT THE SITUATION IS OF FORT WORTH PUBLIC LIBRARIES RIGHT NOW. I UNDERSTAND, UH, THE CONCERNS CERTAINLY, BUT I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO ZOOM OUT AND REALIZE THIS IS NOT A DALLAS PROBLEM. THIS IS AN URBAN CENTER PROBLEM THAT OUR NATION HAS. OKAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH, HEATHER. AND I DID WANT TO SAY IT'S DEFINITELY A PRIORITY OF MINE, SAFETY AND SECURITY, AND ALSO IN FAMILIES AND CHILDREN FEELING WELCOME IN OUR LIBRARY BRANCHES. I DID WANNA ASK YOU REALLY BRIEFLY, FORT WORTH HAS LIKE A CHILD, A YOUTH, YOUTH ONLY LIBRARY. AND JUST SUPER BRIEFLY, 'CAUSE I KNOW WE HAVE TO MOVE ON, HOW IS THAT STRUCTURED? HOW DOES THAT WORK? SURE. WORTH, ABSOLUTELY. I APPRECIATE THAT QUESTION. IT'S CALLED THE RUBY CARE YOUTH LIBRARY. IF ANYONE WANTS TO GO SEE IT, I'D BE HAPPY TO TAKE YOU. UM, TRUTH BE TOLD, IN THIS ROOM, IT WAS MADE OF CHILDREN'S ONLY LIBRARY BECAUSE IT'S, IT'S LOCATED IN THE AREA WITH A HIGH NUMBER OF OUTLETS. OKAY. UH, THAT WAS A DECISION MADE PRIOR TO ME GETTING THERE. I INHERITED IT ALREADY BEING A YOUTH LIBRARY. UH, BUT IT HAS WORKED OUT REALLY WELL, THE ENTIRE BUILDING. IT HAS BOOKS IN IT, OF COURSE, BUT THE ENTIRE BACK PART OF THE BUILDING IS JUST A PLAY SPACE WITH A THEATER AND A PLAY, GROCERY STORE AND A KITCHEN. AND THEN IT HAS, UH, IT'S, UH, EXPLORATORY GARDEN IN THE BACK. AND, AND FAMILIES COME FROM ALL OVER THE CITY TO ACTUALLY MORE THAN JUST THE CITY OUT ALL OVER THE METROPLEX TO EXPERIENCE THAT LIBRARY BECAUSE THEY CAN RELAX AND NOT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THEIR KIDS WHEN THEY'RE INSIDE THAT LIBRARY. THE OTHER THING I WANNA SAY ABOUT THAT LIBRARY THAT I THINK IS IMPORTANT IS, IS I WAS INVOLVED IN THE DESIGN AND THAT STRETCH OF EAST LANCASTER IS REALLY ECONOMICALLY DEPRESSED AND NOT VERY ATTRACTIVE. AND SO IT WAS IMPORTANT TO ME BECAUSE I BELIEVE THAT LIBRARIES ARE DRIVERS OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, THAT I BUILD A BEAUTIFUL MODERN LIBRARY, BECAUSE WHAT I KNEW IS THAT WE WOULD BRING 80 TO A HUNDRED THOUSAND PEOPLE TO THAT LIBRARY EVERY SINGLE YEAR AND GIVE ME 10 YEARS, AND YOU'LL HAVE A RESTAURANT NEXT DOOR AND A RETAIL SHOP AND PEOPLE, BUSINESSES COMING TO, TO CAPITALIZE ON [00:40:01] THE, ATTEND THE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WHO WERE THERE EVERY YEAR. AND IN THAT WAY, THAT WAS OUR CONTRIBUTION TO REALLY TRYING TO REVITALIZE THAT, THAT STRETCH OF THE INSULIN CATHETER. OKAY. THANK YOU. BECAUSE, UM, I, AGAIN, I HAVE YOUNG CHILDREN, SO I USE THE LIBRARY