Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015.06.10. EC MIN CARY MEMORIAL LIBRARY EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING BOARD OF LIBRARY TRUSTEES Wednesday, June 10, 2015 Attendees: Norman Cohen, Kate Ekrem, Howard Jaffe, Margaret Coppe, Joe Pato, Trustees; Koren Stembridge, Library Director, Emily Smith, Assistant Library Director, Jeanne Krieger, Foundation. Call to Order: Chairman Norman Cohen called the meeting to order at 4:0O PM Secretary’s Minutes Vote: Joe Pato made a motion to approve the Minutes of the May 6, 2015 meeting. Howard seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. Financial Update Koren reviewed the Municipal and Trustee Financial Reports: We will have a balance in personal services on the municipal side at year end due to many staff vacancies. On the Trustees’ side, we are expecting a check from the Foundation. Jeanne reported that the Foundation Board approved a $75,000 transfer. The Endowment is back up again. Next fiscal year, we plan to send out the information in advance of the meeting. Administrative Update Staffing Jenn Webb was promoted to Readers Services Manager and is doing a great job. Matt Schuman came on board this week. He will be working with the artists and assisting in programing. Our new hire in the Children’s Room, Eunice Hong is expected to start late July. We have posted vacancies in Bibliographic Services and an Adult Page position. The Library Associate is the last of the promotions and we expect there will be good internal candidates. We continue discussions with the union on the feasibility of breaking up one full time position into three part time ones. In the meantime, the staff will substitute. We have not yet filled the Librarian II position in technology. We may consider a new request for FY 17. The new hires will stop in at the October Executive Committee Meeting. Last Friday, June 5th we closed for the entire day after months of planning to merge to the one desk model of service. We are resolving small issues such as how to do deeper research. Overall it is simpler to have all the staff at one desk. We received some negative feedback from regular users. Art Inventory In the wake of the Boston Public Library issues related to missing art, we will be working on an inventory of our artwork. New Business We have had a significant increase in Chinese Circulation over last year. In May 2015, we check out 410 items. In the same period last year, we circulated 212 items. Koren photographed the plaques building wide. Kat may need to follow up with donors as we try to honor the intent of the gift as we move and change spaces. Jeanne updated Trustees on Foundation fundraising: Nirmala Garmiella has successfully fundraised for Southeast Asian teens using crowd funding. It is appealing to the Foundation since we have not been successful reaching teens. We are considering starting with a small group for 6 – 8 weeks. The goal is to figure out the obstacles over the summer. The timeline will be February or March since we need planning time. Koren expressed concern around the staff role in fundraising. Trustees discussed the role of public library in fundraising, policy around fundraising and the opportunity for teens to get involved in planning their space. Howard suggested that we get some consultation in the months ahead Emily explained the increasing need for technology contracted hours. Some of the projects of the horizon are replacing a server, a ten year old switch and a security audit. She will prepare a quote summarizing these items. Koren added that over the summer she hopes to move some of these items over to the Town side. Koren reported on the Indian Cultural Day which is a ticketed Foundation event taking place on Saturday, September 19th. After a discussion the consensus is that the event will be off hours. Museum Passes Koren requested permission to purchase passes from for- profit education groups. After a discussion the consensus is to have Koren research other library policies. Building Update Koren reported on the following: The sidewalks were patched on June 5th. This is a temporary fix until the larger aggregate issues can be addressed by the Public Facilities Department. Recently we had issues with a group exceeding the room capacity in the Large Meeting Room. Trustees discussed the violation of the room policy and the safety issue. They suggested a ticketed event for the meeting, requiring the groups to self-police the number of attendees at the door, remind them that they have violated the policy and that we can create a path of gradual escalation to not using the room if necessary. Tuition Reimbursement Koren requested approval for tuition reimbursement for Ita Dennehy. The reimbursement request is for $280.50 which brings her annual maximum to $1500.00 Trustees discussed the need for a clear policy in the contract. The consensus is to approve the reimbursement. Damian Strohmeyer Gift Koren asked Trustees if they wish to accept the gift of Lexington 300th photographs in print and digital format taken by professional photographer Damian Strohmeyer. Howard suggested that we have a legal document covering the use and reuse of the photographs. After discussion, it was decided that Koren will work with Norman and Joe over the summer on language. Fish Tank Koren reported that the fish tank from the main level has been moved to the carriage House at the Community Center. Motion to Adjourn Margaret made a motion to adjourn. Joe seconded. The motion passed unanimously.