HomeMy WebLinkAbout2002-01-14 Board of Library Trustees MinutesBoard of Library Trustees
Minutes of Meeting - January 14, 2002
Pi eseirt£ y Q'hen Conner, chair; Donna InDelicato; Roberta McRae; Eugene Nigro; Maria
Stlvag_ resent: Camille Anthony, Selectman liaison.
. (Nnu call the meeting to order at T05 p.m.
Ms. InDelicato is not seeking reelection. The deadline to get signed nomination papers to the
Town Clerk is February 12.
Minutes: The minutes of November 26 were accepted.
Statistical report: As in November, December's statistics show an increase despite fewer
days open: the Library is busier per hour. The Children's Room staff was cut by half an hour
this fiscal year, while other divisions were cut by two hours. The LSTA grant will pay for an
extra hour per week for a children's librarian.
Chair's report: State aid for this year is $31,341, a seven percent drop from last year.
Director's report: A Library open house is scheduled for March 23. Events will include
"Stump Ben Nichols," children's programs, an architectural tour of the Library by Peggy
White, publicity opportunities for the Friends and Foundation. Trustees are asked to be
present for a photo opp. In a "Reading Reads" program, townspeople will be invited to read a
book for discussion that day. The title has yet to be determined.
Action on the Regional Reference Center front is slow but positive. There was a tremendous
response from the business community concerning the Business Center, which will have an
open house on January 24. Interest is from both the user and donor perspectives. Ms. Lynn is
looking into a publicity campaign during National Library Week, in which people who show
their library cards get a discount at local businesses. A legislative breakfast is scheduled for
March 1.
FY03 budget: Department heads will be asked to make a short presentation for the Board of
Selectmen in the next week. The budget submitted by the Library includes an increase in the
salary line to prevent the Library from closing an additional two hours. The Library did not
close enough hours in the current fiscal year to correspond to the number of personnel hours
cut. This has had a negative impact especially on the Circulation Division. (The Director and
the Head of Technical Services have regular shifts on the circulation desk, and the Circulation
Division Head is on the desk for too great a portion of her weekly hours.) Tasks required by
our membership in NOBLE and NMRLS are not getting done in the timeframe that other
agencies require (e.g., the daily interlibrary loan shipment).
The Town Manager is supportive of adding personnel hours to our budget request in order for
the Library to-remain-open -t-he-same-nu mber of hours it is currently open. `i'lraf amounts to'- -rt`-
$13,000 If the Library is level-funded, it will be ineligible for state aid ($31,000) and the
regional contract ($150,000 over three years). Another concern is that the Library would lose
its excellent reputation in the community and the state. The budget submitted also reflects a
substantial increase in equipment maintenance (for the security system), and a decrease in
professional development/travel. It includes step raises and cost-of-living increases as directed
by the Town Manager (not included in the $13,000).
The biggest change is that the materials budget allocated by the town will not by itself meet
the MBLC's requirement of fifteen percent. The Director's intent is to keep materials
expenditures as low as possible while meeting the requirement, and to be absolutely certain
that sufficient money has been reserved in other funds to make up the difference. Until a few
years ago, the 15% had been met using accounts outside of the municipal appropriation. The
Board worked very hard to change this. The FY03 budget request reverts to a doable, but not
desirable, position.
Ms. Anthony recommended that the Board spend down trust funds established many years
ago in memory of individuals. She asked about the condition of the physical plant. The stairs
on the Deering Street side need to be sealed. There is a leak where the turret meets the facade,
but the source is still undetermined. The carpet on the bottom floor and the stairwells needs to
be replaced. The Director's highest priority is still installing keypads and fixing emergency
exits. The cost for both is less than $5,000. The Town Manager is trying to find funds for it,
but Ms. Lynn has included it in next year's capital plan in case it does not get done this year.
Staff Day report: The Assistant Director reported on evaluations of the December 14 Staff
Day, funded by the Friends of the Library. Staff from every division learned about genres of
fiction (adventure, fantasy, historical, etc.), and how to get readers to articulate their reading
tastes and assist them in finding a book they'd like. Education on this topic will continue in
optional lunch-time meetings on particular genres, and the service to custorners will be
publicized and expanded.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:15 p.m.
Diane J. Young
Assistant Director