THAT WAY. I, IF NOT ANY OF YOU HAVE BEEN TO FRISCO LIBRARY, I'VE DRIVEN UP THERE BEFORE BECAUSE THEY HAVE AMAZING CHILDREN'S LEARNING SPACES THERE. AND I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING THAT YOUTH LIBRARY TOO. LET'S DO IT. UM, SO I JUST WANTED TO ALSO, FOR THOSE BOARD MEMBERS WHO ARE HERE, I JUST WANTED TO SEE IF YOU COULD INTRODUCE YOURSELVES, UM, JUST QUICKLY, AND I KNOW WE'RE ALREADY BEEN TALKING A WHILE, BUT QUICKLY INTRODUCE YOURSELF AND HOW YOU GOT INVOLVED WITH THE LIBRARIES IN ADVOCATING FOR LIBRARIES. UM, PATRICK, DO YOU WANNA START AGAIN? UH, MY NAME'S PATRICK O'BRIEN. MM-HMM . UM, I DON'T KNOW HOW LONG I'VE BEEN ON BOARD, MAYBE FOUR OR FIVE YEARS. . UH, AND I GOT INVOLVED BECAUSE THE COUNCIL MEMBER WHOSE DISTRICT I USED TO LIVE IN, FOUND OUT I GO TO THE LIBRARY A COUPLE TIMES A WEEK AND WAS LOOKING FOR A REP. UH, WE WERE FRIENDLY WITH ONE ANOTHER. AND YOU HAVE SKILLMAN? YES, I HAVE SKILLMAN, YES. AND, UH, LOCKWOOD YES. FOR THE MOMENT. YEAH. WE SHOULD PROBABLY MEET AND TALK ABOUT THAT. THANK YOU. PATRICK. SAM STAGGS, I REPRESENT, UH, DISTRICT EIGHT. I HAVE BEEN A, A BOARD MEMBER SINCE, UH, 2022. AND MY PRIMARY REASON FOR GETTING INVOLVED WAS I FELT THAT THE PREVIOUS DIRECTOR WAS TURNING THE LIBRARY INTO MORE OF A HOMELESS SHELTER THAN A LIBRARY THAT HAS SINCE CHANGED, HAS BEEN CORRECTED BY HER AND BY THE ADMINISTRATION. AND, UH, AS FAR AS I CAN TELL, THE LIBRARY NOW IS ORDERLY. IT'S A SAFE PLACE, AND LET'S ALL HOPE THAT IT STAYS THAT WAY. OKAY. THANK YOU. AND WHICH BRANCHES DO YOU VISIT MOST, SAM? SORRY, WHICH, WHICH BRANCHES DO YOU VISIT? UH, NORTH OAK CLIFF. OKAY. DAN TATUM. I'M AN ATTORNEY. UH, I GOT INVOLVED BECAUSE KARA MENDELSON WAS ALREADY A FRIEND OF MINE. AND, UH, I AM A, IN ADDITION TO PRACTICING LAW, I'M A VOLUNTEER, UH, ADULT LITERACY AND SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHER. AND WHEN MY PREDECESSOR FOR DISTRICT 12, UH, DECIDED HE, OR SHE WAS DONE, AND I, I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHO IT WAS, UH, KARA PRETTY MUCH IMMEDIATELY THOUGHT, HEY, DAN WOULD BE A GOOD PERSON. SO LITERACY AND, AND READING AND WRITING, YOU KNOW, THE, THIS, THIS WRITTEN AND SPOKEN WORD ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO ME. SO THAT'S, AND, AND MY LIBRARY BRANCHES ARE TIMBERLAND AND, UH, RENER FRANKLIN. I'M ANNE HARDING. I'M A NATIVE DALLAS SITE, SO I'VE BEEN GOING TO DALLAS PUBLIC LIBRARIES FOR 56 YEARS NOW. AND I GOT INVOLVED ON THE MUNICIPAL LIBRARY BOARD BECAUSE I SERVED WITH, UH, GATE ON, NOW WILLIS, WHO