Executive Director Amanda Yarbrough with the Beaumont Children’s Museum was the first of many to address City Council at the Nov. 5 meeting, opening the discussion and asking council to consider allowing the museum to move into a collaborative space with the Downtown Library at 801 Pearl St.
More than a decade ago, city council approached the museum with the very same idea; however, Yarbrough said the timing wasn’t right. Since then, the museum has increased its visitor count nearly 300%, averaging more than 6,000 visitors monthly.
“This collaboration could not only support the revitalization of the downtown area, but also breathe new life into both the museum and the library’s education missions,” said Yarbrough.
Yarbrough, far from empty-handed, approached council with numbers and research supporting the nonprofit’s new venture proposal.
“Despite significant investment in the downtown library from the city, it is experiencing lower engagement and serving fewer visitors with less than 2,000 books checked-out monthly,” iterated Yarbrough.
The Beaumont Public Library system consists of four libraries: Downtown, RC Miller Memorial Library on Dowlen Road, the Elmo Willard Library on Lucas Drive and the Theodore Johns Library on Fannett Road. In contrast to the Downtown Library, the RC Miller Library attracts over 9,000 monthly visitors checking out nearly 12,000 books in its busy summer months, despite a smaller budget, while focusing on children and community initiatives.
In many cities throughout the country, the silent library is an outdated idea that has been replaced by interactive, revitalized and communal spaces for children and families to gather, learn, discuss and create. A flexible space allows libraries to accommodate a wide variety of community needs. According to research by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, which reflected 24 individual case studies in 2018 in partnership with the university of Pennsylvania, the synergy between public libraries and museums has been shown to enhance community health, improve local school performance, foster institutional ties and expand cultural opportunities. Studies also show that, when public libraries and museums collaborate, broader networks of support that prioritize and enhance community well-being are realized.
Although on a somewhat larger scale, the nearby Houston Children’s Museum exemplifies the vision Yarbrough and her team have for the Beaumont Children’s Museum. Complete with rotating exhibits, interactive events and a parent resource library, the Houston Children’s Museum attracts more than a million visitors annually.
“We cannot keep up with the ever-growing demand in our current facility,” said BCM Operations Coordinator Elizabeth Brown, who addressed City Council to add that waiting lists for birthday parties and group visits are long and, on the museum’s busiest days, there’s a line out of the door due to capacity restraints.
Brown expressed that the BCM layout at the library would utilize the building’s various floors for exhibits on the upper level, a children’s library and welcome desk in the middle, and offices and classrooms downstairs.
Housed within a section of the Beaumont Civic Center, BCM currently consumes 10,000 square feet. Built in 1974, the Downtown Library boasts a massive 33,000 square feet, which the organization said would be plenty of room for the museum and a renovated children’s library.
“This would … also foster a love of reading and learning in a dynamic and creative setting,” said Brown.
Libraries were once the primary – and sometimes the sole – source of information. Today, digital technology has made vast amounts of information accessible anywhere with an internet connection. In response to this shift toward universal access, libraries are attempting to evolve from being seen solely as book repositories to being recognized as spaces that provide access to the resources and tools essential for success in modern life.
“By transforming the downtown library into a collaborative space for a children’s museum and children’s library, we can create a successful thriving environment tailored to the needs of families, schools, and our growing young community. Overall, this vision not only meets the needs of our community, but also supports the broader goal of downtown engagement and revitalization,” said Yarbrough.
Despite the limitations of their current facility, BCM continues to host events for local children and families:
• Pokemon Day – Nov. 16, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Themed crafts and activities, including a scavenger hunt and create your own Pokemon card and Poke Ball, will be available.
• 2024 Fall Camp – Nov. 25-27. S.T.E.A.M. concepts will be offered through the lens of Ghostbusters Frozen Empire, with hands-on activities and experiments like ectoplasm slime, molecules in motion, and the toroidal vortex cannon.
• Winter Break Discovery Mini Camps – Dec. 26-27, Jan. 2-3. Campers will explore through hands-on activities such as engineering, recycling art, moon adventures and robotics.
Additionally, BCM is offering 12 Days of S.T.E.A.M. boxes, packed with everything needed to spark curiosity with 12 activities to inspire young scientists, artists, engineers and tech whizzes. The cost is $45 per kit and is available for purchase at the museum.
Looking to the future, as it has before, the children’s museum will partner with Indorama Ventures to offers grants to local teachers for S.T.E.A.M. instruction. The application deadline for Region 5 is Nov. 27. Find the application at https://www.beaumontchildrensmuseum.org/.
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