SUMMER 2024
FEATURING
The Top 3 of SRDC! pg. 3
A (Summer’s) Day in the Life of an Associate pg 4-5
Summer Programming Stats pg. 6
Certifiably SSLLI pg. 7
A Summer Adventure for LBI pg 8
Support Services: Top Summer Reads & GoPros pg 9
Regional Focus, Summer Training pgs. 10
Where did they come from?
Where did they go? pg 11
Summer Snapshots:
In the Branches, Out & About pgs 12-13
It's been just over six months since we instituted our new child and teen library card types.
Everyone has done such a good job presenting this to the public and explaining the options to parents.
We maintained two simple guiding principles that were easy to understand through this process:
1. Nothing is being removed from the library.
2. If you have access to something prior to implementation, you and your children would keep that access after - it's your choice as a parent.
So, what did parents choose?
70% of parents chose an unlimited option for their children!
Here's the breakdown-->
And the (Social Media) Winners are.. Back Cover
ANDREW BREIDENBAUGH, LIBRARY DIRECTOR
It is good to see that parents in our community are making the thoughtful choices that best meet the needs of their own children.
There have been over 5,000 registrations and modifications to child and teen library cards since this began and each card type has been selected at least 50 times during the transition.
Andrew Breidenbaugh
This summer, we switched things up with two new rounds of competition and three new categories based on branch size.
Staff chose the Top 3 and, for the first time... The public chose the ultimate champion.
SHO was unphased. Heavyweights and heavy hitters for displays in general, SHO defended their belt.
Let’s applaud all three contenders, who had one thing in common - stellar teamwork.
SHO: SHO’s goal was interactivity. “We’re all nerds,” said Amanda Wright, the driving force behind the displays. Using a D&D/Fantasy theme, they got nerdy with a floor maze made by Jason Steward, a stuffed unicorn sewn by Mayrelis Machado, and much more Who runs the world? Nerds.
SEM: Logistically managed by Mandy Lopez, creatively fueled by Carolyn Koos and Yendry Calderon Boron, and collaboratively completed by the entire display team, SEM killed two birds with one stone: SRDC and SummerFest, their annual summer kick-off. Everything was ready by June 1.
Caution for photosensitive viewers: Flickering lights
Remember that warning? For smooth tracking shots, Jake Vigness (G2), shot in slow-motion with an iPhone. That plus a high frame rate and florescent lights created a faux-strobing effect.
RUS: Last but not least, RUS’s goal was world travel within a branch for both their patrons and mascot, TImothy T. Frog. Timothy traveled through five adventure stations from Florida to Japan, where he got stuck in a vending machine.
With Abbey Farr as the main creative force and David Sivils writing the script and voice acting in the video, RUS produced a charming set of interactive displays and a captivating vintage-style video.
Thank you to all participating branches for putting your creativity and collaboration on full display.
5 Questions. 6 Teams of Associates: 5 in branches, 1 behind the scenes, and 1 that does both.
How was this summer? 1 From 1-10 (10 busiest), how busy was it? 2 Any challenges? How did you handle them? 4 How did it compare to the rest of this year? 3 Favorite part of summer? 5
2 3 4
it
Busier throughout the day, instead of just mornings.
At the start, 2 of the 5 of us were out on leave So, it was just 3 of us – the 3 musketeers CSI helpedWe have a great team!
Getting all team members back plus an extra person! The days went by so fast. We had a good summer, and we have great staff
The scale should go to 20...
Busier with kids’ programs Holds went way up!
With so many holds, we standardized the sticker spot We had to work around heat and rain, especially for book drop
Seeing kids come in excited! Staying busy Always something to work on, which made the days go by quicker
Quite busy but went well!
Busy & busier! More families than before! 8-10 (but pre-covid was busier) 8 (Just a 5 for Ellinam)
Higher volume of materials and programs
We went in/out the kids’ room if it got too hot. On Crowdstrike outage day, we had only 3 staff and 1 computer We sorted all into: Adult, Kids, and Damaged
Helping with the summer reading display and a program Making kids happy by locating hard-tofind books
Higher volume and busy all day (and all week)
In the kids’ room- 5 mins of shelving could turn into 30 mins of clean up We made ‘still browsing signs’ and baskets to mitigate abandoned book piles
All the new books! Always something to do More kids, but less teens - so less trash outside! Helping with the summer reading display.
