[0:00] 
[0:00] OK this is the August
library Advisory
[0:04] Commission meeting, 2026.
[0:06] Sorry.
[0:08] OK.
[0:10] I call this Thursday, August
20 meeting of the library
[0:13] Advisory Commission to order.
[0:15] We'll start with the roll call.
[0:16] Desiree van loon, tomasina
Capo Deborah Gentry, Mary
[0:22] Ann Reddick, Katie McCarthy.
[0:24] Mark McCall.
[0:26] All right.
[0:26] Please stand for the
Pledge of Allegiance.
[0:30] You can stand.
[0:33] I try not to make
sure anyone trips.
[0:34] So then it should be coming up.
[0:36] And this is as close as
TV'S ever gone, I swear.
[0:45] 
[0:48] Next time, I'll wear
American flag shirts.
[0:51] But you have to wait.
[0:52] Yeah, I'll wave in the.
[0:56] Lights there we go.
[0:58] OK I pledge
allegiance to the flag
[1:02] of the United States of
America, and to the Republic
[1:05] for which it stands.
[1:06] One nation under
God, indivisible,
[1:09] with liberty and
justice for all.
[1:11] 
[1:18] OK staff reports.
[1:20] All right, guys, we
made it to the summer.
[1:23] We're back.
[1:25] Also for staff.
[1:26] You made it through the summer.
[1:28] So, some fun things
that have been going on.
[1:33] Hollyhock library is
officially closed today.
[1:36] We were there.
[1:37] Hollyhock were there packing
up everything we did not know.
[1:41] The moving company gave us
carts to put all the books on.
[1:44] So we didn't have to
pack up books into boxes
[1:46] and then remember their order.
[1:48] So it went very well.
[1:50] Everyone's very sad to be
leaving our little baby
[1:53] hollyhock, but also
very excited to be
[1:56] in the building with
our Resource Center
[1:58] that we direct people
to the senior center
[2:00] so we still can get the
bingo parking lot crazy.
[2:04] But staff have been going
crazy with new programs,
[2:06] so we'll be doing that because
we have our very own space.
[2:09] But we do have larger rooms.
[2:10] So as our storytimes grow
larger than our baby hollyhock.
[2:14] We'll be able to move into
bigger and bigger rooms.
[2:16] So I can't wait.
[2:18] We are trying to as we
approved last meeting in June.
[2:22] We'll be rotating
now with hollyhock
[2:24] in our commission meeting.
[2:25] So double check
exactly which location.
[2:28] First time at hollyhock
will be in October,
[2:30] and I'll try to
make sure that we
[2:31] do like a nice big tour for you
guys to see everything as well.
[2:36] Next library of things
kits have been going crazy.
[2:40] Thank you Megan for
also being in here
[2:41] while we're talking about it.
[2:42] Megan is the one that has
to do all of the records
[2:44] for our library of things.
[2:46] Kelsey and I go on shopping
sprees and buy random things,
[2:48] and then she has
to figure out how
[2:49] to put them in our collection.
[2:52] So when it gets
cooler outside and you
[2:56] want to hang out outside.
[2:57] We have bags for cornhole, which
we actually have at this park.
[3:01] If you just want to walk
over and have a good time.
[3:03] Also, if you've lost all
yours, the corn is out of it.
[3:06] You can take them home.
[3:07] Nice little travel pack.
[3:09] We also got metal
detectors coming in.
[3:12] So go find some lucky
coins out in the park.
[3:14] Don't dig it up, but share
anything you find, please.
[3:18] But because it's still the
middle of summer and it's hot,
[3:21] we've also continuing to do
more American Girl dolls.
[3:25] Those are huge hits.
[3:27] So now we're duplicating
some of the ones we've had.
[3:29] But we also added Felicity
as the final America 250.
[3:33] She's from 1874.
[3:35] Nope 17 1774.
[3:38] There three years before.
[3:41] Thank you Megan.
[3:42] And then more Tony boxes
and all of those as well.
[3:45] So library of things.
[3:46] We also heard from
another library.
[3:47] They've been scoping
out what we are doing.
[3:50] So now they are
going to be copying
[3:51] us with some American Girl
dolls and a few other things.
[3:54] So Bravo to staff
and Megan for coming
[3:57] up with really cool ideas, and
actually put them into motion.
[4:00] And then we are hosting.
[4:03] This is going to be a
really hard word for me,
[4:05] reflecting America a
semiquincentennial.
[4:07] Oh, I killed it
on the first try.
[4:10] Living history event.
[4:12] The goal is to bring in
speakers from our community that
[4:15] serve time with the service.
[4:17] Have great family
stories of being
[4:20] in surprise from the beginning.
[4:21] Have family stories
dating all the way back
[4:23] to our American Revolution, and
other stories from our community
[4:28] that are just
quintessential American.
[4:31] We're hoping to get a
really good event together.
[4:33] The call for speakers
is through August 31.
[4:35] So if you know anybody,
tell them to apply.
[4:38] We're hoping to get at least a
few speakers to have some really
[4:41] cool ideas, and just
show the history
[4:42] of not only surprise and the
Valley, but our entire country.
[4:46] Did you say the date.
[4:47] The final date for Call
of speakers is August 31.
[4:51] Our date for the
event is November 19.
[4:54] So right after Veteran's
Day, we wanted to have one
[4:57] last push for our America 250.
[5:01] I think that hit all
of our major events.
[5:03] Staff reports are done.
[5:06] Well, that was fast.
[5:08] OK, moving on to the.
[5:14] Commission agenda.
[5:16] Let's see.
[5:18] Wow I have one more.
[5:21] Oh, sorry.
[5:23] I should've kept my mouth shut.
[5:26] This is what happens when I'm
alone in a different library.
[5:28] I don't have people to
bounce ideas off of but.
[5:31] 
[5:34] Our lovely library director
here won a public Service Award.
[5:38] Please tell me the official
title of the award, please.
[5:42] Thank you.
[5:43] The Gabe Zimmerman community
public Service Award.
[5:47] Community builder,
large community tab.
[5:50] Nice I won in 2020 2024.
[5:53] We got two winners in the room.
[5:55] Guys, this is fantastic.
[5:57] Hot dog.
[5:59] Good for you.
[6:00] It's a big deal.
[6:01] It is a big deal.
[6:03] It is.
[6:04] We're very proud of Kelsey.
[6:05] She got to go down and
have a little speech.
[6:07] And a bunch of library
staff went down to support
[6:10] and had Ashton come
because it's her birthday.
[6:13] I'm sorry.
[6:14] What day was it.
[6:16] I don't know.
[6:17] Feels like this accolade
is probably more
[6:18] important than date of birth.
[6:21] Should we take this to a vote.
[6:24] Real obnoxious.
[6:25] I was like, I've never
worked on my birthday.
[6:27] I'm so sorry, I love you.
[6:28] Have a great time.
[6:29] But either way, it
just shows what she's
[6:32] done with this library system.
[6:34] She was the first employee.
[6:35] She's the one that brought
all of this to fruition
[6:37] and somehow allows us to
do really crazy ideas.
[6:40] Half of them might be
hers, but we're just
[6:43] really excited that not
only is Kelce on the list
[6:47] and able to show what
she does, but also she
[6:50] brings surprise public
library along with them.
[6:51] So great job.
[6:52] I'm sorry I missed that.
[6:54] My bad.
[6:54] I'm not.
[6:55] Should we do our reenactment.
[6:57] Yes do your speech.
[6:58] Can you give it online.
[7:01] Yeah, yeah, just
go to the website.
[7:04] You can watch it.
[7:05] She's now more uncomfortable
talking about me.
[7:10] All right, now we can finish.
[7:12] I'm done.
[7:13] Thank you.
[7:13] OK OK.
[7:15] Moving on to the regular agenda.
[7:19] Item one consideration
and action pertaining
[7:21] to the June 11, 2026 library
Advisory Commission meetings
[7:26] is a meeting minutes.
[7:27] Is there a motion to
approve the meeting minutes.
[7:30] I motion to approve the June 11,
2026 library Advisory Commission
[7:35] meeting minutes I second.
[7:38] It's been moved and seconded.
[7:41] All those in favor say Aye.
[7:43] Aye all those opposed.
[7:45] Nay the motion carries.
[7:48] The minutes are approved.
[7:51] Item number two.
[7:52] Discussion and action pertaining
to the selection of the library
[7:55] Advisory Commission.
[7:56] Chair discussion is open Yep
And you have your voting slips.
[8:01] You have to put your
name and who you
[8:03] nominate after your discussion.
[8:05] Just so I've got a
few rounds for when
[8:07] we do chair and co-chair.
[8:08] 
[8:13] Discuss first.
[8:16] Yeah I was just letting him know
that the thoughts, opinions you
[8:19] just nominate and then you vote.
[8:21] First you nominate, then
you use those to vote.
[8:23] OK, but I wasn't supposed
to call for a vote
[8:26] to start the discussion.
[8:27] I'm really bad.
[8:29] No, no.
[8:29] You're fine.
[8:30] You're fine if you like.
[8:31] I've been gone for six months.
[8:32] It was only like one month off.
[8:35] Well, I would like to nominate
Mark, a previous award winner
[8:39] to.
[8:39] 
[8:42] Thank you for a chair.
[8:44] For chair.
[8:44] Yeah, that's the one we're on.
[8:46] Yes Yes sorry.
[8:48] 
[8:55] I'm sorry.
[8:55] You're writing this
down first or what.
[8:57] OK oh, OK.
[8:59] So is there a second.
[9:00] Yeah oh, you have to
second the nomination.
[9:05] Yeah, I think so.
[9:06] We're so good at this, you guys.
[9:09] It's been a year, to be fair.
[9:10] I think I thought
we'd do nominations
[9:11] and then you vote, and
then we read off the votes.
[9:14] So is there another
person who would like
[9:16] to be chair is the question.
[9:18] Oh, or one.
[9:20] You want to nominate
someone else.
[9:21] I'm going to deflect the
nomination to Desiree
[9:23] and nominate Desiree
again to continue.
[9:25] Oh, because I'm doing
so well, at least.
[9:28] 
[9:31] I'd like to nominate Tommy.
[9:34] I got a rumble.
[9:35] 
[9:39] She's in a very good chair.
[9:40] I appreciate that.
[9:41] 
[9:44] Anybody else board chair.
[9:47] OK, now you get
to write your name
[9:49] and the person you vote for.
[9:51] For just chair.
[9:52] Yes OK.
[9:54] You can use this
if you have extras.
[9:56] No, I'm just going
to cross it out.
[9:58] 
[10:01] It's also hard to do with
the first month back.
[10:07] I know I do feel sorry for us.
[10:11] Dang it.
[10:11] OK, I will take it.
[10:13] You don't have to
read them out loud.
[10:14] Yes OK.
[10:15] Tabulate and then
tell them who won.
[10:18] You don't say thank you.
[10:20] 
[10:26] Last one.
[10:29] Over here.
[10:33] I'm just going to take this.
[10:34] Do you know who's there.
[10:35] Yes OK, good.
[10:39] All right.
[10:39] So, do I have to read.
[10:40] I don't have to
read off each one.
[10:41] I have to put it in the
minutes, so I guess we do.
[10:44] That's like mixing up.
[10:47] So it's a surprise.
[10:48] 
[10:52] Commissioner Gentry votes
for Commissioner McCaul.
[10:55] Commissioner McCaul
votes for Commissioner
[10:57] van loon and
Commissioner Thomasina
[11:01] voted for Commissioner.
[11:03] Thomasina commissioner Mariann
voted for Commissioner.
[11:07] Thomasina I'm writing.
[11:08] Just reading the names that
you're putting on there.
[11:11] Yes OK.
[11:12] Commissioner McCarthy
voted for Commissioner
[11:14] Tommy and Commissioner Desiree
voted for Commissioner Tommy.
[11:19] So we have a new chair.
[11:20] 
[11:23] All right, so my acceptance.
[11:25] Yeah it's got to be
longer than Kelly.
[11:26] Yeah, yeah.
[11:27] How long I think it was,
like, three minutes, so.
[11:29] OK, I can make it.
[11:30] Do not forget who
the inaugural was.
[11:32] OK beautiful.
[11:37] So then we need a
motion to accept it.
[11:41] OK right.
[11:42] We do that and then we
move on to coaching.
[11:45] Yeah all right, so
is there a motion
[11:48] to approve the new commission.
[11:50] Commission chair I motion
to approve Tomasino
[11:54] da Capo as commissioner.
[11:55] Chair for the 2627 library year.
[12:02] Seconded oh, yeah.
[12:04] OK, second, it's been
moved and seconded.
[12:08] I'll call for a vote.
[12:10] All those in favor
of Thomas Capo being
[12:13] the chair of the library
Advisory Commission
[12:14] for the 2627 fiscal year.
[12:19] All those in favor say Aye.
[12:20] Aye all those opposed.
[12:22] Nay the motion carries.
[12:24] Yay again.
[12:26] 
[12:29] OK, so discussion
and action pertaining
[12:34] to the selection of the
library Advisory Commission.
[12:37] Vice Chair or co-chair.
[12:39] What's the official title.
[12:40] Vice Chair.
[12:41] What does it say.
[12:42] Well, this says co-chair.
[12:43] This says Vice Chair.
[12:44] Vice Chair.
[12:45] OK OK.
[12:46] My bad.
[12:46] Fine Vice Chair.
[12:48] Meetings canceled.
[12:48] So the discussion is open.
[12:54] So I'd like to
nominate Mark McCall.
[12:59] Thank you.
