HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - PPMLT - 08/16/2017 Paul Pratt Memorial Library Board of Trustees
August 16, 2017
Library Historical Room, 6 pm.
Present: Carolyn Coffey (Chair), Marylou Lawrence, Elaine Breslow, Stephen Brown,Agnes McCann,
Sarah Pease, Lynne DeGiacomo,Jackie Rafferty(Director)
Meeting called to order, 6:00 pm
1. a. The minutes of the July 12, 2017 Trustees meeting were moved,voted and approved
unanimously.
2. Director's Report(Rafferty)
a. Jackie discussed the results of her FY17 ARIS report, which showed that, with few
exceptions, circulation numbers are down, especially in youth services. Reference
transactions are also down, which may be attributed to the increased availability of
resources online. Agnes questioned the accuracy of the figures, given the steep decline
from previous years. She also suggested trying some type of programming for young adults
that encourages them to turn off their phones and get a break from being constantly
connected. Steve had a number of ideas including collaborating with the High School or the
Recreation Department, informally surveying parents who bring their children to the library
about what how to better serve their needs and using children's interest in an activity(such
as Legos)to create programs that also peak interest in reading. Jackie noted that audiobook
circulation is still high and we will continue to add to our collection, even though the cost is
high. She also shared that the Red Hot Reads titles will be added to, as space allows. Sarah
wondered if the crowded parking lot may be driving the circulation numbers down. Carolyn
said she would follow up with Chief Silvia about the plan to make the driveway on the side
of the building one way to provide easier access to the lower lot.
b. The Children's and Young Adult funding requests for the Friends were discussed. Carolyn
asked if there were duplicate requests for funding for programs on the early release days.
The Trustees voted unanimously to approve the funding and Jackie will confirm with Sharon
and Brigid that their requests are accurate.
c. Facilities—i.The carpet was cleaned by staff members from the Facilities Department but
the results were underwhelming.Jackie has spoken to Mark Kelly about it and he hopes to
hire a professional cleaner at a reasonable price. ii. Mark is working through the list of other
maintenance issues at the library and most are in progress or have been completed.
d. Jackie shared an example of this year's annual letter to the relatives of the donors of several
of the Endowment funds. The Trustees were impressed with the letter and Jackie's efforts
to keep the families informed about library activity and acquisitions.
e. Jackie has recruited and hopes to hire Jason Conforti for the new position of Teen Tech
Intern. His salary will initially be paid out of SSMC grant funds but it is hoped that eventually
the position will be added to the library staff. He will start in September and will work
flexible hours to create and run programs for school aged patrons.
f. Technology updates- i.The high resolution photo scanner has been ordered by Ron M. and
should be received and installed soon. ii. Ron will be loading a version of Adobe C5 Pro on
the library computers that will also be compatible with the version used by the schools. iii.
Ron is currently reaching out to self-checkout vendors for pricing information for
replacement of the machine.
g. New Capital Budget Request forms have been distributed and must be submitted by
September 1 to be considered for the next fiscal year. Since it has not been discussed yet,
Carolyn suggested holding a single issue meeting before the end of the month to decide
what, if anything, should be requested from the Committee for next year. One possibility is
to ask the CBC to pay for the planning costs for the future renovation, rather than use up
the rainy day funds. It was also suggested to ask the staff for their ideas for any larger needs
that would fall under the CBC domain.
h. Program Committee—i.Jackie is still waiting for the Recovery Month logo from Keith
Conforti,the graphic artist. Once it is received,the committee will begin the publicity
campaign. The program is coming together, with speakers lined up and other activities
planned. ii.The MOTH grant application had to be resubmitted by the Friends because the
bank cannot accept applications from town owned municipal organizations. The program
will go forward with or without grant funds. Elaine suggested contacting a teacher from the
drama department at the High School to recruit students that might be interested in
participating. iii.The Sunday Author Talks materials will be printed soon and the postcards
will be mailed mid-September. Bronwyn has contacted the Post Office for current pricing
and the number of addresses. A postage check will be cut with this month's warrant and
held until needed for the mailing. Elder Affairs has agreed to provide transportation to
seniors who are interested in attending.
3. Financial Report/Bills Payable (Rafferty)
a. The outstanding bills were moved, seconded and approved unanimously.
4. Chair's Report (Coffey)
a. Carolyn had no new news to report, other than what had been discussed previously.
5. CLT Report (Brown)
a. The Endowment is doing well. The Investment Committee has made a few changes in
allocation, but will not make any major adjustments at this time.
6. Friends Report (Patterson)
a. Jessica was not present. The Friends do not hold meetings in the summer.
7. Other
a. Agnes mentioned that she enjoyed and appreciated the eclipse display that Gayle created.
b. Jackie was asked if she knew about the status of the Little Library project, but she had not
been updated in some time.
Meeting adjourned at 7:08 pm.
Documents:
Minutes of the July 12, 2017 Trustees Meeting
Director's Report August 16, 2017
Capital Budget request form cover letter
Capital Improvement Funding Request Form
Letter to Richard Chute re: Endowment spending FY17
August FY18 Financial Report
August 16, 2017 Accounting Report—Bronwyn
FY18 August 16, 2017 Warrant
Library Trustees Authorization for Payment—08/16/17
Room Use by Time of Day—July 2017
FY18 Deposits to Gift Account—August 16, 2017
FY18 Deposits to Treasurer—Fines& Fees, etc.,August 16, 2017
Circulation Department Report:July 2017
Circulation Statistics, FY2018
August, 2017 Report from the Reference Desk
Children's Room Funding Proposal—October 2017—October 2018
August 11, 2017 Report from the Children's Room
Young Adult and Reference Services Report,July 2017
YA Funding Proposal 2017-2018