HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - PPMLT - 09/10/2014 Paul Pratt Memorial Library Board of Trustees
September 10, 2014
Library Meeting Room, 6 pm.
Present:Teresa Polhemus(Chair), Carolyn Coffey, Patience Towle, Agnes McCann, Karen Quigley(Board
of Selectman), Lynne DeGiacomo, Sarah Pease,Jackie Rafferty(Director)
Meeting called to order, 6:04 pm
1. The August 13, 2014 meeting minutes were approved, voted and passed.
2. Director's Report
a. Bronwyn explained the new spreadsheet that she will generate for bills payable
using the SoftRight software. The new spreadsheet will be approved and signed by
the Trustees and turned in to the Town Accountant's office for check generation.
Bronwyn will ask if the program can be reconfigured to calculate the totals by
account number to eliminate the need to create a duplicate spreadsheet with this
information. She will also mention to Mary Gallagher that the spreadsheet should
be titled "Library Trustees Authorization for Payment", not Library Commissioners,
as it is now.
b. Margie Ohrenberger will not be resigning her position as anticipated. Jackie has
planned a meeting with several staff members to discuss any changes in the duties
required for her position and brainstorm ideas to improve workflow.
c. The Homework Center will begin again on October 7. Jackie has a meeting planned
with the new coordinator, Mike Welch,to talk about the expectations and discuss
ways to increase participation.
d. Jackie shared a sample Endowment Fund letter that she mails to families that
request updates on their donations. The Trustees commented favorably on the
letter.
e. Technology—After some problems,the new Meeting Room projector is now
installed and working properly. The Library is still waiting for the new printer/copier
and the wireless configuration to tally wireless sessions.
f. Jackie is currently working on the annual State Aid application and will have it
completed before the October 101h deadline.
g. Jackie plans to have the FY14 Annual Report completed in PowerPoint format by the
October meeting for review and comments.
h. Mark Kelly wasn't notified that the requested upholstery of the chairs in the
Children's Room was to be included in the special building fund. Teresa will be
speaking to Chris Senior to discuss the progress of the project.
i. The Annual Action Plan is making progress with mapping out long-range goals and
strategic plans for the future. Jackie is meeting with the professional staff to discuss
initiatives in their areas. One suggestion from Gail Flynn of the Friends was to
implement recording oral histories, which Lynne DeGiacomo said the Historical
Society is currently doing as well. It was suggested Gail talk to Lynne about the
project. Another objective that was discussed is the desire to extend the Library's
hours on Wednesday night to 8 pm, to match up with the Monday,Tuesday and
Thursday hours. This will eliminate confusion and provide the public with better
service.
j. At one of Jackie's Library Directors' meetings,there was a request for a program to
discuss the rights of libraries with respect to illegal activity, disruptive behavior, etc.
in the library.
3. Financial Report/Bills Payable (Rafferty)
a. The bills were moved, seconded and passed.
4. Chair's Report(Polhemus)
a. There was a discussion of changing the date of the monthly meeting to the second
Monday of the month but the Trustees agreed to keep the current schedule of the
second Wednesday of the month. Voted and approved.
5. CLT(Brown)
a. Steve Brown was not present and there had not been a CLT meeting since his last
report.
6. Program Report (Lawrence)
a. Marylou was not present but her report was read. It stated that the Author Talks
postcards have been mailed and an article will be in the Cohasset Mariner this week.
The banner will go up in the Library on Monday and information will be on our
website. In addition,there will be posters at sites around town and bookmarks
available. For the first talk, Marylou will be contacting Mormon churches in the area
with the goal of getting the word out to those that might have a special interest in
the topic.
7. Building Report(Towle)
a. Patience has contacted the vendor regarding ordering the chairs and dolly directly.
Bronwyn spoke to the sales rep.today and they would prefer to use a local dealer
who can provide delivery. Bronwyn asked about using the MHEC pricing and was
told that would represent a 49%discount. With the discount, we hope to be able to
purchase 30+chairs and a dolly to store and transport them.
b. There has been no update on the lighting project and Teresa will speak to Chris
Senior about it at their upcoming meeting.
8. Space Planning (Sandell)
a. Jim was not present but it was noted that Steve Brown will co-chair the committee.
b. There was no meeting last month however all members now have a copy of the 5
year plan.
9. Friends Report (Flynn)
a. Gail was not present but Agnes McCann read her report.
b. The Annual Appeal letter is almost finished and will go out with a target date of mid-
October.
c. The Friends approved the requests for funding for the Children's Room programs.
d. They are very pleased with the attendance of all the programs and enjoyed the
pictures of the Henna Sue YA program.
e. The Christmas ornament that is planned as a fund raiser may not be ready for this
year's Christmas but will be scheduled for next year if necessary.
f. Maurajane Rogers raised about$4000 by running the Boston Marathon and the
current balance of available funds stands at approximately$23500.
10. Other
a. Patience suggested considering running a Fine Amnesty Day possibly near the
holidays with canned goods donated in lieu of fines.
b. Lynne mentioned that she had received very positive feedback regarding Gayle
Walsh and the book group she facilitates.
Meeting adjourned at 6:50.
Documents:
Minutes of the August 13, 2014 Trustees Meeting
Director's Report September 10, 2014
Library Commissioners Authorization for Payment, 9/10/2014
FY15 September 10, 2014 Warrant
September Fy15 Financial Report
FY15 Deposits to Gift Account
FY15 Deposits to Treasurer— Fines & Fees
Letter to Richard S. Chute
Young Adult Services Report, August 2014
September 2014, Report from the Reference Desk
Circulation Department Report: August 2014
September 8, 2014 Report from the Children's Room