HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - PPMLT - 11/08/2017 Paul Pratt Memorial Library Board of Trustees
November 8, 2017
Library Historical Room, 6 pm.
Present: Carolyn Coffey (Chair), Marylou Lawrence, Elaine Breslow,Agnes McCann, Sarah Pease, Lynne
DeGiacomo, Catherine O'Callaghan, Stephen Brown,Jackie Rafferty(Director)
Meeting called to order, 6:04 pm
1. a. The minutes of the October 12, 2017 Trustees meeting were moved,voted and approved
unanimously.
2. Director's Report(Rafferty)
a. Bronwyn discussed an incident that occurred earlier in the day. A patron complained that
there was a swastika carved in the top of the table in Study Room B. It was very light and
hard to see but it did appear to be a swastika. The patron was quite upset so Bronwyn
covered it with a piece of masking tape as a temporary measure. After the Trustees
meeting,the Trustees looked at it and Sarah offered to have her husband see if he could
repair it. If not,the tabletop may need to be sanded and refinished, which would be
handled by the town maintenance department or an outside vendor.
b. Jackie is still waiting for a response to the helpdesk ticket that she submitted to the IT
department. Adobe Creative Suite and data points to capture usage stats were scheduled to
be installed but, as of today,this has not happened.
c. Jackie has added a "Status" column to the Annual Action Plan for the staff to use to provide
updates on the progress toward their individual goals. The Trustees appreciated the
additional information.
d. The art hanging system in the Meeting Room is failing,with many of the holders slipping
down the rods when pictures are attached to them. Jackie reached out to the South Shore
Art Center to ask them to replace the system, but has not heard back from them. Bronwyn
passed around some information about a possible replacement system that is sold by
Gaylord, a vendor we have used in the past. She received a coupon for 20%off if it is used
by 12/31/17. Jackie will speak to the Art Center again to determine if they have decided to
fund the cost of replacing the system.
e. Jackie highlighted the Object Lending Library survey results that Brigid has compiled so far.
She also plans to distribute it to TAB members and at the Homework Center. Carolyn asked
for an email or link to the survey so that the Trustees could distribute it to their contacts. It
was also suggested that the survey be sent to all patrons on our email list and that the
survey be inserted in books as they are checked out. There was some concern about the
negative comments from some respondents that it would look messy or inappropriate in the
library. Carolyn suggested using the shelves behind the Circulation Desk that formerly held
the holds,which would keep the items neater as well as reduce the chance of theft.
f. Jackie will be interviewed by a Postdoctoral Fellow from Utah State University about the
library's efforts to provide services to individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
g. The staff emergency manual has been finalized and approved by the Police Department.
Copies have been printed and are available to the staff at different locations in the library.
Jackie was pleased to find out that the manual is exempted from the public records law and,
therefore,the public will not have access to it.
h. Gayle and Jackie attended a training session on the public records laws provided by the
town. Jackie learned that the police are required to archive all social media posts on a daily
basis and may need to purchase software to expedite this time consuming job. It is unclear
at this time if the library will have to save a copy of our social media contacts as well.
i. The paperwork for the second intern has not been signed by Chris Senior yet but it is in
process. The position has been offered to Maddie Beach who is currently a library page.
Jason Conforti,the Teen Tech Intern, is working out well and has begun to offer Tech Help
workshops on Tuesday afternoons. Marylou suggested that Gayle highlight the program in
the Mariner.
j. Program Committee—i.The MOTH program was very successful, with positive feedback
from both members of the audience as well as the participants. Many wondered if it could
be offered again sooner than next year. The Board of Pilgrim Bank will meet later in
November to vote on our grant request. If they reject the request,the Friends plan to speak
to William Raveis Real Estate about funding the program. Also, Don Roine is expected to
make a video of the program available soon. ii. The first Sunday Author Talk of the season
was well attended and well received.
k. Jackie attended a conference at Holy Cross about the future of libraries. She learned that
Apple is creating "Town Squares"that appear to replicate some of the functions of libraries.
I. Jackie will be speaking on privacy issues next Wednesday at the CLAMS network
headquarters.
3. Financial Report/Bills Payable (Rafferty)
a. The outstanding bills were moved, seconded and approved unanimously.
b. An approved invoice from last month's meeting is being held until the staff is satisfied with
the product. At issue is the quality of the Meeting Room's new sound system when being
used with the lavalier microphones. It was suggested that the staff Face Time with the
company reps to illustrate the problem.
4. Chair's Report (Coffey)
a. Four of the Children's Room chairs that were sent out to be upholstered have been
delivered and Carolyn is pleased with the results. She will follow up this week with the
Sheriff's office to determine when the other items will be finished.
S. CLT Report (Brown)
a. Steve received the library's calculation that we could wait until sometime in February for
this year's disbursement from the CLT. After discussing the timing with the Investment
Committee, it was determined that the best course would be to sell now and keep the funds
in a town account,which can then be transferred to the library in January. The rational for
selling early is that the Committee feels that the market is at a peak and they will be able to
get the highest return at this time. Steve asked Bronwyn to watch for the funds to be
transferred into the Endowment account sometime around the third week in January.
6. Friends Report (Patterson)
a. Jessica was not present and Carolyn read the report.
b. A PayPal button has been added to the Friends webpage to facilitate online donations.
c. The annual appeal letter has gone out and the Friends hope to have a good response to it
again this year.
d. The group will be featured in an article in the magazine "Life on the Rocks" and they will
mention the new PayPal button.
e. Catherine Harvey has joined the group as a new member.
f. The Friends agreed to fund 6 months of the Sensory Storytelling and Yoga program that will
begin this month. After the first 6 months,they will vote on funding the balance of the
program, based on its success.
7. Other
a. Work on the Little Free Libraries is progressing and they will be installed soon.
Meeting adjourned at 6:40 pm.
Documents:
Minutes of the October 12, 2017 Trustees Meeting
Director's Report November 8, 2017
Annual Action Plan—FY2018
November FY18 Financial Report
November 8, 2017 Accounting Report—Bronwyn
FY18 November 8, 2017 Warrant
Library Trustees Authorization for Payment—11/8/17
FY18 Deposits to Gift Account—November 8, 2017
FY18 Deposits to Treasurer—Fines& Fees, etc., November 8, 2017
Room Use by Time of Day—October 2017
Circulation Department Report: October 2017
Circulation Statistics, FY2018
November, 2017 Report from the Reference Desk
November 3, 2017 Report from the Children's Room
Young Adult and Reference Services Report, October 2017