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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2008-06-16 Board of Library Trustees MinutesMinutes of the Board of Library Trustees Meeting Monday, June 16, 2008 Attending: Karyn Storti, Chair; Suzy Axelson; Dick Curtis; Cherrie Dubois, David Hutchinson; Vicki Yablonsky. Elizabeth Dickinson, Assistant Director. Ms. Storti called the meeting to order and asked for the approval of the minutes of the May 19 meeting. The minutes were unanimously approved, as amended. There was discussion regarding Meeting Room Policy. The trustees decided to revisit the issue at a future meeting in order to accurately express their thinking on this subject. Financial Report • Ms. Dickinson reviewed the budget accounts which are on track for the end of the fiscal year. Taate, $2465 has been collected in donations for the Celebration Garden. cr lr=sponse to a question, Ms. Dickinson explained that the $10,000 remaining in Technology (Capital) hbeen allocated for the Roving Reference Project, and will be spent by the end of the fiscal year. A stical Report • C $culation was up again in April, as it has been for the past several months. ~v Friends Report: Ms. Axelson • Ms. Axelson was not able to attend the Friends meeting due to a scheduling conflict • Cherrie Dubois has volunteered to be the Chairperson for next year's House Tour. Ms. Dubois reported that a house tour committee has been formed with approximately seven members, including former Trustee, Maria Silvaggi. Foundation Report: Mr. Curtis • The Foundation will be presenting a program for the public featuring Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Mark Feeney. Mr. Feeney, who was raised in Reading, will speak about the role of libraries in his life. The event will take place Wednesday, June 25, at 7:30 p.m. • The Foundation has agreed to sponsor this summer's Writing Contest which is an annual part of the Children's Summer Reading Program. Director's Report The Library is now offering 3 new museum passes: Boston by Foot Historic New England Spot Pond Boating Summer Reading Get ready for an uproarious summer! The theme for this year's Children's Summer Reading Program is "RU Kidding? Sign ups start on Monday, June 16. The Teen Summer reading program is "Laugh Out Loud" (LOL) and adults can join in the fun with "Laugh Your Head Off." All of the summer programs will feature humor, comedy, and lots of laughter. Building • New shades have been ordered for the first floor, and will be installed on June 26. • AC is working! • Mr. Adams of Adams and Smith, the architectural firm hired to perform the Library's needs assessment. has passed away. Ms. Dickinson does not think this will affect their ability to complete the assessment as planned. Strategic Planning • Two meetings have been held with the Community Committee. These meetings went very well, and this phase of the process is now complete. • Ms. Dickinson distributed a document from the planning sessions which listed service goals and responses, and showed the priority given by the planning group to each. • Ms. Urell has also held two meetings with staff to obtain their input into the planning process. • Trustees discussed a number of the ideas generated by the planning process, including the idea of serving coffee/tea at certain times such as Saturday a.m. and Sunday afternoons, inviting Starbucks to set up and staff a cafe which would operate on weekends, and also developing some attractive outdoor spaces for sitting, reading, and children's programs. • Ms. Urell will compile all the information gathered from the community, staff, Trustees, the community- wide survey, and the recommendations of the architects into a final report which will be ready by summer's end. Trustee Items Ms. Storti suggested that the Trustees should consider ending a library suspension involving a student in the same way as it is done in the public schools. In order for a student to return to school after a suspension, the student and his/her parent must meet with the principal to re-affirm the rules and to make expectations clear. The Trustees agreed to re-visit this discussion with Ms. Urell at the July meeting. Mr. Curtis discussed the impending contract negotiations between Comcast and the Town of Reading. A disagreement has arisen as to the level of support provided to RCTV by Comcast. Mr. Curtis will draft a letter of support for RCTV for the Trustees to review and sign. Election of Officers • Ms. Yablonsky nominated Ms. Axelson to be the new Chair of the Board of Trustees. Ms. Storti seconded the motion. Passed unanimously. • Ms. Storti made a motion to nominate Mr. Hutchinson to be the new Vice-Chair. The motion was seconded by Ms. Axelson. Also passed unanimously. • Ms. Storti nominated Ms. Yablonsky to continue for another year as Secretary; seconded by Ms. Dubois. Passed unanimously. Ms. Dickinson thanked Ms. Storti for her service as Chair of the Board and presented her with a bouquet of flowers on behalf of the Library. Ms. Storti then handed the gavel to Ms. Axelson who called for a motion to adjourn. Adjourn The motion to adjourn was made by Mr. Curtis and seconded by Ms. Dubois. The next Board of Trustees meeting will take place on Monday evening, July 21, 2008 at 7:00 p.m. Respectfully submitted, t Vic. Elizabeth Dickinson (with thanks to Susan Axelson for taking the. notes)