JFG/BBM (Borrow by Mail)
Close to normal but slightly busier. Slight increase in kids’ books and newer books circulating in and out
6 or 7
For us, the holiday season is busier Still we were down 1. At times we had to rearrange our days to keep up with shelving BBM (Borrow by Mail) has 3 steps: Check In, Process (add barcode and check out), and print out shipping labels
Down 1 Associate, 1 on H&G, and our supervisor promoted out to SST. Our new associate Kat is a quick study though Crowdstrike affected us longer than most - 4 or 5 days. Paul Delaney arrived on-site and figured out why we couldn’t print shipping labels - Polaris Reports and Notices was down We dated our carts and worked in pairs when back online to get caught up. Missing list was done biweekly instead of weekly to help
It was nice seeing kids enjoy the programs. The summer reading display decorations were fun and something different It was nice to see parents turn away from screens and connect with their kids
Not too bad. (Not our busy season)
5-7
For us, the end of the fiscal year (Aug/Sept) is the busiest. The beginning of the calendar year is also typically busier than the summer
We received a back-order of 200 boxes with about 5000 new books from Baker & Taylor, setting us back about 4-5 days Normal duties include Core List, Serials, ECO-master, UPS, FedEx, Amazon orders, new books, new Borrow by Mail items, Books by Mail, and returning damaged leased books. Seeing all the
Did you know that Adam Roberts, TSC associate, once
Throughout the first quarter of 2024, the number of items checked out and returned gradually sloped down. However, starting in April, our numbers gradually went up with a significant increase in the Summer, especially in July.
System-wide, HCPLC Associates checked in an average of 167,691 items from January to May, before Summer.
From June to July, that systemwide average increased to a summer average of 192,658 items.
ADVENTURE BEGINS AT YOUR LIBRARY
Compared to last summer, branch staff hosted and presented 18% more summer programs for kids, teens, and adults. Public attendance increased by 24%.
SUMMER STORY TIMES, AGES 0-7
What about the littles?
Compared to last summer, ELT delivered 24% more programs for kids 0-7. Attendance increased by 36%!
Compared to April and May 2024, ELT delivered 7.6% more programs with a bump in attendance of 40%!!! That’s a lot of littles!
Kids read
The Sunshine State Library Leadership Institute’s 2024 graduates included three HCPLC librarians. Here’s the scoop on the SSLLI program and our SSLLI grads.
SSLLI, aka, the Sunshine State Library Leadership Institute, is an accredited, statewide library staff development program by the Division of Library and Information Services (i e the Florida State government’s library since 1845).
The goal of SSLLI is to prepare effective and innovative library leaders. Diversity, staff retention, developing the next class of leaders, networking, and mentorship are key components of the program’s mission
“It’s just like getting another Master’s!”
“Stop comparing yourself to everyone else. We all have our own talents and yes, you belong here!”
SSLLI Graduates, Year 18 - 2023-2024 (left to right): Heather Stewart, Yashikah (Yoshiie) Clayton, and Melissa Brown
Cindy Parchment and Lauren Levy and supportive coworkers at SMB.
“It’s like a Leadership Internship!”
“I realized everyone thinks ‘I’m just better off doing it myself. I know how to do it.’ That’s not how you become a leader Create a goal and inspire others to fulfill it.”
Barbara Ford, Teresa Collins, Melissa Falvey, Melissa Lowe, Frank Collia and Shedriek Battle
“It’s a great networking avenue for Florida librarians.”
“I recommend SSLLI for achieving both professional and personal goals. However, it is not an easy journey It takes hard work, leaving your comfort zone.”
My monthly support was my mentor, Wen Livingston I plan to keep in touch with her for years to come. My daily support group was Melissa and Yoshiie!
Congrats to William Willis (RIV), Greg Foster (NTR), and Jenifer Benner (Collections), accepted into SSLLI 2024-2025, YEAR 19
This Summer, Library Branch Innovation did 34 outreaches and came in contact with 10,298 people. Here are some of the stops we made this summer.
