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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013.01.02 EC-MINCARY MEMORIAL LIBRARY EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING BOARD OF LIBRARY TRUSTEES Wednesday, January 2, 2013 Attendees: Norman Cohen, Howard Jaffe, Helen Cohen; Trustees and Koren Stembridge, Library Director. Call to Order: Norman called the meeting to order at 5:00 PM Secretary's Minutes Vote: Howard Jaffe made a motion to accept the minutes of the December 5, 2012 meeting. Helen seconded the motion. The motion passed. Administrative Update Financial Koren updated the Trustees on the Municipal and Trustees Reports o We are 48% expended on the Municipal side half way through the fiscal year. o We received $19,247 in State Aid funds. o Trustee income is as expected. o The Foundation is starting to receive their funds from the phone -a -thon. They are where they expect to be at this point in the year. o The Friends have transferred $28,215 so far this fiscal year. Koren pointed out that the December Trustees expenses are more than usual due to an increase in costs related to the Lexington 300 calendar. She will break down the expenses in more detail if needed. Koren reported that we will have significant payouts on the Municipal side due to payouts for retiring staff in January. If we have a shortfall, the Town will increase our budget to cover the additional cost. Ruth Lynn, Kathy Quinlan and Judy Dec are retiring. Koren reported that she was approached by Susan Bennett from the Lexington Historical Society, regarding the use of the Worthen images on the 2013 library calendar. She raised several issues related to the ownership of the images. Koren will be in touch with Bill Lahey, Town Counsel. She will report back to Trustees. Inspection Update Koren reported that electrician has wired handicap buttons on the ramp on the lower level. The alarm company will be completing the final work soon. Building Update o The loading dock reconfiguration will be going out to bid soon. The staff is pleased with the planned changes. o The Technology Update in the Large Meeting Room will take place between September 10 — October 2, 2013. Helen asked if we have a fallback plan for the League of Women Voters meeting. Koren is confident that the work will be completed since it is expected to take two weeks; however we have blocked off extra time. o Building temperatures are more consistent since the HVAC control upgrade. There are a few areas that have no radiant heat installed. Those issues will be addressed separately. Old Business Strategic Plan o The Public Forum will take place on Sunday, January 13, 2013 facilitated by Maureen Sullivan o More than 500 people answered the survey, 212 with comments, about 1/3 are complaints mainly related to Library services. o Maureen hopes to meet with teens sometime in January. Technology Koren presented a proposal to spend $500 for a feasibility study to survey our equipment to ensure that all rooms are wireless ready. We are planning on using the same vendor who we use for our monthly server cleanup. Howard mentioned the importance of the library to be current. He made a motion to spend $500 on the feasibility study to explore wireless building wide. The motion was seconded by Helen Cohen. The motion passed. Website: Bartlett has designed the wire frame for the new website. Margaret has 90% of the content ready to go. We are hoping to be ready to launch the new website by early February. New Business: Koren reported on the proposal to expand the Friends Bookstore. She is seeking support from Trustees to expand the bookstore on the main level. o The quantity of books received by the Friends is overwhelming o Storage space limitations o Create a safer working environment in the Friends Room o The ongoing book sale could possibly replace the semi - annual sales o Many other Friends libraries have been successful with the book store concept o The bookstore expansion is also an opportunity to include materials in other languages. Since the Business Center is not a space that can easily be converted to a Conference or Study Room, this space would be best suited for the expansion of the book store. Koren had preliminary conversations with the Friends. We already have shelving available. The cost associated with the expansion will be the shades. Koren will be back to speak to the Friends with more details. Norman expressed that he is in favor of the idea. Helen made a motion to support the proposal. Howard seconded the motion. The motion passed. Sponsorship Opportunities Koren presented a list of Sponsorship Opportunities for the Foundation. The Foundation has expressed that they have reached a point where they need some fresh ideas for soliciting donations. Koren highlighted some of the needs: o Build additional Study Rooms on the mezzanine level o Increase Foreign Language Collections for adults and children o Noise abatement for the Young Adult area o Science Cafe program series After a discussion of the items on the list, Helen Cohen made a motion to approve the list of Sponsorship Opportunities as presented. Howard Jaffe seconded the motion. The motion passed. Trustees discussed the digitization of the historical issues of the Lexington Minuteman Newspaper. Koren added that we have the Minuteman up to a certain point on microfilm. Helen made a motion to approve the digitization of the Minuteman. Howard seconded the motion. The motion passed. Honoring Ruth Lynn Koren presented a proposal to honor Ruth Lynn who will be retiring after thirty years. The Children's Room staff suggests naming the Rare Children's Book Collection in her honor. Ruth developed this collection over many years. The Huston Company has submitted a quote for a display cabinet. The cabinet will have an area to display the books as well as shelving for storage. The cost of the fabrication of the cabinet will be $8900. After a discussion, Helen Cohen moved to name the Children's Rare Book Collection after Ruth Lynn and to order the cabinet to display the books. Howard seconded the motion. The motion passed. Staff and Hiring Updates o We have identified four candidates to be interviewed for Ruth's position. The committee will consist of three library staff, Mary Ann Stewart from the Trustees and Andrea Jackson from the Foundation and Kathy and Koren. o Koren asked Trustees about exploring the possibility of appointing an internal candidate for the Assistant Director's position upon the retirement of Kathy Quinlan. After a discussion, Trustees strongly support the idea. Koren will explore further and report back to Trustees. o Koren reported that we updated the job description for the Library Technician position. This staff person will work primarily in the Children's Room, with some time in Bibliographical Services. o Koren will be asking Carl Valente, Town Manager, to consider adding a part time adult page position whose duties will include unpacking the bins. She will update Trustees at a later meeting. Koren talked about the movement of materials. o A staff member is requesting an educational reimbursement for an online degree program at a school in Maine. After a discussion, the consensus from the Trustees is to approve. Koren will prepare contract language for the next Executive Committee Meeting. 2013 Holidays Koren presented the list of 2013 Town Holidays for Trustee approval. Koren asked Trustees to consider opening three additional Sundays in June. These days are June 2, 9 and 16. These dates will align with school closing. The Facilities Department can absorb the custodial cost of the three additional days into their budget. Howard made a motion to approve library opening on June 2, 9 and 16, 2013. Helen seconded the motion. The motion passed. Howard made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Helen seconded the motion. The motion passed.