HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - PPMLT - 12/11/2019 Paul Pratt Memorial Library Board of Trustees
December 11,2019
Library Historical Room, 6:00 pm.
Present: Carolyn Coffey (Chair), Marylou Lawrence, Stephen Brown, Lynne DeGiacomo, Catherine
Harvey, Elaine Breslow, Catherine O'Callaghan, Meaghan James (Director)
Meeting called to order, 6:02 pm
1. Minutes
a. The November 13, 2019 minutes were moved,voted and approved unanimously.
2. Director's Report(James)
a. The quarterly newsletter has been printed and mailed.
b. Carolyn and Meaghan attended a recent Capital Budget Committee meeting and the
furniture purchase was approved. The order has now been placed and the pieces should
arrive by the end of January.
c. Starting in January, Meaghan will convene a committee to review the library's current
policies. Many of them are outdated or obsolete. The plan is to review and update them as
needed with a few Trustee volunteers and then present the results to the full board for a
vote. Steve and Catherine 0.volunteered to be on the committee.
d. Outreach—i. Meaghan attended a Cohasset 250 planning meeting and shared the library's
programming for the celebration. Lynne suggested that Gayle touch base with her, as the
Historical Society may have some resources she could use. In addition,the Community
Services group (which includes the library) will have a float in the parade, the specifics of
which are currently being worked out. Steve asked if the Wampanoag's history would be
incorporated into the celebration, but it is unknown at this time. ii. Meaghan attended the
Rotary Club's Brews and Blues event and met many Cohasset residents and Town
employees. iii. Meaghan mentioned that she continues to work with OCLN's e-content
committee. In addition, she is working with others to streamline member libraries'
marketing efforts and to standardize promotional materials across libraries. The Trustees
tossed out ideas for marketing the library better such as a game show, a non-alcoholic
mixer, questions/facts in the newsletter and/or reaching out to church youth groups in
conjunction with Safe Harbor. The tag line "Meet me at the Library"was also suggested.
e. Meaghan and Bronwyn have begun work on the FY21 budget, which is due December 20.
Meaghan plans to ask for more funds in the Personnel, Materials and Technology lines. She
noted that the Materials budget is only funded at the 50% level by the town, and it is funded
at a much higher level at most other libraries in the area.
f. The dumpster has been delivered and there are many items in the attic and basement that
can be discarded. In addition, pieces that are currently in the main library must be moved
to storage to make room for the new furniture that has been ordered. Meaghan welcomed
any help the staff or Trustees could offer to complete this project.
3. Financial Report/Bills Payable (James/Nelson)
a. The outstanding bills were approved unanimously.
4. Chair's Report(Coffey)
a. There was nothing new to report since the last meeting.
5. CLT Report (Coffey, Lawrence, Brown)
a. The CLT has not met since the last meeting.
6. Friends Report (Harvey)
a. The Friends are in the process of writing thank you notes to all those that gave to their
annual appeal.
b. They are still working on setting up an electronic payment system so that they can accept
credit cards for purchases.
c. The Friends are looking in to using the email system that the library uses to send out its
newsletter. They will use email addresses from their own separate list and not use the
library's database.
d. Sandra Perry has been involved in Legislative issues on behalf of the Friends and this year's
Legislative Breakfast will be held at the library on February 21. The Friends will help to host
this event.
e. The Friends are working to increase membership and may invite all those who donated to
attend their Annual Meeting in June.
7. Other
a. Elaine continues to be disappointed with the content and appearance of the library promos
in the Mariner. She mentioned that there might be a local contact who could listen to our
concerns and improve the look of the articles.
b. Carolyn thanked Meaghan and Elaine for putting up the holiday decorations outside the
library.
Meeting adjourned at 6:40 pm
Documents:
Minutes of the November 13, 2019 Trustees Meeting
Director's Report—December 9, 2019
December FY20 Financial Report
December 11, 2019 Accounting Report—Bronwyn
FY20 December 11, 2019 Warrant
Library Trustees Authorization for Payment—12/11/19
FY20 Deposits to Treasurer— Fines & Fees etc.
FY20 Deposits to Gift Account