IS MY CURRENT COUNCIL MEMBER MM-HMM . ON THE FRIENDS OF THE DALLAS PUBLIC LIBRARY BOARD. AND WE WERE BOTH ON THAT BOARD FOR TWO, THREE YEAR TERMS. SO SIX YEARS. AND SHE APPOINTED ME DURING HER FIRST TERM, SHE IS ENTERING HER THIRD TERM. MM-HMM . AND I ALREADY TOLD YOU ALL MY LIFE, PLEASE. . UH, MY NAME IS AMY SCHAFFNER. I'M DISTRICT ONE. THAT MEANS I REPRESENT JUST ONE LIBRARY, NORTH OAK CLIFF. AND I AM IN MY FINAL, UH, STINT AS A REPRESENTATIVE. CHAD WEST BAR, CITY COUNCIL MEMBER IS IN HIS LAST TWO YEARS MM-HMM . UM, I REALLY SEE MY JOB. I'M A RETIRED LIBRARIAN. I SEE MY JOB VERY MUCH AS AN INTERFACE BETWEEN THIS BOARD AND THE CITY COUNCIL MEMBER. UH, WE WERE FORTUNATE NORTH OAK CLIFF TO HAVE A SUCCESSFUL BOND IN 24. WE'RE GETTING A NEW BUILDING. I ALSO SEE MY JOB AS BRINGING COMMUNITY CONCERNS TO THE ADMINISTRATION HERE AND TO THIS GROUP. I'M ACT I'M THE SECRETARY OF THE PRINCE OF THE NORTH OAK CLIFF LIBRARY. UH, SO I'M, I'M LIBRARY, LIBRARY AND MORE LIBRARIES, . BUT, UM, I LOVE IT AND I HAVE REALLY VALUED MY TIME, AND I WILL CONTINUE TO SERVING ON THIS BOARD. UH, HEATHER HORNER, UH, FINAL MEETING OF DISTRICT SEVEN. SO, UM, BASIL DO AND I USED TO TEACH TOGETHER, SO HE IS CHEF BASS TO ME BECAUSE HE WAS THE CULINARY TEACHER AT SKYLINE. WE WORKED QUITE A BIT, SO HE ASKED ME TO REPRESENT HIM. I'VE ALREADY TOLD YOU I'VE BEEN IN A LIBRARY SINCE, UH, 2008. UH, JUST RESIGNED FROM MY LIBRARY ADMINISTRATOR JOB SINCE I'M MOVING. UM, BUT [00:45:01] THE WAY I VIEW THIS ROLE IS TO HELP, UH, BASICALLY A LOT WHAT ANN SAID, SCHOOL LIBRARIES ARE NOT TOTALLY SIMILAR OR EVEN ALL THAT SIMILAR IN A LOT OF WAYS, THE PUBLIC LIBRARIES. BUT THERE ARE CERTAIN THINGS AS IN COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT, UH, HOW WE, UH, OUR COMMUNITY SERVICES, HOW WE GAUGE HOW WE, UM, HOW WE'RE SERVING OUR COMMUNITY, AND THE BEST WAYS TO DO THAT. SO I KIND OF VIEW MY ROLE AS SOMEONE WHO IS DEEPLY PASSIONATE ABOUT SERVING THE COMMUNITY, UH, DEEPLY PASSIONATE ABOUT THE FACT THAT WE SHARE SOME OF THE SAME COMMUNITY MEMBERS IN TERMS OF OUR SERVICE WITHIN THE SCHOOL LIBRARY. AND JUST REALLY HELPING TO INTERPRET LEGISLATION THAT IMPACTS PUBLIC LIBRARIES, UH, CITY LAWS, UH, ANY POLICIES. AND JUST HELPING TO INTERPRET TO A LAYMAN OR, UH, LAYWOMEN AS YOU, SO TO SPEAK, WHAT THE LIBRARY IS AND WHY THEY SOMETIMES MAKE THE DECISIONS THAT THEY DO AND WHAT THE BACK WORK LOOKS LIKE. UM, WHENEVER THEY HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PRACTICES THAT THEY SEE IN OUR LIBRARIES. AND I REPRESENT, UH, SKYLINE, MLK, AND