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Home My WebLink About2008-05-19 Board of Library Trustees Minutesei RECEIVED Minutes of the Board of Library Trustees Meeting TOWN CLERK May 19, 2008 READING, MASS. AtteAr! g a n Stort~Chair; Suzy Axelson; Dick Curtis; David Hutchinson; Vicki Yablonsky. Ruth li r ySt' liir W Elizabeth Dickinson Assistant Director. Ms. Storti called the meeting to order and asked for the approval of the minutes of the April 14 meeting. Mr. Hutchinson pointed out a correction that needed to be made in the section headed "Financial Report." In the sentence following the second bullet, the word "outage" is incorrect. He suggested that it be replaced by the word "overage." The minutes were then unanimously approved, as amended. Financial Report • Ms. Urell reviewed the budget accounts which are on track for the end of the fiscal year. • $14,500 has been set aside for the purpose of an architectural study of the library building. The study will be conducted by the firm of Adams & Smith. • To date, $1755 has been collected in donations for the Celebration Garden at the Reading Public Library, a collaborative project with the Reading Garden Club. Statistical Report • Circulation was up again in April, as it has been for the past several months. The adult circulation increased by 7 circulation in the Children's Department has remained stable. } Friends Report: Ms. Axelson There is no report this month as Ms. Axelson was not able to attend the Friends meeting due to a scheduling conflict Foundation Report: Mr. Curtis • The Foundation will be presenting a program for the public featuring Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Mark Feeney. Mr. Feeney is an arts writer and photography reviewer for The Boston Globe. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 2008 in the category of "criticism." Mr. Feeney, who was raised in Reading, will speak about the role of libraries in his life. The event will take place Wednesday evening, June 25, and is free for the public. Director's Report • Mr. Richard Smith has agreed to present the findings of the architectural study to the Board of Trustees in person. Ms. Urell worked with the town attorney in drawing up the contract with Adams & Smith. • Ms. Urell has spoken with the Town's Human Resources Administrator, Carol Roberts, regarding the rules and requirements for staffing the Library on Sundays. Sunday hours will begin in October, 2008. • There was a discussion of recent problems involving the booking of the Library meeting rooms. It was decided that the Meeting Room policy will be reviewed at a future meeting. • Ms. Urell distributed reports from staff members who attended the Massachusetts Library Association's Annual Conference in Hyannis. Those attending this year's conference were Jamie Penney, Allison DaSilva, Nancy Aberman, Kathy Miksis, Lorraine Barry, and Elizabeth Dickinson. • Nick Cefalo, of Eastern Free-Style Karate, presented the Library with checks totally $1400. This money was raised for the Library through a "kickathon" sponsored by the school. The funds have been directed to the Friends of the Library. • The re-design of the Library's website is in progress, and is expected to be completed by September. Awards The Friends of the Library have received citations from State Representative Brad Jones and Senator Richard Tisei for their cooperative work with the Cultural Council in funding the Young Adult Author program. Long Range Planning • Ms. Urell passed out a "flow chart" that she had created to show the interrelationship between community needs and the goals, objectives, and activities resulting from the planning process. • Two sessions have been scheduled for the purpose of soliciting input from the staff. • The Trustees devoted the remainder of the meeting to participation in a long range planning exercise. The exercise is designed to promote thinking about the strengths and weaknesses of the Library currently and the opportunities, and challenges that the Library will face in the future. (See attached) Proposed Meeting Dates for FY2008 Ms. Urell distributed a schedule for the Board's meetings for FY 2009, which was accepted without revision. Trustee Items Ms. Storti mentioned a survey of Friends groups which appeared in the March/ April 08 edition of the MBLC Newsletter. Of interest was the fact that according to the article, many groups do not charge dues. The article is available online at the MBLC website. Go to http://mblc.state.ma.us/. Click on About MBLC. Click on Publications. Click on MBLC Notes (newsletter) Adjourn Mr. Hutchinson made the motion to adjourn which was seconded by Ms. Yablonsky and passed unanimously. The next Board of Trustees meeting will take place on Monday evening, June 16, 2008. Respectfully submitted,. Elizabeth S. Dickinson Assistant Director 4~1 iNMRLS t;o~h -a MAy uh,- U-- Siam, LONG-RANGE PLANNING WITH 1` MRLS SWOT EXERCISE REPORT READING PUBLIC LIBRARY MAY 19, 2008 STRENGTHS Staff Children's Department Summer Reading program Wide range of programs/ no cost Community Support Educated Community Motivated Families Relationship with School Libraries Building (Historical character/ Main floor layout) Services for Elders Homebound/ delivery Donations/Support Groups Service /Attitude Interlibrary Loan Materials can be borrowed from other libraries easily and quickly Mission WEAKNESSES Local History: neglected/ insufficient staffing Building limitations, problems and maintenance Low teen usage No programming budget Underfunded Location (not in center of town) Insufficient parking Poor marketing: low profile. Value of library not conveyed to community Hours: Closed Thursday mornings. AV collection does not meet the needs of community . OPPORTUNITIES Some problems (ex: parking, outreach) may be solved by electronic means Create intergenerational connections More Friends-style events Include all segments of the community Outreach Greater financial support from Foundation/ other sources Sponsorships Marketing Retail possibilities Reach out in new ways to young people Create more online connections/ groups/ networks Increase connection to schools/education Define and clarify educational role Evolve in new way along with next generation THREATS Internet Changing economy Privatization Low priority for town government Stagnant State Aid Inequity in staff salaries compared to other Town departments Image / perception Library as a recreational rather than educational institution Young people increasingly using non-book resources/ prefer using technology to obtain information/ entertainment Bookstores seen as a "destination" Provide coffee/ users enjoy atmosphere People are time pressed. Both parents and children are heavily scheduled. People prefer using their home computers to obtain information Aging building Security Disruptive behavior and vandalism in the Library