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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-10-15 Board of Library Trustees Minutesrw(5 Town of Reading Meeting Minutes t s r- S0: 04 Board - Committee - Commission - Council: Board of Library Trustees Date: 2024-10-15 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: Cappy Popp, Chair; Patrick Egan, Vice -Chair (remote); Andrew Grimes, Secretary (remote); Chemie Dubois; Andrew Gregory (remote); Members - Not Present: Monette Verner Others Present: Amy Lannon, Director; Michelle Filleul, Assistant Director; Meaghan Clemente, Administrative Assistant; Albert Pless, Director of Equity and Social Justice (remote); Linda Snow Dockser, Resident Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Andrew Grimes, Secretary Topics of Discussion: I. Call to Order 7:01 p.m. It. Public Comment No public comments were made in person or remotely. III. Ad Hoc Commemoration Establishment ("ACE") Committee The Board would like to wait for the arrival of Director of Equity and Social Justice Albert Pless to discuss the Ad Hoc Commemoration Establishment ("ACE") Committee. Motion: To table discussion of the Ad Hoc Commemoration Establishment ("ACE) Committee. (Popp/Dubois) Vote: Approved 4-0 Mr. Pless joined the meeting remotely at 7:05 p.m. He explained the purpose of the Committee, which will commemorate Bill Russell's legacy. The Board can designate a Committee member on behalf of the Library. Mr. Pleas is involved with the Pre -Ad Hoc Committee, which has been meeting regularly to review the application process. Mr. Pless is happy to help the Board in a supportive advisory role. Resident Linda Snow Dockser arrived in person at 7:09 p.m. As another Pre -Ad Hoc Committee member, she is happy to help with any questions or concerns. Page I : The position requires a one-year commitment to the mission. Although operational details have yet to be determined by this new Committee, regular monthly meetings are likely. Reading residency is required. An appointee familiar with the Library and interested in human and civil rights may be preferable. Mr. Grimes joined the meeting remotely at 7:16 p.m. The Board confirmed receipt of the Charge document for the Committee and will review it further. However, no Board members indicated an interest in serving as a self-appointed Committee member at this time. The Board should only discuss potential appointees in their official meetings but can reach out individually to the Chair, Ms. Lannon, Mr. Pless, or Ms. Snow Dockser with any questions. Ms. Lannon will also reach out to Library staff members to gauge interest. Volunteer applications for the Committee are available on the Town website for the Select Board's appointee. Ms. Snow Dockser noted that these volunteers may also be willing to serve as the Board's designee if not selected to represent the Select Board. Volunteer names can also be forwarded to Ms. Lannon, who will pass them along to the Board for consideration in November. Further discussion with the full Board is needed before a nominee can be voted on. Mr. Pless and Ms. Snow Dockser excused themselves at 7:23 p.m. IV. Toys for Tots Collection Request Ms. Filleul requested approval for the Library to be a collection site for the annual Toys for Tots program organized by the United States Marine Corps Reserve. The Library has participated in the program in prior years. Collections start in November and continue through December 9. Motion: To approve the placement of a collection bin for Toys for Tots through December 9, 2024, in the Reading Public Library lobby. (Dubois / Gregory) Vote: Approved 4-0 V. Lions Scarecrow Contest Table Request The Reading Lions Club is running its 40 annual Scarecrow Contest to raise money for local charities such as the Reading Food Pantry and the Reading Scholarship Foundation. A basic scarecrow frame kit is provided in exchange for a $15 donation. Participants submit photos of their decorated scarecrows for the chance to win prizes. The Reading Lions Club would supply their own table and materials. Ideally, they would like to set up a table outside the main entrance if the weather is seasonable. The morning and early afternoon of Saturday, October 19, would work well due to increased foot traffic, especially around the Library's popular Jumping Beans storytime event, Motion: To allow the Reading Lions Club to set up a table on October 19, 2024, to sell scarecrow kits. (Dubois /Gregory) Vote: Approved 5-0 VI. Review: Holds Pickup Policy Peee 12 Ms. Lannon reviewed the revised Holds Pickup Policy, which will be formally voted on in November. The policy was originally adopted in 2003 as the Privacy for Items on Reserve Policy and has not been revisited until recently. These revisions remove procedural language to shorten and simplify the policy. Patrons placing holds may authorize other people, such as family, friends, or other household members, to pick up items on hold in their library account. Pickup permission can also be granted to others if they have the library card of the patron who placed the hold in hand during pickup. These rules protect patron privacy. However, hold pickups can sometimes be tense if these rules are not known or are misunderstood. Both adults and children are informed of this policy when registering for library cards and are offered