AWESOME. UM, I WANTED TO GO TO EVERYONE THAT'S, THAT'S LOGGED IN REMOTELY. UM, DONNA, DID YOU WANNA INTRODUCE YOURSELF? THERE WE GO. IS IT, IS IT OKAY? IS IT WORKING NOW? YEAH. OKAY. HI, I'M DONNA DENISON AND I REPRESENT DISTRICT 14. MM-HMM . UH, UH, PAUL RIDLEY AND, UH, SINCE 2022. AND I WAS ON THE, UH, WELL, THE LIBRARY WAS VERY IMPORTANT TO ME GROWING UP. WENT TO THE CA, CASTLE LINDA LIBRARY. THE, THAT FULL LITTLE BUILDING THAT'S, THAT NOW LOCKWOOD, UH, REPLACED. AND, UH, WHEN I, MY CHILDREN WERE GROWING UP, THE LIBRARY IS SO IMPORTANT, JUST SO IMPORTANT TO THEM WITH THEIR EDUCATION AND THE BOOKS. AND, AND THEN IN 2004, I JOINED THE, UH, LAKEWOOD LIBRARY FRIENDS BOARD. AND I JUST STEPPED DOWN AFTER ABOUT 20 YEARS OFF OF THAT BOARD. AND THE PERSON WHO WAS THE MUNICIPAL LIBRARY BOARD, UH, DISTRICT 14, RECOMMENDED ME TO, TO . AND I FEEL LIKE MY POSITION, MY, UH, IS TO, UH, COMMUNICATE WITH, WITH COUNCILMAN RIDLEY WHAT'S HAPPENING. I DIDN'T ADVOCATE FOR THE LIBRARY AND, UH, WITH LEGISLATURES, UH, WITH THE LEGISLATURE AND, UM, AT CITY, AT CITY MEETINGS ALSO, ALTHOUGH NOT AS THE LIBRARY BOARD MEMBER. I UNDERSTAND. SO IT'S, IT'S, UH, IT'S NICE TO, AND MY TWO LIBRARIES ARE LAKEWOOD BRANCH LIBRARY AND THE OAK LAWN BRANCH LIBRARY. AND, UH, NICE TO MEET YOU. THANK YOU, DONNA. UH, STAN, DID YOU WANT TO INTRODUCE YOURSELF AGAIN? SURE. UH, I'M STAN ATON. I REPRESENT DISTRICT FOUR. MY LIBRARY IS PAUL DUNBAR, LANCASTER KEAST, BUT I ALSO SERVE AS THE PRESIDENT OF THE OAKLAWN AND HAMPTON ILLINOIS LIBRARY FRIENDS, AND HAVE FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS. SO I'M, IF I'M NOT RAISING MONEY FOR THE LIBRARY, I'M ADVOCATING FOR THE LIBRARY ACROSS THE SYSTEM. THANK YOU SO MUCH. UH, MYKA. HI EVERYONE. I'M MYKA JACOB. I REPRESENT DISTRICT THREE. UH, MY MAIN LIBRARY IS HAMPTON, ILLINOIS. AND, UM, I GOT INVOLVED WITH THE LIBRARY BECAUSE, UH, BACK WHEN I WAS YOUNG AND LIVING IN CAPEL, UH, I WAS VERY INVOLVED WITHIN THE LIBRARY. AND I SEE THE IMPACT THAT IT MAKES. AND SO, UH, I WANTED TO JOIN THE LIBRARY BOARD, SORRY. OH, UM, DID YOU HAVE A ANSWER TO, OH, I, I JUST WANTED TO, A COUPLE OF PEOPLE SAID THAT, UM, THEY HAD THE CONDUIT FOR, UH, COMMUNITY COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS, AND I WANNA MAKE, AND THE SAME WITH THE COUNCIL MEMBER. AND I, I, I LOVE THAT ROLE AND I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE HAS MY CONTACT INFORMATION. HAS THAT BEEN SHARED? UH, UH, YOUR EMAIL WAS ON THAT. OKAY. SO YOU HAVE MY EMAIL. ALSO, WE'LL FOLLOW UP WITH MY, MY CELL PHONE. UM, IF YOU EVER WANNA GET AHOLD OF ME OR HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT ANYTHING, WE'LL SEND THAT OUT AS WELL. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. AND THANK YOU MISS. UM, MY NAME IS CATHERINE, I'LL ADMIT. UM, DISTRICT TWO APPOINTEE BY MAYOR PRO, JESSE MORENO. UM, AND THAT INCLUDES THE CENTRAL LIBRARY AND GROUND WEILER. I ALSO VISIT OTHER BRANCHES WITH MY CHILDREN, OFTEN VICKERY PARK AND LAKEWOOD [00:50:01] FOREST GREEN OAK LOT. AND I'M TRYING TO VISIT AS MANY BRANCHES AS POSSIBLE. UM, MY BIG FOCUS IS MAKING SURE FAMILIES ARE, AND CHILDREN ARE USING THE LIBRARY, BECAUSE I THINK THE LIBRARY PLAYS A CRITICAL ROLE IN EDUCATION AND EDUCATIONAL. SO THAT'S A BIG FOCUS. , I JUST THINK THAT ROLE IS SO IMPORTANT BECAUSE THAT'S INVESTING IN OUR FUTURE. SO, UM, YEAH. I JUST WANTED TO MOVE ON. I KNOW WE HAVE OTHER PRESENTERS, AND I'M SORRY THAT IT'S, UH, WE'VE HAD A LITTLE BIT GOING OVER ON TIME. BUT NEXT WITH, UM, STAFF REPORTS, WE HAVE A NEIL TALKING ABOUT LIBRARY EXPLORER, ADVENTURE PACS. I THINK SHE'S, SHE'S RIGHT HERE. OKAY. OKAY. OKAY. SO, HELLO EVERYBODY. MY NAME IS . I AM THE MANAGER OF THE FIFTH FLOOR HERE AT CENTRAL, WHICH IS OUR BUSINESS SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY CENTER. UM, THANK YOU MELISSA, HEATHER, FOR INVITING ME TO COME AND SHARE INITIATIVES THAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON. UM, I'M VERY EXCITED TO TALK ABOUT A PROJECT THAT HAS BEEN IN THE WORKS AND DISCUSSION FOR TWO YEARS AND FINALLY MADE IT. UM, WE ARE, THESE ARE THE LIBRARY EXPLORER AND LEISURE PACKS. WE ARE LITERAL PACKS THAT WE HAVE CIRCULATING OUT IN OUR BRANCHES, WHICH STARTED DURING SMART SUMMER. UM, THESE ARE FUNDED BY THE TEXAS CHILDREN IN NATURE NETWORK, WHICH IS FUNDED IN PART BY THE TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE DIVISION. UM, UM, THESE PACKS ARE GEARED TOWARDS KIDS IN, UH, GRADES K THROUGH SIX. THEY ARE MAINTAINED BY MY DEPARTMENT ON MY TEAM, AND CURRENTLY HAVE, I THINK, 31 ROTATION RIGHT NOW. TECHNICAL , KEEP TALKING. OKAY. UM, WHAT'S IN THE PACK INCLUDES A SERIES OF BOOKS, NATURE JOURNALS, TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT, DEPENDING ON THE THEME. UM, AND THOSE THEMES ARE, I THINK, SEVEN DIFFERENT ONES RIGHT NOW WITH OUR MOST POPULAR BEING ROCKS AND FOSSILS OR BIRDS AND BIRDWATCHING. WHAT THIS DOES IS ENCOURAGE FAMILIES TO COME TO THE LIBRARY, EXPLORE THEIR NATURE INTERESTS, BUT THEN TAKE IT OUTSIDE THE LIBRARY AND ACTUALLY GET OUT IN NATURE WITH THE FAMILIES. AND EVERY