[13:00] I think he already
won that award, so.
[13:02] 
[13:07] Well, then I'll throw it
back to you and nominate.
[13:11] Again and we'd be
happy to help you.
[13:13] 
[13:18] Any more.
[13:18] 
[13:22] No OK.
[13:24] All right.
[13:24] So I guess let's write
it on our ballots
[13:30] and then hand them to Ashley
where is it still the tile.
[13:44] Yeah it is.
[13:45] Yeah I tried to hang it up
and bought a bunch of studs,
[13:48] so I didn't.
[13:48] Oh what do you call it.
[13:52] The Velcro.
[13:54] The magic for me.
[13:56] Oh what do you call the script.
[13:59] That's how I hang it in my
office, because it's all
[14:01] asbestos, so we can't.
[14:03] So we use the command.
[14:04] All right.
[14:05] Justice commissioner
van loon votes.
[14:08] Commissioner McCaul.
[14:10] Commissioner Thomasina
nominates commissioner.
[14:13] Desiree commissioner
Gentry nominates.
[14:18] Commissioner McCaul.
[14:19] 
[14:21] Commissioner Mary Ann
nominates commissioner McGuirk.
[14:26] Commissioner McCarthy
nominates Commissioner
[14:28] Mark and Commissioner McCaul
nominates commissioner Desiree.
[14:33] So we do have a majority.
[14:35] Oh, over time, I had to look up.
[14:40] So now someone needs
to make a motion.
[14:43] Is there a motion.
[14:46] Is there a motion to approve.
[14:48] Commissioner McCall, as the Vice
Chair of the library Advisory
[14:51] Commission, I move to
select commissioner
[14:54] McCall as Vice Chair of the
library Advisory Commission,
[14:57] I second.
[14:59] Thank you.
[15:00] It's been motion and seconded.
[15:02] We'll now call for a vote.
[15:03] So all those in favor say Aye.
[15:05] Aye all those opposed.
[15:07] Nay the motion carries.
[15:09] Congratulations Thank you.
[15:11] All right.
[15:13] Thank you.
[15:19] Yeah do we have fun here.
[15:20] Oh, absolutely.
[15:21] OK yeah.
[15:23] Oh, no.
[15:25] Please, no.
[15:27] All right.
[15:28] Item 3.
[15:28] Discussion and
action pertaining.
[15:30] Oh, sorry.
[15:30] Item 4.
[15:31] We just did that
presentation and discussion
[15:33] of staff attendance at the
American Library Association
[15:35] 2020 sixth annual conference.
[15:38] I love this stuff.
[15:39] You guys love this stuff.
[15:42] We love to send people
to our conferences.
[15:44] And of course, every
year, our largest one
[15:47] that we tend to get
a lot of staff for
[15:49] is our American Library
Association conference.
[15:51] This year was in Chicago,
and we were luckily
[15:53] able to send four people.
[15:55] So you have to listen to four
different staff talk about how
[15:57] wonderful we are and how
wonderful the conference is
[15:59] and all of that.
[16:01] And they're not lying at all,
but we will have them go through
[16:04] and I pass it over to
Bambi to get us started.
[16:07] Yes so this was my first time
attending the American Library
[16:12] Association conference.
[16:14] Not my first time in Chicago,
but it was my first time
[16:16] as a tourist in Chicago.
[16:19] So I fell in love with it.
[16:20] So the conference was amazing.
[16:22] It was from June 25 to June 29.
[16:26] Oh, hang on, back up.
[16:27] OK, here.
[16:29] Here are all the attendees.
[16:31] So I'm with Megan one of the
days, and then Rachael and Emily
[16:34] and I got to fly together.
[16:35] So we were at the
airport bright and early.
[16:38] So that's how the
session started.
[16:42] When we got there,
Megan and I both
[16:45] attended a new
member orientation,
[16:47] so that was kind of cool.
[16:48] They gave us the
whole layout of what
[16:50] to expect, how to get
in on round tables,
[16:54] how to join other
committees at the ALA.
[17:00] It was just kind
of an all in all
[17:01] informative, all encompassing.
[17:04] Some of the other conferences
I went to or not conferences,
[17:07] seminars leading
from the middle,
[17:09] building consensus from
influence, not authority.
[17:12] So that one was really cool.
[17:14] It really spoke to me
as a middle manager,
[17:17] talked the whole
room was nothing,
[17:19] but middle managers
spoke a lot about having
[17:24] to be able to sell things to
the people that you're leading,
[17:28] but then also be
able to communicate
[17:31] and share that
knowledge up or down,
[17:34] depending on which
way it's going.
[17:35] And so it was kind of nice to
be around a bunch of people that
[17:38] could relate and share stories.
[17:42] They talked about being a glue
helping motivate the staff when
[17:48] you have new things come
down that maybe seem
[17:51] a little daunting, but still
trying to sell it to them,
[17:53] that it's going to be great.
[17:56] It also talked about being
able to adjust and interpret
[17:59] what needs to be said.
[18:01] So maybe something's being told
to you from senior management,
[18:05] but you need to be able to
interpret that to your staff.
[18:08] So it gave a lot of tools.
[18:09] It was a pretty lengthy slide
show that we were a part of.
[18:13] And it was a lot of discussion,
so that was a lot of fun.
[18:16] Another one I attended
was called Becoming
[18:18] a library triple threat.
[18:19] How improv helped you
become a better librarian,
[18:22] teammate, and leader.
[18:23] Rachel and I were in
that one together,
[18:25] and this one was so much fun
that we just did it at our staff
[18:28] meeting this last week.
[18:31] So talked about how
improv can really
[18:33] help teams be better listeners,
be better storytellers,
[18:39] be able to team build.
[18:42] One of the exercises we did
was you went around the room
[18:45] and each person just had
was able to say one sentence
[18:49] to create an entire story.
[18:51] And so it allowed you to show
your ideas how those can work
[18:56] together to create
something really
[18:58] cool, strengthen the teamwork.
[19:00] It sparked creativity.
[19:02] It helped just in general.
[19:04] It was a lot of fun.
[19:05] We had a lot of
fun doing it at ALA
[19:07] and then we had even more fun,
I think, doing it with our staff
[19:09] because we were talking
about library specific stuff.
[19:13] And so it turned out to
be a real fun activity.
[19:17] Another one I went to this
one I kind of stumbled upon.
[19:20] It was called Breaking
barriers a librarians story
[19:22] of changing times.
[19:24] So I was using the app.
[19:25] It was my first
time using the app.
[19:27] I didn't really know
what to expect when I
[19:30] tell you this place was so big.
[19:33] Or what was the name of
the convention center.
[19:36] McCormick Place.
[19:37] It's over 1,000,000ft
So imagine and they
[19:41] don't really give you a map.
[19:42] You just pick out what
you want to go to.
[19:44] So you're just walking for
miles, what felt like miles
[19:48] and miles to get to these.
[19:49] So this one I was
like, this sounds cool.
[19:51] It's right next to me.
[19:52] I don't want to
walk any further.
[19:54] And it ended up being
one of my favorites.
[19:56] It actually was for
retirees from ALA that had
[20:00] been on previous round tables.
[20:02] And so while I
wasn't a retiree, I
[20:06] think there's
something to be said
[20:07] about hearing from the people
that have come before you.
[20:11] And so the guy that
was talking there,
[20:14] he was the executive director
of ALA from 1972 to 1985,
[20:20] and he worked with Nixon.
[20:21] He worked with Barbara Bush.
[20:23] He, like, was one of
the leading people
[20:25] to start like to make sure
literacy services basically
[20:32] adult literacy campaigns.
[20:34] We're starting
with Barbara Bush.
[20:36] I mean, this guy was phenomenal.
[20:37] So I couldn't have lucked out
on stumbling into a better one.
[20:41] Like when I say it was my
favorite, it really was.
[20:43] They invited me to their
retiree roundtable that night.
[20:46] I mean, it was
just a lot of fun.
[20:48] But one of the things that
he spoke to that during that
[20:52] was about food insecurity.
[20:54] And he talked about how food
insecurity and illness, how they
[20:58] correlate with low literacy.
[21:00] And so it's like he was saying
that it's libraries, jobs
[21:03] to focus on, not just
the literacy part,
[21:07] but we need to be collaborating
with agencies to help with food
[21:12] insecurities and things
like that because they
[21:14] all go hand in hand.
[21:16] And so that was
really interesting.
[21:18] He was like saying,
we need more programs
[21:20] to work with adults as well.
[21:21] On low literacy.
[21:22] I think we focus a lot
on the early literacy
[21:24] and we're constantly
pushing early literacy,
[21:27] but we forget that not everybody
was educated the same way
[21:31] or came from the same
socioeconomic background.
[21:34] And so he was just
really saying, since he's
[21:38] been in like that's
been his mission
[21:39] is to try and correlate the
get more and more together
[21:45] about the early
literacy, the adult
[21:47] literacy, the correlation
between food insecurity.
[21:50] So it was really cool.
[21:53] I went to a lot more, but
those were the main ones
[21:55] that I want to talk about.
[21:57] But the more fun
things that I got to do
[21:59] is I heard someone
even say they looked.
[22:02] I got to go to the Obama
Presidential Center Library,
[22:05] and one of the ladies I was
with knew the manager there.
[22:08] So I got the whole tour.
[22:11] I got to go into the staff area.
[22:14] We got all the ins
and outs of how
[22:16] the Obamas selected the
specific books in the library.
[22:20] And it was just it
was super, super cool.
[22:24] Not only did they take how
we have our seed library,
[22:26] they took it to a
whole other level.
[22:28] They have a whole garden
outside, a vegetable garden
[22:31] that people can actually
pick the vegetables
[22:34] from and take them home.
[22:36] So it wasn't just
inside the museum.
[22:38] It wasn't just that
it was all outside.
[22:41] There was just so much to
walk around, so much to see.
[22:44] I didn't get to go
in the actual main.
[22:48] Let me show you here on
this photo, that big brick
[22:52] thing in the middle
that I'm standing
[22:53] in front of the second
photo from the left.
[22:56] I didn't get to go inside there.
[22:57] That one wasn't open
yet to the public,
[22:59] but we got to go into the
actual museum part, which
[23:02] is I don't think I took any
pictures of that on here,
[23:06] but the one to the right of
that is inside the library,
[23:10] and the one to the left
is inside the library.
[23:12] So really cool.
[23:14] They had a lot of program rooms
that the library hopefully
[23:19] will be able to utilize.
[23:20] Because the library
itself was pretty small.
[23:22] All, they meant it to be more
of like a living room style
[23:26] that you can see, a lot
of the wood, the ladders.
[23:29] It was just very quaint.
[23:31] They do their storytime
right at a couch and a rug,
[23:34] right in what looks
like a living room.
[23:37] So it was just very intimate.
[23:40] They had these really
cool sound barrier things
[23:44] all throughout the ceiling.
[23:45] So while there was like 200
people inside this library,
[23:48] it was almost like
silent in there,
[23:50] but everybody was talking.
[23:51] It was like the
weirdest, weirdest thing,
[23:53] because whatever these sound,
things were all on the ceiling.
[23:56] It just eliminated that
sound, but super cool.
[24:00] That was probably one
of my favorite things.
[24:02] Another thing, it was the
150th celebration for ala.
[24:06] We were there, I
didn't even yeah, yes,
[24:09] I can't say that
word, but so I got
[24:12] to go to a dinner and a
celebration about the 150th.
[24:18] So that was a lot of fun.
[24:20] Somehow I just kept landing
with all these vendors.
[24:22] I kept getting to go to these
vendor dinners and stuff.
[24:26] And so I got to learn
about these launch
[24:28] pad quests that were
hopefully going to be getting
[24:30] here within our library system.
[24:32] They just launched
with playaway.
[24:33] It's like one of
the coolest things.
[24:35] They're kind of like a big
pad and they have stem games
[24:38] on them and reading games
and it's all math and science
[24:42] and they're super, super cool.
[24:43] So yeah, look out for those.
[24:46] What else did I get to do.
[24:47] I went to oh they'll talk
more about the vendor thing.
[24:52] But it was a little
overwhelming.
[24:54] I mean there were
just like thousands.
[24:56] I'm not.
[24:57] That's not even an exaggeration.
[24:58] Thousands of vendors.
[25:00] I took a picture.
[25:02] They had American Girl dolls,
and they had a big giant box.
[25:05] And you got to pick
your American Girl doll
[25:07] that you wanted to pose with.
[25:09] So of course, had
to take a photo.
[25:11] And then when I told you guys,
I went kind of as a tourist
[25:14] this time I took the
architecture river tour
[25:17] and that if you haven't ever
done that was really amazing.
[25:21] So while I learned a
lot about libraries,
[25:25] I think the networking
and meeting the vendors
[25:29] and finding out about what
other library systems are doing,
[25:32] hearing from past like
that one was really cool.
[25:37] I had a blast.
[25:39] So I'm very appreciative
that I got to go
[25:42] and I thought it
was a lot of fun.
[25:45] Yeah OK.
[25:54] Hi, everyone.
[25:55] My name is Marissa Gonzalez.
[25:56] This is my second
time going to ALA.
[25:58] I went two years ago as a
very last minute substitute.
[26:03] So this time I was able to
bring an extra suitcase.
[26:05] And it was much more
fun because there
[26:08] are so many vendors
at all times just
[26:10] throwing free things at you.
[26:12] So it's very
important if you get
[26:13] to go bring an extra
suitcase, you'll use it.
[26:16] OK, so this is my experience.
[26:19] This is my definitive ranking
of all my tote bags at ALA.
