HomeMy WebLinkAbout1999-02-08 Board of Library Trustees MinutesBoard of Library Trustees
Minutes of Meeting - February S, 1999
Present: Ms. Maria Silvaggi, chair; Mr. Stephen Conner; Ms. Cherrie Dubois; Ms. Donna
InDelicato; Mr. Richard Ogden; Dr. Christine Redford.
Ms. Silvaggi called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m.
Minutes: The minutes of January 11 were accepted.
Financial report: There are negative balances in the NOBLE line and there will be an
overage in supplies ultimately. The Director had a conversation with the Town Manager about
this year's budget. She is optimistic that the NOBLE and supplies budgets will be covered by
transfers. The NOBLE bill will be less next year, since we have adjusted our number of
connections. The periodicals line is overdrawn.
The Library needs to spend $117,000 to meet the fifteen percent state aid requirement. There
is $94,000 in the budget. To use $23,000 of the $26,000 in state aid is close to appropriating
state aid for a certain purpose, which is contrary to the intent of the program.
The Library has asked for $20,000 more for materials for FY00. Fifteen percent of the
operating budget is closer to $24,000. The Director is on record with the Board of Selectmen
that the amount requested is not enough. Mrs. Silvaggi would like to see the materials line
pulled out and emphasized for Town Meeting.
Statistical report: Not available at the time of the meeting.
Report from the Chairman: At last week's meeting, three of the Selectmen voted on
priorities for new programs for FY00. The Library's materials request received two As and
one B. The Town Manager gave it a B. The other Selectmen were asked to finish their
prioritizing by the end of the week. It is expected that the next Budget Council meeting will
include a lot of debate on approaches to the budget.
Continuing education: The Assistant Director presented historical statistics on circulation
and budget for major categories of the collection. Increased children's circulation over the
past ten years reflects more hours, more programs, more children, more staff. Dr. Redford
commented that the statistics show the Library's willingness to take risks and to respond to
the changes in people's reading habits. The Board requested historical information on book
prices, and information on prices and usage of electronic sources (not reflected in circulation).
Director's report: Ms. Hanley will be meeting with the Town Manager and the Personnel
Administrator next week to review the results of the reclassification study. The need for a
good pay structure is being recognized town-wide, as employees leave for better paying jobs
and recruitment becomes difficult.
The HAPLR report, a new independent rating index for public library excellence, shows the
Reading Library in the 98th percentile nationwide. The only low rating the Library receives is
in circulation per visit, but there is a very small spread in that category.
Ms. Hanley met with the 3M security system representative while at ALA, getting a demo of
their new line and a good sense of what we'll need to buy. There is about $50,000 in capital
account for switching to 3M next year. The new model of the self-checkout machine costs
$28,000, $6,000 over what is allocated in the capital account for FY01. Also at ALA, Ms.
Hanley heard a lot about the E-rate, which will subsidize phone and Internet lines. For
Reading, the savings will go to NOBLE for Internet lines, and will offset future increases in
the Library's NOBLE bill. She also attended programs about filtering and copyright of digital
information.
The last planning committee meeting went very well. They will do a Strengths-Weaknesses-
Opportunities-Threats analysis of the Library next. The representative from the Board of
Selectmen may change. Ms. Hanley would like to get the planning committee on the
Selectmen's agenda in a month ortwo.
New business: The legislative agenda of the Board of Library Commissioners includes four
goals: increase state aid, fund public library construction, increase funding for services to
physically handicapped residents, fund upgrading of the automated networks. The Town
Manager asked department heads for issues that the Selectmen should be lobbying for. Ms.
Hanley sent information on these four. Perhaps the Board should send a supporting letter to
the Selectmen. The Director attended a luncheon with Globe staff on January 22, with about a
dozen other librarians. The publisher asked specifically about library construction and state
aid. The Globe published an editorial on these two issues on February 8.
Liaison reports: None.
The meeting adjourned at 8:25 p.m.
ld~.
Diane J. Young
Assistant Director