LIBRARY TRUSTEE MINUTES OF MAY 22, 2018
The meeting was called to order at 6:01 pm at the library.
In attendance were: Marie Mueller, library director; trustees Gloria Parkinson, chairwoman; Wendy Neil, vice chairwoman; Tracy Colangione, Angela DeVivo, Karen Nugent, secretary; and Alex Zapantis.
- APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Two amendments were made to the April 18, 2018, minutes regarding a request to access the closed stacks. The amended sentence is: “Trustees agreed to allow Mr. Mollica access to the closed stacks as a professional conducting library business, as long as he volunteers to review (not “catalog”) old books, and is accompanied by a staff member or library trustee.” Also, the word “catalog” was changed to “review’ in the previous sentence. The amended minutes were unanimously approved.
- 2. NEW BUSINESS:
- FY19 Budget: Ms. Mueller reviewed the $412,393.29 library budget prepared for the June 4 annual town meeting. Advertisement for a new position, Head of Youth Services, is required. Trustees agreed a trustee will be present at interviews with finalists for the position.
- Director’s Report:
– Strategic Planning: Ms. Mueller said an MLS consultant is available for one day, to include focus groups, and a visioning exercise. A tentative time of 3 p.m. July 19 was agreed upon. Also, an online and print survey of residents is ongoing.
– Facilities: Nothing new to report. Ms. Mueller said staff is eager to get security cameras and alarms installed, but it takes time. Ms. Parkinson directed Ms. Mueller to update the staff on any progress, and the need to coordinate with other town departments.
– HVAC (heating-cooling): Ms. Mueller said new units for the second floor would cost about $30,000. She requested a grant from the Nypro Foundation, since they paid for the current units, but has not heard back.
– Personnel: Staff has attended or will attend seminars and workshops on marketing, cataloging, Evergreen Web Client, collecting and using data, and “Verbal Judo: The gentle art of persuasion.”
– Programming: Ms. Mueller presented bar graph charts to trustees showing program offerings and attendance, computer usage, and museum passes loaned from FY2015 to FY2018, which trustees found extremely useful.
OLD BUSINESS:
- Children’s Safety Policy: Trustees unanimously approved (motion by Ms. Nugent/seconded by Ms. Neil) a new child safety policy written by Ms. Mueller and discussed with children’s library staff.
- Review of materials from the Bolton library presentation: Trustees agreed to further study the materials, especially the piece with 31 questions posed by (Bolton) residents during its preliminary process. Trustees will come up answers and additional questions pertaining to Clinton.
- PUBLIC COMMENT: None.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:52 p.m. The next meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. June 14.
Minutes submitted by Karen Nugent, secretary.