HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022-05-09 Board of Library Trustees MinutesTown of Reading Fi E C E l V E IJ
5 TOWN CLERK
MeetingMinutes
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Board - Committee - Commission - Council:
Board of Library Trustees
Date: 2022-05-09 Time: 7:05 PM
Building: Reading Public Library Location:
Address: 64 Middlesex Avenue Session: Open Session
Purpose: General Meeting Version: Final
Attendees: Members - Present:
Chair; Nina Pennacchio, Chair; Monette Verner, Vice -Chair; Andrew Grimes,
Secretary; Monique Pillow-Gnanaratnam, Cherrie Dubois; Patrick Egan
Members - Not Present:
Others Present:
Amy Lannon, Director; Michelle Filleul, Assistant Director; Joe McDonagh,
Finance Committee Liaison
Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Andrew Grimes, Secretary
Topics of Discussion:
I. Call to Order and Welcome 7:04 p.m.
II. Public Comment: None.
III. Approval of Minutes from April 11, 2022
Motion: To approve of minutes from April 11, 2022 (Verrier/Pennacchio)
Vote: Approved 6-0
IV. Review and Discussion: Tutoring Policy
Ms. Lannon noted several changes recommended by Head of Public Services
Ally Dowds. The updated policy stipulates tutoring takes place on the ground
floor. The policy also states that tutors may not reserve tables or other spaces or
ask other patrons to move to accommodate a tutoring session. Ms. Dubois and
Ms. Pennacchio suggested grammatical changes and corrections.
Discussion and Vote: Collection Development Policy
Ms. Lannon reviewed the changes discussed at the April meeting. Ms. Dubois,
Mr. Egan, and Ms. Verner requested several clarifications and edits to the form.
Motion: To approve the Collection Development Policy as presented.
(Dubois/Egan)
Vote: Approved 6-0
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VI. Community Outreach Summary:
Ms. Filleul reported that the Library participates in town events throughout the
year, including the Fall Street Faire, Friends and Family Day, Discover the Arts
festival, and school events. Additional highlights:
• RPL hosted a table at the Reading Public Schools annual Arts Fest,
where they reached 220 families.
• New Resident Open House has been delayed for two years and will return
Spring of 2023.
• Several Library staff members serve as liaisons to local organizations,
including CATO, Arts Reading, Dementia Friendly Reading, HRAC,
NAGLY, North Suburban Child and Family Resource Network, RSTAR,
"Reading in Reading" (ended May 2022), and the Coalition.
• National Honor Society students volunteer for programs such as the
Scribble Society.
• The Pop -Up Library returns this summer.
• Children's Librarian Lisa Racine is creating kits similar to our Weekend
Wonder bags for families using the meals program through St. Vincent de
Paul. She is also planning to coordinate with local doctors, dentists, and
possibly mechanics to have crates of books and flyers available for
families.
• Director for Equity and Social Justice, Sudeshna Chattedee, has spent her
first months meeting community members and organizations. She has
met with all Select Board members and is reaching out to School
Committee and would like a liaison from both for the volunteer -led
advisory board: Partners and Allies for Inclusive Reading or PAIR. She is
also engaging with SEPAC/Schools to understand the needs of the
students and families. PAIR is expected to plan 3-4 events: Juneteenth,
Native American Month, and MLK Day.
VII. Space Update
Ms. Lannon reported that Friends shelving might be available on May 20.
Bibliotheca will set up Library Lockers starting the week of May 16, with a hopeful
start date of June 1. Work on the EV Charging Stations installation is expected to
begin the week of May 23. The Children's Room will remove eight computers and
add more hands-on stations for STEAM activities.
VIII. Financial Update
a. FY22: Ms. Lannon reported that the second of two State Aid payments
came in during April. The Library is running under budget. Mr. McDonagh
asked about the formula used for determining the state aid formula.
b. FY23: Town meeting approved the FY23 Budget on April 28, 2022. FY23
Gift and Trust expenditure proposals will be ready for the July 2022
meeting.
IX. Directoes Report
a. April snapshot
Circulation is back to normal. The small number of attendees to in-person
programming means the foot traffic has remained lower than a pre-COVID
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year. Museum pass circulation is increasing; Overdrive circulation is
steady.
NOBLE -hosted Evergreen ILS servers have moved to the cloud. NOBLE
will no longer be hosting the library website as of July 1. With these
changes, NOBLE will streamline service and accommodate online traffic
growth. IT has caught up with replacing public computers. New Librarian
Jocelyn Gould started in late April and had overlap time with Eileen
Barrett. The Fantastic Mr. Fox cast from the RMHS Drama Club visited
and performed for toddler storytime. The Library will sponsor a Pride
Parade car parade on Sunday, June 5, with HRAC and Pop Huddle. The
Library will have a Rainbow Run on June 16 to celebrate Pride. Related to
the Rainbow Run, Ms. Lannon requested funding and permission for the
staff to paint the library crosswalk with the Pride flag. Ms. Lannon will
consult DPW about what paint material to use.
Staff Day will be at the Library on Friday, June 3. Trustees are welcome to
attend lunch. There will also be a Friends Meet and Greet with staff on
Thursday, May 19, and Friday, May 20.
On Tuesday, May 17, there is an outdoor concert and a request from the
RMHS POWIR club to host a bake sale.
Motion: To allow the student POWIR group to have a bake sale at the
library event on May 17 concert. (Grimes/Dubois)
Vote approved., 6-0
b. Personnel
Nothing to report
c. Professional Development
The April staff meeting included ALICE Training and tabletop emergency
response exercises. Ten people completed Mental Health First Aid with
Erica McNamara
Motion to go into Executive Session at 8:08. (Verner/Dubois)
Vote approved: 6-0
X. Executive Session: Personnel Discussion
Adjournment 8:28 p.m.
Motion: To Adjourn (Grfines/Pennacchio)
Vote., Approved 6-0
Respectfully Submitted,
(�sp-41. -
Andrew Grimes, Secretary
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