HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - PPMLT - 08/14/2019 Paul Pratt Memorial Library Board of Trustees
August 14,2019
Library Historical Room, 6:00 pm.
Present: Carolyn Coffey (Chair), Catherine O'Callaghan, Elaine Breslow, Marylou Lawrence, Stephen
Brown, Lynne DeGiacomo, Meaghan James (Director), Meghan Damiano (Staff)
Meeting called to order, 6:03 pm
1. Minutes
a. The July 10, 2019 and July 31, 2019 meeting minutes were moved,voted and approved
unanimously.
2. Director's Report (James)
a. The new Youth Services Assistant, Meghan Damiano, attended the meeting and was
introduced to the Trustees who had not met her yet. She will be purchasing Juvenile fiction
and graphic novels as well as developing some programming. In addition, she will be
staffing the Children's Room when Sharon is off.
b. Meaghan shared the data that was submitted on the ARIS report. There was a slight
increase in Children's circulation, after a drop last year. Other areas held steady or
increased over previous years.
c. Meaghan has been researching the replacement of both the Ripley Road and main entrance
people counters, since the current ones do not work well. The best solution appears to be
overhead wiring which provides more accurate counting as well as more options for
statistical reporting. Meaghan is seeking quotes for the work and will coordinate with the
Facilities Dept.for installation.
d. Marylou asked if the library was considering a separate Romance collection, since that genre
is gaining in popularity. Meaghan shared that she has increased the number of Romance
books we have in the collection and that they are shelved in with the regular Fiction books
at this time. It was suggested that the library highlight different genres on an ongoing basis
to make the patrons aware of the full breadth of the available materials.
e. Meaghan reviewed the draft version of the Fall newsletter and discussed some of the
upcoming programs.
f. The Meeting Room policy was discussed at length and Meaghan presented 3 options to
update the policy. The Trustees decided to go with Option B, which does not include a
specific charge for the room but encourages the organization to donate to the Friends in
exchange for the use of the room. The library staff will attempt to track the donations that
are received to determine if most of the groups are paying to use the rooms. A motion was
made to use Option B as the structure of the revised policy, and it passed unanimously. It is
hoped that the updated policy can be completed by the next Trustees meeting and voted at
that time. Steve suggested that the library try to capture the demand for teacher-led book
groups, which have become quite popular in the summer.
g. Meaghan mentioned that we are now offering access to Kanopy,which is similar to Hoopla.
h. Catherine O'Callaghan suggested that the library run a program for high school students
that would feature college admissions counselors,who can answer questions and describe
what makes a superior application.
4. Financial Report/Bills Payable (James/Nelson)
a. The outstanding bills were approved unanimously.
5. Chair's Report(Coffey)
a. Carolyn, Catherine H., Elaine and Meaghan went to National Office Furniture in Boston to
look at furniture for the library update. The company offered options that would work in
the library,their prices seemed reasonable and they provide a designer, if needed. A
representative will be in on Thursday to take more measurements.
6. CLT Report (Coffey, O'Callaghan)
a. The CLT met last night and welcomed Tom Littauer and Mark Toomey as new members.
b. Work has begun on the new development campaign, with care given not to infringe on the
Friends'fundraising campaigns.
c. Meaghan would like to attend the next meeting to meet the Board members. The next
meeting is tentatively scheduled for November 7.
7. Friends Report
a. The Friends had not met since the last Trustees meeting.
b. The Friends ran a Fill-A-Bag book sale this summer, but it was not known how successful it
was at this time.
c. Elaine wondered if it would be possible to accept debit/credit cards for payment to
purchase books or other items that the Friends sell. Meaghan offered to look into it more.
8. Other
a. There was no other business to discuss.
Meeting adjourned at 7:15 pm
Documents:
Minutes of the July 10, 2019 Trustees Meeting
Minutes of the July 31, 2019 Trustees Meeting
Director's Report—8/12/2019
Annual Report—ARIS Report Results
Fall 2019 Newsletter-draft
Meeting Room and Study Room Operating Policy&Application -7/31/2019
PPML Meeting Room Policy—Option A
PPML Meeting Room Policy—Option B
PPML Meeting Room Policy—Option C
August FY20 Financial Report
August 14, 2019 Accounting Report—Bronwyn
FY20 August 14, 2019 Warrant
Library Trustees Authorization for Payment—08/14/19
FY20 Deposits to Treasurer— Fines & Fees etc.
August 2019—Quarterly Report from the Reference Desk
August 2019—Librarian 1 Quarterly Report
August 2019—Quarterly Report from the Children's Room
Young Adult Services&Technology Quarterly Report