At the June 24 Regular Meeting of the City Commission, Commissioners appointed Kethura Mary Vallabhaneni to a position on the Library Board of the City of Plant City. She will join longtime, and reappointed Board members Dodie White and Cynthia Morselli on the seven-member Board. The term of these appointments are three years. Vallabhaneni moved to Plant City in January, 2024, and she works at the Plant City YMCA as a camp counselor, and in the Stay and Play. She is a student at Hillsborough Community College, Plant City campus, taking classes in Business and Digital Marketing. “It is a new field and there are a lot of opportunities there,” she said. After taking additional classes at HCC, she plans to transfer to the University of South Florida.
“I love books,” Vallabhaneni said. “I read a lot of books. I was just on the Plant City web site looking around to find things like who the mayor is. On the web site it said they had an opening as a Board Member. I filled out the application. I didn’t think I was actually going to get accepted because I don’t have any experience, but I did get accepted.”
Vallabhaneni’s resume shows an inclination to volunteer—including at Catnip Cafe and Lounge in Plant City, and at Curie Learning Center, and Calvary Chapel in Endicott, Maryland. At her high school, she contributed to student organizations in marketing and digital advertising. She also served as an English as a Second Language liaison. She is fluent in English and Telegu.
“I read everything—biography, fantasy, romance, historical books, and sci fi,” Vallabhaneni said.
Vallabhaneni’s first Library Board meeting will be on Friday, July 19. The Board gives direction for the Bruton Memorial Library’s $1.1 million annual budget.
About her new role, Vallabhaneni feels, “A little nervous. I’ve never done anything like this before. I have done student government, but this is a lot different….It’s a big responsibility.”
“Honestly, more than contribute, I want to learn,” Vallabhaneni commented. “I just want to help make the library better any way I can. I don’t know exactly what the library really needs. I feel like being on the Board will show me how we can help the library.”
Vallabhaneni’s youthful perspective and her experience in social media are things she brings to the library table. “I think the younger generation does have a lot to say,” she said. “I think I bring in a different perspective —a different way of thinking to try different ways to help the library. Maybe we can use online to bring in more people to the library, and to use their library card to check out books.”
Bruton Memorial Library in Plant City has 55,000 physical materials, including books, board games, DVDs, Spanish materials, large-text books, foreign films, Wonder books, and tablets. Other features are computers for use, four meeting rooms, a community room, a reading room with magazines, an outdoor patio, and the outdoor Imagination Garden.