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Paris Public Library Advisory Board 12/04/2024 Meeting Minutes I. Call to Order: The regular meeting of the Paris Public Library Advisory Board was called to order by Chairman Steve Hellmann at 5:00 p.m. Board members present were: Steve Hellmann, Eva Dickey, Myers Hurt, Abigail Frank, and Jennifer Cullum. Also in attendance was Library Director Connie Lawman. II. Citizens Forum: No citizens addressed the board. III. Approval: The minutes of the October 16, 2024 board meeting were approved with no corrections. Myers Hurt made the motion to approve and Jennifer Cullum provided the second. Iv. New Business: a. New Employee Introduction; Skylar Hines Skylar is working on her masters in library science with Texas Women's University and was hired as a library technician, with some of her current responsibilities listed as shelving and processing. Connie stated that she plans to delegate other duties such as crafts and circulation soon. b. Strategic Planning; Second -year priorities The priorities listed were finding new ways to connect with the community, create more access to books, and create more programs. Steve asked the board for thoughts on what needs to be in place for the reality of Year Two. Connie responded, stating that marketing and outreach would be improved by having a person with a come -and -go vehicle to bring materials to the public. She feels that it would be reasonable to purchase an auctioned vehicle from the city. Steve asked if grants were possible for this purchase, and Connie said that this is something the Friends of the Library could partner with the library on either purchasing the vehicle or paying for the upkeep. Asking the county to pay for some of the costs of transportation was another option discussed, with more information needed to discuss in the future. Additional teen programming was discussed, with possibilities of teaching basic skill classes such as sewing and gardening. The concern was finding innovative ways to reach the public regarding the programs. Myers suggested offering the programs on a rotational basis, in case a person missed it the first time. Abigail noted that online marketing receives a lot of traction, but not all people are online. Connie agreed and added that it's challenging to push out information when the library is often the resource for information. Eva recommended that the library market in the places where kids are likely to go, such as schools, City Square, the Boys and Girls Club, etc. More information on this strategy would be discussed in the future.