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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2008-07-21 Board of Library Trustees MinutesMinutes of the. Board of Library Trustees Meeting f, a~ Monday, July 21, 2008 RECLIvED 4 ' Attending: Suzy Axelson, Chair; Dick Curtis; Cherrie Dubois, Karyn Storti; Vick~JYabldiGk H CLEF MASS. Ruth Urell, Library Director; Elizabeth Dickinson, Assistant Director.L ` Susan Beauregard and Amy Lannon, Young Adult Librarians 1008 SEP I A S. 3 b Young Adult Librarians' Report Ms. Beauregard and Ms. Lannon updated the Trustees on the activities of the Young Adult Department. In 2007, Ms. Lannon and Ms. Beauregard applied for and were awarded a two-year, $20,000 LSTA grant to develop programs and services for "Teens and Tweens." These additional funds, plus the hard work of both librarians, has made many new programs and services available, as well as making it possible to purchase new furniture, equipment, books, and other materials for the Teen Spot. Among the highlights of the past year: the NBC/ MIT journalism competition, the inauguration of the "Crafternoon" series, Dance Dance Revolution and other video-gaming programs, teen movies, a book review blog, the installation of two new computers in the Teen Spot, and a very successful young adult author visit. Upcoming events include "The Outrageous Olympics," a fun event to celebrate the end of Summer Reading, a new outreach program for 10th graders, more emphasis on volunteers throughout the year, and an effort to re- establish the Teen Advisory Board. The Trustees were very impressed by the creativity of the librarians and by their enthusiasm and energy. In the words of one Trustee: "This is what makes this Library so great!" Minutes The minutes of the June 16 meeting were unanimously approved. Financial Report • Ms. Urell reported that we are still in the process of closing out the fiscal year, so final figures are not f yet available. Summer books were purchased using state aid or money from trust funds. • The Town's new Munis accounting software went "live" on July 1. The new software is proving to be a challenge, as it is more complex and time consuming to use than the previous system. Statistical Report • Circulation is up, again this month. • The Trustees noted the high usage of museum passes, perhaps due to the downturn in the economy. Friends Report: Ms. Dubois • Ms. Dubois has agreed to replace Ms. Axelson as the Trustee Liaison to the Friends of the Library. Foundation Report: Mr. Curtis • Mr. Curtis presented Ms. Urell with a DVD which contained footage of Mark Feeney's presentation at the Library. Ms. Urell plans to place excerpts from the DVD on the Library's website. Director's Report • A broken window was discovered in the Staff workroom. This was obviously caused by vandalism, as a BB was found on the window sill. Police were called. The Trustees expressed their concern about the number of incidents involving vandalism which have occurred in the past few years. Ms. Storti suggested that the Library consider installing motion sensitive lights in the parking lot. • Ms. Urell stated that the architect is working on the building assessment, and will no doubt include suggestions for better building security in his final list of recommendations. • New free-standing book drops have arrived, and are being stored at the DPW garage until the site is ready. These are drive-up book drops which will allow patrons to return items from the driver's side of their car, a great new service for library users. Each book drop can hold 300 books and 1000 media items. • The computer lab has been completely redone with new tables, chairs, window shades, and computers purchased with funds donated by the Reading Public Library Foundation. It is still awaiting a few finishing touches, and the arrival of a smart board for use in teaching computer classes. Once all is in place, a ribbon cutting event will be held to thank the Foundation, possibly on Sunday, October 5. • Facilities has a proposal for adding new shades in the fiction area on the first floor. It is estimated that it would be possible to recover the cost of the new shades in less than five years due to energy savings. • New curbing has been installed along the School Street side of the parking lot. DPW needs to finish raking and cleaning this area. A picnic table has been purchased using funds from the donations account. Celebration Garden Ms. Urell reported that she has been in contact on several occasions with the Garden Club regarding the lack of progress in preparing the site and planting the new Library gardens. At the end of June, she met with representatives of the Garden Club: Donnan Barnes, the new president of the Garden Club, and Mary Dolben, mother of the Boy Scout who originally proposed renovating the Library gardens as his Eagle Scout project. Ms. Urell expressed to Ms. Barnes and Ms. Dolben her concern about proper grading of the area, and the necessity for structural support for the gardens. Subsequently, Ms. Barnes has set up meeting to discuss these concerns with a "hardscaper." The meeting will take place Tuesday evening, July 22. Ms. Urell will attend and report back to the Trustees. The Dolben family has proposed to bring in enough workers and equipment to excavate the garden area on Friday evening, July 25, and to install the necessary retaining walls on Saturday, the 26'x. The Trustees expressed their concern that this project is beyond the ability of a non-professional, and that the structural aspects of the project, in particular, need to be overseen by a credentialed, professional person. The consensus of the discussion was that a professional, someone with expertise in the areas of drainage, grading, and the installation of retaining walls, needs. to bein charge of the project and oversee the work being done,, Pay and Classification Study The Town has hired Stone Consulting to do a Pay and Classification Study involving all non-union positions in the town. The purpose of the study is to review the current compensation plan and to ensure that employees of the town are being paid fairly and competitively. It is expected that the study will be completed by early fall. Ms. Urell passed out two spreadsheets showing how library salaries at RPL compare with those in the towns selected for comparison by the Town Manager and consultant. Ms. Urell explained that she used data from the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (Massachusetts Public Library Data, Salaries Report, 7-1- 2007.) The Board expressed concern about inequities revealed by this comparison. Trustees noted that, based on the same Pay & Classification Study, it was reported in the newspaper that the School Committee had increased salaries for school non-union employees. Trustees decided to ask for a meeting with Stone Consulting. Trustee Items Ms. Yablonsky asked about the progress of the library building assessment. Ms. Urell answered that Mr. Smith plans to present his findings at the September Trustees meeting. Adjourn The motion to adjourn was made by Ms. Storti and seconded by Ms. Dubois. The next Board of Trustees meeting will take place on Monday evening, September 15, 2008 at 7:00 p.m. Respectfully submitted, f Elizabeth Dickinson Assistant Director