HomeMy WebLinkAbout2002-11-04 Board of Library Trustees MinutesBoard of Library Trustees
Minutes of Meeting: November 4, 2002
Present: Roberta McCrae, Eugene Nigro; Richard Ogden, chair; Maria Silvaggi, Vicki
Yablonsky.
Mr. Ogden called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m.
Minutes: The minutes of October 22, 2002 were accepted.
Financial report:
Ms. Lynn distributed a revised library acquisitions report which showed donations and trust
moneys, as well as the municipal appropriations. Ms Lynn also reported on the continuing
financial problems facing the library in the upcoming year. She stated that she has been
notified that state aid funds will arrive in two checks, unlike previous years when the money
arrives in one lump sum. There is some concern that the second installment may be cut.
There was also a discussion of the savings that are anticipated to be achieved by filling the
upcoming vacancies with employees who would be paid at a lower rate than those people
currently holding these positions.
Statistical report:
Statistical report was not included in the trustee packets as they received an update at the
October 22° meeting, and the new figures are not available yet.
Director's report:
~ • Ms. Lynn announced the resignation of Michael Colford, Head of Technical Services.
Mr. Colford has accepted the position of Assistant Director at the Saugus Public Library.
• Ms Lynn updated the board on the recent changes in the AV area. A carpenter will be
boxing in the exposed poles for only the cost of materials. Representatives from Tucker
Interiors have been invited to make recommendations as to how to utilize the space most
efficiently, and to provide an estimate of the cost for additional shelving.
• Ms. Lynn asked the Board to give her input on the possibility of moving the fiction videos
to the current Teen Spot space on the main floor, and relocating the Teen Spot downstairs.
There followed a substantive discussion of the pros and cons of this idea. Ms Lynn stated
that there will be a meeting on Thursday, November 7"' which will be devoted to a
discussion of this idea with the staff. Ms. Lynn invited trustees who wished to attend, and
also promised to email a summary of the discussion to all of the trustees after the meeting.
• Verizon visited the Library on October 30°i. Their initial assessment of the location was
favorable.
• A staff trip to the Salem Public Library has been scheduled for Friday, November 8"'. The
purpose of this trip is to get information on how Salem has achieved the highest level of
circulation within the NOBLE network. Mr. Ogden made a suggestion that Reading
experiment with having a couple of shelving carts located so that the public can access
books that are waiting to be reshelved. Ms Lynn indicated her willingness to try this idea.
• Ms Lynn reminded the Board that the Financial Forum will be held on November 18"'at
7:30 p.m. Ms Lynn also announced the Library would be making a presentation to the
Board of Selectmen on Tuesday evening, November 261h.
• The Garden Club will be setting up a "Memory Tree" on the front lawn of the Library.
Donations of $5.00 will purchase a light in memory of an individual or a celebration of an
event. Proceeds will be applied toward the Garden Club projects for the Town of
Reading. The Garden Club maintains the Library grounds. The "lighting" will be held on
December 6"' at 7:00 p.m.
• Library fundraisers currently are the annual Tupperware fundraiser and the movie theatre
fundraiser.
Budget Discussion
The budget discussion took up the remainder of the meeting. The bottom line for certification
for FY 04 is $829,000. Ms Lynn provided a handout that showed the appropriation totals for
FY 01, FY 02, and FY 03, and explained how to use these figures to calculate the
appropriation required for FY04. Ms Lynn also passed out a draft budget summary, showing
the actual expenditures for previous years, (FY01, FY02), the adopted budget for FY 03), and
the recommended budget for FY04. This summary details appropriations for salaries and
wages, equipment maintenance, NOBLE membership, office supplies, professional
development and travel reimbursement, and materials.
Ms. Lynn pointed out to the Board that there was a $20,000 gap in the amount of money
needed in the materials account in order to qualify for state aid. (15% of 829, 000)
Mr. Ogden stated that the Board will need to spend a great deal of time discussing the budget
situation at their next meeting. Because of the lateness of the hour, further discussion was
postponed, as was discussion of the FY 04 Action Plan. Materials in the trustee packets which
were not discussed:
• Reports on the New England Libraries Association Conference attended by .larnie Penney,
Esme Green, and Corinne Fisher
• Letter to NMRLS membership detailing which databases had been cut due to state budget
problems
• Letter from NMRLS executive director explaining new ILL policies
• Occasional Staff News issue 67
• Action Plans FY 03 and FY 04
The meeting was adjourned at 9:30 p.m. The next meeting will be on Tuesday, December 9"'
Elizabeth S. Dickinson
Assistant Director
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