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Home My WebLink About2008-04-14 Board of Library Trustees MinutesMinutes of the Board of Library Trustees Meeting Y Monday, April 14, 2008 R E C k (V E 0 TOWN CLERK - Attending: Karyn Storti, Chair; Suzy Axelson; Dick Curtis; Cherrie Dubois; Dav ]A*h CH " Ruth Urell, Library Director; Elizabeth Dickinson, Assistant Director. J 1000 MAY 1 P 4 014 Ms. Storti called the meeting to order. The minutes of the March meeting were approved; all in favor. Financial Report • Ms. Urell reported that she is asking for $7000 in transfer funds at the April Town Meeting to cover the projected shortfall in the salaries budget. The Library may also need an additional amount as the exact overage cannot be calculated until upcoming payroll figures are available. • The "Office Supplies" account is overspent in the current budget. Ms. Urell is requesting a journal entry to remove "printer cartridges" from the Supplies category to be moved to Maintenance of Equipment line. There is still money remaining in the materials budget which is on track for all funds to be expended by the end of the fiscal year. Ms. Urell reported on the recent purchase of 7 new laptop computers: 4 are designated for staff use, and 3 are available for the public. This expends all of the remaining funds in the equipment budget. An additional $10,000 in capital is designated for Roving Reference, which is being researched. Statistical Report • Circulation is up again this month. Ms Dubois remarked that she found it very impressive that total circulation showed a 10% increase over the same month last year. Friends Report: Ms. Axelson • On Thursday, May 1, the Friends will host the next program in their "Girls Night Out" series: "Window Boxes That Wow!" The program will be presented by Jan Richenburg of Pettengill Farms in Salisbury, MA. Tickets are $15 each and are on sale at the Library. • Ms. Axelson also passed around a draft of a design for a Friends logo. Foundation Report: Mr. Curtis • Mr. Curtis reported on the Foundation's continuing efforts to establish charitable gift annuities as a vehicle for giving to the Foundation. A third gift annuity has been received, and a fourth is pending. Foundation members plan to meet with additional potential donors. • Mr. Curtis is working on a brochure which would explain and illustrate options for charitable gifts to the Foundation. The text of the brochure has been approved. He expects that the brochures will be made available to local attorneys. Director's Report Thefts of Library Materials • Ms. Urell reported that three male students were caught in the act of stealing DVDs from the Library's collection. The Police were called as were the parents of all three boys. The boys admitted to the thefts in front of the police officer and will be prosecuted. Long Range Planning • Greg Pronevitz, Regional Administrator of NMRLS has agreed to facilitate the Library's long range planning process. Three meetings will be set up, beginning May 14. • A public committee comprised of 12-18 members of the public is in the process of being formed by the Trustees with staff input. The committee will reflect various constituencies in the Town. The Town Manager (or his designee) and one staff member will be invited to participate. The long range planning process is expected to be concluded by the end of June. Building Report • Eight new windows have been installed in the workroom. Ms. Urell has met with the Facilities Manager and Town Manager to discuss expediting the window replacement process. • New carpeting has been installed in the Children's Room. • There are problems with the cleaning contractors employed by Facilities and some public areas have not been adequately cleaned. Facilities is working on fixing the problems. • There have been some recent problems with the elevator. The maintenance company has been here to work on the problem. (The current problem is not related to the problem which caused the elevator to be out of order for many weeks last summer.) Building Assessment • Ms. Urell has received two responses to the request for proposals for architectural and engineering services that were sent out last month. The firms responding were Adams & Smith and Gienapp Design. • Following discussion, Ms. Dubois moved that the Board vote to designate $15,000 from State Aid funds to hire Adams & Smith to do a comprehensive building assessment. The motion was seconded by Ms. Storti and passed unanimously. • The Board agreed with Ms. Urell's suggestion that Adams & Smith be asked to present their findings in person to the Board, after providing a written report. • Ms. Urell will work with the Town Engineer to draw up a contract. Proposed timeline for completion of the project is 90 days from the date the contract is signed. Budget FY09 • The FY09 budget includes $38,679 to restore the Library's Sunday hours. If passed at Town meeting, the Library would be open for three hours on Sunday afternoons (probably from 2 - 5 p.m.) from October 5, 2008 to May 23, 2009. • Mr. Curtis reminded the Trustees that the "Warrant meeting" will be held on April 24, for the purpose of planning the order of business at Town Meeting. Mr. Curtis will find out when and where this meeting will be held and will inform Ms. Storti who plans to attend. Adjourn Ms. Dubois made the motion to adjourn; all in favor. The next Board of Trustees meeting will take place on Monday evening, May 19. Respectfully submitted, Elizabeth S. Dickinson Assistant Director