Library Minutes 08/05/2015
MINUTES
STEPHENSON MEMORIAL LIBRARY TRUSTEES MEETING
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5, 2015
PRESENT: Bob Marshall, Neal Brown, Jami Bascom, Bruce Dodge, Mary Ann Grant, Julie Steenson and Yvonne Westfall, the new President of the Friends of the Library.
The minutes were recorded by Patricia LaPree
7:00 PM – The meeting was called to order by Chairman Brown.
Julie informed the Trustees that there is an intern who will be working at the Library. Her name is Jennifer Greene, and she will be here potentially through October.
The Trustees decided that the September meeting of the Trustees will be on Wednesday, September 9 instead of September 2 due to scheduling conflicts.
7:02 – Yvonne Westfall, the Trustees and Library Director discussed the mechanics of the Merrill fund for the Library. The fund is administered by the NH Charitable Foundation, and 11.01 percent of the trust is disbursed annually to the Friends of the Library, who hold it and in turn disburses the funds to the Library. The Petition for Cy Pres Relief which was filed with the court in November 2008 states that after the purchase of books, the balance may be used for building improvement or any other legal use. The Trustees determine what constitutes “other legal use”. It also identifies that the money is from interest on the fund, not principal. Neal made the motion to adopt the terms of the Petition for Cy Pres relief, dated November 21, 2008. Bruce seconded the motion, and it passed 3-0.
ACTION: Neal and Yvonne will meet and develop a procedure for the Friends to disburse the funds to the Trustees for Library use.
7:42 PM – Review of the July 1 minutes of the Trustees meeting. Bruce moved to accept the minutes as written, and the motion was seconded by Neal. The motion passed 3-0.ACTION: Pat will have the minutes posted to the Town website.
7:44 PM- Treasurer’s Report:
Mary Ann provided the year to date and monthly report of expenditures and revenues for the Library. A discussion followed about the fluctuations in the monthly electric bill and steps that Julie has taken to address that. The budget is on target for the year. Bob noted that about $2000.00 has been expended from the Library checking account since January 2015. Bruce made the motion to accept the treasurer’s report, and it was seconded by Neal. The motion passed 3-0.
8:00 PM – Library Director’s report:
The Director’s report was distributed to the Trustees for their review. The Trustees commended Julie for the hard work she has done to make the Library a strong and desirable presence in the community.
2 The report shows that circulation and daily attendance continues to rise on every day the Library is open. Programming is well attended, both children and adult events.
3 Julie gave a synopsis of the classes she took at the Primex Supervisor School in July. She said that she learned a lot and that the classes she attended were tailored to her needs and her style of management.
4 The summer reading program is going well with a lot of participation.
The Public Volunteer policy that was adopted by the Trustees needs some minor adjustments. Julie discussed what those points are, having to do with the outcome of background checks of volunteers. She also wants a separate policy written for Interns because they are in a different category than a volunteer when their role is to gain training in management of a library for school credit. Jami made a motion to hold the Library intern to the standards of staff, not volunteers. Neal seconded the motion, and it passed 3-0.ACTION: Jami. Bruce and Julie will meet and draft a policy for interns at the Library.
8:37 PM – Staff and Director Evaluations:
Julie reported that she has scheduled staff evaluations in August. Staff will fill out their own performance evaluations and then meet with Julie individually to discuss them.
The Director’s evaluation will be completed in August. ACTION: The Trustees will use the evaluation instrument that they adopted, and each will fill it out. They will meet and compile their information and meet with Julie during the September Trustees meeting in a non-public session.
8:52 – Other/New business:
1 Memorandum of Understanding between the Town and the Library Trustees:
Julie provided the trustees with a draft of the MOU that she and Aaron Patt, Town Administrator, have written. A discussion followed about the content and the parts which might need clarification or consultation. ACTION: Bob will do research on what resources are available to the Trustees for consultation on the MOU document and inform the Trustees via email. It will be discussed further at the next Trustees meeting.
New Hampshire Library Trustees Association annual dues are $50.00 each for the trustees and the alternate’s memberships. ACTION: Neal gave Julie the invoice for the dues and she will pay $150.00 out of the Library budget.
Capital Improvement Project update:
Bob reported that the CIP rough drafts for the HVAC upgrades and resolution of the basement leak in the Library have been submitted. He reported that the basement leak is a high priority, and HVAC upgrades are the second priority. He recommended that the HVAC proposal not include a generator in it so as to reduce the cost to approximately $30,000.00.
More Trustee monthly meetings:
There was a discussion about whether the Trustees should meet more than once a month. The meetings have been lasting up to and over 3 hours every month. Identified reasons for the long meetings include much more work to do because the Library is much more active and the number of agenda items is needed but cumbersome for a 2 hour meeting format. Neal suggested use of more sub committees to attend to some of the Library business, and shorten the agenda. Julie stated that her Director’s report is so long because she wants the Trustees to know the story of how well the Library is doing. Everyone agreed that the Director’s report is good news and the length is fine and a review of all the information may not be needed in the meeting. Jami suggested starting the meeting at 6PM. The Trustees agreed to continue the dialogue and to all think of other creative solutions for the next meeting.
9:45 PM – The motion to adjourn the meeting at this time was made by Jami, and seconded by Neal. The motion passed 3-0.
The next Trustees meeting will be on Wednesday, September 9, 2015 at 7:00PM in the Wensberg Room.