[26:22] I got 14 of them.
[26:24] Wow, there are a lot.
[26:26] Just kidding.
[26:27] We're going to talk
about how to best
[26:29] serve tweens and teens
in their mental health
[26:31] through literature.
[26:32] I was super invested in this.
[26:36] Go back to that.
[26:38] They want to know at
least the top one.
[26:40] Yeah tell us your favorite one.
[26:41] The librarians start in.
[26:43] Ignorance is pretty.
[26:44] That one's a really good one.
[26:45] I like that.
[26:45] The ACLU one.
[26:48] That one I got also for my best
friend who's a public defender.
[26:51] So there are two of those.
[26:53] I think it says boom,
the boom comic ones
[26:55] is really good because it's got
the flat bottom like an IKEA
[26:58] bag.
[26:58] Yeah So for vibes,
it's the ACLU one.
[27:05] And then the highlights
one I think is the cutest.
[27:09] And then for practicality
it's the boom because it's
[27:11] just it's the biggest one.
[27:13] It's going to fit the best.
[27:14] All those other tote bags were
actually in the boom tote bag
[27:16] at one point.
[27:17] Oh, yeah.
[27:18] What's in the bags.
[27:22] It's the best.
[27:23] OK I also got a lunch box
from the Library of Congress.
[27:27] There you go.
[27:28] Thank you.
[27:30] Library people.
[27:30] Get it.
[27:31] That's amazing.
[27:32] OK, so now we're going
to talk about serving
[27:34] the mental health needs of
teens through literature.
[27:38] So just a little overview
of some terminology.
[27:42] Adverse childhood experience
better known as ACEs
[27:44] are things traumatic events.
[27:48] So abuse neglect
household challenges
[27:50] other adversities that are
just a myriad of things.
[27:54] But aces for kids can
lead to toxic stress.
[27:59] So prolonged experience
or prolonged exposure
[28:01] to any of these things can lead
to toxic stress, which can then
[28:04] impact young brains and affect
things like attention span,
[28:08] learning, and decision making.
[28:09] So the antidote
to that is pieces,
[28:13] which is positive childhood
events, which include
[28:16] being in a safe, stable
home, a good community,
[28:19] having trusted adults in
their lives like librarians,
[28:22] and reading.
[28:23] Reading is actually a good,
positive childhood event.
[28:27] Medically speaking, we had
a pediatrician on staff
[28:30] at this presentation.
[28:31] It was very cool.
[28:33] Where do I go from there.
[28:35] Oh, I had a mom a few weeks ago
who came up to the front desk
[28:40] with her little girl.
[28:41] And she said, I have to
read this from the script.
[28:43] She said, this lady
is a librarian.
[28:45] That means she can help you,
not just when you need help
[28:47] with a scavenger hunt,
but if you ever get lost
[28:50] or need help can come to her.
[28:52] Oh dang it, I thought
I'd made me cry.
[28:55] I know she is a grown
up you can trust.
[28:59] So having kids in the
library is actually
[29:01] important to their
developing mental health,
[29:04] not just their grips on all of
the aspects of early literacy.
[29:08] So moving on from
that to the totes,
[29:11] we talk about
totes for a minute.
[29:14] Circle back.
[29:15] OK, so how can libraries help.
[29:18] The biggest one is to
stock the hard stuff.
[29:20] All of the panelists
on this particular talk
[29:23] were young adult or
teen to middle grade,
[29:28] to picture book authors
who are all adults
[29:32] who experienced a lot of
adversity in their childhood.
[29:35] So their number
one recommendation.
[29:38] And this goes for the
pediatrician as well,
[29:39] is to stock the hard stuff.
[29:41] Books are a free space for kids
where they can see that what
[29:45] they're going through is
not completely unique, even
[29:48] though it is unique to them.
[29:49] It happens in the world,
and it's not something
[29:51] they need to be ashamed of.
[29:53] It's not something
they need to bottle
[29:54] up and push down for
the rest of their lives
[29:56] and turn it into those aces.
[29:59] And then readers'
advisory specifically
[30:01] for parents with
struggling kids is a really
[30:03] big thing I have resources on.
[30:05] They had the most comprehensive
list of everything seen things
[30:09] from body dysmorphia in
toddlers loss of a parent,
[30:15] grandparent or caretaker.
[30:16] Just anything you
could think of.
[30:18] They had books for kids,
from toddler to tween.
[30:23] It was awesome.
[30:24] And then the
pediatrician actually
[30:26] prescribes books to some
of her younger patients,
[30:31] not patrons patients.
[30:33] And she always asks the
question for kids who don't
[30:35] really like to read just yet.
[30:37] She says, if you were going
to read a book about you,
[30:40] what kind of story would it be.
[30:42] So I think that's a really good
piece of advice for anyone who
[30:45] has a young child come up to
them and be like, I want a book,
[30:49] but I don't know
what kind of book.
[30:50] That's a really good
question to ask them,
[30:52] because it then puts
the onus back on them
[30:54] and they get to
reflect a little bit,
[30:55] and then they end up
getting a book that they
[30:57] can see themselves in.
[30:58] However that may be.
[31:00] And then we have to
keep being a safe space
[31:02] for all of our kiddos.
[31:04] That's really a huge
part for the library.
[31:06] Part of the ACS that I
forgot to mention earlier
[31:10] is that 19% of US
teens have consulted
[31:13] ChatGPT for mental health help.
[31:15] Yikes 15% to 20% have
clinical depression
[31:20] and 40% report persistent
sadness or hopelessness.
[31:23] And these numbers only
increase incrementally
[31:26] for our queer youth as well.
[31:28] Specifically for
trans and nonbinary.
[31:31] So safe spaces are
an absolute must.
[31:34] Having universal resources and
especially paying attention to
[31:37] and forming good connections
and bonds with our toddler
[31:42] all the way up to teen and tween
when they need the most help
[31:45] and maybe don't have the
tools to reach out for it,
[31:48] or they don't have someone
at home who they can go to.
[31:52] So those are my biggest
takeaways from that really
[31:55] informative panel.
[31:57] Thank you so much.
[31:58] I learned a lot.
[31:59] Awesome oh.
[32:05] She just went for the hot dogs
and the toaster and the beans.
[32:08] We risked our lives.
[32:11] I'm not as funny as Rachel, and
I'm not as eloquent as Bambi.
[32:16] But Rachel did.
[32:19] But Rachel did say something
that I want to piggyback off of.
[32:22] I went to school outside of
Chicago, in River Forest.
[32:26] That's where I got my m.l.s.
degree 20 years ago this year.
[32:34] I became a librarian.
[32:36] I started working in libraries
in 2007, and when my mom died,
[32:40] I moved to California to
start my first full time
[32:43] library job there.
[32:45] So I've been working in
libraries for 20 years.
[32:52] So I knew Chicago pretty well.
[32:55] So I stepped close to
the conference center.
[32:59] And I had some and
it was my first one.
[33:02] It was my first time going and
it was really overwhelming,
[33:06] but I've found some
great takeaways.
[33:11] These are just a list of the
things that came to my mind
[33:15] when I was trying to put things
together about the conference.
[33:19] It was kind of like a mind clap.
[33:21] It was like one of those
cloud word cloud things.
[33:26] Very kind of disorganized, but
I was trying to put it together.
[33:33] Rachel said something about
stocking the hard stuff.
[33:35] I work in collections.
[33:37] I work in collections.
[33:38] I buy the team material
here, the Spanish collection,
[33:42] I work, I buy the
digital overdrive.
[33:45] And so I went.
[33:47] I took away from the
collection development.
[33:50] I went to one on eradicating
white supremacy in libraries,
[33:56] and it talked about being
intentional with your selection,
[34:01] don't buy for just
one demographic.
[34:04] You have to buy for everybody
because when you serve
[34:07] everybody, and when somebody
comes into the library
[34:10] and they want something that
they can see themselves into
[34:16] and it I've seen it.
[34:18] When I hand a book to somebody
who really who was looking
[34:24] for it, or I recommended a
book and their face lights
[34:27] up because they know
you took the time
[34:29] to learn who they
are as a person
[34:32] and find a book that reflected
their life experience.
[34:36] There's so many different lived
experiences in this world.
[34:40] It's hard to buy
books for everyone,
[34:42] but the least we can do is try.
[34:45] So as collection development.
[34:47] I've worked as a
branch manager, I've
[34:51] worked as head of
collections, I've
[34:54] worked as a circulation clerk.
[34:55] I've done so many
different positions,
[34:57] and I have spoken to so many
different kinds of people.
[35:01] This was just a reminder to
me that I serve everybody,
[35:06] I serve all these people,
and so they all deserve
[35:09] something to see themselves in.
[35:11] So ensure access
to diverse stories,
[35:15] because in a time where people
are trying to take away some
[35:19] of those stories,
it's really important
[35:21] that libraries continue
to be the safe space
[35:24] for holding all those stories.
[35:29] And they shouldn't
just have stories
[35:31] that reflect their experience,
but they should have stories
[35:34] that make them feel welcomed
and affirmed because they don't
[35:38] always get that in schools.
[35:41] Or like growing up with
other kids, they get bullied.
[35:44] I got bullied as a
kid because I wore
[35:45] glasses, got weird nicknames.
[35:48] And so libraries are someplace
they come to be safe.
[35:55] The other thing I
learned a lot about
[35:57] was how to advocate
for libraries.
[36:00] The data alone doesn't
tell the story.
[36:04] Libraries have been suffering
a lot of funding cuts.
[36:08] So when you advocate they
reminded me when you advocate
[36:12] for library use, the data that
is amazing to tell a story
[36:17] because people hear
numbers and they're like,
[36:21] OK, yeah, that
sounds good, but what
[36:23] does that mean as an impact.
[36:26] And that's when you bring in
the story of a homeless person
[36:33] coming in to find
something at the library,
[36:36] and the library gave him a
water bottle or something
[36:39] to make him feel comfortable, or
you want to pair those numbers
[36:45] with faces of people to
make it, because that
[36:49] is how you are going to
advocate for your library.
[36:53] And we all have a part
to do play in that.
[36:59] Every one of us.
[37:00] And they were like
every one of you
[37:02] can be an advocate
from your library,
[37:05] and it doesn't
matter where you are
[37:07] or who you're talking to
could be talking to the person
[37:09] doing your teeth.
[37:10] You can advocate
for your library.
[37:12] There have advocated to the
library at my doctor's office,
[37:16] I'm like, have you seen the
latest stuff that we got today.
[37:18] Oh, you like that.
[37:19] Oh, you should come
to the library.
[37:22] People probably want me to shut
up, but I keep doing it anyway.
[37:27] Preach the Gospel of
library and Doctor.
[37:32] The keynote, KEYNOTE speakers.
[37:36] The speakers I
really related to was
[37:39] where LeVar Burton and
Doctor Biden because guys
[37:43] have to see Doctor Biden.
[37:45] Doctor what does
that not come up.
[37:46] When you were talking,
Doctor and Rachel Maddow said
[37:49] she had a crush on all of us.
[37:50] Yeah Doctor Biden,
can we go next time.
[37:55] I'll pay for my way.
[37:56] No, literally.
[37:56] I know commissioners
are encouraged to go to.
[38:00] 
[38:04] New Orleans to sit
up in the front row.
[38:07] The front row
right by the stage.
[38:09] And I took a bunch
of pictures and I
[38:12] should have put one in there.
[38:13] But she had such a mom
feel and she was just
[38:17] like I say to my
students all the time
[38:20] that we have to commit
ourselves to acts of kindness,
[38:23] that we have to be the ones
to keep the positivity going.
[38:28] In a world where
there's too much
[38:30] anger, too much hostility, too
much impatience with each other.
[38:35] She's like.
[38:35] She went on about
how much she loved
[38:37] libraries, how they were all
welcoming and inclusive places.
[38:41] And she's like, keep doing that.
[38:44] I love libraries and I love you.
[38:47] And then LeVar Burton
kind of bookend
[38:52] with LeVar Burton and these
thousands of librarians reading
[38:58] and he was.
[39:01] He talked about what
are the odds like.
[39:05] Yeah, it was just
favorite shows.
[39:07] Oh my God.
[39:08] He talked about that.
[39:10] He talked about Reading Rainbow
how it was like playing roots.
[39:15] How playing Geordi
La Forge, how he gave
[39:18] his input on his characters.
[39:20] And they said, we have to
keep pushing the positivity
[39:25] and bringing light.
[39:27] People love to read.
[39:29] He just loves Reading Rainbow
and he loves that he's reading.
[39:34] That's what we all love.
[39:36] And then he finished,
finished up with all of us
[39:39] singing Reading Rainbow.
[39:40] And that's fine.
[39:42] That's awesome.
[39:44] That was basically
that was basically.
[39:49] That was the most fun.
[39:51] That was my.
[39:52] No, literally it was amazing.
[39:53] And the vendors.
[39:54] So many things.
[39:55] So many ideas for
Library of things.
[39:57] So many ideas for more books.
[40:01] Yeah so take it away, EO.
[40:03] How am I supposed to.
[40:07] Like oh my goodness,
you guys were so good.
[40:11] You got this.
[40:12] Thank you.
[40:13] OK, so my name is Emily.
[40:15] We have two Emily's
that work in our system
[40:17] currently, so they call
me EO is my last name.
[40:22] 
[40:25] Thank you for clarifying.
[40:27] But this was my second
time going to ALA annual.
[40:30] My first time was with Rachel.
[40:33] They can't send us
without each other.
[40:35] We're a bonded.
[40:37] Yes we just learned
so much together.