By Jeffrey Huggins, Community Engagement Manager
Summer 2024's Teen Social Media Internship Program (SMIP) was a success! 195 students applied, 55 were accepted, 40+ joined, and 38 completed the program
The four-week program offered an opportunity for teens attending high school, ages 14-18, to earn Bright Futures and educational service hours remotely through the Library This was SMIP’s tenth session, and nearly 350 students have completed the program since it began.
Watch for SMIP social media posts coming soon, showing what’s great about libraries in Hillsborough County Fall SMIP returns October 7 to October 28
By Stephanie Garza, Digital Media & PR Coordinator
Vector Media, the sole source vendor in Hillsborough County for HART bus ads, contacted LBI with an opportunity
Upon reviewing past campaigns, Chely Cantrell, LBI Division Manager, and I decided to try something new. Different from other parts of our multi-faceted marketing campaign, measuring bus wraps' metrics is hard A 53% increase in Summer Reading Challenge registrants helped increase our numbers
The final design was applied to three tails (back wraps) and two kongs (side wraps) on five buses for ideal exposure
Our vendor shared that this campaign earned an estimated 2,800,000 impressions
A Calamity of souls by David Baldacci
2 The women by Kristin Hannah
3 Camino ghosts by John Grisham
4 Funny story by Emily Henry
1 I'm glad my mom died by Jennette McCurdy
2 The demon of unrest : a saga of hubris, heartbreak, and heroism at the dawn of the Civil War by Erik Larson
3 The woman in me by Britney Spears
4 Spare by Harry
The ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
The assassin's blade : the Throne of glass novellas by Sarah
The reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly
The Scarlet Shedder by Dav Pilkey 1
Diary of a wimpy kid : the getaway by Jeff Kinney 2 Twenty thousand fleas under the sea by Dav Pilkey 3
Dog Man : mothering heights by Dav Pilkey 4
Baby Penguins by Kari Schuetz 1 Wolverine vs. honey badger by Kieran Downs 2 Platypuses by Karen Latchana Kenney 3 National Geographic kids almanac 4
Talking about Tech with Latasha Harrison, Project Manager - Emergent Technology
Since its launch in 2021, the GoPro Lending Program has become a popular service among customers, providing access to high-quality GoPro 7 and 8 models at four branch locations (BDL, CBA, JBK, & NTR)
Library staff have been instrumental in the success of this program, assisting customers with the checkout process and providing valuable guidance on how to use the cameras effectively. This hands-on support has made the program accessible to a wide range of users, from beginners to experienced videographers
As we look ahead, we're excited to announce that two new branches, SHO and JPL will be joining the GoPro Lending Program this Fall. This expansion will bring the total number of participating locations to six, making it easier for our community members to get their hands on a GoPro to start creating.
Whether our customers are capturing action-packed adventures or creating cherished memories, the GoPro Lending Program is here to help them see the world through a new lens
WEST: MGL, TNC, NTA, EGL, WTP
NORTH: NTR, JBK, UCL, ADL, LUT
DOWNTOWN: JFG-MTS, LAW, SAU w e s t d i v i s i o n
EAST: BRD, BDL, SMB, THO
CENTRAL: JPL, FEN, PTM, SEM, CBA
SOUTH: SHO, RIV, RUS, SST, WMA
What % are new to their branch?
Autographed guitar case on display during
Badlands National Park, South Dakota.
Employee Engagement Manager, Jennie Grubb, was here.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Hiking, horseback riding; elk, turkey, and groundhog sighting; Allie Brazis and fam were here.
<--
SeaWorld. Will Willis, Supervisory Librarian @RIV and Chloe Scalici, G2 @ BRD, were there for the first time.
Stone Mountain. Sitting on the “edge of the world” & hiking without carrying the two youngest for the first time. Jason Steward, G2, and fam were here.
LA Checking out the Hollywood sign and Griffith Observatory. A blonde Barbara Ford, Employee Engagment, and hubbie were here.
Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Jessica Miller, Library Collections, Supervisory Librarian, was here.
San Diego Central Library, Downtown, Going to Story Time, crafting, buying souvenirs, and chatting with the Children’s Librarian; Stephanie Garza, Public Relations Strategist, and her daughter were here.
Escape Thrill, Clearwater, FL,
Escaping serial killer
Herbert Ventor, using clues found on various body parts in a locked dungeon. Wendy Prasad, Employee Engagement, and family was here and successfully escaped!
