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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013-10-16-BLT-min Cary Memorial Library Board of Trustees Meeting October 16, 2013 Large Meeting Room Present: Norman Cohen, Margaret Coppe, Howard Jaffe, Hank Manz, Mary Ann Stewart, Joe Pato, Trustees;Jeanne Krieger and Jeri Zeder, Foundation; Phyllis Brooks, Friends; Koren Stembridge, Director, Cynthia Johnson, Assistant Director. Call to Order: Norman called the meeting to order at 5:05 p.m. Minutes of May 22, 2013 Howard moved, and Joe Pato seconded, to accept the minutes of the Board of Library Trustees meeting of May 22, 2013. The motion passed. Foundation Update: Jeanne Krieger, Foundation President, introduced Jeri Zeder who will be acting as a liaison between the Foundation Board and the library. Jean reported the following: • The Foundation finished the fiscal year over budget, with total donations over $170,000.This year's objective is to exceed that number. They plan to increase their donor base and have more outreach into the community. Although their list of donors is about 1,000 that still only represents one tenth of Lexington families. • The Planned Giving Committee has an active agenda. Their next event will be October 27, 2013. They are still accepting sign ups. Howard discussed reaching out to a large number of people, each person contributing a small amount can add up to significant numbers. Friends Update: Phyllis Brooks, President of the Friends, shared the upcoming events: • On October 22, 2013 the Friends will be hosting a tea for the "Door to Door" participants. • The Annual Meeting will be on November 3, 2014. The speaker will be Rick Abrams. • November 16 and 17 will be the fall book sale. • Rock and Roll lecture series will be staring in November. Phyllis is pleased to report that it is sold out. Norm commented that the Friends are such an important part of the fabric of the library. Financial Update: Koren reported that we are one quarter expended, right on target at the end of the first quarter on the Municipal side. Our payroll is slightly less due to a couple of staff vacancies. The Endowment continues to do well. On the Trustees side, all of our income to date is from fines and fees: expenses are on pace with last year; fees are slightly less since we restructured our copying fees in June. The first ten copies are free, .10 for black and white and .25 for color. So far the program has been successful. We have spent down Foundation funds for some long overdue projects. Staffing and Hiring Updates Koren detailed personnel changes: • Elizabeth Dickinson will be retiring in December. She will leave her position as Outreach and Programming librarian and will be working part time focusing on Readers Advisory. • Margaret Donovan, Head of Technology has resigned as of January 21, 2014. We are working on her job description. Project Updates Koren shared that the new website launched two weeks ago. Most comments are positive. We are in the refining stage. Koren distributed the Major Activities Plan which was submitted to the Mass Board of Library Commissioners. The plan captures a two year rolling list of projects and goals. Koren highlighted some projects. Since this format is unique we are hoping it is acceptable to the board. Please offer any feedback. Koren reported the following: • We are devoting 2014 to Science and Technology programming. We have 3 Science Cafe's already scheduled. The next one is on November 7, 2013. • Lexington Reads theme will be Technology. Norman shared a complaint regarding our CD collection. Koren would love to hear about any gaps in our collection. Cynthia added that it is helpful if the person is specific about where we are lacking. Trustees discussed the changing way patrons get music and opportunities for patrons to obtain materials from network libraries. Building Update Koren reported that the Large Meeting Room project was recently completed using funding from the Shire gift, Foundation, and $45,000 from the PEG Access Fund. We have new lighting, broadcast capabilities, larger screen, ability to broadcast in the Commons Area, and a cochlear loop. We will be working on getting the Learning Center linked into the Large Meeting Room. Pat Goddard's team was impressive in that they were able to deliver the project on time and on budget. We will work with the Facilities Department to complete the few items on the punch list. The Work Flow Project was also competed over the summer. It has greatly improved the flow for incoming materials. Hank Manz moved to adjourn the meeting. MaryAnn seconded. The motion passed. Adjournment: Norman adjourned the meeting at 6:00 p.m.