McKinney | April 2023

CITY

Calling all Businesses and Non-Profits

READING RESULTS McKinney libraries have seen year-over-year growth in new members, program attendance, items borrowed and more.

Ask us how...

11,620 new members

1.66 million items borrowed

you can be

First United’s

668 unique borrowers per day

1,359 programs and events

Local Spotlight!

SOURCE: CITY OF MCKINNEY COMMUNITY IMPACT

John and Judy Gay Library is one of two public libraries in McKinney. SHELBIE HAMILTONCOMMUNITY IMPACT

McKinney libraries continue implementing new features

• Informational Flyers • Posters • Business Cards • Merchandise • Samples • Product Displays Suggestions for your display include Displays should be professionals & eye catching. We will feature your business for ONE MONTH in our lobby & our social media pages.

BY SHELBIE HAMILTON

story times story times during the 2021-22 scal year, including a popular Diwali event that garnered over 950 attendees. “It’s not just a library; it’s a huge community space beyond just books,” McKinney Mayor George Fuller said. Oering a variety of cultural pro- grams is part of the council’s goals, Smith said. “We’re really hitting the high notes on those [programs] and trying to make sure that it’s incorporated in everything we do,” Smith said. The libraries also oer educational programming, including clubs and programs for music theory, coding, chess and more. These programs are in addition to the regular story times and book clubs, Smith said. The library system continued to advance its oering and technology in the past scal year, including the implementation of new maker kits. These kits are available for three-week checkout periods and include 3D printers. Laser engravers and miniature computer numerical control machines will be available soon, Smith said. The two recently added robots at the John and Judy Gay Library have also continued advancing their capabilities, Smith said during the March 7 meeting. Over 700 people voted on the robots’ names, which have been dubbed L.U.C.I. and N.I.G.E.L.

McKinney libraries saw record year-over-year growth in program attendance, volunteer hours and new members, Director of Libraries Spencer Smith said. Smith presented updates about the library’s programs and newest additions during scal year 2021-22 at a March 7 City Council meeting. During scal year, the McKinney library system added 11,620 new members and averaged over 600 unique borrowers every day. The libraries lent out over 1.6 million items during this time, which equates to $6.6 million in value, Smith said. “If all that keeps up, we’re going to [have] the busiest year we’ve ever had, which is a great place to be because we don’t want to be bored,” Smith said. McKinney has two libraries: Roy and Helen Hall Memorial Library, located at 101 E. Hunt St. in east McKinney, and John and Judy Gay Library, located at 6861 W. Eldorado Parkway in west McKinney. The libraries also saw an increase in volunteer hours with over 4,000 hours logged by a mostly teenagers, Smith said. This saved about $65,000 worth of sta time. The libraries hosted 1,359 pro- grams and events, Smith said. These programs include cultural events, such as Black History Month, His- panic Heritage Month, multilingual

We look forward to spotlighting your business in our lobby!

McKinney - Craig Ranch 6401 S. Custer Rd. McKinney, TX 75070 (972) 569-8301

McKinney - Redbud 1700 N. Redbud Blvd., Ste. 130 McKinney, TX 75069 (972) 548-3010

Member FDIC.

MCKINNEY EDITION • APRIL 2023