In The News

Odessa American:

jay-ybarra-library-diploma-grad — Jay Ybarra recently completed her high school diploma through Excel Adult High School offered through the Ector County Library. She is the first graduate of the nationally accredited online program. Additional scholarships are needed so more students can complete their diploma. (Ruth Campbell|Odessa American)

After exhausting her options for earning a high school diploma, Jay Ybarra decided to go for one from Excel Adult High School offered through the Ector County Library.

Ybarra said she got her diploma in late October while working as an overnight gate guard for Select Chemistry. She tried several high schools and Odessa College, but they didn’t work out.

“I tried to do GED. I wasn’t dedicated because they made me do in-class classes. I couldn’t work around that with my work schedule. I tried to do Richard Milburn. I couldn’t do that either because at the time, I was still young. I just didn’t have enough time to do that, so when I saw this opportunity I took it and ran with it,” Ybarra said.

Being “much older” now, she said she actually wanted to get a GED or high school diploma.

“I knew I wanted to get it now before it got too late,” she said.

It took her about two months to earn her high school diploma.

“A lot of stress was released off my shoulders,” Ybarra said.

She was staying up all hours and sometimes she just wanted to give up because there were so many pages for the courses. When Ybarra realized she was almost finished, she just kept pushing.

She said she would recommend Excel Adult High School to anybody.

Library Director Howard Marks said the nationally accredited online program costs $1,100, but there are scholarships available. Students get “an actual diploma,” not a GED.

“It’s easy, self-paced, and it’s not hard to navigate the courses,” Ybarra added.

“It will have helped me have a better future. But nowadays, most people don’t even look for a GED or diploma. But … it will get me far farther in the future. If I want to go back to school for anything, I’ll be able to because I have my high school diploma,” Ybarra said.

She said she hasn’t really thought about going back to school.

“I already got my CDL, so that’s good enough,” Ybarra added.

She added that if she does go back to school, it would probably be for welding.

Her family is in Midland. She has two brothers on her mother’s side and five brothers and one sister on her dad’s side. Ybarra falls in the middle, but she takes on the older sibling role.

“My mom helps me a lot. That’s who I stay with right now. I help her mostly because she’s a single mom,” Ybarra said.

Angie Gaule, AV librarian at Ector County Library, said the library started the Excel program in March 2023.

Ybarra is their first graduate.

Marks said they have a new scholarship from Friends of the Library and anyone can apply for it. Students complete some preliminary work and they have a month to evaluate them. During that time, they check in with Gaule.

“It gives them a chance to transform their lives, to change their trajectory of their lives and to really call the shots in their lives,” Marks said.

He said when the library posted the diploma opportunity on Facebook, it got 33,000 viewers.

“It was our highest ranking post, I think, ever since I’ve been here,” Marks said.

“In views and in shares,” Gaule said.

“We were not expecting this at all. We did not see this coming,” Marks added.

Marks said he attended a recent library directors conference and one of the nuggets he took away was that libraries should try to do something that no other library does.

“This is one of the things that we’ve done that no other library … regionally does,” Marks added.

Gaule said she has been contacted by other libraries in El Paso and Abilene to find out how Excel Adult High School works and she’s given them information.

Marks said they presented it at the State Library Association Conference.

“I know Midland was interested. I don’t know if they ever followed up on it,” he said.

Gaule said one of the bigger stumbling blocks is finding additional scholarship money.

“We’ve put it out on our website that we’re looking for additional scholarships. We put it on our social media. We actually did a direct mail campaign,” Marks said.

Original Article: https://www.oaoa.com/community/calendar/library-to-host-book-signing-event/

Odessa American:

The Ector County Library, 321 W 5th St., has scheduled award-winning journalist and published author DeAnn Daley Holcomb for a speaking engagement and book signing event at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 7.

Holcomb recently released her second fiction novel, “Beyond the Shadows.”

Holcomb is a former KMID-TV television news reporter, anchor and former KMID-TV News Director.

Original Article: https://www.oaoa.com/community/calendar/library-to-host-book-signing-event/

ODESSA, Texas (KOSA) - The Ector County Library is funding adult education and helping West Texans create a brighter future.

The library has awarded 14 scholarships valued at $1,100 to attend the Gale Excel Adult High School. It’s a virtual, self-paced program for people over age 21 to earn their diploma.