the chance to authorize others for hold pickups. Authorized individuals can also be added or removed at any time upon request. The Borrower Services staff strives to be kind and flexible, extending hold pickup times upon patron request. VII. Financial Report The FY 25 budget is running smoothly. Ms. Lannon will present the draft Level 1 FY26 to the Board in November for discussion and questions. She will then present the draft budget to the Select Board in December. The Town Manager will balance the Town budget with the School budget and present it to the Finance Committee in March. Nonunion staff pay increases are estimated to be a step increase plus a 1.25% COLA. The FY26 budget will include a new expense line for the Office of Equity and Social Justice. Mr. Pless will provide more details on the budget request at the Select Board meeting. The Office of Equity and Social Justice collaborates with many Town Departments, who benefit from the Office's staff hours and resources. OESJ will implement strategic plan activities identified in the Town's recent DEI Community Assessment. Ms. Lannon referred to the Coalition's budget structure. The Coalition's funding comes from within the Police Department, but its programming and services are not police activities but rather for community and inter -departmental support. RPL is moving approximately 28,000 pages of previously digitized content posted from the Internet Archives to the Community History Archive platform. The content complements the newspaper archives with Reading Town Reports, the Reading yearbook collection, and several local history items. The Friends of the Reading Public Library and the Reading Public Library Foundation are working on mailings soliciting donations. The Library greatly appreciates the generous support of both organizations and their donors. VIII. Director's Report Ms. Lannon noted that September statistics were corrected and apologized for the reporting error. The correct data should be 1.470 reference questions and 13,172 library visitors for October. The Library is open on Sundays from October through May. The Library's new mobile application is now available for both iOS and Android. The Dig In grant has been rebranded to Rooted in Reading. The year-long grant will fund programs, collections, and educational green spaces focusing on nature, health, and Page 1 3 sustainability. New garden plantings around the parking lot are underway. Sensory gardens with educational signage are also being planned. The Library is pleased to work on this project with local businesses such as Gardens by Demetra and Gagnon Landscaping. Gagnon Landscaping may also be able to help with seasonal cleanups using compostable leaf mulch, which falls outside the purview of the Department of Public Works (DPW). Town Clerk Laura Gamine and her staff registered new voters and helped others check voter status at the Library's National Voter Registration Day event. Ms. Lannon commended the Town Clerk's Office for their hard work and professionalism. The Library hosted Reading Coalition for Prevention and Support for a Narcan Administration training session covering Narcan's history, uses, and administration. RPL will offer this training at a spring all -staff meeting. Two new high school pages started this month. Julia Dillon is paging in the Children's Room, and Indigo Boyko is paging for the multimedia, adult, and teen collections. Mr. Pless celebrated his one-year work anniversary. Susan Beauregard has completed 31 years of service, and Ms. Lannon has served for 21 years. Technology upgrades are currently underway in the Conference and Community Rooms. Generously funded by the Reading Public Library Foundation, these improvements will enhance both in-person and hybrid programming. A new RFID inventory tool will enable Library staff to quickly check for missing and misfiled items in the collection. The Lucius Beebe Memorial Library in Wakefield uses this equipment and has provided guidance throughout the ordering process. A patron recently donated a 3D printer to the Library. Several staff members visited the Memorial Hall Library's maker space in Andover to learn more about 3D printing and other equipment. Staff are still discussing if and how to provide access to 30 printing. Issues include policies prohibiting the creation of weapons, limiting printjobs over three hours, and other actions to minimize risk. Ms. Filleul noted that the Library would supply 3D printing filament for patrons at no charge and use plant -based Polylactic Acid (PLA) materials to minimize ventilation issues and ensure quality control. Mr. Gregory noted that filament supply costs are negligible for 3D printing jobs under three hours. IX. Approval of September 9, 2024, Meeting Minutes Motion: To approve the minutes of the September 9, 2024, Tiustae Meeting as written. (Egan / Dubois) Vote: Approved SO X. Future Agenda Items In November, the Board will revisit the discussion on the ACE Committee and possibly vote on an appointee. The Board will vote on the Holds Pickup Policy. Ms. Lannon will Page 14 also present the FY26 Level 1 Budget to the Board before her informational budget presentation to the Select Board in December. Adjournment 8:02 p.m. Motion: To Adjourn (Egan / Dubois) Vote: Approved 5-0 Respectfully Submitted, ilu-Gtr %Z Andrew Grimes, Secretary P.,e 15