[40:41] 
[40:43] But it was my first
time in Chicago.
[40:46] I've been all over the Midwest,
but I had never been to Chicago.
[40:49] I absolutely fell in
love with it there.
[40:53] Want to go back already, but
it was such a cool experience.
[40:58] So up on the screen
or in your little
[41:00] packets are a list of the
panels I was able to attend.
[41:05] I think the ones that really
resonated the most with me was
[41:10] the pre preschool because
we're always talking
[41:14] about pre kindergarten
and at first that's
[41:16] what I thought the panel was.
[41:17] And I'm like wait we said pre
twice like but it was all they
[41:24] gave so many good resources.
[41:26] It was a Wisconsin library
that got to partner with PBS.
[41:32] And they have so
many good resources
[41:35] for social and emotional
learning for toddlers
[41:39] before they go off to preschool.
[41:40] Because the issue that
they were having is like,
[41:44] that's the first
time the kid has
[41:46] been apart from their adults.
[41:48] And that's the thing I didn't
even think of with my toddlers
[41:51] and my toddlers.
[41:51] Storytime and just how
to build those really
[41:55] secure attachments with adults.
[41:57] So they're not like they don't
have that anxious attachment
[42:02] style, but just finding
out appropriate ways
[42:06] to build those safe
and secure attachments.
[42:10] And that's just kind of
eases them into preschool.
[42:14] The other panels that really
resonated with me on the book
[42:20] stage, they'll have
different publishers come up
[42:25] and talk about different
books that they're
[42:26] having or different topics.
[42:28] And I went to one that
talked about youth literature
[42:34] and embracing deaf culture.
[42:36] So going off on what Megan
said, just our responsibility,
[42:46] we have as a library staff
to make sure everybody
[42:50] feels seen, but also the
responsibility that we
[42:54] are being true to those voices.
[42:57] And we're not speaking
for those voices.
[43:00] We're amplifying those
voices, which we can do
[43:03] through literature, of course.
[43:04] But this panel was
very interesting
[43:08] because there is such a large
disconnect between people who
[43:14] are hearing and
how they understand
[43:18] deaf language and deaf
culture, because it's
[43:21] so much more than a language.
[43:23] It's a culture and
just understanding
[43:28] how to be respectful when you're
learning from deaf people, how
[43:32] you want to learn from
deaf teachers, and just
[43:40] the conscious and
unconscious bias of audism,
[43:45] because there's so many times
where hearing people think that,
[43:48] oh, we need to fix this
problem, but so many people
[43:52] in the deaf community
don't see it as a problem.
[43:55] That's their communication.
[43:58] So yes, just always trying to
put ourselves to understand
[44:05] different cultures.
[44:07] One of the panels I went
to in my first ALA annual
[44:13] was about Arab American
voices in libraries,
[44:18] and just how much
there is a disconnect
[44:21] between our education system
and understanding geography.
[44:27] And you get what I know.
[44:30] Yeah, I literally just woke up
the other day with my friends.
[44:32] It's not really taught anymore.
[44:34] Even when I was in school,
like, geography is not a thing.
[44:37] And just like I'm very
bad at trivia night
[44:39] and literally when it
lands on geography.
[44:43] Yeah good night.
[44:45] No right.
[44:47] But awesome.
[44:50] But just like and
even just getting
[44:53] confused with
ethnicity and religion
[44:56] and just those stereotypes.
[44:59] And so we bear a lot of that
responsibility to make sure
[45:03] we're spreading the
accurate information
[45:07] and always staying up to date.
[45:09] We're lifelong learners.
[45:11] Always trying our best to keep
up with what's going on matching
[45:16] the community needs.
[45:17] The other really
interesting panel I went to
[45:20] was crush climate anxiety.
[45:23] So this is definitely something.
[45:26] The newer generations are
learning more and more about.
[45:31] And they just gave ways to.
[45:33] 
[45:36] Acknowledge how the children how
a lot of these kids are feeling
[45:42] and how although it's like
this huge problem and it
[45:49] may make the kid feel
very, very small.
[45:53] There are ways that
we can take other
[45:56] and try and come back to that.
[45:59] But yeah, that one
was what's the word.
[46:05] Like sad.
[46:07] Yeah happy.
[46:08] Sad like just so overwhelming
and existential because I mean,
[46:15] that's what libraries
are always going to be.
[46:17] We're always going to have
to be reflecting on what
[46:20] the new generations need.
[46:22] And so it's very important.
[46:24] But it also is very harmful.
[46:27] It's just sad.
[46:28] But I think that this
being the 150 years of ALA,
[46:37] that they did a really nice job
of reflecting and connecting
[46:45] librarians on us, our core
bill of rights as librarians,
[46:51] but also us reflecting
and re-examining
[46:56] those to see how those Bill
of Rights continue today.
[47:01] 
[47:04] And then there are the
main stage speakers.
[47:06] I saw one of my favorite
authors, Min Jin Lee.
[47:10] Yes, I was sobbing.
[47:14] Yes And I was actually
able to get her newest book
[47:22] that's coming out on NetGalley.
[47:25] Oh yes.
[47:26] You guys should probably be
able to sign up for NetGalley.
[47:29] Yes a way to get electronic
advance reader copies if you
[47:35] haven't heard of it before.
[47:36] Yes and so they were
talking about her book.
[47:39] And I was like, wow, I know
what they're talking about.
[47:44] You haven't read
it yet, but yes.
[47:47] Yes it was.
[47:48] Yes it's such a good book.
[47:50] And she was just
such a great speaker
[47:53] and I'm a very emotional person.
[47:56] So I was just like everything,
what Rachel was saying earlier,
[48:01] I was like, oh my God, I can't
read that without crying.
[48:03] And that happened months ago.
[48:06] But yes.
[48:11] Oh, George and Johnson, that
was a great speaker too.
[48:14] I didn't even
realize that they're
[48:16] having another book come out.
[48:20] Just a lot about book bans.
[48:23] There was also talk about
what one of the panels
[48:27] talked about soft
and quiet book bans.
[48:30] So not like sometimes
you'll see it in the news
[48:34] like, oh, this school library
is taking out this book.
[48:38] But then a lot of the
times, it's just kind of
[48:41] pushed under the rug.
[48:44] Sure that's all I need
to say about that.
[48:47] We all know what's
going on with that.
[48:50] Yeah, I just saw
something about how.
[48:54] Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's not
going to get too crazy here.
[49:00] But yes, Rachel Maddow
is claiming they
[49:02] were all such great speakers.
[49:05] And then my last slide, I
got to meet Daniel typekit.
[49:10] Oh, I know that.
[49:12] I'm sorry, guys.
[49:13] That was my highlight.
[49:16] That was pretty crazy.
[49:18] And just being there.
[49:20] Oh, I was also wearing
my Arthur shirt that day
[49:23] and PBS getting so excited.
[49:26] Like the people at that booth.
[49:28] Like, it's just so
beautiful, such a inner child
[49:32] like healing experience.
[49:35] Yes so much cute stuff.
[49:37] I was so excited to
show my toddlers that I
[49:41] got to meet Daniel Tiger.
[49:43] Not to brag.
[49:44] We also got a bunch
of cool resources.
[49:47] We got blue storytime stuff.
[49:49] Yes, I was very happy
with all of the youth
[49:53] oriented stuff they had.
[49:56] Rachel was kind of
disappointed in me
[49:58] for including the picture
of the big hot dog
[50:02] going to town like Lizzie, but.
[50:05] Chicago in front of the bean.
[50:07] What are you going to do.
[50:09] It's like your job.
[50:10] 
[50:13] I know Kelce.
[50:15] Wow OK.
[50:18] Yes and there's me reading
from one of my favorite books.
[50:23] Genderqueer the author
was actually there.
[50:27] Yes, yes.
[50:28] And they signed a copy
of the book for me.
[50:31] Yes that was super cool.
[50:33] And I get to make.
[50:35] It was a very long line.
[50:37] And Megan.
[50:38] Megan got me, got me
empowered to get in the line
[50:43] because I was really
looking forward to that.
[50:45] I was like definitely have to
pick your battles with what
[50:49] you're doing because you're
just so much cool stuff
[50:52] and so much exciting stuff.
[50:54] And, well, don't worry, next
time we'll be there so we can.
[50:57] Yeah And take different.
[51:00] I love all of it.
[51:02] Yeah it looks like you
went to the Field Museum.
[51:05] Indeed yes.
[51:07] Oh, my goodness.
[51:08] That's such a good.
[51:11] Pattern recognition.
[51:13] Yes it was really cool.
[51:15] We were disappointed that the
Pokemon exhibit was sold out.
[51:20] It was OK.
[51:22] Yeah, that was very crazy.
[51:24] Like, I just want
you to take my money.
[51:26] Yeah, yeah.
[51:27] And then we did have
to take a cab back to.
[51:29] That was a really
crazy McCormick
[51:31] to see Rachel Maddow because
we couldn't get her back.
[51:34] That was.
[51:35] I had never been to.
[51:38] I didn't even know what she
was talking about anyway.
[51:42] But yeah, that
was my experience.
[51:44] I'm so grateful I got to
go and it's just so nice.
[51:47] It's so refreshing to be
around so many people who
[51:50] are so excited about the
same things and new things,
[51:54] and just it was wonderful.
[51:56] I'm going to start crying now.
[51:59] Are we able to ask a question.
[52:01] Absolutely This has been very
light here towards the end,
[52:06] but I want to ask
a serious question.
[52:07] In light of being a safe
place and hearing stories
[52:12] about children's experiences,
of not being somewhere safe,
[52:16] not the library,
but our librarians
[52:20] mandated reporters of abuse.
[52:23] Not in Arizona, unless you're
a school librarian, I know.
[52:30] Yeah, because that starts
to get interesting because
[52:34] of the ethics and.
[52:37] I know because I'm in
library school right now.
[52:40] I remember that was a big
thing that they talked
[52:43] about in my ethics course.
[52:45] And it's really difficult.
Yeah, that's all I can say.
[52:51] It's difficult. I can't speak
on surprise that we are not
[52:55] mandated reporters,
but we do have
[52:57] a close relationship with
our community officers
[52:59] who are going out.
[53:00] And so if we talked about
one of our patrons who
[53:03] tends to be a resident
here, and we see issues that
[53:05] are coming up, we
can talk to them
[53:07] about what options do we have.
[53:09] And then we also work with HSV.
[53:11] So we're not mandated,
but we have criers
[53:15] and we have very large hearts
in this library system.
[53:17] So we do have
resources to reach out.
[53:20] So you could never
see it and then not
[53:22] say we don't have to but we do.
[53:24] Yes right.
[53:25] You don't sit there
with this pent up
[53:27] knowledge you haven't placed.
[53:28] And I think that's a great
way how Ashley worded that.
[53:32] Because it's really important
to make sure that the person
[53:37] who it's affecting that
they have the autonomy,
[53:39] which is what makes
me nervous about being
[53:42] if we were mandated reporters.
[53:44] It's like, I don't
feel comfortable just
[53:46] going to the police right away.
[53:48] So making sure we're connected
with our community resources
[53:51] and that whoever we're
helping, we want to be helpful.
[53:56] Yeah love that.
[53:59] Thank you.
[54:01] Any other questions.
[54:03] I love that.
[54:04] Thank you so much.
[54:05] You guys are so
engaging and passionate
[54:08] and I love every minute of this.
[54:11] And I do want to
go next year now.
[54:13] And I have this registration for
and around the same time as WNBA
[54:19] all stars.
[54:19] So like, we could just
make it one big trip.
[54:21] I mean, Chicago, it was
just this past year.
[54:25] Yeah where is the
next one located.
[54:27] New Orleans.
[54:28] Oh, no.
[54:30] This was my first ala.
[54:31] And it was a great time.
[54:34] But speaking of that, I love
the ranking of the tote bags.
[54:38] But also I would love to know
what did you experience there
[54:41] in Chicago that you really
enjoyed that just added
[54:45] to the experience
and made it like,
[54:48] I'm so excited and energized
to go back to the conference
[54:50] because I got to see or do this.
[54:53] Yeah what I really
love about Chicago
[54:56] is it has a Midwest feel
like everyone is so nice,
[55:00] but you're still in a big city.
[55:03] So that was just
because I mentioned,
[55:06] I've been all over the
Midwest, but it was
[55:09] just so different in that way.
[55:11] Just everyone.
[55:12] So just do your thing, like.
[55:16] And people like I
remember cab driver.
[55:19] Oh, yeah.
[55:21] Our cab driver, there
was somebody honking,
[55:23] and he was just unfazed.
[55:26] I feel like here.
[55:28] Like it's scary to
honk, even if you think
[55:32] you're going to get hit.
[55:33] And they're just everybody
just and it's like, yeah.
[55:37] And it's just like
I love that honesty
[55:41] just don't have to worry.
[55:45] Yeah do you have a ranking
of the best things that you
[55:48] ate while you were there.
[55:49] I was going to say
my thing is the food,
[55:50] because I feel like you can
tell a lot about a place
[55:52] from the food.
[55:53] And my.
[55:54] My mom's from Michigan.
[55:55] I've been all over Michigan.
[55:57] I know the Midwest.
[55:57] I wasn't expecting
Chicago to have, like,
[56:00] such awesome diversity
and quality of food.
[56:03] We ate on a different
country every single night
[56:05] and it was always wonderful.
[56:07] This was my first
Chicago dog also.
[56:10] Yeah Emily almost got me punched
by the guy making the Chicago
[56:14] dog because I made a joke about
ketchup, and she goes out loud.
