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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020.06.10 EB Min FinalCARY MEMORIAL LIBRARY EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING BOARD OF LIBRARY TRUSTEES 4:00 PM June 10, 2020 Virtual Meeting Attendees: Trustees: Joe Pato, Rabbi Howard Jaffe, Suzie Barry, Eileen Jay, Rev. Claire Feingold Thoryn, Staff: Koren Stembridge, Emily Smith, Alissa Lauzon, Cathie Ghorbani, Andrea Morrison Virtual Meeting Recording Approval Prior to the start of the meeting, a request by Mr. Pato was made to approve the video recording of the meeting. Upon a motion duly made, by roll call, the Board voted 5-0 to approve the recording of the meeting. Mr. Pato read the Select Board titled “Remote Meeting Opening” guidelines. There were no objections. Call to Order Mr. Pato called the meeting to order at 4:05 PM. Public Comment There is no public comment Secretary’s Minutes of May 6, 2020 Rev. Feingold Thoryn made a motion to approve the minutes of the May 6, 2020 meeting. Ms. Barry seconded the motion. Upon a motion duly made, by roll call, the Board voted 5-0 to approve the minutes, with edits. Financial Reports FY20 Update: Ms. Stembridge reported that the municipal budget is 85% expended as of the end of May, as expected. The library will leave funds unexpended this fiscal year, as requested by the Town Manager due to concerns about the financial impact of the pandemic. Although our Program Improvement Requests were approved at Town Meeting, we waiting on guidance from the town manager regarding if the funds will be available. On the Trustee budget, Ms. Stembridge reported that there has been less income from fines and fees while the library remains closed. We have been waiving all fines, the only income received is due to fine payments collected online. The library has also reduced spending in order to carry over funds to FY21. FY21 Proposed Trustee Budget: Ms. Stembridge presented the FY 21 Trustee Budget which is $42,500. This budget presents a deficit of $20,000 not taking into account the Endowment materials income. Our plan is to use carry forward funds to make up this difference. We have $134,000 in state aid funds, $60,000 in Foundation, $10,000 in Friends and about $30,000 in Trustee’s funds which will carry over into FY 21. The library expects a significant decrease in Trustees’ income next year due to extending fine forgiveness and limited copy/print income while library is closed. The Foundation voted to transfer $35,000 to the library for the website redesign project. Those funds were not included in the carry over projection. Ms. Barry made a motion to approve the trustee budget as presented; Rabbi Jaffe seconded the motion. Upon a motion duly made, by roll call, the Board voted 5-0 to approve the budget as presented. Administrative Update Ms. Stembridge updated the timeline from our current Restoration of Services Draft Plan. At the moment we are in Phase I which involves working on the backlog of returned materials and unpacking orders that were received before and during the closure. The plan is to move to Phase II the week of June 22nd or 29th and to being offering curbside pickup of library materials. Ms. Stembridge asked Trustees if they could commit to a mid-July special Executive Board meeting to discuss moving to Phase III. After discussion, the Trustee’s consensus is to meet in July. Contract Tracing Ms. Stembridge shared that the one of the guidelines for opening town buildings is the requirement to provide details for contract tracing. In the library world, anonymity and privacy are the key tenants of our service to the public, so contact tracing is a concern. This issue is being discussed at local, regional and State associations. Ms. Stembridge will provide updates when available from the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners. Staffing Update Ms. Stembridge reported that there are two vacancies however, we have been asked to hold off on filling these positions for now. In addition, we are not scheduling any student pages or substitute staff at this time. Ms. Stembridge asked the Trustees to think about if we may want to close on Sundays in FY 21 as a cost cutting measure. Trustees inquired about the cost of staff for Sundays and a weekday as well as details related to usage and how other libraries are proceeding. Further information will be provided at the next meeting. Building Updates Facilities Update – Postponed until next meeting New Business Story Walk Ms. Stembridge asked Trustees to approve a Story Walk program in collaboration with the Lexington Recreation and Community Programs Department. The Foundation is confident that they have a donor to fund the program which is expected to cost $6,000. The Library decided not to proceed with the sidewalk obstacle course since it could cause a safety concern with curbside services beginning. The Trustee consensus is to approve the Story Walk program. Library’s response to current events Ms. Stembridge spoke about the current events specifically about the death of George Floyd. Ms. Stembridge is seeking guidance from the Trustees on the role of the library during this time and in the future for similar events. Trustees discussed the challenge with dissemination of information and how quickly some of the related events in the community popped up. Ms. Barry applauded the recent library newsletter that provided book lists and resources for having conversations about race and diversity. Ms. Stembridge explained there has been a significant change in the way public libraries are responding to issues around diversity, equity, and inclusion. In the past, most libraries’ efforts focused on remaining neutral. Today libraries are increasingly taking a stand to protect marginalized populations. She shared the statement from the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners. Ms. Stembridge inquired if the library should issue a similar statement. After discussion, the consensus is that the Town of Lexington statement which includes the library as a department of the town. They also agreed that posting the MBLC statement on the library’s website is appropriate. The Trustees agreed to have the library install bunting to honor Pride for the month of June. Adjournment Ms. Jay made a motion to adjourn at 4:57 PM. The motion was seconded by Rev. Feingold Thoryn. Upon a motion duly made, by roll call, the Board voted 5-0 to adjourn.