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pf <br />s Board of Library Trustees <br />Nlinutes of Meeting - November 17, 1997 <br />j> <br />Present: Mrs. Maria Silvaggr chair; Mr. Stephen Conner; Mr. Robert Fields; Dr. Christine <br />Redford. <br />Absent: Mr. William Diamond; Ms. Cherrie Dubois. <br />Also present: Mr. Bruce McDonald. <br />Mrs. Silvaggi called the meeting to order at 7:05. <br />Minutes: The minutes of October 14 were accepted. <br />Statistical report: The trend is upward. The state average of circulation per capita is seven, and <br />Reading is seventeen. <br />Report from the Chairman: Mr. Fields moved that Karen Sawyer be the Board's nominee for <br />the Millenium Committee. <br />Mrs. Silvaggi related her experience with the Budget Council, whose meetings she has been <br />attending. It would behoove the Board to make a formal request of the Council for the Board to <br />become an official member. Mr. McDonald noted that Budget Council meetings are public <br />meetings: each board calls a meeting, then they hear a common report. It makes sense to him for <br />the Library Board to be represented. Mrs. Silvaggi thinks that the Budget Council may become <br />engrained in Town budget activity. The Library should be involved because 1) technology is a <br />budget-busting issue and that is the Library's future, and 2) the Library has major salary issues. <br />Decisions about the Town's budget are being made apart from an arena in which the Library can <br />participate. Concern was expressed about the three boards going into joint executive session. <br />The possibility of a single representative instead of frill board membership was discussed. Mr. <br />Conner said that the chosen designate path does not give the Board the power that it needs; for <br />instance, it was not part of the conversation about building maintenance consolidation. Mr. <br />McDonald said that the Board will need to present a rationale for its inclusion; the question will <br />arise, Why not other boards? Mr. Conner moved that the Board of Trustees petition the Budget <br />Council for participation on a full board basis. The motion passed unanimously, with a letter <br />from Cherrie Dubois offering her supporting vote. Mrs. Silvaggi will update Mr. Diamond. The <br />Council's next meetings are January 28 and March 4. <br />Mrs. Silvaggi thanked Mr. McDonald for his attendance and activity as a liaison to the Board of <br />Selectmen. He will also be a member of the Library's long-range planning committee. <br />Unfinished business: 1) Budget: The numbers are not yet done. The major issue is salary. The <br />Town uses as comparison Belmont, North Andover, Andover, Tewskbury, Wakefield, and <br />Wilmington. The Library adds Belmont, Concord and Hingham, because they have similar <br />levels of library service. Reading answers the most reference questions of that group, but our <br />librarians' salaries are not at the top. Reference questions are our most expensive service because <br />of the expertise they require. The Town Manager has asked the Director to submit salary <br />increases as a "new program" with rough numbers. He said that increases may not have to wait <br />until next fiscal year. <br />Ms. Hanley informed the trustees that nonprint items account for twenty percent of adult <br />circulation, and should be supported by a comparable~percentage of the materials appropriation, <br />