Library Preliminary Minutes 09/03/2014
PRELIMINARY MINUTES
STEPHENSON MEMORIAL LIBRARY
TRUSTEES MEETING SEPTEMBER 3, 2014
PRESENT: Neal Brown, Bob Marshall, Jami Bascom, Gail Smith. Kristin Readel.
Absent: Mary Ann Grant, Bruce Dodge, Scott Jones.
Minutes recorded by Patricia LaPree
7:06 PM – The meeting was called to order by Chairman Brown. Bob Marshall was appointed as a voting member for the meeting in the absence of Mary Ann Grant.
1) Review of meeting minutes for July 2, 2014 and August 18, 2014:
One change to July minutes: on line 45, add “for” to replace “For”.
One change to August minutes: online 9, add “the “before Library Director.
The motion was made to accept both sets of minutes as amended by Jami and seconded by Neal. The vote was unanimous in the affirmative to accept the minutes as amended. ACTION: Pat will correct the minutes for July 2 and August 18 then have them posted to the Town website.
7:13 PM – Treasurer’s report:
1) Mary Ann provided the monthly and year to date expenditures and revenues for the meeting. The reports were reviewed by the Trustees and Library staff.
2) A discussion followed about the expenditures for the sign, books and building maintenance needs, such as exterior lighting. Neal inquired whether Sanford has done the annual maintenance on the furnace yet, which will come from the heating fuel line. Neal reminded the Trustees that they have the authority to move monies from one line item to another as needed.
3) Another discussion followed about the best course of action to repair the leakage in the basement. A warrant article was discussed. Jami noted that a warrant article requires three bids, and that contractors should be informed that it is a stone foundation. Bob suggested that consultations, and bids, from several reputable contractors, possibly ones that have been used by other libraries, be sought by October 15 in anticipation of preparing a warrant article for the 2015 Town meeting. ACTION: Neal will find out about contractors that specialize in the field of basement waterproofing. Bob has pictures of the July 2014 flooding of the library basement and he will provide them to Aaron Patt.
4) The checking account balance as of August 30, 2014 is $4171.04. Neal needs to be reimbursed $249.00 for advertising costs.
5) Jami made the motion to accept the Treasurer’s report as presented. The motion was seconded by Bob. The vote was unanimous in the affirmative to accept the report.
7:38 Pm – The status of the recruitment of a new Library Director:
The application deadline is September 20. The ads have run for 2 weeks in the Ledger-Transcript and for 30 days in the e-paper. The goal is to have the new hire on board by November 14 at the latest. A discussion followed about how quickly after the September 20 deadline the Trustees and Library staff can meet to vet the candidates and develop interview questions. The resumes will be scanned into a document that can be sent to all the Trustees as they come in, and the hard copies are available at the Library. ACTION: There will be a non- public meeting of the Trustees on Sunday, September 21 @ 2 PM at the Library. The purpose of the meeting Is to review applicants for the Library Director position. The notice will be posted by Aaron Patt. Bruce and Mary Ann will be informed of the meeting date and time by e-mail.
8:00 PM – Librarians’ report:
1) Gail provided monthly and annual statistics to the Trustees. There was a discussion as to how best to collate in one place the 10 years of the statistics for a historical perspective. Jami suggested that an ad be put in the Spirit for a volunteer to do the data entry for the statistics in to Alexandria. Kristen reported that she is taking a class to learn how to export information from Alexandria to Excel.
2) Kristen reported that the Town Administrator, Aaron Patt, told her that Primex, the Town’s insurer, can provide a quality audit for policies and procedures for the Library. Jami and Bruce, as the policy committee, will work with Kristen to explore using this free service from Primex.
3) Kristen reported that the New Hampshire Library Association will be offering a Para-librarian Certification course, which will be free of charge. The certification will cost $25.00 and a board will review the certifications. Kristin will take the course and her certification fee will come from the professional dues budget.
4) TED Talks are available on line, and they could be a resource for education to the residents. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment and Design and is a series that has been going on for 10 years that features experts speaking on a wide variety of subjects. Kristen can currently obtain the TED/MED series, about the future and present challenges to our health care system in the US.
5) 34800 minutes of reading were recorded during the summer reading program. Kristen went to Greenfield Elementary School on the first day to share that information with the school.
The motion to accept the Librarians’ report as presented was made by Jami and seconded by Bob. It was unanimous in the affirmative to accept the report.
8:20 PM – 2015 Budget:
Neal provided the trustees and staff with the 2014 budget narrative and figures. A discussion followed about what the Library staff sees as the most important items in the next budget. It was also discussed that the Library Director needs to give the Trustees a draft of the 2015 budget and the Trustees will then assist the Library Director in developing the final draft. ACTION: A first draft of the 2015 budget will be generated by Gail and provided to the Trustees by e-mail and be ready for discussion at the October meeting.
8:28 – New/Other business:
1) Policy development: Jami reported that they have some policies that are ready to go over and some that have been reviewed and need for the Trustees to accept them. There was more discussion about the possible use of a consult from Primex about the Library policies. ACTION: Kristin will inquire whether Primex has a person who specializes in the library policies.
2) Kristen reported that she has been researching e-books and audio books and the future of them in libraries. She said that when libraries purchase e-books, some of those that were free with unlimited use now are limited in usage. Overdrive is the service which is available to public libraries in NH to purchase e-books and audio books, and this library pays $500.00/year to it. She said that there are other platforms available but are much more expensive. She also reported that some libraries have Kindles and I-pads for loan to patrons.
8:45 PM – The motion to adjourn the meeting was made at this time by Jami. It was seconded by Bob. The vote was unanimous in the affirmative to adjourn the meeting.
The next meeting of the Trustees will be on Wednesday, October 1 at 7:00 PM at the Library.
Respectfully submitted,
Patricia LaPree