[56:17] Rachel, no, don't
put ketchup on it.
[56:19] And the guy just
turns real slow.
[56:23] No, he hands it to me and he
goes, don't put ketchup on it.
[56:27] I was going to anyway.
[56:32] But yes, the food
was really good.
[56:34] Chicago dog would
have again for sure.
[56:38] No scrunch dogs at Home
Depot has really good.
[56:41] OK, that's good to know.
[56:42] Yeah, I had an I went
I found a restaurant
[56:46] that my dad took my younger
brother to back in the back
[56:52] a few years ago.
[56:54] And because my family's from the
Midwest, I grew up in Wisconsin.
[56:58] And so Chicago, Chicago
is like going home.
[57:01] So I was like, as soon as I
got off the plane, I'm like,
[57:04] my people, I am here.
[57:08] So we went to a German
restaurant, which was delicious.
[57:11] But the best thing I
had in Chicago was this
[57:14] dessert called it was a s'more.
[57:17] It was a giant s'more.
[57:20] And they grilled it so that
you could actually taste the.
[57:26] You could smell the fire, that
it was like tasting us more.
[57:32] And it was giant.
[57:33] It was like this big and
it was most delicious
[57:38] dessert I had ever had.
[57:39] So I ate it like three more
times while I was there.
[57:44] And it was.
[57:45] And they were like,
unfortunately,
[57:47] one of the nights the
grill broke and they
[57:49] saw me coming because they.
[57:52] It's a small lady.
[57:53] Yeah they didn't,
they saw me coming
[57:55] and they're the grill broke.
[57:58] So it's not going
to have that fresh.
[58:00] And I'm like, oh,
it's fine, it's fine.
[58:03] And they knew it
wasn't really fine.
[58:05] But they one night
they comped me for it.
[58:07] So I was like, yeah,
it was really funny.
[58:10] So yeah.
[58:11] 
[58:15] So I literally went to a vendor
dinner like every single night.
[58:20] So we got to go into the
science museum after hours.
[58:25] So we had it to ourselves and
they were giving hors d'oeuvres
[58:29] and it was bacon
wrapped mushrooms.
[58:31] And so I didn't really get
anything fancy like you guys,
[58:34] but I had really good
food the whole time.
[58:37] Yeah, I don't It
was all catered.
[58:39] Mine was all free.
[58:40] Well, except for the
150th that you had to pay.
[58:42] It was a plated
was a plated night.
[58:45] And I would say the food
was not my favorite.
[58:48] The other ones that
I got to go to.
[58:50] So yeah.
[58:52] And you said for the
Obama, the library branch
[58:54] at the Obama center that
they have rooms that they
[58:57] will do programming in.
[58:58] Do they have programming now.
[59:00] It's separate from the library.
[59:01] So the library is very small.
[59:03] Like I can't
remember the square.
[59:05] I want to say it was like
5000ft Don't quote me on that.
[59:10] But I remember it being
half the size of a sort.
[59:12] So it has the tiny little
room where there's only two.
[59:16] A two person desk for
checkout and check in.
[59:18] Like that's it.
[59:19] And then there's another
room that's called
[59:21] the Presidential reading room.
[59:24] And so that one's it's
everything in there.
[59:27] President Obama picked and
there's one little desk
[59:29] in there, and then there's
some tiny little STEM areas
[59:33] to do, like maker space.
[59:35] And when I tell you
the staff area guys,
[59:38] I was like, I'm never going to
complain about my staff area
[59:41] again.
[59:41] I could literally
touch both sides.
[59:44] It had a sink right here.
[59:45] It had four lockers
and two desks,
[59:48] and there's nine
staff members there.
[59:51] So I was like, where
are they all sitting.
[59:53] I was kind of confused, but
yeah, it's very, very small.
[59:56] So they are going to
have to do programming
[59:57] next door at the other museum.
[59:59] But that had tons
of program rooms
[1:00:01] tons downstairs in the basement.
[1:00:03] And it had a really
cool theater where
[1:00:05] I got to watch the whole
thing about presidents.
[1:00:07] President Obama's presidency.
[1:00:09] And it brought me to tears
like it was a lot of fun.
[1:00:12] And then somehow I ended
up at a block party.
[1:00:17] Ex-mayor of Chicago.
[1:00:19] I don't know how I
ended up at that one.
[1:00:20] I was just ending
up at these places
[1:00:23] where people are
going to be like.
[1:00:25] They're like, oh
yeah, next to me was.
[1:00:28] Like, hey, I don't know what I'm
doing here, but nice to be here.
[1:00:32] Thanks for having me.
[1:00:33] And I just got some food
and some drinks and.
[1:00:36] Hi I'm Emmanuel.
[1:00:37] No yeah, it was a lot.
[1:00:40] It was a lot of fun.
[1:00:41] I really met a lot
of cool people.
[1:00:43] I met like all of
Chicago's library.
[1:00:46] I mean, they think they have
20 some libraries or something.
[1:00:49] I mean, it's a lot of libraries.
[1:00:50] I think the Obama
ones, like the 22nd or.
[1:00:52] Yeah so I met, like most
of the branch managers
[1:00:55] for all the different
Chicago libraries.
[1:00:56] It was just a lot of fun.
[1:00:57] I had a lot of Uber rides.
[1:00:59] I've never taken so many
Uber rides in my entire life.
[1:01:02] I really know how
to use Uber now.
[1:01:06] Is it hard to travel there, when
you're going in between stuff.
[1:01:08] It's like the Uber is
like traffic crazy.
[1:01:11] Like I'm going to teach them
how to use public transit
[1:01:13] in Chicago next time.
[1:01:14] Yeah, it is so easy.
[1:01:16] I never did that.
[1:01:17] I never did the public ride the
bus when I took e-bikes and mine
[1:01:20] didn't work, so that was cool.
[1:01:23] And I think I got
honked at three times.
[1:01:26] Yeah so I was Obama
library funded differently.
[1:01:31] I thought I heard
somewhere that it's
[1:01:33] funded differently than the
other Presidential Library.
[1:01:37] I think it's the only
Presidential Library,
[1:01:39] like true Presidential Library.
[1:01:41] Like the only one, I think.
[1:01:42] Oh, yeah.
[1:01:43] Yeah it's the only one
that has an actual lending
[1:01:45] library branch in it.
[1:01:47] Oh and that it's not
just a research library.
[1:01:50] Yeah, well, there's a center,
and then there's the library.
[1:01:54] Connected But they're
also different.
[1:01:58] Yeah, it's really cool.
[1:02:00] Everyone should go.
[1:02:01] Did you get on that ladder
and ride across the room.
[1:02:05] No, but I took the picture
specifically for Kelsey, so.
[1:02:08] OK I really wanted to do that.
[1:02:10] Like in beauty.
[1:02:12] Well, that is a dream.
[1:02:15] Never mind.
[1:02:16] Next time.
[1:02:17] Yeah next time.
[1:02:18] Well, I just echo what she said.
[1:02:20] Your guys' passion.
[1:02:21] Every time you talk,
I swear I'm just like,
[1:02:22] I got into I'm so
passionate about my job
[1:02:24] and I love what I do.
[1:02:25] And every time I
hear you, I'm like,
[1:02:26] I think I should
become a librarian.
[1:02:29] Hey it's working.
[1:02:31] That's another one.
[1:02:32] I'm like, I love what I do, too.
[1:02:35] I mean, you just make me like.
[1:02:37] That's how she got
me, that's for sure.
[1:02:38] Oh, it's so good.
[1:02:40] I'm going to cry.
[1:02:41] 
[1:02:44] Yeah And Emily, I
want to tell you,
[1:02:47] you're talking about being a
person who makes impact on kids.
[1:02:50] My son.
[1:02:51] Well, my four-year-old
will literally.
[1:02:52] If you're at the desk,
he waits for you to be
[1:02:55] available to check stuff out.
[1:02:57] I hired her three times.
[1:03:02] He'll go ask her for things.
[1:03:03] Like when we're doing
a scavenger hunt.
[1:03:04] If he doesn't have a
pencil, he'll like.
[1:03:06] There's people at
the desk open, and he
[1:03:08] will go to her putting books
away and ask her for a pencil.
[1:03:11] So you've made that impact.
[1:03:14] She's so happy.
[1:03:15] That's my favorite part
of working in my life.
[1:03:18] Just so stressful.
[1:03:24] But yeah.
[1:03:24] Shout out Bambi.
[1:03:25] She introduced me
to the library.
[1:03:27] Oh, geez.
[1:03:28] She hired me when we were
with the County as a page,
[1:03:31] and I was like,
she's going to be.
[1:03:33] Yeah, this is just
going to be like.
[1:03:37] Yeah, yeah.
[1:03:38] You're going to go to
school for psychology.
[1:03:39] Yeah she switched.
[1:03:41] Yeah but I think
eventually maybe one day.
[1:03:45] But I'm very happy
where I am right now.
[1:03:48] Well, we're happy where you are.
[1:03:50] 
[1:03:53] Thanks, guys.
[1:03:53] Amazing thank you.
[1:03:55] And you get a glimpse into
what the back of our workroom
[1:03:58] sounds like at all times.
[1:04:00] It is a very fun place to be
because we have such characters,
[1:04:03] but they love it.
[1:04:04] A truly like this is
why we want to send them
[1:04:07] is because they have passion.
[1:04:09] We can't teach them everything.
[1:04:10] And we should get out of
surprise and see what else.
[1:04:12] Teachers are working hard.
[1:04:16] But it's just wonderful
to see them connect
[1:04:18] because they come
back and they're like,
[1:04:19] I'm going to do everything.
[1:04:20] And I was like,
maybe once a week,
[1:04:22] like, chill, take a
deep breath, OK, now go.
[1:04:25] And you do that when
you go, I gotta go.
[1:04:27] 
[1:04:31] I gotta tell the best part.
[1:04:32] So they've talked about
getting a lot of free stuff.
[1:04:36] I had so much free stuff that I
walked blocks with my suitcase.
[1:04:41] I already checked out of
the hotel and a box of books
[1:04:44] to mail because I am
cheap, so I wanted
[1:04:47] to find the local post office.
[1:04:49] So I walked like four
blocks with my suitcase,
[1:04:52] my carry on, my backpack and the
box of books to mail back here.
[1:04:58] It's also fun to watch you guys
react to them because we're
[1:05:01] all library nerds.
[1:05:02] Whether you like it or not,
we're all in it together, so.
[1:05:06] Well, yeah, they
said LeVar Burton.
[1:05:08] I was like, I right.
[1:05:09] What I know when everybody
saw Rachel's tote bags
[1:05:13] and just like, understood.
[1:05:15] Like, oh yeah, that was
the best because it's IKEA.
[1:05:18] Thank you.
[1:05:21] Well thank you guys.
[1:05:22] Thank you so much.
[1:05:24] May I have that clip, please.
[1:05:26] Yes throw it.
[1:05:27] That's a hard act to follow.
[1:05:29] I didn't know that.
[1:05:30] You could just go.
[1:05:32] If that's the case, I
will be there next year,
[1:05:33] like on New Orleans.
[1:05:35] Awesome and I've
just now learned like
[1:05:38] to not be scared of flights.
[1:05:39] So like, I'm ready to
travel, so I need to go.
[1:05:43] Yeah I think some of us
will be going next year.
[1:05:46] So we.
[1:05:47] 
[1:05:53] Need to make myself care so I
can be invited to this again.
[1:05:55] You don't have to.
[1:05:57] I'm just.
[1:05:58] I'm just.
[1:05:59] I'm just telling
you I'm going to go.
[1:06:01] Just go to New
Orleans and chill.
[1:06:02] Yeah you can just
tell that you are.
[1:06:05] And they would
never question you.
[1:06:07] Yeah, well, you were chair.
[1:06:09] You keep saying that.
[1:06:11] You were saying it's like being
a former president, right.
[1:06:14] Yeah we got an Obama title.
[1:06:16] Obama same.
[1:06:17] Same OK.
[1:06:21] Presentation and discussion on
the 2026 summer reading program
[1:06:24] on Earth.
[1:06:25] I'm sorry.
[1:06:25] I'm not as funny as
all of them together.
[1:06:28] We're going to have some fun.
[1:06:29] I just wanted to do
a brief overview.
[1:06:30] I knew we had a lot
on the agenda tonight,
[1:06:32] but summer reading is huge.
[1:06:34] Our staff put so much time,
so much effort into it.
[1:06:38] Again, at the same point
of view you just watched,
[1:06:40] we have to tell them to
not do 12 more programs
[1:06:42] that are already doing 37.
[1:06:44] Please stop.
[1:06:45] Choose it for another month.
[1:06:46] So I just like to bring
in the numbers and a few
[1:06:49] of the pictures,
just to see exactly
[1:06:51] the impact that
our staff are doing
[1:06:53] and really how we're growing.
[1:06:55] So this year, our
registered users were 6673.
[1:07:00] For context, our very first
year in 2023, we had 2000.
[1:07:04] Wow that's insane.
[1:07:07] Word has gotten out.
[1:07:08] People love our coupons.
[1:07:10] They love the program.
[1:07:11] They love all of our secret
codes and our scavenger hunts.
[1:07:15] We get yelled at by kids
that we don't switch
[1:07:17] the scavenger hunts enough.
[1:07:19] They're very serious.
[1:07:20] So then we do extra
ones during the summer
[1:07:21] and it's still not enough.
[1:07:23] Our first time participants
ever in a summer reading
[1:07:26] program at all was over $3,000.
[1:07:29] Wow that's amazing.
[1:07:30] We are.
