HomeMy WebLinkAbout2002-05-20 Board of Library Trustees MinutesBoard of Library Trustees
Minutes of Meeting ® May 20, 2002
Present. Stephen Conner; Roberta. McRae; Richard Ogden, chair; Maria Silvaggi; Vicki
Yablonsky, Kimberly Lynn, Michael Colford.
Mr. Ogden called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m.
Minutes: The minutes of April 30 were accepted.
Financial Report. Ms. Lynn reported that the materials budget is in good shape.
Budgets are moving into donations as scheduled,The Reference On Call Budget is still
substantial and needs to be spent. There are several ideas on how to expend the budget,
but Ms. Lynn is waiting to see how much is spent on the extensive 24/7 training that has
been happening. There are several things we can do to expend the budget in a hurry:
more tear-off posters, supplies, publicity.
Mr. Ogden asked about the long-term viability of the ROC service given the high cost per
question, and the number of questions handled each month. Ms. Lynn then went over
some details concerning ROC, including some of what she is reporting to NNIRLS in her
evaluation of the service. A discussion of the merits of ROC ensued, along with the
MASSanswers grant proposal the Boston Region is currently working on. It was
mentioned that MASSanswers will be part of the California 24/7 program and will not
include phone=service, a: component-of ROC that is necessary in order to serve customers
equitably. Ms. Lynn also discussed how much more difficult the Head of Information
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Services position is now because of ROC administration.
Statistical Report. A look at the continued increase of our circulation statistics
prompted a discussion of how the increased Inter-Library Loan figures affect our
circulation. Total circulation figures do include circulation of Reading items loaned to
other Libraries and circulated from there. However, the higher number of books that
Reading patrons borrow from other Libraries would have been borrowed from Reading in
the past, so the two figures offset one another, and overall workload increases.
Director's Report. Ms. Lynn reported on the successful Massachusetts Library
Association Conference. One of the programs she attended was an ad hoc meeting for
Librarians dealing with certification issues. She mentioned some of the things discussed - -
at this meeting, such as a historical perspective and the fact that all the Library Directors -
in attendance felt strongly about refusing services to customers from towns with de-
certified Libraries.
Policy Regarding Decertification. Because many cone unities will potentially be
facing decertification in FY03, the Trustees-discussed the need for a policy regarding
customers residing in municipalities with decertified libraries. The discussion opened
with a clarification of why the need to refuse library services was widely encouraged
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among librarians. The Director's opinion is in full agreement of not lending to residents
from towns with decertified libraries.
Dicussion: Difficult reconcilliation of denying library services to people, especially
young children, and the harm to Libraries as a whole if they are not supported by their
towns. After discussion of the particulars of North Reading's situation, it was decided
that a policy needs to be general, applicable to any case, not just this particular one.
Discussion: A policy of non-lending would be very difficult for the staff. A campaign
would be needed to inform people.
Discussion: Why did the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners create
certification? To provide standards, to give Trustees and Library Communities clout in
their negotiations with town government for budgets.
A motion was made to instruct the Director to write a draft policy that refuses Library
services to residents of a town whose Library has been decertified.
A second motion was made to anyeend the previous with an added line that the Trustees
review each case of decertification individually. Both were seconded.
The second motion regarding the ammendment failed, 0-5.
More discussion before vote on the first motion: There was concern expressed for
Reading's Circulation staff. The Director assured the Trustees that training would be
essential, and Reading's staff would be prepared. It was also reiterated that publicity will
be vital. The North Reading community in particular needs to know what is going to
occur.
The motion to instruct the Director to draft such a policy passed, 3-2.
Dire
or's report: Ms. Lynn met with Carol Roberts, the town's H»m?n Resources
person. The Assistant Director position will be posted starting this week. The question
of a timetable came up. Ads would be running in July issues of Library related journals.
The ad would appear in the Boston Sunday Globe as soon as this coming issue. It will
also be posted on the MLIN website. Interviewing will begin as soon as applications
come in. A group has been put together with representatives from each of the divisions.
There was discussion of including a community member as well. The final. candidates
would be brought before the Board. A July Board meeting would most likely be
necessary. If necessary, the Board could meet with FinCom or the Board of Selectmen to
expedite the process.
The Director was in the process of writing up a ROC evaluation. Personnel evaluations
are underway. New Signage has been mounted on the main floor, with more being put up
very soon. The efforts of Diane Young, Corinne Fisher and Kathy Miksis were
mentioned in this endeavor. The air conditioning is due to come on soon. We are on the
list. We have two towers, and one is currently not working. We are being assured that
one tower can cool the entire building. Reading Public Library hosted the NOBLE
Director's Meeting. Ms. Lynn was officially elected to the Executive Board. Ms; Lynn
will be on vacation the firstweek of June. A question was raised about preliminary
statistics on the House Tour. The Director reported that over 400 tickets were sold,
which translates to over $10,000 raised.
Trustee Items: This agenda item- was created by the Chair to allow for any items
trustees would like to bring up at the meetings
Letter Regarding FY03 Hours of Operation: The Director wrote a draft response to
the sole letter of concern received. Trustees all agreed that there were no second
thoughts. The letter in question is the only response received so far. This speaks well for
the decision the trustees made. All agree that the Director's response was wonderful.
MilAcq: Director and Bead of Technical Services gave a brief overview of the new
Millennium Acquisitions System that we would be instituting soon. This new system
impacts selection, ordering, receiving, budgeting and invoicing. Elizabeth Thomsen from
NOBLE will be visiting Reading on Friday, May 24 for additional training and
discussion. The Head of Technical Services is very enthusiastic about the benefits of
MilAcq.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:15 p.m
Submitted by Michael R. Colford