1997-12-09 Board of Library Trustees Minutes

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Board of Library Trustees Minutes of Meeting - December 9, 1997 Present: Mrs. Maria Silvaggi, chair; Mr. Stephen Conner; Mr. William Diamond; Ms. Cherrie Dubois; Mr. Robert Fields; Dr. Christine Redford. Mrs. Silvaggi called the meeting to order at 7:05, Minutes: The minutes of November 17 were accepted with two corrections. Statistical report: The November circulation report is not compiled yet, however, the total shows an increase over last year. Financial report: The personnel budget is on target. The Assistant Director remarked on the increased difficulty of filling hours, probably due to the economy: part-time people with few hours have a higher turnover, and kids don't want to work as many hours as we'd like. Circulation division report: Dorothy Alworth distributed statistics of circulation by library within NOBLE. Reading is consistently second highest, after Salem. The Wakefield library will open in March. Twenty-five percent of Salem's adult circulation is paperbacks. Mrs. Alworth also passed around a brochure of the 3-M security system and self-check station (similar to an ATM). When we change from Checkpoint to 3-M, every item in the collection will have to be handled. 3-M rents equipment that makes the process go more quickly. To be able to use self- check, a patron needs to have their card with them and to have their record up-to-date. This will be an incentive to bring library cards and to return books on time. The cards we use now will work with the 3-M system. The cost of the new system is about $50,000. The entrance gate will be extended to make the turnstile workable. A new card policy within NOBLE allows new library users to get a permanent card at whichever library they choose: there is no longer any need for them to apply at their hometown library. The books in the stacks were shifted over the summer to make room for the construction work. Now pages are shifting them back a little to make room for the biographies at the beginning of the nonfiction stacks, just as in the arrangement of new books. The job of shifting demands continuity and constant work. One bright side to the temporary moving of the Children's Room is that their pages have been able to help in the stacks. In terms of the staffing difficulties mentioned earlier, two or three of the circulation pages can only work on weekends; their parents want school activities to be the priority. Mrs. Alworth would like to see a kind of spring-operated bookend manufactured. Statistics: The detailed November circulation report will be available at next month's meeting. The total is 25,692-higher than last year. Report from the Chairman: The Foundation is looking for support from each trustee in writing before going public. There is a good feeling from the community for the Foundation. It has had a quiet start because there is no professional backup. They are looking for a corporate sponsor for author Doris Kearns-Goodwin's talk. Mr. Diamond said it was important that it be clear whether donations are intended for the Foundation or the Library. Mrs. Silvaggi will send a letter to the Budget Council, for consideration at their January 28 meeting.