[1:07:32] I want to shout
from the rooftops
[1:07:34] that the library has things.
[1:07:35] And this is showing that we're.
[1:07:36] Something's working.
[1:07:37] It's our staff going
out to those outreaches.
[1:07:39] It's again, I'm going to
come back to the programs
[1:07:41] that they're planning.
[1:07:42] There's also
dinosaurs this year.
[1:07:43] So like people lose their
mind over dinosaurs.
[1:07:49] We were fantastic.
[1:07:50] We had 3,600 achievers.
[1:07:51] So these are all people that
reached 1,000 minutes or more.
[1:07:54] And there are some
kids who will keep
[1:07:56] putting in their minutes and
it's getting 2, 3, 4 or 5,000.
[1:08:00] Over the six month span,
some of them do it in a day.
[1:08:04] As impressive.
[1:08:05] The badges are
through the program
[1:08:08] where you get badges for
different it community events.
[1:08:12] You go to Secret codes minutes.
[1:08:14] They're kind of
sprinkled in there.
[1:08:16] That is a lot of badges.
[1:08:18] And total minutes
were over 9 million.
[1:08:20] And these are just
surprised residents
[1:08:23] or surprise participants because
you have to choose your branch.
[1:08:28] I'm million minutes is a lot.
[1:08:30] It is amazing that we
are a budget person.
[1:08:33] I'm actually going to call that
just shy of a billion, right.
[1:08:36] It's awesome.
[1:08:38] I can learn from you.
[1:08:39] And every day we're a
tag team next month.
[1:08:42] Yeah, but now I lost.
[1:08:45] My train of thought
completely derailed me.
[1:08:49] I don't a lot of minutes.
[1:08:50] It is a lot of minutes.
[1:08:52] But it's just amazing to see.
[1:08:53] Just how much our
community is coming
[1:08:55] together and enjoying reading
and also enjoying the program.
[1:09:00] The first summer reading meeting
for next year is in October,
[1:09:04] so this is a year long event.
[1:09:07] Bambi, you're still in here,
so I'm going to call on you.
[1:09:09] What is this picture from.
[1:09:12] Jamie's Dino.
[1:09:13] It was a Dino dinosaur
program, wasn't it.
[1:09:17] The dinosaur parade.
[1:09:18] Dinosaur parade.
[1:09:18] Yeah what was the
parade all through.
[1:09:20] She played Jurassic Park and
walked the entire perimeter
[1:09:25] inside the library.
[1:09:26] They made these
little dinosaurs.
[1:09:28] I love that.
[1:09:29] It goes like.
[1:09:30] And the feet.
[1:09:31] And I believe that's hot dog.
[1:09:32] Chicago dog.
[1:09:33] Rachel inside the dinosaur.
[1:09:35] Oh, yeah.
[1:09:37] Chicago dog.
[1:09:38] She does tend to be some
of our costumed events.
[1:09:42] Rachel's fantastic and a
great character for those.
[1:09:46] But this was.
[1:09:47] People kept talking about it.
[1:09:48] We had people come up to Bambi
and when I was working the desk
[1:09:50] the next week, talking
about how much fun they had
[1:09:52] at the dinosaur
parade, because we
[1:09:53] had a lot of velociraptors
roaming through the library
[1:09:56] with the Jurassic Park music.
[1:09:57] I mean, you hear
it going off and
[1:09:58] everyone's like, what is that.
[1:10:00] I think we had a program where
we were working in the back,
[1:10:02] and someone started the music
and we were like, Jurassic Park.
[1:10:06] We were actually in
a very formal meeting
[1:10:08] and we were both like.
[1:10:09] 
[1:10:15] I did that one just for
you, but it's not a snake.
[1:10:17] So for context, within just this
June 1 and July 31, the reading
[1:10:23] program ends the 20th.
[1:10:24] But our staff can't
stop themselves.
[1:10:26] We did 110 just summer
reading programs.
[1:10:29] That's not including
our book clubs,
[1:10:30] our storytimes, our crafts
that are every month programs.
[1:10:33] They did 110 extra.
[1:10:37] We have 20 programmers, I
think within all of our staff,
[1:10:42] 2025 programmers at 110.
[1:10:44] That's a lot we had over.
[1:10:47] Excuse me.
[1:10:47] We had near $7,000
program attendees.
[1:10:52] So these numbers are very fun.
[1:10:54] And as Megan was saying,
they want to tell a story.
[1:10:58] The numbers are
the story at times.
[1:11:00] Like it is amazing that
we had near as many people
[1:11:03] come to programs as
we had registered,
[1:11:05] which is still quadruple of
what we've had in the past.
[1:11:09] We also bring in a ton of
teens for our summer reading.
[1:11:13] They work the front
desk or front desk.
[1:11:15] The summer reading desk.
[1:11:16] They hand out prizes,
which saves our lives.
[1:11:19] When you have million minutes
and prizes for all of them.
[1:11:23] Excuse me.
[1:11:23] 10,000,000 minutes, 10
million, I don't a billion,
[1:11:27] billion, billion.
[1:11:28] I've lost my brain.
[1:11:30] And so, just a really awesome
thing to see our community
[1:11:33] come in and help us as
well, because we need it.
[1:11:36] So it's shelving that's doing
the summer reading programs.
[1:11:38] They're coming in
and helping set
[1:11:39] up for all the different
crafts and then
[1:11:41] breaking down the paint.
[1:11:44] So pictures on this one.
[1:11:46] Wild man Phil, people
adore him, not Kelsey.
[1:11:49] He brings in snakes and
lizards and Gila monsters.
[1:11:52] And he came in on
a Monday at Asante
[1:11:55] and we had 400 people at
that one on a Monday morning,
[1:11:59] which is usually a very
quiet day for programming
[1:12:03] because we don't have as many
staff at Asante on Monday
[1:12:05] and sold out the house.
[1:12:06] It was amazing.
[1:12:08] The middle one is from
Baby cave painting,
[1:12:11] so I put there a
lot of the parents
[1:12:14] disrobed their kids so they
could really play in the paint.
[1:12:17] Didn't want to
post that publicly
[1:12:19] and respects to the parents.
[1:12:20] But they were covered in paint.
[1:12:24] But they were cave
paintings everywhere.
[1:12:25] It was the most adorable
thing in the world.
[1:12:28] That was a cool program
that Lisa put on.
[1:12:30] And then we had our I can't
remember the name of this group.
[1:12:33] Dino Dino crew.
[1:12:35] Maddie and Kelsey's child.
[1:12:41] These guys come in full dinosaur
getup and it is 110 degrees out.
[1:12:46] So we're very grateful that they
did our first day, our kickoff.
[1:12:51] So just such a cool thing.
[1:12:53] And the kids love this.
[1:12:54] When you can take a story
and learning from dinosaurs
[1:12:57] or just reading books about
dinosaurs and fictional stories,
[1:13:01] and then to have
them come alive.
[1:13:02] It's very, very cool.
[1:13:05] It gets everyone going.
[1:13:07] Dinosaurs and I always
want to take a moment.
[1:13:11] I tried to get everyone on here.
[1:13:13] This was the easiest
way to do it.
[1:13:14] We have so many people within
our community that I want
[1:13:17] to thank, and we work
with them every year,
[1:13:20] and they're always willing
to come in and we're like,
[1:13:22] hey, by the way, I know you
gave us 4,000 coupons last year.
[1:13:25] Now it's up to 6,000.
[1:13:26] Is that OK.
[1:13:27] And every time they
want to join in.
[1:13:30] So like our mainstays
that are just
[1:13:31] within surprise, our Portillo's,
Culver's, Panda Express, Oreo,
[1:13:38] Queen jet's pizza.
[1:13:40] What are the things
that are habit.
[1:13:42] Habit? no.
[1:13:43] Was countywide, wasn't it.
[1:13:44] Yeah Phoenix Raceway was us.
[1:13:47] Yeah Phoenix Raceway.
[1:13:50] Texas Roadhouse.
[1:13:51] Our friends of the library,
like the Phoenix Raceway was.
[1:13:53] I didn't see those.
[1:13:54] It was like a coloring book.
[1:13:55] And then on the
back, you could enter
[1:13:58] a drawing for free tickets.
[1:13:59] OK, I didn't see that.
[1:14:00] And they want to
do more with that.
[1:14:01] So I'm like, can we
get a car out front.
[1:14:05] You can drive it
around the block.
[1:14:06] Let's see.
[1:14:06] Yeah, yeah.
[1:14:07] So we're just it's amazing
to see every year we get more
[1:14:11] sponsors that want to come
on board because they believe
[1:14:13] in what our staff
is doing, but also
[1:14:15] they're part of this community.
[1:14:16] And it's just it's those
little things that build
[1:14:18] community that I just adore.
[1:14:21] I turn in my Culver's and
people are like, oh, did
[1:14:23] you get this from the library.
[1:14:24] I'm like, yes, I did,
thank you so much.
[1:14:26] I got 25 minutes
until my next meeting.
[1:14:28] Can I have my food.
[1:14:29] No, I'm just kidding.
[1:14:31] But it is very fun to see
how many come through.
[1:14:33] And like I said, we're getting
more and more every year.
[1:14:35] And these people keep
signing up every single time.
[1:14:38] I'll give you 1,000 more.
[1:14:39] Oh, you ran out.
[1:14:40] Let me give you 1,000 more.
[1:14:41] So we're very, very grateful.
[1:14:44] We have awesome prizes.
[1:14:45] But these add to it.
[1:14:46] And it also brings
people to surprise,
[1:14:48] to spend money and surprise
and continue to grow.
[1:14:51] So I can never say
enough about it.
[1:14:54] Can I do comments
positive in a critical.
[1:14:56] Sorry positive.
[1:14:58] The staff here as is
always amazing when we
[1:15:00] come in to collect the prizes.
[1:15:03] They were out of one of
the ones that I don't know.
[1:15:06] I think it was the Barrio
queen or something.
[1:15:09] We don't have any
more of the whatever.
[1:15:11] Will you take a
Culver's instead.
[1:15:13] And we're like, are you kidding.
[1:15:15] Yes thank you.
[1:15:16] So we're picking the
colors and then it's
[1:15:18] the County wide sponsor, but
just as we provide feedback
[1:15:22] back the mercury again,
we ran into difficulty
[1:15:25] with the ticketing
process and I had
[1:15:27] to escalate all the way up to
the vice president of the Suns
[1:15:30] just to get my tickets.
[1:15:32] I was not happy.
[1:15:33] Wild yeah.
[1:15:35] You're committed.
[1:15:35] But we went.
[1:15:36] It was a good game.
[1:15:37] They won.
[1:15:37] It was the Brittney
Griner came back game
[1:15:40] and we won and all that.
[1:15:42] But still, it was like I
shouldn't have to fight
[1:15:46] to get tickets like that.
[1:15:47] So just feedback I
appreciate it because we can.
[1:15:50] The Phoenix Mercury is a
sponsor through the County
[1:15:53] who the County then
gives prizes to everyone.
[1:15:55] Just for context, I love
I'm going on Saturday, so
[1:15:59] and I have another two games
lined up, so I'll let you know.
[1:16:02] And that was my thing.
[1:16:03] I was like, we want to
support the local community
[1:16:05] and we want to support
our sports teams,
[1:16:07] but not if I have to
beg you, yes, to get
[1:16:10] me to switch apps this year.
[1:16:11] And their logistics team is
probably going through it,
[1:16:14] because even in
other libraries, we
[1:16:16] have to refer them to a
helpline because there's
[1:16:19] just so much going on that
we don't have control over.
[1:16:21] Exactly, yeah, yeah.
[1:16:22] But we pass all of that on.
[1:16:24] We do surveys and we
let everyone know.
[1:16:28] Yeah, it was difficult. There
was a week where Kelsey and I
[1:16:31] were going back and forth.
[1:16:32] Every time one of
us would try, it's
[1:16:33] like it's still not working.
[1:16:34] But what I made it work.
[1:16:35] Took her a couple more days.
[1:16:37] If the Gabe Zimmerman
award winners came.
[1:16:40] That's right.
[1:16:41] 
[1:16:44] Oh, you just know who to call.
[1:16:46] And you get it taken care of.
[1:16:47] But still, lots of publicity
about these events that
[1:16:51] are on our social
media and so forth.
[1:16:53] But how else is it these
statistics are so fantastic.
[1:16:57] Where else are you
going to publicize that.
[1:17:01] The front desk.
[1:17:02] Front desk.
[1:17:03] I think that that's a lot
of the places that I work.
[1:17:06] The front desk, a
measly four hours.
[1:17:08] And it's like every
time someone comes in
[1:17:10] and they're like, oh,
it's summer reading.
[1:17:12] Like it's make sure
you sign up for us
[1:17:14] because you still get
all the County stuff
[1:17:16] and a little bit more.
[1:17:17] And I think as you
look at the expansion.
[1:17:20] And as we plan for
outreach and sponsorships,
[1:17:22] we are becoming like
the West Valley library.
[1:17:26] Sorry, Avondale, but so
building that reputation
[1:17:29] of like, no, we're
going to have fun,
[1:17:30] we're going to do
really cool stuff.
[1:17:32] And I think that what separates
us from a lot of the other ones,
[1:17:34] it's very easy just to take the
County prizes and be like, yeah.
[1:17:37] And then we're going to
have some extra programs
[1:17:39] and we're like, no, no, no.
[1:17:40] And then you get all of these
big people love these prizes.
[1:17:44] I guess what I didn't ask that.
[1:17:46] I know the statistics.
[1:17:48] Yeah our library dashboard
is our number one.
