HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - PPMLT - 07/08/2015 Paul Pratt Memorial Library Board of Trustees
July 8, 2015
Library Historical Room, 7 pm.
Present: Carolyn Coffey(Chair), Stephen Brown, Sarah Pease, Marylou Lawrence, Lynne DeGiacomo,
Agnes McCann,Jackie Rafferty(Director), Karen Quigley(Board of Selectman), Chris Senior(Town
Manager), Roger Lowe
Meeting called to order, 7:05 pm
1. The June 10, 2015 Trustees meeting minutes were moved,voted and approved.
2. Director's Report (Rafferty)
a. Building: New carpeting will be installed in the front entry hallway which will be the same type
and color as the one currently in place. To install it properly, the security gates will have to be
removed. Jackie obtained schematic instructions from 3M since we do not have a service
contract with them at this time. The Trustees discussed whether to continue to use the gates
or deactivate and remove them. It was moved to store the gates safely in the basement with
the option to reinstall them if there is an increase in theft of our materials. The motion passed
unanimously. In addition,there has been progress on the Community Room tiling project and
the plans for the parking signs to be placed in the lots.
b. Hoopla goes live on July 13 and Jackie enclosed a flyer that describes how to borrow a title.
c. Roger Maroni spoke with Jackie recently about security in the Historical Room. He has a
collection of Cohasset related historical materials that he would like to donate to the library if
we are able to maintain a safe and secure location for them. Jackie will continue to speak with
him and consider suggestions that he has for improvement.
d. The staff has recommended that the study rooms be limited to 2 hour blocks with the option
to re-book if no one is waiting to use the room. There are currently some patrons who book
the rooms for the entire day, which often means that some people have to be turned away. A
motion was made to revise the study room policy to limit use to 2 hours at a time. It passed
unanimously.
e. Jackie mentioned that the MailChimp email newsletter is up and running and emails have been
sent out to patrons on our mailing lists notifying them of the change. They are requested to
click on a link and then enter their information to be added to the mailing list. Some of the
Trustees mentioned that they are often reluctant to click on a link that was received in an
email and that some of the emails were unreadable. They also felt that an explanation of the
benefits of MailChimp should be included in the invitation message to the subscribers.
f. Homework Center: Malorie Dwyer has been hired to run the Center, replacing Mike Welch,
who recently resigned. She currently works for the Cohasset Public Schools in the Special
Education department and received excellent endorsements.
g. Jackie hopes to hear John Palfrey speak at her upcoming OCLN network assessment retreat in
the fall. He is the former head of Harvard Law School Library and founding chairman of the
Digital Public Library of America. He is currently the Head of School at Phillips Academy in
Andover and the author of the book "Biblio TECH", which discuss how libraries can adapt to
the future.
h. Jackie shared a summary of the book "Words on Screens"which discusses the shortened
attention span and lack of ability to focus that is common today due to the increased use of
digital devices for reading and accessing information.
3. Discussion with Chris Senior
a. Chris Senior came to the meeting to update the Trustees on the Recreation Department use of
the former museum space as well as other issues.
b. Chris has decided on a final candidate for the Town Chief Information Officer. He is preparing
an offer letter and hopes to have a person on the job shortly.
c. The Rec. Dept. has outgrown its space and needs a permanent and larger home base.They
have moved to the back of the library building and our renting the space from Our World. Our
World has agreed to terminate its lease and Chris will ask for funds at Town Meeting to
reimburse them for their expenditures to improve the building.
d. Chris would like to see the library and the Rec. Dept. collaborate on programs and share the
upper meeting space as needed.
e. Carolyn shared the library's vision and hopes for the future and handed out a one page
summary of the Trustees' priorities. She also gave him a rough draft of the proposed plans for
the back entry through the Museum space to access the library.
f. Chris wondered if there were any prospects for revenue generating opportunities from
programs or from other sources. The Trustees felt that their vision for the library is a free
space for all but would be open to considering new ideas.
g. Chris would like the Board of Trustees and the Board of the Recreation to meet and talk about
how they can work together and share space and programs.
h. Chris also hopes to have the town Space Planning Committee and the library Space Planning
Committee get together after the town assesses the their current properties and determines
future needs.
4. Financial Report/Bills Payable (Rafferty)
a. The outstanding invoices were moved, seconded and approved.
b. Bronwyn gave a brief summary of the warrants. Since we have reached the end of the Fiscal
Year,there were two warrants,June B to close out FY15 and a July one to start FY16. She
mentioned that the library was able to spend most of the appropriated funds for each account
for FY15,with a few going slightly over but still under the total amount received from the
town.
c. The library turned over$15605.02 in fines,fees and other revenue this year and received over
$7299 in Gift monies. In addition, we were awarded two grants this month, one from OCLN for
$1064 and one for$5000 from the Music Circus for STEAM programming.
5. Chair's Report (Coffey)
a. Teresa has a new job which requires residency in Boston and will be moving on September 1.
Therefore,the August meeting will be her last as a Trustee. Since her term has less than one
year left,the Trustees can appoint a successor. Roger Lowe has expressed interest and the
Trustees agreed that, as a former Trustee, he would be good fit. The next step is to meet
jointly with the Board of Selectman and formally elect him. The August 25 Selectman's
meeting would be the next one after Teresa's resignation and the Trustees hope to finalize the
transition then.
b. The Red Cross has asked if they could place a collection bin in the back parking lot for
donations and would give the library 7 cents for every pound collected. The Trustees felt that
was not an appropriate location for a collection box and denied the request.
6. CLT Report (Brown)
a. The CLT has not met since the last Trustees meeting but plans to meet again in early August.
b. The Development Committee has compiled a list of possible donors and hopes to reach out to
them this summer.
7. Program Report (Lawrence)
a. The Committee has met a few times this summer and has finalized their list of authors for the
next season of Sunday Author Talks. Some of the authors may fit in with the Middle or High
School curriculum.
b. Some committee members would like to see the email newsletter beefed up with more
emphasis on the programs the library offers.
8. Space Planning Committee Report(Sandell)
a. Jim was not present. Steve gave the report.
b. Steve told Chris that the current and future needs of the library will require cooperation and
collaboration with the Town. The departments must work together to provide flexible space
to suit the library's needs as well as those of our patrons without duplicating existing assets. In
addition,the library must ensure that their technology needs remain a priority both in the
current library space and in the additional areas the library may use.
Meeting adjourned at 8:50 pm.
Documents:
Minutes of the June 10, 2015 Trustees Meeting
Director's Report July 8, 2015
June B FY15 Financial Report
July FY16 Financial Report
National Policy Agenda for Libraries
Hoopla download instructions
July 8, 2015 Financial Report- Bronwyn
FY15 June B Warrant
FY16 July 8, 2015 Warrant
Library Trustees Authorization for Payment, 6/30/15
Library Trustees Authorization for Payment, 7/08/15
Disbursements by Account Number June B FY15
Disbursements by Account Number July 8, 2105 FY16
FY15 Deposits to Treasurer—Fines& Fees and Other Deposits,June 30, 2015
FY15 Deposits to Gift Account,June 30, 2015
Draft for the Board of Selectman and Town Manager
SAT 2015.16 (rough)
Circulation Department Report:June 2015
July, 2015 Report from the Reference Desk
Young Adult Services Report,June 2015
July 2, 2015 Report from the Children's Room