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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020.12.03 EB Minutes Final - Emergency MeetingCARY MEMORIAL LIBRARY EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING BOARD OF LIBRARY TRUSTEES 12:00 PM December 10, 2020 Virtual Meeting Attendees: Trustees, Executive Board: Joe Pato, Suzie Barry, Eileen Jay, Rev. Claire Feingold Thoryn. Staff: Koren Stembridge, Emily Smith, Andrea Morrison. Call to Order Mr. Pato called the meeting to order at 12:03 PM. New Business Agenda item today is for the board to consider returning to virtual service in response to the change in state guidance and regulations as well as the town’s municipal move to revert to a previous phase of opening. Public Comments (for items not on agenda) There were no public comments. Discussion Ms. Stembridge thanked all trustees for rearranging of schedules to attend meeting given the tight timeframe to implement outcome of this discussion. On Tuesday, 12/8/20 SMR, the Town Manager discussed walking back of all in-person services and asking all nonessential staff to work remotely. His reasoning is based on rising Covid-19 numbers and the knowledge that a winter spike is occurring with higher infection rates which will likely continue for the foreseeable future. On Wednesday 12/9/20, there was a Public Health phone call for senior managers and public health staff. During this conversation, the town manager stated he was planning to make this step forward effective Monday, 12/14/20. Trustees discussed the pros and cons of aligning the library with the other Town Offices. Arlington Library had a staff member test positive and they were closed for a week. They will reopen on 12/14/20. In preparation for this meeting, Ms. Stembridge reached out to Minuteman library directors to see what other directors/boards are contemplating regarding services. There are a number of locations pulling back from browsing/in-person service models. Cary Library would be first in reverting to fully virtual services. Mr. Pato opened discussion by the board: Ms. Barry asked Ms. Stembridge to clarify that the plan is to only suspend curbside model and that virtual programming will continue. Also asked if there is a plan in place to handle all of the current requests before the library goes virtual. Ms. Barry is aware that individual Town department heads are being given latitude to decide who is/isn’t essential to their department. Ms. Jay asked if during the SMT or Public Health meetings, was Cary Library a specific consideration? The library will be affected by a change in service more so than other municipal departments who are already operating virtually. Ms. Stembridge answered that she discussed our current service model with the town manager and noted that it was not brought up as a Board of Health push to go virtual, but more of a goal to have the least amount of nonessential workers on site. The library has 20-40 staff coming from many different communities as numbers are going up. Rev. Claire Feingold Thoryn is weighing the factors of the size of the building, safety of the current curbside model, and what Ms. Stembridge feels needs to be done, but mostly to prioritize health of employees. She also questioned if jobs and/or pay will be affected. Ms. Stembridge has begun conversations with staff on how to wind down existing holds. Ms. Lauzon/Ms. Ghorbani and team are working on this process by getting the word out, extending pick-up hours, and expanding appointments. Ms. Stembridge checked in with town manager regarding continued employment for library employees. There are numerous projects given to staff to do work from home along with the IDEAS collection, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion teams, and website. Manager team is compiling a list of projects to discuss with each staff member. If in January we go back to vestibule model, we will start bringing in CIRC staff to work through the backlog. BIB SVCS staff will be in and out to keep up with product deliveries and invoicing. Administration staff (Koren, Emily, Andrea, Susan) will be in and out. No positions are at risk at the moment. Seasonal subs and student pages have had hours cut since April. All other permanent staff members are assigned to a budget line. Joe Pato Discussed with both Ms. Stembridge and the town manager and there are a lot of issues that need to be considered. Curbside service is somewhat an essential service for the community but we have to balance the risk against individual employees, patrons and community. Lexington is at a stage where infections are on the rise and appears it will continue. Acting early will hopefully reduce the number of cases. The town has begun to see more infected employees through community contact outside of work. Perspective on this is to act as soon as possible. He would like to make a decision today. Public Comments (for agenda item) There were no public comments. Summary Mr. Pato received an email from a Cary Library employee who stressed how they value the ability to come to work and how they are unable to satisfy their job requirements in a remote setting. The ability to leave home and go to work gives them purpose and helps them cope with this pandemic. Ms. Stembridge agreed and stated she had spoken with approximately six staff members and each one preferred to remain open and was positive about the current model. Mr. Pato asked for a decision for a motion that we have Cary Library return to its virtual operations and minimize in person attendance in the building. Ms. Jay seconded motion. Motion: Per the request of the Town Manager and due to the rising cases of COVID-19 in the community, Cary Library suspend curbside services as of Monday, December 14, 2020 and return to virtual services. All non-essential staff, as determined by the Library Director or designee, will work remotely. This decision will be revisited at the January 6, 2021 meeting of the Executive Board of the Library Trustees.  Roll call vote 4-0 yea. Adjournment Mr. Pato made a motion to adjourn at 5:16 PM. The motion was seconded by Ms. Barry. Vote 4-0.