HomeMy WebLinkAbout2009-02-09 Board of Library Trustees MinutesMinutes of the Board of Library Trustees Meeting
Monday, February 9, 2009
Attending: Suzy Axelson, Chair; Richard Curtis, Cherrie Dubois, David Hutchinson; Karyn
Storti; Vicki Yablonsky; Dorota Socha; Guest: Jeff Doucette; Ruth Urell, Library Director.
Meeting was called to order at 7:05pm
Minutes
Ruth outlined the latest revision of the 2010 budget, to meet the additional $13,000 cut required.
o Reduce number of Noble connections by-one.
o Reduce Book budget to 13.5% which is below the MBLC requirement
o Eliminate the Technology Librarian position, which has been unfilled since Fall `08
o Eliminate Substitute Budget for the Public Service desk
o Eliminate one Sunday librarian
o Eliminate circulation and support staffing on Sundays
After a motion duly made by Karyn Storti, and seconded by David Hutchison, the trustees
VOTED to close the Reading Public Library on summer Saturdays, starting after Memorial Day
weekend and reopening after Labor Day weekend, to redistribute savings to partially fund
Sunday openings. Ruth recommended making a slight reduction in the pages budget to apply
additional funding toward Sundays.
After a motion duly made by Cherrie Dubois and seconded by Karyn Storti, the trustees VOTED
to finalize the Library budget, with the intent to close summer Saturdays and restore partial
circulation and support staffing on Sundays.
MBLC Waivers
The Mass. Board of Library Commissioners is recommending to the Legislature that the Board
be allowed to provide an unlimited number of waivers to municipalities in FY2010. If a Library
applies for accommodation of a standard (i.e. hours open or materials expenditures) that
Library's state aid will be cut proportionally. The trustees unanimously agreed that we are not
yet in a position to seek a waiver or accommodation of the standard. The intent is to expend the
full 15% of the total budget on materials to meet the standard and to expend trust income and
other sources to cover municipal funding shortfall.
Questions about Proportionality of Cuts in Town of Reading
The MBLC also looks to see if the cuts made to a Library's budgets are proportional to other cuts
made town-wide. The cuts that will be made for FY 2010 will not be precisely the same within
departments. Public Safety and Public Works, deemed as critical to Reading citizen's safety and
welfare, will not experience deeply reduced budgets. The Fire Department overall budget will be
up by 4.6%. The Community Service Department will be reduced by 3%. The School Budget is
yet to be finalized.
Next Meeting: March 2, 2009, 7 p.m. at the Reading Public Library.
Respe tfully submitted, apt
Suzy Axels
Chairman