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Home My WebLink About2020-01-13 Board of Library Trustees Minutes HOfy O Town of Reading 3 } ? Meeting Minutes � ECEIvEo SOWN CLERK REAS:i6J9.' a �P Ai 7, MA• Board - Committee - commission - Council: 2020 FEB I I AM II: 10 Board of Library Trustees Date: 2020-01-13 Time: 7:00 PM Building: Reading Public Library Location: History Room Address: 64 Middlesex Avenue Session: Open Session Purpose: General Meeting Version: Final Attendees: Members - Present: John Brzezenski, Chair, Nina Pennacchio, Vice-Chair; Alice Collins, Secretary; Monette Verrier, Cherrie Dubois Members - Not Present: Andrew Grimes Others Present: Amy Lannon, Director; Michelle Filleul, Assistant Director, Sean Jacobs, Finance Committee, Town of Reading Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Alice Collins, Secretary Topics of Discussion: Call to Order 7:03 I. Approval of Minutes from December 9, 2019 Motion: To Approve Minutes as amended (Dubois, Collins) Vote: Approved 4-0 II. Public Comment: none III. Review of Tutoring Policy and Piano Use Policy: The only recommended change to the Tutoring Policy is to move language about where a person may tutor to the beginning of the document. Ms. Lannon noted this policy is important as it permits private tutoring, a "for- profit" business, to be conducted in the library. The library also facilitates free peer group tutoring programs such as Study Buddies, Math Circle, and Book Mates. Ms. Collins asked about age limits and adult supervision. Ms. Lannon responded that the wording is to make it clear that the library is not responsible for the child at any time. Children under 10 must have a responsible caregiver at all times (see Unattended Child Policy). Ms. Verrier inquired if there are current issues with tutors. Ms. Lannon replied that there are no specific issues with the tutors and that tutoring policy is more for parents. Motion: To Approve Tutoring policy with amendments (Dubois, Verrier) Vote: Approved 4-0 Page 1 1 Piano Use Policy: Ms. Lannon reported that there are no recommended changes to the Piano Use Policy. The Board recommended including a sentence reminding users that no fees may be charged for attendance, all programs must be open to the public, "please refer to our full meeting room policy." Motion: To Approve Piano Use Policy with amendments (Collins, Verrier) Vote: Approved 4-0 IV. Financial Report a. FY 20 Update: Budget is on target. We are starting the process of magazine renewal which is about 9% of the overall materials budget. b. Gifts: $5000 Nigro Foundation, $10,000 Reading Cooperative Bank (4th of 5). All funds donated are in support of the Children's Room space, services, and programs. V. Director's Report a. Building / Facilities Update Facilities has put covers on certain thermostats to better maintain temperature in parts of the library. Also, the library is now a water quality testing site for the MWRA. b. Personnel 1. Staff Meeting January 16, 2020: The MLBC will be educating staff about the 2020 Census at the upcoming staff meeting. April 1st is Census Day. Residents will be able to complete the census or ask questions at a variety of locations on April 1, 2020. Sites include Town Hall, the Pleasant St. Center, and the library. Libraries across the country will be playing a large role in the 2020 Census because of the need for computer and internet access. Audiences that are chronically under counted include children under 5, the homeless, and residents who travel during the winter months. The library has staff members involved with the town-wide Complete Count Committee, whose mission is to make sure that all Reading residents are counted in the 2020 Census. 2. Inclusive Internship Initiative Application The library is applying to the Public Library Association for an Inclusive Internship grant. The grant is designed to seek out and hire a diverse student from the community to work at the library over the summer. The student will receive $3500 stipend and is required to travel to both Chicago, IL and Washington, DC as part of the grant. The goal of this program is to increase diversity in those entering the library field. Ms. Dubois asked if it could be a college student, Ms. Lannon believes the program is for youths between 16-19. 3. Conflict of Interest acknowledgements Ms. Lannon reminded the Trustees that these need to be filled out. Page 1 2 c. Programs & Outreach 1. The Vote: The library has received a $9K grant from the Mass. Center for Humanities. This grant, in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the women's vote, will run from late spring through the national election in November. Andrea Fiorillo received accolades from the Mass. Center for Humanities for the high quality of the application. Related to this, the RPL Foundation will have a Vote/Civic Engagement speaker series in the Fall. 2. Spring program brochure is in production. It will be printed in mid- February: Highlights include Teen Volunteer/Job Fair, the New Resident Open House, and Chumley s Birthday. d. Collections & Services Temporary move for "Boston Herald": Ms. Lannon reported that the newspaper was being damaged, written on and vandalized. It is temporarily located at the Borrower Services Desk. Ms. Dubois inquired about how we handle history books that are defaced. Ms. Lannon said these are regularly replaced when discovered or reported. e. Professional Development Reading Public Library is a workplace dedicated to continuous learning. Below is a list of RPL professional development activities from the last month. • BER Young Adult Literature Conference • Creating Accessible Learning Environments: An Introduction to Universal Design for Learning webinar • Librarian's Guide to Homelessness • Media Mentorship Part 2 • PLA Inclusive Internship Initative Webinar • What's New in Children's Literature and Strategies for Using it in Your Program workshop VI. Other Business 1. Ms. Lannon reported that the Children's Room is ready to open the patio a few times a week this summer for a few hours at a time. They are aware that policies need to be in place for use of the space, they are aware of limited sight lines and will be adding mirrors, and all programs will be targeted to a specific time and specific age group, etc. Ms. Lannon reported that the biggest concern is in regards to unsupervised minors. Staff will be looking at policy and safety tools. If you have comments, or suggestions, please let Ms. Lannon know. 2. Meredith Yoder is the mentor for the Joshua Eaton Lego League Robotics Page 1 3 team this season. In addition to building a Lego Mindstorm robot to perform a set of missions, their team also has to complete an Innovation Project that connects to the theme of"City Shapers." The JE Team has chosen the issue of the decline of honey bees and other native bee pollinators. This portion of the competition is a proposal with an idea and model. Their concept idea for this portion of the competition is a pollinator garden and bee habitat or an innovative hive design for the patio that could be viewed within the library. The students would need limited access to the patio for research and measurements, but would also gather feedback from the library stakeholders that could be used to improve their design proposal. They will build a proposed model (out of Legos or other materials) that they would be happy to share with the library as well. 3. Challenged Book (December 2019): Motion: To Approve keeping the book"Until the Last Star Fades"by Jacquelyn Middleton in the library's collection (Dubois, Collins) Vote: Approved 4-0 Adjournment 8:00 p.m. Motion: To Adjourn (Dubois, Brzezenski) Vote: Approved 5-0 es ecttully Sub fitted, Alice Collins, Secretary Page 1 4