HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - PPMLT - 05/08/2019 Paul Pratt Memorial Library Board of Trustees
May 8, 2019
Library Historical Room, 6:00 pm.
Present: Carolyn Coffey (Chair), Catherine O'Callaghan, Elaine Breslow, Stephen Brown, Lynne
DeGiacomo, Megan Brinzey, Meaghan James (Director)
Meeting called to order, 6:02 pm
1. a. The minutes of the Trustees meeting held on April 9, 2019 were moved,voted and approved
unanimously as amended.
2. Director's Report(James)
a. Meaghan held a meeting with the Circulation Staff on April 29. Customer service was
discussed and using the library was compared to eating at a fine dining restaurant, and ideas
were shared about how to create a first-class experience for the patrons. Meaghan also laid
out some of her expectations for the staff, such as no reading or using cell phones when
working on the front desk. She would like the staff to feel empowered to take on tasks that
need completing, such as processing materials,when there is some down time.
b. Meaghan manned a desk at the town employee benefit fair, but it was sparsely attended,
and it was not a good use of her time.
c. Meaghan is working with Google Analytics to refine what information and photos appear
when someone searches for the library. She is also able to determine what key words are
used in a search and will use that information to better support the public's interests.
d. The newsletter for June,July and August will be mailed to all addresses in town as well as
dropped off at various locations, such as Town Hall and local businesses. At this time,the
cost will be approximately$2500,which includes the printing and postage expenses. The
Trustees brainstormed ideas for reducing the cost of the mailing and suggested possibly
inserting it in the Rec. Department mailer or in the Friends'fundraising letter. Steve asked if
QR codes could be added to the newsletter so that patrons could get more details about a
program or a list of upcoming events. There was also a request for the staff to group their
quarterly statistics by event so that it is easier to determine the success of a program.
e. The library has received a CPC grant of$1000 for continued digitizing the Cohasset Mariner
as well as for preservation boxes for the atlases. The grant will be available in FY20.
f. Meaghan attended the recent town meeting to learn more about issues that are important
to the community and to connect with other town employees and local citizens. Elaine
asked if there were any plans for the library to participate in Cohasset's 250t"anniversary.
Meaghan said that Gayle has some ideas and they hope to have some plans in place soon.
g. Meaghan is collaborating with local businesses to create monthly programs for adults. She
has already scheduled Fresh Feast and Balance Studio. Carolyn said that Kennedy's Country
Gardens might be interested in participating, and Meaghan will contact them. In addition,
Kristin has started an ongoing program that will bring in community experts to discuss local
topics.
h. The new scheduling software, When2Work, has been implemented and the staff can now
submit time off requests online and, once approved,will automatically be entered in to the
staff schedule. Any scheduling needs will then be highlighted, and coverage can be
arranged.
i. An interview was conducted for the Outreach/Youth Services position, but the candidate
was not suitable, and an offer will not be made. Meaghan has decided to post the position
as Youth Services Librarian only, in the hope that stronger candidates will apply.
j. A deep cleaning of the library is planned and must be scheduled before the end of the fiscal
year. The company would like to do the work overnight starting on a Saturday, and Mark
Kelly has approved the plan.
3. Financial Report/Bills Payable (James/Nelson)
a. The outstanding May bills were moved, seconded and approved unanimously. This included
warrants that were previously approved by Carolyn to be paid before the meeting as well as
a warrant of bills still to be paid.
b. There was a discussion of the ramifications of instituting another fine-free summer, which
doesn't appear to reduce the total amount of fines collected significantly. Meaghan stated
that it is not proper for the library to forgive other libraries' fines and it is not correct to
discharge the materials as "Fine Free". She will reach out to Dave Slater at OCLN Central
Site to have the program implemented properly. The Trustees voted and approved the plan
to run a fine-free summer for Cohasset materials.
4. Chair's Report(Coffey)
a. The Children's Room furniture has been recovered and returned. Carolyn encouraged the
Trustees to look at the results on their way out after the meeting.
b. Marcy Stefura of Stefura Designs came to the library to look over the areas that are slated
for improvement and to talk conceptually about the larger overall plan as well as smaller
interim fixes that could be made. They will reconvene in approximately three weeks with
concrete ideas for further discussion. Steve asked if there had been any talk of improving
the front entrance lobby to make it more welcoming, possibly by replacing some of the
Meeting Room walls with glass. Meaghan also suggested placing a sign outside at the
corner of Ripley Road and Sohier Street which could highlight upcoming programs or other
library news. The Building Committee would have to approve such a sign.
c. Town elections are this weekend and the Trustee Clerk and Chair will have to be voted at
the next meeting. Carolyn requested a Nominating Chair to put forward candidates and
Lynne agreed to do it. She asked that the Trustees contact her with the names of any
nominees.
5. CLT Report (Coffey, O'Callaghan)
a. The CLT did not meet in the last month.
6. Friends Report (James)
a. The Friends have a budget of$17,500 for programs in the next fiscal year.
b. There is an issue with the Friends allowing the library to use their non-profit mailing permit,
even though it has been approved by the Postmaster. Meaghan hopes to have it resolved
soon, so that it can be used to mail the newsletter.
c. The Friends' staff appreciation luncheon has been moved to June 17.
d. Book sale revenues have almost doubled over last year's proceeds, which appears to be due
to the new bookshelves and increased shelf space.
7. Other
a. There was no other business to discuss.
Meeting adjourned at 7:00 pm
Documents:
Minutes of the April 9, 2019 Trustees Meeting
Director's Report—May 6, 2019
ART Cleaning Services-Spring Cleaning quote
ART Cleaning Services—Window washing quote
May 2019 Financial Report
May 8, 2019 Accounting Report—Bronwyn
FY19 April 23, 2019 Interim Warrant
FY19 Hampden Co. Sheriff/York Street Industries Warrant—May 8, 2019
FY19 May 8, 2019 Warrant
Library Trustees Authorization for Payment—05/8/19
Deposits to Treasurer—Fines & Fees May 8, 2019
Deposits to Gift Account—May 8, 2019
Quarterly Report from the Reference Desk—May 2019
Adult Program Statistics 2019-2019
Librarian 1 Quarterly Report—May 2019
Young Adult Services Report, May 2019
Quarterly Report from the Children's Room —May 2019
Children's Room Statistics—July 1, 2018—June 30, 2019
AWE Learning station usage Jan. 1, 2019—May 7, 2019