HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - PPMLT - 10/15/2014 Paul Pratt Memorial Library Board of Trustees
October 15,2014
Library Meeting Room, 6 pm.
Present: Teresa Polhemus(Chair), Agnes McCann, Marylou Lawrence,Stephen Brown,James Sandell,
Karen Quigley(Board of Selectman), Lynne DeGiacomo, Sarah Pease,Jackie Rafferty(Director)
Meeting called to order, 6:00 pm
1. The September 10, 2014 meeting minutes were approved,voted and passed.
2. Director's Report (Rafferty)
a. The FY16 OCLN member assessment has been determined and it will be$27,591. In FY15,
the assessment was$27,072.
b. The State Aid report and application has been completed and mailed and the Library easily
met the municipal appropriation requirement (MAR).
c. The upgrade to the Library website is on hold until Rob Bonnell can discuss the proposal
with Town Manager, Chris Senior.
d. Jackie received a thank you letter from Esther C. Williams acknowledging her letter itemizing
the book purchases for FY14 from the Richard and Ruth Sears Chute Fund. She also
mentioned in her letter that she visits the Library in the summer and enjoys its vitality.
e. We are beginning discussions of the FY16 budget and a proposal has been suggested that
the Library extend its Wednesday hours and remain open until 8 pm to match up with the
other weekday nights. The staff has agreed to shift schedules to accommodate the extra
open hours and also suggested that the Library open at 10 instead of 9 on Saturdays. This
would align with the opening times on the weekdays. The proposed schedule would start
on July 1, if approved by the Trustees and Town Manager. There would be a small increase
in cost for this proposal.
f. There was a staff meeting held to discuss ways to improve daily workflow and hasten the
process of getting new materials out to the public. Staff members will now take on
additional duties such as ordering materials and processing them as time allows. In
addition, due to the increased demands from the handling of donated books, a member of
the Friends, Annjean Moody, will assist with the workload. We have seen a large increase in
donations since the Scituate Library stopped taking books while they are undergoing
renovations.
g. The Homework Center is up and running for another year and the number of attendees is
down in the first 2 weeks but older students (middle school and high school age) are better
represented. This aligns with Mike Welch's strategy of marketing to older students who can
benefit more from homework tutoring. Younger students are still welcome to attend.
h. Technology—Our new copier/printer is in use and we are very pleased with it so far. We are
still waiting for the fax line to be installed.
i. The draft of the Power Point of the FY14 Annual Report is available for viewing. The
Trustees suggested a few changes or clarifications.
j. The FY16 Annual Action Plan was discussed. This is needed to be eligible to apply for grants
and helps to identify and label goals. Steve asked how we quantify some of the goals and
wondered if there was a way to tell if we have achieved an objective. Jackie said she would
work with the staff to try to come up with specific criteria that could be measured.
k. We will be one of three libraries to be early adopters of wireless Wifi, which will allow the
staff to perform circulation functions in the stacks, Historical Room etc. Patrons and staff
will give feedback before it is rolled out to all libraries.
I. OCLN library directors voted to join the Commonwealth eBook Collections program and the
program is now launched.
m. The Small Libraries in Networks focus group will now provide more marketing and publicity
templates for members to use for their individual libraries.
n. The MA Libraries Discovery Platform will be moving forward and will now begin the search
for a discovery platform. This will enhance the usage and availability of our research
databases.
o. The Intellectual Freedom Committee report and Professional Staff reports are enclosed.
Kristin met with the Cohasset Food Pantry and learned that February or March was when
there was the most need for donations. A fine amnesty program with a suggested food
donation to the Food Pantry is in the works.
3. Financial Report/Bills Payable (Rafferty)
a. The bills were moved, seconded and approved.
4. Chair's Report (Polhemus)
a. There was a discussion of a specific Meeting Room request and also the Meeting Room
policy in general. While we are a public space,the Library does not want to endorse or
provide sales leads to a for-profit business. It was decided that the product being
presented, a program related to mapping the internet, provided value to the community
and the vendor would be allowed to use the space. Steve Brown suggested that some staff
members attend the presentation to learn more about the product.
b. Teresa had met briefly with Chris Senior,the Town Manager, to discuss Library issues and
confer on future goals.
5. CLT(Brown)
a. There has not been a CLT meeting since the last Trustees meeting. The Endowment
continues to perform well, doing better than all universities that reported returns. The
latest report showed a 19.7% return rate.
6. Program Report (Lawrence)
a. The latest Sunday Author Talk with Barbara Shapiro was well attended, even though the
book had been out for a while. An estimated 120+attended the presentation.
b. It was suggested that the podium have a Cohasset Library logo placed on the front with
possibly the author's name as well. It was also suggested that pictures be taken of the
authors in front of the library or some other area.
c. There was a discussion of using Community Service students or Scouts to assist with the set
up and break down of the chairs for the Sunday Author Talks. They could also serve as
greeters and in other capacities during the Talks.
d. The Program Committee will be working on an Action Plan to identify community resources
that could enhance the Thursday night Adult Programming. This would involve identifying
members of the community with special skills who would share them with the public.
7. Space Planning Committee Report (Sandell)
a. There was no meeting last month. October 23 is the next scheduled meeting.
8. Friends Report (McCann)
a. Gail Flynn was not present. Agnes McCann gave the report.
b. The fundraising ornament is being produced with a painting of the library in the winter on it.
It has not been determined yet whether the fundraiser will be held this year or next year.
c. The annual appeal will be going out shortly.
d. The Friends will be compiling oral histories of Cohasset residents. This is a shorter version of
the Oral History Project that the Historical Society in conducting.
e. The Friends will be applying for a fundraising award through the ALA for the Boston
Marathon fundraiser.
Meeting adjourned at 7:07 pm.
Documents:
Minutes of the September 10, 2014 Trustees Meeting
Director's Report October 15, 2014
FY15 October 15, 2014 Warrant
Library Trustees Authorization for Payment, 10/15/14
October FY15 Financial Report
FY15 Deposits to Treasurer—Fines& Fees
FY15 Deposits to Gift Account
Impact of 8 pm closing on Wednesday night
FY16 Action Plan
MLA-IFC Report, October 10, 2014
Circulation Department Report: September 2014
October 8, 2014 Report from the Children's Room
Young Adult Services Report, September 2014
October, 2014, Report from the Reference Desk