1998-05-18 Board of Library Trustees Minutes

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Board of Library Trustees Minutes of Meeting - May 18, 1998 Present: Mrs. Maria Silvaggi, chair; Ms. Cherrie Dubois; Ms. Donna InDelicato; Mr. Richard Ogden; Dr. Christine Redford. Absent: Mr. Stephen Conner. Mrs. Silvaggi called the meeting to order at 7 p.m. Minutes: The minutes of April 6 were accepted. Financial report: The municipally-funded budget is pretty much spent, except for salaries. Statistical report: April's circulation was lower than last year across the entire network, for no known reason. The Wakefield library reopened in mid-March. Report from the Chairman: The Board's team effort was successful at Town Meeting. A letter from Bill Diamond was read, thanking all for his "retirement" party. A trustee orientation program will be held on May 19 in Andover. The Board will make a donation to the Foundation in memory of Bob Fields. A $10,000 bequest from Mr. Fields is going to the Foundation. Mrs. Silva-9i will contact Mr. Conner about whether a change in meeting time would be advantageous. Director's report: Ms. Hanley conveyed the staff's gratitude to the Board for all they've done on the salary issue. Written reports were received from three staff members who attended PLA. Ms. Hanley talked about a session on the life cycle of organizations and `ideas, with the catch phrase: What will success look like? She will be attending ALA's annual conference and the Harvard Conference on the Internet and Society (both at no cost to the Library). The HVAC situation has been stressful for the past few weeks. The Board will write a letter outlining the issues and formally requesting a Direct Digital Control Device, which will allow the system to switch from heating to cooling automatically. The system, as it is built, has four options: heating, cooling, outside air only, or no air. Liaisons: The Friends' annual meeting is June 11. New business: 1) Tentative liaison assignments were made: Dr. Redford, Friends; Mr. Ogden, budget; Ms. InDelicato, community relations and statewide trustees. Ms. Dubois or Mr. Conner will be the staff liaison. Other possibilities are planning, development, and legislative issues. 2) There is over $200,000 in the Foundation, including pledges; with about $55,000 in cash after one and a half years. Only the interest is used. The Foundation needs $100,000 in cash in order to have Fidelity manage the funds. Spending some of the money now will show donors how the fund will work. The trustees expressed a desire to stick to tangible programs and materials as much as possible, for example, children's books. It was suggested that books purchased with Foundation funds be labeled as such. 3) Kimberly Lynn presented a report on the activities of the Reference division. The Library's ability to meet the information needs of the community has greatly increased due to the Internet,