HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013-01-16-BLT-minCary Memorial Library
Board of Trustees Meeting
January 16, 2013
Learning Center
Present: Norman Cohen, Kate Ekrem, Howard Jaffe, Hank Manz, Paul Shupe, Mary Ann Stewart,
Trustees; Jeanne Krieger, Foundation; Phyllis Brooks, Friends; Peggy Bateson, Head of
Circulation Services, Koren Stembridge, Director, Kathy Quinlan, Assistant Director.
Call to Order: Norman called the meeting to order at 5:05 p.m.
Minutes of October 17, 2012: Kate Ekrem moved, and Howard Jaffe seconded, to accept the
minutes of the Board of Library Trustees meeting of October 17, 2012. The motion passed.
Foundation Update: Jeanne Krieger, Foundation President, reported that the Annual Fund
drive was a "little bit ahead" of where the Foundation hoped to be. Koren Stembridge will
speak at the Senior Center in conjunction with the Foundation's Planned Giving initiative. The
Foundation is also planning to hold a reception to welcome the new Head of Children's Services.
Friends Update: Phyllis Brooks, President of the Friends, reported that the Friends are planning
their annual Staff Appreciation party for Tuesday, February 26 from 3 -5 p.m. The Friends are
also planning to sponsor a lecture series on the History of Rock and Roll to be held over 15
evenings during next winter.
Administrative Update: Koren reported the following:
• Koren spoke at the Simmons Graduate School of Library and Information Science to a
group of MLS candidates regarding fundraising for libraries. During the discussions, she
was particularly struck by how fortunate Cary Library is to have such supportive and
collaborative Trustees, Foundation and Friends groups.
• Financial Update: Library spending from the municipal budget is on track half way
through the fiscal year. Howard Jaffe asked about the postage budget, and Mary Ann
Stewart asked about the printing budget, both of which are often spent down early in a
fiscal year. Koren explained that we supplement both budget lines with Trustees funds.
Income thus far for the Trustees budget is as expected.
• Building Updates: The shelving installation in the Archives Room has been completed.
Once the room has been thoroughly cleaned, we will be ready to transfer materials to
the room. The loading dock project for the Bibliographic Services workroom is
progressing well; our goal is to have the work completed by the end of March 2013. We
are developing plans for adding security cameras throughout the building and upgrading
cameras at both entrances /lobby areas. We are working with a consultant regarding an
upgrade to our wireless network. The project to upgrade our audio /visual /recording
capabilities in the Large Meeting Room is scheduled to begin in September. We will be
talking with LexMedia about the project.
Old Business: Koren reported the following:
Project updates: We have ordered casework from Huston to house the Children's Rare
Book Collection that will be named in honor of Ruth Lynn, recently retired Head of
Children's Services. We are currently interviewing candidates for the new Head of
Children's Services, and have advertised for the full -time Library Technician position
formerly held by recently retired Judy Dec. We are more than half -way through our
Strategic Planning process, and have already identified some consistent themes: the
importance of print books, the importance of the library's role in the town, and the
need for better and more consistent customer service. Our goal is to have our new
Strategic Plan ready for the Trustees' meeting in May 2013. The current timetable for
launching our new website is late February 2013. The new website will start out "lean,"
with additional features to be added as we evaluate usage patterns and user feedback.
The search for the Town's new webmaster has identified a strong candidate. The
webmaster will work for both the Town and the library.
New Business: The Board of Library Trustees' Annual Meeting needs to be rescheduled to
Thursday, March 21 to accommodate Town Meeting. At the Annual Meeting, the full Board
will need to name the Trustees' Executive Committee for the next year. Hank Manz will chair
the nominating committee; Kate Ekrem and a member of the School Committee will work with
Hank on the committee. We are still pleased to receive additions to our Lexington Authors
collection. An event honoring Lexington Authors and Artists will be held in the library on
Sunday March 17 as part of the Lexington 300 celebrations. We are also applying for a
StoryCorps grant that would enable the library to record Lexington teens from Asian families
interviewing their grandparents and other family elders about the importance of education in
their lives.
Adjournment: Norman adjourned the meeting at 5:40 p.m.