[1:17:51] It's on our website.
[1:17:52] We want to send that out.
[1:17:54] We also work with our
marketing communications team
[1:17:58] and through the
city, and we're going
[1:18:00] to be in the progress magazine.
[1:18:02] And so we'll show some
of our numbers there.
[1:18:05] It depends on the lineup
of when they come out,
[1:18:07] where sometimes it's
not all of our numbers,
[1:18:10] but we're just happy to show,
no, no, no, look at this.
[1:18:12] We've done this.
[1:18:14] And commission loves
to tell people.
[1:18:16] All right.
[1:18:17] So you guys but also
back to Kelsey's point.
[1:18:21] Like we tell our
staff these numbers.
[1:18:23] And then when someone goes oh my
God I love your summer reading.
[1:18:25] They're like, did we
had $7,000 people.
[1:18:28] Like they want to brag about
what we're doing as well.
[1:18:30] So how about this surprise
independent or something
[1:18:33] like that.
[1:18:34] Love if they pick it up.
[1:18:35] Oh, do you submit it.
[1:18:37] And sometimes they don't.
[1:18:38] Our marketing department does.
[1:18:39] Our marketing leads all of that.
[1:18:41] But feel free if
you found something
[1:18:43] that maybe they should know.
[1:18:45] Yeah or.
[1:18:48] Yeah oh.
[1:18:49] That's cool.
[1:18:49] You guys can do more
things than we can.
[1:18:51] Do you have a breakdown in
demographics as far as age.
[1:18:54] How many teens adults use.
[1:18:55] Yes, so data just curious of the
3,000 new people we get whatever
[1:19:02] because we can go in
and pull if it's 0
[1:19:04] to 5 because the different
age groups you sign up for.
[1:19:07] Yeah do I have that on here.
[1:19:08] I think last year I was
looking up because I like
[1:19:11] am competitive a little bit.
[1:19:12] So I was comparing it to
Scottsdale, not to Phoenix,
[1:19:15] but bigger cities like,
well, our numbers like
[1:19:18] and our numbers are
actually close to or better
[1:19:20] than Scottsdale.
[1:19:21] And a lot of the metrics for
last year's summer reading,
[1:19:24] I don't know how we finished.
[1:19:25] But for the first few
weeks, we were the number
[1:19:29] one branch outside of Phoenix.
[1:19:32] Wow so every week I checked,
I looked at your guys' name
[1:19:34] to see where you guys were at.
[1:19:36] And I was like, yeah, you
guys are easily up there.
[1:19:39] Yeah at one point, I believe
off the top of my head,
[1:19:42] I'm logging in to see
if I can see it quickly.
[1:19:44] But just like any librarian,
there's data all over the place,
[1:19:48] so it's pulling the actual right
numbers is what I got to find
[1:19:51] at one point in the
middle of the summer,
[1:19:53] we were beating everybody
but County and Phoenix.
[1:19:56] You have 15, 16, 17 libraries.
[1:20:01] So like, obviously they're
going to beat us every time.
[1:20:04] Mesa and Chandler.
[1:20:05] So we were the largest
in the West Valley.
[1:20:07] But Glendale is bigger than us,
Scottsdale is bigger than us.
[1:20:10] And we were having
numbers bigger.
[1:20:12] Chandler's always had a
killer summer reading.
[1:20:14] They are the people that we
want to be because somehow they
[1:20:16] are destroying all the time.
[1:20:18] And mesa is just huge as well.
[1:20:20] It's a very large population.
[1:20:21] So let's see.
[1:20:25] And we also receive
feedback in like a survey.
[1:20:28] So less quantitative or
qualitative of like here's
[1:20:32] what we really like.
[1:20:33] We didn't like this.
[1:20:34] And they provide
that directly to us.
[1:20:36] So we can see great Bay County.
[1:20:41] Yeah the County runs the survey.
[1:20:43] And then they give
us our results.
[1:20:44] And I believe they do it both
from a staff and a patron side.
[1:20:48] OK, interesting.
[1:20:50] OK I mean, do you guys are you
going to submit it to that.
[1:20:54] The video, they do
the surprise lately.
[1:20:57] There's the two
ladies that do the.
[1:21:01] Yeah, yeah.
[1:21:02] Virginia yeah, yeah.
[1:21:04] They're part of
our marketing team
[1:21:06] and we meet with Nicole
every other week, so.
[1:21:08] She tries to slip
us in as many times.
[1:21:11] We graciously have to understand
there are other city departments
[1:21:14] who also deserve the spotlight.
[1:21:16] Not really.
[1:21:17] But someday we will convince
Nicole that we should
[1:21:19] be the first and only time.
[1:21:21] Yeah does it happen every time.
[1:21:23] But I mean, the summer reading
numbers are impressive,
[1:21:25] so maybe you guys can make
your own little library
[1:21:28] talk show for your library.
[1:21:31] Yeah library lately.
[1:21:32] Yeah OK.
[1:21:34] It's OK if you don't have
it right at your fingers.
[1:21:36] I'm just curious.
[1:21:36] Yeah it's OK.
[1:21:37] Our next meeting, I found it.
[1:21:39] I just have to
figure out exactly.
[1:21:43] I'm going to guess adults is my.
[1:21:45] That would be your highest
improving age category.
[1:21:49] That's kind of what
I was wondering.
[1:21:50] I feel like adults really got
into literacy this past summer,
[1:21:54] as they should, but
I think a lot of them
[1:21:57] don't realize that they're
eligible because they're
[1:22:00] working the desk.
[1:22:01] And I'm like, oh, like my kids.
[1:22:03] And they're in your name.
[1:22:04] They're like, oh no,
I'm not signed up.
[1:22:05] And I'm like should be
like, well, I read it
[1:22:09] and I'm like, that counts.
[1:22:10] Yeah, yeah, that's
a two for one.
[1:22:12] You should just
read to a classroom.
[1:22:13] Yeah OK.
[1:22:16] I got the first numbers.
[1:22:19] Removing Phoenix and County.
[1:22:21] Chandler and mesa were
the only two libraries
[1:22:23] with more registered users.
[1:22:24] Chandler and Chandler and mesa.
[1:22:26] Mesa and then let me see
if I can find I love data.
[1:22:29] Let me give you data.
[1:22:30] I think it's bigger
than we are overall.
[1:22:33] Yes which I mean, like
Scottsdale, Glendale,
[1:22:35] like most places, are
substantially bigger
[1:22:38] than we are.
[1:22:39] How many does Avondale have.
[1:22:41] I mean, you were just.
[1:22:42] Tommy, you gotta ask this.
[1:22:44] When I were here,
what was the question.
[1:22:45] Not a lot.
[1:22:48] Branches we have two.
[1:22:50] Yes And people.
[1:22:52] As in workers.
[1:22:53] No patrons.
[1:22:54] Patrons, whatever.
[1:22:55] It's a good question.
[1:22:57] I was like, on a daily basis
or during summer reading.
[1:23:00] Summer reading.
[1:23:00] Because you were
saying we're trying
[1:23:02] to be take what surprises and
cut it in half like, all right.
[1:23:06] We did have a lot
of good numbers.
[1:23:07] We've got I was going to
say, their library director,
[1:23:10] and I work together
at one point,
[1:23:12] so I do talk to her
pretty frequently.
[1:23:14] Their main branch has
similar statistics to Asante.
[1:23:16] OK yeah.
[1:23:17] And that's the one I work
at, is their main branch.
[1:23:20] OK I think we had
about 4,400 finishers
[1:23:25] for our summer reading program.
[1:23:27] Which was pretty good.
[1:23:28] And it was mostly adults
was our number one category.
[1:23:31] A lot of pre readers.
[1:23:33] That's cool.
[1:23:34] Yeah OK.
[1:23:34] Good OK.
[1:23:37] So one format thing so I can
actually see what I'm doing.
[1:23:43] 
[1:23:48] Let's see.
[1:23:49] So adults were at 2,300.
[1:23:57] Teens were at just shy of 1,000.
[1:24:03] Our kids were at 2,500 again.
[1:24:07] So adults and kids
are kids is 5 to 11.
[1:24:10] And then pre-readers
is 4 and below.
[1:24:12] And they were at 900.
[1:24:14] So adults and kids
right at that same age.
[1:24:17] So same numbers.
[1:24:19] That's awesome.
[1:24:22] Any other questions on
summer reading crushing it.
[1:24:26] Yeah as usual our
staff are great.
[1:24:30] Like it's exciting
because we get to be
[1:24:31] the ones to tell you guys.
[1:24:32] But like saw it there
babbling, excited and thinking
[1:24:36] about the next program.
[1:24:37] Like we can't slow
them down enough.
[1:24:39] And it is just so fun to
come in and brag and just
[1:24:42] be like a proud mama
bear every single time
[1:24:43] of like, look what they did.
[1:24:46] So just mad.
[1:24:47] Kudos to all of our staff two
50th yet or is that coming up.
[1:24:51] You don't have to do it.
[1:24:52] Yes I will have to do a recap.
[1:24:54] OK Maybe next month.
[1:24:56] Next time.
[1:24:57] The stats.
[1:24:58] It's because I don't think
it's over because our November
[1:25:00] program is still in my head.
[1:25:01] Oh, I see, I haven't done
one because that was fun too.
[1:25:03] And being able to do both at
the same time was pretty cool.
[1:25:08] Don't tell staff that
it's in your outlook.
[1:25:13] Nicole sent it to us.
[1:25:15] The stars, oh, obviously
the stars and stories.
[1:25:18] Never mind.
[1:25:18] 
[1:25:21] For next time OK.
[1:25:23] Yeah next meeting.
[1:25:24] We'll do that.
[1:25:26] All right, so call
to the public.
[1:25:30] There is no public.
[1:25:33] Would you like to say something.
[1:25:35] No OK.
[1:25:36] No no no no.
[1:25:38] Other business and
future agenda items.
[1:25:41] Discussion is open.
[1:25:43] Do we have anything planned for
the new Gen. Multi-gen center.
[1:25:48] Like anything, we have to.
[1:25:50] Yes I'm going to be
emailing you guys
[1:25:51] all the fun stuff coming up.
[1:25:53] So we are having a
soft open next week.
[1:25:56] We're inviting the
families and patrons
[1:25:58] who come to hollyhock the most.
[1:26:00] So that'll be a quiet thing.
[1:26:02] Our marketing team will be
there to catch the kids,
[1:26:05] and we'll have word searches
that are library related
[1:26:08] and fun little
coloring for them,
[1:26:11] because we really
want them to just
[1:26:12] come in and be in the space.
[1:26:14] We're also doing a
community art project, which
[1:26:15] will start that day,
and we'll go all the way
[1:26:17] through the first month.
[1:26:18] And then the grand
opening is September 3
[1:26:22] and it is in the morning.
[1:26:23] But I'll send all that
information for you guys.
[1:26:26] And then if you guys want
to stop by at any time
[1:26:28] ahead of time, but October, we
will be there for commission.
[1:26:33] You said September three.
[1:26:34] September three.
[1:26:35] It is a Thursday, but
I have it on my list
[1:26:38] to email you guys all the
outreach stuff for September.
[1:26:40] So September.
[1:26:41] So that's coming up.
[1:26:43] I have a request.
[1:26:45] I was dropping my son off
at his in-home preschool
[1:26:48] that he goes to.
[1:26:50] There was a child
wearing a shirt
[1:26:51] that said surprise library
on it with the logo,
[1:26:54] and it was so cute.
[1:26:55] And I was like, I
want to have a shirt.
[1:26:57] Why I have a shirt.
[1:26:59] Turns out he's read 1,000 books.
[1:27:00] So I just read you 1,000 books.
[1:27:04] I know it's a little
too late for me.
[1:27:06] But just like, next time you
guys are doing stuffed shirts,
[1:27:08] like, I'll buy one.
[1:27:09] I really want one.
[1:27:10] Yeah, I have a beanie
now, but I want a shirt.
[1:27:12] A beanie I can wear,
like two times.
[1:27:14] Merch no.
[1:27:16] These ones that say volunteer
right now, putting it on a list
[1:27:19] or can I just like
illegally get your logo
[1:27:21] and make my own
shirt or something.
[1:27:23] It's crooked.
[1:27:24] Yeah, exactly.
[1:27:25] I know people who make shirts.
[1:27:27] I just really want one.
[1:27:28] I can get you 1,000.
[1:27:30] I have a hookup.
[1:27:32] It's better if you're
an adult with your.
[1:27:34] 
[1:27:37] Shirt one into the library
and work your way around.
[1:27:40] Yeah oh.
[1:27:43] That's funny.
[1:27:43] I can see, like, a cute
little baby tee moment.
[1:27:47] I know it's going to
fit like a baby, too.
[1:27:51] I was like, why does he
have a library shirt.
[1:27:53] I am a commissioner
for the library.
[1:27:55] I don't have a former chair.
[1:27:56] I know all I have is, like,
tote bags and an ornament
[1:28:01] and a beanie and a magnet.
[1:28:04] I agree, I would love to have.
[1:28:08] I know that I have the
one, I have the gray one
[1:28:10] that I wear when I volunteer,
which I feel like yeah,
[1:28:13] because I'm a volunteer.
[1:28:14] It doesn't say volunteer on it.
[1:28:15] We did get new
volunteers because when
[1:28:17] I wear that with my badge,
people think I work here.
[1:28:20] But I am very helpful.
[1:28:23] I do know where everything
is for the most part.
[1:28:25] But then there's
sometimes I'm like,
[1:28:27] well, I always say
I'm just a volunteer,
[1:28:29] but I can help you with that.