PACK ALSO COMES WITH READMISSIONS WITH TWO OF OUR STATE PARKS, INCLUDING CEDAR HILL AND RAY ROBERTS, UH, FOR ANYONE OVER THE AGE OF 13, IT'S 1200 ALREADY THREE. UM, IN ADDITION TO THIS, THEY HAVE JUST SECURED SOME ADDITIONAL FUNDING TO RELEASE MORE BACKPACKS IN JULY. AND WE'LL, UH, ALSO START WITH A NEW GOAL IN SEPTEMBER OF THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR TO RAISE THAT FROM 31 TO 75 PACKS WITH BILINGUAL THEMES AND NEWER THEMES AS WELL. SO, UM, THIS FIRST ROUND THAT HAS GONE OUT, 25 OF THE 31 PACKS WERE CHECKED OUT. WE CURRENTLY HAVE A SUBSTANTIAL HOLD LIST OF OVER A HUNDRED, WHICH IS WHY WE'RE PUSHING OUT MORE NEXT MONTH. AND WE'RE JUST, WE'RE VERY EXCITED AND THANK YOU SO ALL, SO MUCH FOR LETTING ME COME AND SHARE WHAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON FOR QUITE SOME TIME NOW. , AND THESE ARE ONLY HERE AT CENTRAL. OH, THE MOST IMPORTANT PART. I'M SO SORRY. . THESE ARE AVAILABLE AT SIX DIFFERENT BRANCH LOCATIONS. RIGHT NOW, PART OF OUR GOAL IN THE FALL IS TO OVER IT TO MORE LOCATIONS, INCLUDING CENTRAL. FIRST ROUND IS JUST SIX. WHAT, WHAT ARE THE SIX BRANCHES? THOSE ARE LOCAL QUIZ. YES. RAINER, FRANKFURT, WHITE ROCK, HAMPTON, ILLINOIS, SKYLINE, HICKORY PARK, AND MOUNTAIN CREEK. DO YOU HAVE A GRAPHIC THAT CAN BE SHARED? I CAN PUT IT IN OUR NEWSLETTER. SEVEN. ABSOLUTELY. I'LL SHARE THAT. OH, YOU THE FIRST ONE. MY PERSONAL FAVORITE PACKS ARE THE ONES AT MOUNTAIN CREEK THAT ARE THE FISHING PACKS. OH. THEY ALSO HAVE FISHING ROOM HERE. THAT'S SUPER COOL. YEAH. THEY'RE ONLY AT SOUTH DALLAS LOCATIONS. [00:55:04] YEAH. I WENT TO VICTORY AND THEY SAID THEY WERE ALL CHECKED MAY. ARE THEY HOLDABLE? YES, THEY ARE HOLDABLE. THEY DO NOT TRAVEL BETWEEN BRANCHES. YOU DO HAVE TO, UH, PICK THEM UP AT THEIR HOME LOCATION. THEY CAN RETURN ME. YOU SAID THE UH, WHOLE LIST IS SUBSTANTIAL? YES. OVER WHAT? YES, IN THE, IN THE CATALOG, WHICH CAN AND MATCHING OUR KIDS, THE PREVIOUS KIDS. COOL. WHERE DO YOU, UH, GET THAT IDEA FROM? ARE THERE OTHER LIBRARIES? YES. UH, SO WE WERE ACTUALLY APPROACHED BY A MEMBER OF THE TEXAS CHILDREN IN NATURE NETWORK. THIS IS THEIR SECOND TIME RUNNING THIS PROGRAM. IT WAS ORIGINALLY DEVELOPED IN THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY WITH THEIR LIBRARY SYSTEM. UM, AND SINCE NATURE SMART LIBRARIES IS A HOT TOPIC IN THE LIBRARY WORLD RIGHT NOW, THEY APPROACHED NETFLIX AS FAR NEXT NATURE. SURE. THANKS . THAT'S ALL. I HOPE YOU'VE ENJOYED THEM AND I KNOW THEY'RE GOOD POOR KIDS, BUT HONESTLY I THINK IT'S ALSO THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR, YES, THERE'S . THANK YOU. UM, MANIA, DID YOU WANT TO MOVE ON TO THE FACILITIES REPORT? SURE. SO I THINK IN THE INTEREST OF TIME, I WAS JUST CHECKING IN WITH SEAN. UM, I USUALLY GIVES A VERBAL REPORT, BUT I KNOW WE'RE ALREADY OVER, WE'RE AT THE END OF OUR TIME. YEAH. I'M HAPPY TO RUN THROUGH JUST A FEW QUICK ONES AND THEN ALSO SUBMIT OUT A MEMO TO Y'ALL WITH MORE ROBUST. OKAY. AS YOU KNOW, WE MENTIONED LAST MONTH THAT WE HAVE THE WEST SIDE DEPOSIT, UH, THAT'S GOING TO COUNCIL TOMORROW FOR APPROVAL. SO THAT WOULD BE $150,000 FOR US TO RECEIVE FROM DDI DOWNTOWN DALLAS, INC. TO HELP US WITH FENCING OFF THE WEST SIDE OF THE PLAZA TO CREATE A PROGRAMMING SPACE FOR US. AND THEN ALSO OF NOTE, WE, WE ALSO DID OUR RFP EVALUATIONS TODAY FOR THE PRESS RENOVATION. AND THAT WAS A REALLY THOROUGH PROCESS AND WE HAD SOME GREAT SUBMISSIONS. AND WE ARE GOING TO BE SELECTED A, UH, VENDOR AND WE'RE GONNA WORK THROUGH THAT CONTRACT. AND THEN ONCE WE CAN RELEASE THE DETAILS OF THAT, WE'LL SHARE THAT WITH YOU. BUT THERE ARE SEVERAL OTHER ITEMS THAT I CAN SHARE, BUT I THINK IT'D BE BETTER TO PUT IT IN A MEMO FORMAT FOR Y'ALL TO HAVE AND YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, MAKE SURE TO FOLLOW UP ON THAT. AND I FORGET WHO HAS PRESTON ROYAL. YES. SO PROBABLY NOTHING WILL BE SAID OR HEARD ABOUT THIS UNTIL THE FALL BECAUSE OF THE COUNCIL BREAK AND THEN THE NEED TO GO THROUGH LAW AND ALL OF THAT. SO, UM, WE'LL UPDATE YOU WHEN, WHEN WE KNOW SOMETHING IS GONNA BE PUBLIC WITH COUNCIL. CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE ? YEAH. SO I'M HAPPY. IT'S LIKE MY, SO MANAGEMENT, LONG STORY SHORT, THERE'S A BEAUTIFUL SIDEWALK THAT HAS NOW BEEN INSTALLED. IT IS EFFECTIVELY FINISHED. THEY'RE CLEANING IT UP, THEY'RE PUTTING IN NEW SOD AROUND THE AREA, AND THAT SHOULD BE DONE BY THE END OF THE WEEK. WE HAVE THE WORST LUCK WITH RAIN. THAT JUST WOULD NOT GO AWAY. I KNOW WE NEED IT, BUT THANK GOD WE DIDN'T WANT IT THEN. BUT IT HAS BEEN FINISHED. YES. OKAY. OKAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH. UM, IN THE END, MOVING ON, I WANTED TO SEE, UM, FROM COMMISSIONERS, IF THERE ARE ANY ITEMS YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE, ANY IDEAS FOR FUTURE MEETINGS YOU'D LIKE TO BRING UP AT THIS TIME? WE DON'T MEET IN JULY, RIGHT? NO. OKAY. OKAY. ANYONE ELSE HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS? OKAY. SEEING NONE. UM, THIS MEETING IS ADJOURNED AT 6:02 PM THANK YOU. THANK YOU. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.