20 hours ago
Branch stepping down as Kingsville Library director
KINGSVILLE — Mariana Branch is stepping down from her position as director of the Kingsville Public Library, as of Friday, after 16 years in the position.
The library will host a party celebrating Branch's time as director from 4-6 p.m. Thursday.
Branch said she will miss everyone she worked with.
'[I am grateful] to the board of trustees for their support over the years, the wonderful staff here, community members that we've worked with,' she said.
She became involved with the library through joining the Friends of the Kingsville Public Library and the Kingsville community, she said.
'They would call me today an accidental librarian,' she said. 'This is a term that is known in the library world, because there's many of us out there.'
Branch became director June 1, 2009, she said.
'I came in with a plan of how I felt the library could grow in services to the community, and plans for the future, and apparently they must've liked it, because they hired me,' she said.
The library has secured hundreds of thousands of dollars in grant funding under her tenure, Branch said.
'I felt it was a really important way to supplement our budget, and not have to go back to the taxpayers for additional levy funds,' she said. 'Without those grants, a lot of our programs would not be possible.'
One of the most important grants in Branch's tenure was one that paid for a digital literacy trainer to be on staff, she said.
'When I calculate these numbers, it's hard for me to grasp them,' she said.
Branch loved presenting and preserving Kingsville history, she said.
'That's apparent to anyone who's walked in here,' she said.
One of Branch's favorite projects is the library's education and exploration garden, she said.
'It integrates so many different educational aspects,' she said. 'It's open all the time. So, through [the COVID-19 pandemic], this was important that we had an accessible space. It provides a safe space for families to come, for children to play.'
The library expanded reading services, she said.
'We wanted to offer more to the adult community,' she said. 'That also created more of a summer reading program for adults, which last year we had a record number of people participate. It was over 100 adults, who actually signed up.'
Branch started outdoor movie nights at the library early in her tenure, she said.
'No one else was doing that in our county,' she said. 'There was special licensing required for that, so we figured that out, we got our licensing, we used the side of a white tent as our movie screen, and we put it on the townships square pavilion.'
Branch is optimistic about the future of the library in Kingsville, and libraries across the state, despite challenges coming from the government and to funding, she said.
'The community and library professionals are all out there advocating for us, and libraries will always exist,' she said.
