1992-11-16 Board of Library Trustees Minutes

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Board of Library Trustees Minutes of Meeting - November 16, 1992 Conference Room - Reading Public Library - 6:00 p.m. Present: Mrs. Elia Marnik, chair; Mrs. Carol Beckwith; Ms. Cherrie Dubois; Mr. Robert Fields; Dr. Christine Redford. Absent: Mr. William Diamond. The report of the Circulation Division head was heard prior to any. other business. Dorothy Alworth recited the responsibilities and hours of each circulation staff member. She expressed appreciation for the Board's approval of her experimental four-day week. Her fifth day had been purely on-desk service; circulation technicians have taken on those desk hours. She presented promotional material for the 3M Model 966 circulation control unit, which checks in books automatically by.moving them on a conveyor belt under a scanner. The Board asked for information on the cost of the total system. The Board requested that circulation and reference staff use their name plates. Mrs. Marnik asked that the Board members also be provided with name plates for their meetings. Reading's FTEs are quite low compared to other libraries. While a desk shift at Reading is a minimum of three hours, many other NOBLE libraries schedule staff for only one hour at a time on desk. Minutes: Ms. Dubois made a motion to approve the minutes of October 26. The motion passed. Financial _report: Most of the book budget (municipal funds) is spent, but the budget is on track since most of the Incentive money will supplement Almost all of the supply ordering has been done and the Xerox rentals ere paid off. Ms. Hanley observed that most libraries of comparable size ave a lot more money to spend on books than Reading does. Danvers, Salem and Winchester, for example, spend $100,000 on books. Reading spends just enough to meet state requirements for state aid. Book prices continue to increase: fiction titles have broken the $20 level. Mrs. Marnik noted that the Library should put in for a healthy increase in the book budget next year. Mr. Fields asked if some money could be transferred from the children's book budget to the adult book budget, since only 27% of the former has been spent to date. Ms. Hanley responded that the Children's Room staff orders in a different time frame, doing the bulk in the spring. They always spend all of their budget and their percentage is inadequate, as the other mateials budgets are. Mr. Fields said he was disturbed by the lack of money for books. Mrs. Marnik has been asked if the Library has purchased the controversial book Sex by Madonna. The Library has not. Staff have received inquiries as to whether it was purchased, but no customer has demonstrated interest in ordering it. The price ($50) and the fact that it falls apart very quickly have resulted 'in a "no vote" at book meeting. The Board concurred with staff that the book should be purchased if requested by a customer. Statistical report: Circulation is less than last year, but more than the year before that. Reading still tops the NOBLE statistics. Director's Report: Someone backed a truck into the railing at the bottom f the handicapped ramp. He reported the damage to the police, and the iil was fixed by DPW. Two fires occurred: one in the boiler room and one in the elevator closet. Both were mostly smoke caused by burned-out motors. Town Meeting accepted the gift on the warrant without any 1