The program can take up to two years. However, 21-year-old Jay Ybarra finished it in two months.

The start and end of a typical day for Ybarra blurs. At 6 p.m., she hops in the car and heads to her job as a night shift gate operator.

As she completed her classes, she used every break to work on her virtual classes on her phone.

When she got off work at 6 a.m., or on her off days, she took classes to earn her CDL.

“Yeah, it was hard. I had days where I didn’t sleep at all, but I just couldn’t give up,” Ybarra said. “I had to finish. I had to get it done, or I would let myself down and I would let other people around me down.”

Last week she earned her high school diploma. This week she earned her CDL.

“Well, I’ve been trying to get my diploma and my GED, but I just didn’t have enough drive in me to get it,” Ybarra said. “So when I seen this program, I took it seriously and made it all the way to the finish line.”

She hopes this will brighten her family’s future and inspire some of them to get their diploma. She credits her mother, girlfriend and grandmother in heaven for her success.

There are many more people like Ybarra who want to join the program, but need a scholarship to do so, said Howard Marks, the library’s director.

“We had this overwhelming demand,” Marks said. “We put out a social media post and 250 people responded. I mean, just an overwhelming response.”

The library had enough funding to give out 14 scholarships in the last year-and-a-half. They need more funds to give more scholarships, said Angela Gaule, the AV and young adult librarian.

“They want this opportunity,” Gaule said. “They’re contacting me. They’re asking me, ‘can I get my diploma before the next semester of college starts?’ They’re ready to go.”

The library is looking for community partners to sponsor more students. If you’re interested, you can emailhmarks@ector.lib.tx.us.

Original Article: https://www.cbs7.com/2023/11/03/ector-library-sees-first-graduate-sponsored-adult-education-program/

The Ector County Library was recently awarded a Collections Enhancement grant from the Texas Book Festival. The grant will be used to purchase audiobooks for future summer programming efforts, a press release said.

Founded in 1995 by former First Lady Laura Bush, Mary Margaret Farabee, and a dedicated group of volunteers, the Texas Book Festival is a beacon for literary enthusiasts, bringing authors and readers together in a celebration of literature and culture. The festival is not only a platform for connecting authors with their readers, but also a passionate advocate for literacy and education. Over the years, it has donated more than $3 million to public libraries in Texas and provided over 150,000 books to Title 1 schools.

Original Article: https://www.oaoa.com/community/good-news-community/ector-county-library-wins-texas-book-festival-grant-for-summer-reading-audio-books/

OC, library partner to bring technology to students

https://www.oaoa.com/local-news/oc-library-partner-to-bring-technology-to-students/

Five move forward with generous scholarships

https://news.yahoo.com/five-move-forward-generous-scholarships-000200224.html?guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAISKtv399IUlfMWOrenU7XlN86lpr8aXHBSpwgkR437PzGzjE2G2zTuRnPX93gdmY6HycTR0OGAOn6HJ0den2AZ3PjkZzVBv59x5aVpwMnJ1ZtDIras4uuiJr9KpIehEr_ZhReBhjWrSk2HetcdOfnwAt5k59ltUec73YjDU-7Qr&guccounter=2

Ector County Library introduces new technology for checkout

https://www.newswest9.com/article/news/community/ector-county-library-introduces-new-technology-for-checkout/513-94a1a450-0a3a-48fd-a715-f53ffcca2f3e?fbclid=IwAR0__Iw9HmBzpZf4kax6ZDbera-7FnQBQhyn4v1xCBKtQmu3owEaT0UEvCY

Commissioners approve library devices

https://news.yahoo.com/commissioners-approve-library-devices-010200150.html

Marks takes over reins as library director

Odessa American (TX)

Author/Byline: Kim Smith

For the first time since December 2020, the Ector County Library has a director.

Howard Marks began his new position on May 31.

Randy Ham, chairman of the Ector County Library Advisory Committee, lauded

Marks' experience with both academic & public libraries and his "great personality."

"Howard exemplifies all of the good qualities of a leader," Ham said. "Before he even put in his resume he

went and spoke with the staff about their needs and he got a feel for the place. Not everyone would do that. He showed initiative and future thinking."

Marks is taking the seat previously occupied by Rebbecca Taylor, who retired after 13 years as director.

