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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2003-01-14 Board of Library Trustees MinutesBoard of Library Trustees Minutes of Meeting -January 14, 2003 I "v" E D CLERK ASS. Present: Stephen Conner; Eugene Nigro, acting chair, Maria Silvaggi; Vicki Yablo isky, Elizabeth Dickinson; and Kimberly Lynn. NO A P -I P 41: 5b Mr. Nigro called the meeting to order at 7 p.m. Minutes: The minutes of the December 10th meeting were amended to show that Ms. Roberta McRae was in attendance. Financial report/ Budget discussion There were several questions regarding the "Status of Appropriations Report". Ms. Lynn explained that the "maintenance of equipment" line showed 100% expenditure because of the renewal of the 3M security contract. The periodicals line also showed 100% expenditure due to the purchasing cycle for periodicals. State aid in the amount of $12,000 has come in. The expected amount of state aid is $ 26,000. Ms. Lynn reported that Town Manager Peter Hechenbleikner attended the Massachusetts Municipal Association Conference and the Governor's news was not encouraging. The Town of Reading is facing a possible cut of $500,000 in Local Aid this fiscal year, and much more drastic shortages in fiscal '04. Ms. Lynn will be attending a department heads meeting this week where the budget problems will be discussed in greater detail. A number of strategies for dealing with the budget problems were extensively discussed. The Board explored the possibility and implications of decertification. Ms. Lynn provided a list of those libraries that requested a certification waiver this fiscal year. The likelihood of an operating override was discussed. The Trustees agreed that protecting the personnel budget and our top-notch staff should be our first priority. Statistical Report Ms. Lynn reported no surprises in this month's statistics. The Library continues to be busier with increased circulation, despite the reduction in hours. Director's Report • Ms. Lynn announced that the search committee for the position of Head of Circulation has completed interviews. The committee chose Michelle Filleul, and Ms. Lynn has offered her the job. Ms. Filleul will reply by next Thursday. The committee interviewed eight candidates out of a pool of more than twenty. Three of the eight candidates were invited back for second interviews. • Ms. Lynn announced that former library page Julie Barry and former RPL librarian Doreen Bolnick have been hired as temporary circulation staff. The coverage provided by the temporary staff will be a great help until vacant slots in the circulation department are filled. It is expected that the temporary staff will be needed until the end of February. • Ms. Lynn announced that she has filed a letter of intent with the MBLC to build a drive-up window. The Library has been encouraged to proceed. Ms. Lynn and Ms. Dickinson will be attending an LSTA Grant Proposal Writing Workshop in February. - • The Library will be hosting the next Chamber of Commerce meeting on Wednesday morning, January 29th. The meeting will be from 7:30-9:00a.m. Board members are invited to attend. • A Legislative Breakfast will be held at 8:00 a.m. on February 28th at the Nevins Memorial Library in Methuen. Board members are also invited to attend this meeting, and should let Ms. Lynn know if they would like to participate. Reference librarian Sally McDonald is retiring after twenty years of service. Her last day will be Thursday, March 6th. • Tentative date for the second annual Library Open House is Saturday, March 22nd Interesting Events • Ms. Lynn described a recent incident in which the urinal in the Men's Room was intentionally clogged, causing it to overflow, resulting in water damage. Water came through the ceiling above the Fiction section on the Main floor, and a very small amount of water came through in the AV area on the lower level. Staff members acted quickly to protect the shelving with plastic tarps, and moved the books to safety. A crew was brought in the next morning to sanitize the shelving, books and carpet. About 100 books were damaged. Approximately twenty of these will be replaced. The incident was filed with the Reading Police Department. • A Melmark special needs student pushed the river aquarium in the Children's Room onto the floor. The tank broke; no one was injured. Melmark administrators called to make amends. Corinne Fisher, head of children's services, decided not to replace the aquarium. • The Library opened late, at noon, on Saturday, January 4th due to weather conditions. • Ms. Lynn passed out a flyer publicizing the Friends of the Library's first ever Decorate-A- Cake event. The cake decorating contest and auction will be held at the Library on Thursday, February 13th. The auction will begin at 6:30p.m., bids will close at 8:00 p.m. All proceeds from the event will support the work of the Friends of the Library. Staff Day Report Ms. Dickinson reportcd on Staff Day held on Friday, January Ioth at Merrimack College. Tuenty-nine staff members attended the all day training. The topic for the morning was change, with emphasis on understanding change, coping with the stress caused by change, and learning - how to support each other. The afternoon session dealt with adapting to changes in our community, specifically focusing on the challenge of providing customer service in a multicultural setting. Leaders for the training were Annie Mara and Elizabeth Holtzman from the University of Massachusetts/ Amherst. Both trainers work in the Department of Training and Faculty Assistance at U/Mass. Other events in the day included a demonstration of Chi Gung, a form of tai chi. The Board supported the idea of professional development and morale building activities, such as Staff Day, and congratulated Elizabeth on its success. Next Meeting Date The next meeting was scheduled for 7:00 p.m. on February 24, 2003. The meeting was adjourned at 9:00 p.m. Elizabeth S. Dickinson Assistant Director