1990-05-21 Board of Library Trustees Minutes

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Board of Library Trustees Minutes of Meeting - May 21, 1990 Conference Room - Reading Public Library - 6:00 p.m. Present: Dr. Christine Redford, chair; Mrs. Carol Beckwith; Mr. William Diamond; Ms. Cherrie Dubois; Mr. Robert Fields; Mrs. Elia Marnik. Dr. Redford called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. Minutes: The minutes of the April 23 meeting were amended to read "Absent: Mr. William Diamond, due to illness." Ms. Dubois moved that the minutes of be approved as amended. The motion passed. Statistical report: Circulation for this fiscal year so far is 6000 over last year, despite last month's drop. The staff hopes to break the 300,000 mark for annual circulation this year. Director's report: Painters will paint the meeting room tomorrow. Other touch-up painting has been done. Unfinished business: 1) The Garden Club submitted a landscaping plan for the east and west sides of the building. Mr. Diamond moved that the plan be accepted gratefully. The motion passed. 2) The Board of Trustees will send a letter to the Board of Selectmen stating its distress at the lack of progress on the reclassification of professional staff. Raises were promised in August of 1988. The money is available in free cash. This reclassification affects about fourteen staff members. Mrs. Beckwith was directed to write this letter. 3) The gift brochure, with text by Ms. Dubois and art work by Arthur Knapp, paid for by the Friends, was presented by the Director. A cover letter foi the brochure will be written by Dr. Redford. Brochures with cover letters will be mailed out in the fall. New business: 1) Bev Thompson gave an update on the Technical Services division. It has two full-time and two part-time employees. Rita Shaw and Gayle Birck are faithful volunteers. Many changes have been made because of the switch to new computer systems. During March and April, the division made a major overhaul resulting in processing improvements and streamlined procedures. Interlibrary loans have been an issue, particularly with the Boston Public Library, but service from them has improved. Ms. Thompson commended the hard work and flexibility of the Technical Services staff. 2) Ms. Flannery proposed a wish list for the Friends: summer reading club storytellers and mime, travel reimbursement for staff to go to meetings and conferences, coffee hour organization and publicity, and shelving for the periodical room. Ms. Dubois moved that the wish list be approved. The motion passed. 3) Plans for the children's summer reading club are in the works. The program will be funded by donations. 4) After discussion, Ms. Dubois moved that the Musical Friends should be more aggressive in soliciting donations at their concerts due to these hard financial times. The motion passed. The Friends plan to sell Tupperware in the fall as a fundraiser. Light blue beach towels with a design incorporating the library's logo will be sold at the book sale and 1