Ham explained the committee was originally created to discuss the future of the aging 4-

story building on West Fifth Street. Ultimately, the committee decided after several

months it needed to prioritize filling Taylor's position, recognizing it would be hard to plan for and

fundraise for a new library without a director.

The committee was getting ready to launch a regional and national search when Marks, who was the learning resource director at Midland College, reached out to

him about the position, Ham said.

"He was local, which we loved and he has roots here, which we loved," Ham said.

Marks already knew several members on the committee, himself included, he said.

Prior to working at Midland College, Marks spent four years as the library director at the University of Texas

Permian Basin and he'd partnered with Odessa Arts on some projects, Ham said.

"He had developed relationships in the community on top of having management experience at both

public and academic libraries," Ham said. "He has also a progressive vision for the

library that matched our vision."

For example, Ham noted that Marks strongly believes the library needs to boost its Spanish offerings.

Right now, less than 10% of the library's books are in Spanish and yet Ector County boasts a Hispanic

population of more than 60%.

In addition, Marks also recognizes the need to address the "technology gap" at the library, Ham said. The pandemic made it clear the library serves a vital role in providing internet access to those who don't have access.

Despite the advent of "smartphones," computers and tablets, Ham noted only 30% of the world's information has been digitized so there there still exists a huge need for libraries, one of the last places people can visit for free.

Ham said the county asked The Ivy Group to conduct a 6 month needs assessment for the library and the advisory committee. Town hall meetings were held and surveys were conducted and Marks will be presenting those findings to the commissioners toward the end of the month.

Marks hasn't always worked in libraries.

He obtained a bachelor's degree in communications from San Francisco State and spent time in the advertising industry and as a copywriter. He worked in New York, Biloxi, Mississippi, St. Louis, Washington State and Dallas. Once he got to Dallas, he decided he wanted out of the unstable industry and took a "strong inventory test" which revealed he was suited to go into library science.

For the first time in his life, Marks said he starting scoring perfect marks while taking courses at the

University of North Texas.

His first job in his new field was at Fort Worth Public Library.

"I took a real natural affinity to reference in answering reference questions at the front desk," Marks said.

Marks, who eventually earned master's degrees in library science and public administration, spent three years as the director of library services at Western Texas College in Snyder

before heading to UTPB and later, Midland College.

While at UTPB, Marks said the library was renovated, an integrated library system was set up and other new

technology was brought on board. At Midland College, he oversaw another renovation and helped created

"Chap Chat," an online resource that helped a great deal during the COVID shutdowns.

"I pretty much cut my chops at these places and then this job became open and I decided to apply and see what happened," Marks said.

This summer's reading program theme is "Oceans of Possibilities" and Marks believes the future of the

library is filled with endless possibilities as well.

"What's it going to look like for the next 30 years? We're turning the page and starting a new chapter and I'm very excited by that prospect," Marks said. "This is really the start of a new vision to rebuild and rebrand for the next stage with a more robust and user friendly layout

and approach."

The library already has a dedicated and helpful staff and he just hopes to build upon it, keeping in mind

readers' ever-changing needs, he said.

For example, the library currently has 200,000 print books and 20,000 e-books and he'd love to see even more, Marks said. He'd also like to purchase some Apple products, expand the library's subscription-based services and offer more programming for seniors.

He's also mulling over the possibility of creating an app-based check-out system, allowing food and drink in certain areas of the library and encouraging

staff to wander around the library to see to patrons' needs.

Among his other ideas? An artist residency program in partnership with Odessa Arts, the creation of a

business center, dog friendly Fridays, instructional workshops, a Makerspace, bilingual story time, Wi-Fi upgrades and yoga classes.

While the community may one day have a new library building, Marks said they don't have to wait for it to be

built to make some of the changes.

In fact, there are spaces within the library that can be repurposed, he said.

Don't expect to see too many changes right away, though.

"I decided for the first month, I'm not going to change anything. I'm just going to sit back and listen and learn and ask questions and read up. I want to talk to as many people as possible," he said.

Ector County Library
321 West 5th Street
Odessa, Texas 79761
Phone: (432) 332-0633
Library Hours
Monday - Saturday 9:00am - 7:00pm
(2nd and 3rd Floors closed Saturday 1:00-2:00 for lunch)
Closed Sunday

Computer Lab Hours
Monday - Saturday 9:30am - 6:30pm
Closed Sunday

EasySearch

In The News

By: Hannah Brock