1996-10-21 Board of Library Trustees Minutes

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Board of Library Trustees Minutes of Meeting October 21, 1996 Td:-e~~ Present: Ms. Cherrie Dubois, chair; Mr. Stephen Conner; Mr. William Diamond; Dr. Christine Redford; Mrs. Maria Silvaggi. Absent: Mr. Robert Fields, due to illness. Also present: Mary Bastiani, Maria Blewitt, Bruce McDonald. Mrs. Silvaggi called the meeting to order at 7:05. Minutes: Mr. Diamond moved that the minutes of September 16 be approved. The motion passed. Mr. Conner moved that the minutes of September 26 be approved. Mr. Diamond expressed mixed feelings about transferring budget from School to Library for the Coolidge Middle School project.. There was general support among the Board members for a separate line item in the Town's budget to fund the collaboration. The motion to approve the minutes passed. Financial report: The Director is requesting budget transfers from FinComm this week, to be acted upon by Town Meeting next month: 1) $850 for the NOBLE line item. Maintenance is based on the number of ports, which has increased since the budget was prepared last year, including new ports at Coolidge Middle School. 2) about $5000 for supplies. The budgeted amount is $4700; the Library has spent $8000 so far this year. Library cards are bought in bulk every five years and this year $1700 was spent. The need for processing supplies have increased because of a higher materials budget. Electronic sources require more ink and paper. Some of this is offset by the public paying for copies; this money is returned to the general fund. No controversy is anticipated on these requests. The Library's HVAC system is twelve and a half years old. Ten to twelve heating units were not working over the summer. Replacement units cost $1500 each. A consultant evaluated the air quality of all Town buildings. Not enough fresh air is coming into the Library, especially in the meeting room. The chiller is basically dead. The Town Manager's proposal is to work on the Library building this year using funds from DPW, and requesting an additional $85,000 in a transfer. This will provide the top floor with new ducting and a separate HVAC system. Board members expressed a desire to see the whole building corrected, not just the top floor. Mr. Diamond suggested that after the top floor is cooled properly, it will be easier to address the other two floors. Ms. Hanley expressed her confidence in the consultant's recommendations and in DPW. The Finance Department is requesting $65,000 to implement the Town Hall Local Area Network and the Library Local Area Network. This amount includes $14,000 for Library computers. The computers were originally in next year's capital request, but since the NOBLE upgrade project is coming sooner than expected, the Library would like to take advantage of its benefits as soon as possible. Report from the Chairman: A letter was received from two residents about a video owned by theLibrary called "Spanking the Monkey;" which they consider to be obscene. Ms. Hanley - -