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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2011-12-07-BLT-minCARY MEMORIAL LIBRARY EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING BOARD OF LIBRARY TRUSTEES December 7, 2011 5:00 PM Learning Center Attendees: Norman Cohen, Howard Jaffe, Deb Mauger, Mary Ann Stewart, Helen Cohen Trustees; Koren Stembridge, Library Director, Kathy Quinlan, Assistant Library Director, Margaret Donovan, Head of Technology, Elizabeth Dickinson, Program Librarian and Linda Carroll, Reference Department Librarian. Call to order: Norman called the meeting to order at 5:06 PM. Secretary's Minutes: Deb Mauger made motion to accept the minutes of the October 5, 2011 Executive Committee Trustees Meeting. Mary Ann Stewart seconded the motion. The motion passed. New Business Norman moved to address a New Business agenda item. He presented Linda Carroll with a card and gift from the Trustees for her most noteworthy work on the Worthen Project. Linda thanked the Trustees. She distributed The Edwin B. Worthen Collection Activities Report to Trustees and shared a few pictures of the Collection. Her vision of the Lexington 300 Celebration includes some of these wonderful photographs of people. Interest has been growing in the online collection. Trustees thanked Linda for her work. Administration Financial Update: Koren referenced the Income and Expense Report • The Endowment has been fluctuating during the past couple of months. November figures are not yet available. • We recently completed the proximity card access project. The funds will come of State Aid and will show up in the December Financial Report • On the Municipal side, we are spending down at an appropriate level. Norman mentioned that Koren was recently at the Selectman's Meeting to present the FY 13 Budget. Building Update Stairs: Koren updated the Trustees on her meeting with a stair contractor and Ray Drapeau from the Facilities Department. The contractor has indentified that the stair risers on the south entry and central staircase are screwed from underneath which means that the only way to remove them for refinishing or repair is to pry up the first few to gain access to the rest. Pat Goddard, Director of Facilities, feels that the central staircase is part of the architecture of the building and that we need to use a similar product which may require regular refinishing. There is an option to explore other materials. The consensus from the Trustees is to explore other options. Kathy brought Trustees up to date on the platform construction and ceiling tile replacements. • The platform on the mezzanine level has been closed off. • We are pleased with the way it looks. Kathy passed around a before and after photograph of the platform area. • The contractor kept the noise to a minimum and cleaned up well after each working day. • The ceiling tiles in the Circulation workroom have been measured to swap out the old tiles. We will be using a more traditional tile. Old Business: Logo Project: Mary Ann Stewart, member of the Logo Design Committee updated the Trustees: • The committee feels that they are closer to choosing a final layout. • It has been challenging moving from our current logo to a new design • The next step will be to look at color palettes and fonts. Koren stated that the goal is to create an identity that works for all library organizations. The committee hopes to fine tune the logo over the next few weeks and have a final recommendation soon. Update on Lexington Reads 2012 Elizabeth Dickinson, Program Librarian presented a summary of Lexington Reads: Why we do Lexington Reads: • Creates community support for the library • Provides a shared experience • Creates a unique opportunity to make and build connections • Leads people to our services, collections and databases • Gives people something of value that can enrich their lives How we do Lexington Reads: • We start in September with a committee of 10 people from library staff and the community. This year's members are; Elizabeth Dickinson, Mandy McClaine, Jen Forgit, Kathy Quinlan and Koren Stembridge from the library. Community members are; Candy McLaughlin, Phyllis Brooks, Janet Tiampo, Nancy Shepard and Deb Jackman • Choose a universal theme broad enough to lend itself to lots of different programming approaches. • This year's theme is " The Creative Spirit" • We have chosen two book titles, one fiction and one nonfiction: The Soloist by Mark Salzman and Spark: How Creativity Works by Julie Burstein. Julie will be our keynote speaker and will speak about her book at Cary Hall on Sunday, March 11, 2012 Elizabeth stated that the committee is working on ideas for a variety for community programming. The committee will continue to meet and fine tune their plans. Koren asked the Trustess if there is a context when we would consider showing an "R" rated movie. The name of the movie under discussion is "Exit through the Gift Shop ". It contains no violence or sex. Elizabeth stated that the library owns a copy of anyone wants to see it. Trustees discussed the pros and cons of showing an "R" rated movie. Koren will research other libraries and come back with more information at the next Trustees meeting. Public Library Conference Koren requested Trustee approval to send two to three staff members to the Public Library Conference in Philadelphia in March. Koren expects to be one of the staff members attending. The cost is expected to run about $2,000 per person. Norman asked Koren to research if we have to have a separate line item for out of state expenses. The consensus from Trustees is to approve the expenditure. New Business Koren will postpone the Customer Service item from the agenda to a later meeting. 2012 Holidays Koren stated that Veteran's Day in 2012 is a Sunday. The Commonwealth of MA will observe the holiday on Monday, November 12, 2012. After a discussion, the Trustees decided that the library will close on Sunday November 11 and Monday, November 12, 2012. Helen stated that we should give patrons plenty of warning. Electronic Signage Margaret Donovan, Head of Technology is proposing that we consider purchasing 2 digital displays for the entries. The displays will: • Freshen the countertop area around the desks • Will be managed centrally • Allow us to get rid of the easels clogging the entries • Detail the library calendar as well as Town information • Give us an opportunity to highlight our Collection She would like to start with two displays. She will have more details on the cost and options available after a webinar that she will be attending this Friday. Koren added that we expect the cost to run $6,000 which will come out of the Trustees budget. Consensus from the Trustees is to approve the expenditure. Meeting Room Policy Kathy updated the Trustees on the recommendations from the committee. There are three major issues. 1. Groups that charge fees in order to participate in their classes. Kathy gave examples of groups that charge fees for participation; Bridge School PTA charging for a chess class, Lexington Community Education and Lexington Recreation Department. Trustees discussed the strongly held tenet that all use of library rooms should be free and open to the public. Helen suggested that the language "free and open to the public" be moved to the front of the policy to set the context. 2. Religious Activities Kathy stated that we sought legal counsel regarding religious activities. Using their guidance we can distinguish between religious activities such as a discussion about religious topics and religious services. 3. Political Activities Kathy gave the example of using our meeting rooms for an organization such as the Lexington Republican Committee verses an active campaign meeting. Koren stated that Town Counsel explained that we can have a meeting room use that discusses how to run a campaign but not a meeting supporting a specific candidate. Trustees continued to discuss groups such as the League of Women Voters and the Lexington Veterans organizations. Deb Mauger stated that we need to be sure that we honor a standard of fairness that applies to everyone and that she is not personally in favor of making an exception to the policy for these groups. She added that scheduling meeting room time can be challenging but it is not impossible. Koren stated that we will defer to the January Executive Trustees Meeting for further discussion on the Meeting Room Policy. Deb Mauger made a motion to adorn the meeting. The motion was seconded by Mary Ann Stewart. The motion passed.