[1:28:30] And if I say, I'm
just a volunteer.
[1:28:33] Let me take you to a library.
[1:28:35] But I realized I was
like, yeah, I probably
[1:28:36] should use my cricoid
to put volunteer on it,
[1:28:40] but that would be great.
[1:28:42] But just like any shirt that
I could wear out to be like,
[1:28:44] hey, yeah.
[1:28:45] Hey, have you heard of
just because Follow me
[1:28:47] to the library.
[1:28:48] Yeah everyone this way.
[1:28:51] Yes we are very grateful for all
the merch we have been given.
[1:28:53] I actually used that little
tape measure in my purse.
[1:28:57] It's very useful,
but it doesn't.
[1:28:59] Like I don't get to
show it to people.
[1:29:01] It's not a conversation starter.
[1:29:03] Like, maybe it could be
you're not trying hard enough.
[1:29:06] No like a t-shirt would
be a surprise library
[1:29:09] t-shirt with Rachel Maddow.
[1:29:11] No right.
[1:29:11] Joe Biden, Joe Biden.
[1:29:14] I wonder if we could.
[1:29:15] I don't want to copyright
infringe, but take a look.
[1:29:19] It's in a book.
[1:29:19] Surprise Rachel.
[1:29:21] Library just I don't know.
[1:29:24] I agree, the shirt's not 1,000.
[1:29:26] Maybe we're talking the
whole tote bag department.
[1:29:29] I mean, maybe we need
to get on top of that.
[1:29:31] And it could be
our new favorite.
[1:29:32] Obviously, we need
the solid bottom,
[1:29:34] they were saying for IKEA.
[1:29:36] IKEA bag.
[1:29:36] Yeah that's funny.
[1:29:38] Well, it sounds like
you don't need it.
[1:29:40] You do need more participation
in a summer reading program.
[1:29:46] Would you want so much.
[1:29:47] Because we all had t-shirts
that had summer reading
[1:29:50] program and the dates
and summer reading
[1:29:55] like a walking billboard.
[1:29:56] Yeah, I'm just going to
wear a sandwich board,
[1:29:59] walk around town.
[1:30:01] 
[1:30:03] Yeah if there were
multiple types.
[1:30:05] I mean, I might be able
to actually sell it.
[1:30:08] I don't know what the
rules are for that,
[1:30:10] but if you had a
little merch area,
[1:30:12] people might actually buy it.
[1:30:13] I know I would because I'm a
library nerd, but safe space.
[1:30:19] Yeah, but I agree.
[1:30:20] I think that would be very nice.
[1:30:24] And I can't wait to wear that
beanie if it ever cools down
[1:30:28] I know someday I'll
go somewhere to wear
[1:30:32] it when we go to New Orleans.
[1:30:34] It's not cold there, is it.
[1:30:35] No never mind.
[1:30:37] It's at the end of journey.
[1:30:38] Oh, OK.
[1:30:38] Yeah so cold in the
convention center.
[1:30:43] Yeah, but everyone would
definitely recognize us if we
[1:30:45] all pulled up with our beanies.
[1:30:46] They'd be like, what's wrong
with those people in two.
[1:30:49] Yeah, they're from Arizona.
[1:30:51] This is cold for them.
[1:30:52] No, literally, I
think it's a plan.
[1:30:55] So as far as I don't know if
this is actually other business,
[1:30:58] but have we decided
anything about banned books
[1:31:02] week coming up.
[1:31:05] Like any sort of
programming or anything
[1:31:07] like that or just the display.
[1:31:09] 
[1:31:12] I don't know yet, to be honest.
[1:31:13] I still have summer
reading on the brain.
[1:31:17] I mean, we always just
focus on freedom to read.
[1:31:21] Yeah either way, I don't.
[1:31:22] Yeah, not picky, but something.
[1:31:26] I know we had talked
about it before,
[1:31:28] but I didn't know if there was
any movement come in and already
[1:31:32] come in and chat about it and
see how in depth we want to go.
[1:31:37] And then I so in June, I went
up to Burlington, Vermont
[1:31:43] to stay with a friend of mine.
[1:31:45] Her husband is deployed.
[1:31:46] He's been gone a long
time, and I was just going
[1:31:48] to help her with the kids.
[1:31:50] And, we just wanted to help.
[1:31:52] And plus, it's really nice up
there, and it's really hot here.
[1:31:55] So I went up there and I
basically was like hanging
[1:31:59] out with the kids for the week.
[1:32:00] They're 8 and 10.
[1:32:01] They're my godchildren.
[1:32:02] We had such a good time.
[1:32:03] And of course, it's me.
[1:32:05] So I'm like, let's
go to the library
[1:32:07] and see, sign you up for summer
reading and do all the things
[1:32:11] and see what programs they
have going on this week.
[1:32:13] And it's a really
lovely library.
[1:32:16] It's inside their City Hall.
[1:32:18] It's actually she lives in South
Burlington, which I didn't think
[1:32:21] was big enough to warrant
its own City Hall,
[1:32:23] but apparently it does.
[1:32:24] Burlington's not that big, but
it's a really lovely space.
[1:32:28] Their whole downstairs
is the children
[1:32:31] and juvenile area
and then upstairs
[1:32:33] is teens and adults,
which is really nice.
[1:32:36] And inside, it has they
call it the wiggle room,
[1:32:40] and it's an enclosed space
where it's like all windows,
[1:32:43] like from the pony wall
up and then a glass door
[1:32:46] and it's like all soft stuff.
[1:32:47] So there's a bunch
of toddlers in there,
[1:32:49] just like having a great time.
[1:32:51] And then the parents are mostly
sitting outside, like chatting
[1:32:55] and but you can view
what's going on.
[1:32:57] It's very sweet.
[1:32:58] Nice space.
[1:32:59] But I did notice they don't
have much programming area.
[1:33:02] They have a very small room.
[1:33:04] And I was asking like, where
do you do all your programs.
[1:33:06] Like, well, in
here, but we don't
[1:33:08] really have that much space.
[1:33:10] And so I was talking
to their branch manager
[1:33:14] and because I was
like, I'm a Advisory
[1:33:18] Commission chair,
like in my city,
[1:33:20] I'm like, oh,
where are you from.
[1:33:21] So we started talking because
I didn't want them to think I
[1:33:23] was just like a random weirdo.
[1:33:25] I'm just like, I have a reason
for being weird and asking
[1:33:29] you all these questions.
[1:33:31] Did you get a library card.
[1:33:32] I did.
[1:33:33] It's not activated.
[1:33:34] But she let me have one.
[1:33:35] But they were very sweet
and they were asking like
[1:33:42] oh like so we service 42,000.
[1:33:45] Like they count their
whole city like we service
[1:33:48] this many people, even if that's
not the number of library cards
[1:33:50] they have.
[1:33:51] This is who we service our
whole community, 42,000 people.
[1:33:54] They're like, what size are you.
[1:33:56] And I'm like, oh, population.
[1:33:58] It's more than that.
[1:33:59] And she's like, because they
didn't know where surprise was.
[1:34:01] I was like, it's a
suburb of Phoenix
[1:34:03] in the West Valley of Phoenix.
[1:34:04] Like, oh, OK, random town.
[1:34:06] They've never heard of us.
[1:34:07] And they thought like,
surely we'd be really small.
[1:34:10] Like maybe they would be
bigger, but we do 42,000.
[1:34:13] I'm like, it's 140,000.
[1:34:16] They're surprised.
[1:34:17] Yeah, 55,000 active library
cards than they do population.
[1:34:22] Exactly and so I was like,
I'm not trying to brag.
[1:34:24] I was really nice about
it, but she was very sweet.
[1:34:27] But I like to ask
people and talk to them
[1:34:30] and just compare
and see what they're
[1:34:32] doing versus what we're doing.
[1:34:33] And I do have to say
they're very impressive
[1:34:35] and they're very
sweet, and they're also
[1:34:37] very dedicated staff that
were so excited to talk
[1:34:40] to me about things.
[1:34:42] But guys, our programming
is absolutely amazing.
[1:34:47] And I know they're a
lot smaller than us,
[1:34:49] but they had the whole
week I was there,
[1:34:52] but basically the
whole month of June,
[1:34:54] they only had two like
school aged programs for kids
[1:34:58] that because like I said, my
godchildren at 8 o'clock and 10,
[1:35:01] there were two things
the whole month for them.
[1:35:03] Like most things
were like the story
[1:35:05] time for Littles, which
was only once a week.
[1:35:08] And then they had a couple
of teen things, basically
[1:35:12] one thing a week for teens.
[1:35:15] And I know they're probably
limited with funding and things
[1:35:17] like that, but I was like,
wow, we are so fortunate,
[1:35:21] but also so awesome.
[1:35:23] So I wanted to just
bring that back.
[1:35:25] And every time I go and
talk to a different library.
[1:35:28] Our library is really
amazing, so I just
[1:35:30] wanted to share that with you.
[1:35:31] And they were all they were
all very impressed too.
[1:35:33] So they thought we were amazing.
[1:35:35] They were like, where
is this city again.
[1:35:36] Because they thought it was,
oh, it's a little suburb.
[1:35:39] It's really tiny.
[1:35:40] Is that anywhere
near scottsdale?
[1:35:41] Yeah, I visited Scottsdale once.
[1:35:44] No, these people had
never, like, one of them
[1:35:46] was like the branch manager.
[1:35:47] She was from
Wisconsin, and she had
[1:35:48] never been West of Wisconsin.
[1:35:50] And the other, the two,
there was a page there,
[1:35:54] and there was just like there
she was, and she was an intern.
[1:35:59] And now she works there.
[1:36:01] But they were they're
from Burlington,
[1:36:04] like, never left the
state of Vermont.
[1:36:06] So they had no idea where
any of our geography.
[1:36:09] So that was almost better.
[1:36:10] But like 1,000 people
because to them that's huge.
[1:36:15] Well, our County is
bigger than your state.
[1:36:17] Yeah exactly.
[1:36:18] But I do have I just wanted to
report back of how very proud
[1:36:21] I was how impressed they were.
[1:36:24] And like, every time I go
to a new library, I'm like,
[1:36:26] oh, we are so impressive.
[1:36:27] So very cool.
[1:36:31] Very cool.
[1:36:32] Bring that back.
[1:36:33] And like.
[1:36:33] Because yeah, when we
do get out of surprise,
[1:36:35] it's good because we can
steal some of our ideas.
[1:36:38] And maybe they can
steal some of our ideas.
[1:36:41] And they were also
impressed that we have
[1:36:43] an Advisory Commission
because they
[1:36:46] do not and Burlington doesn't.
[1:36:47] And they're like,
oh, I don't know.
[1:36:48] I don't know of
anybody that has one.
[1:36:50] Well we do.
[1:36:51] So it's difficult
to get all of them
[1:36:54] together because
there's not many of you.
[1:36:56] So it's impressive.
[1:36:57] And I wanted to let you
all know that every time I
[1:36:59] go to a different
library, I'm more and more
[1:37:02] impressed with what you all do.
[1:37:04] So the link outside libraries
with summer reading, who reached
[1:37:08] out to us and was like, we were
looking some library system in
[1:37:12] like Kansas, like we searched
all the summer reading programs,
[1:37:15] like in this country and
we're looking for ideas
[1:37:18] and they called
us and we're like,
[1:37:21] can you tell me more
about what you're doing.
[1:37:22] So we have no affiliation
with found either.
[1:37:25] Our socials or whatever.
[1:37:27] So slowly people
are figuring it out.
[1:37:30] Wow even faster
than you can travel.
[1:37:33] So very convenient.
[1:37:34] Keep telling all the people.
[1:37:37] Comparison is the thief of joy.
[1:37:39] Unless you're comparing
us to other people.
[1:37:40] Yeah, and then it's awesome.
[1:37:45] And then it brings lots of joy.
[1:37:47] No, I mean, we're
not as big as other.
[1:37:48] Like, I have a friend who's
on the Advisory Commission
[1:37:51] for the Anaheim
public library system,
[1:37:54] and they're a lot
bigger than we are.
[1:37:56] They have a lot more
money than we do.
[1:37:58] They do some very
cool things with it.
[1:38:00] I'm not going to say it's
better than what we do,
[1:38:02] but they just have more options
because their budget is bigger.
[1:38:06] And their branches are bigger.
[1:38:08] Circulation like, I mean,
they're just a bigger city
[1:38:11] that's much older than we are.
[1:38:13] But I still even when I do
that, I'm like, oh, well,
[1:38:18] you guys do that.
[1:38:19] That's awesome.
[1:38:19] But like we do this
and you guys don't
[1:38:22] actually offer that at all.
[1:38:23] So even when we're not the
biggest or have the most money,
[1:38:28] there are still things
that we really shine up.
[1:38:31] So I will still ask
people all these questions
[1:38:35] just so I can find those spots.
[1:38:36] Yeah, we're doing
this really great.
[1:38:39] So I say it's not me, you guys.
[1:38:41] But I'm very proud.
[1:38:44] So is there any other business.
[1:38:49] Current events and reports.
[1:38:52] 
[1:38:55] No any more discussion.
[1:38:58] All right.
[1:39:00] Is there a motion to
adjourn the meeting.
[1:39:05] I motion to adjourn the August
library advisory meeting.
[1:39:10] I'll second.
[1:39:10] It's been moved and seconded.
[1:39:15] All those in favor say Aye.
[1:39:16] Aye all those opposed.
[1:39:18] Nay the motion carries.
[1:39:19] The meeting adjourned.