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Gleason Public Library
Minutes of the Trustees' Meeting
Date: Thursday, October 11, 2007
Present: Phil Conti, Angela Mollet, Dale Ryder and Priscilla Stevens
The meeting convened at 9:o5 a.m.
Discussion: Gleason Public Library Endowment financial advisor David Witherbee was present at the invitation of the Trustees to provide an update on the Endowment's balanced portfolio investment account. After his departure, the meeting continued.
Old Business:
- After approving the minutes of the previous meeting, the Trustees briefly discussed the issue of contract negotiations. All agreed that a piecemeal approach, with one salary at issue, would not be an effective strategy. The Trustees and Angela will continue to gather information, with a goal of going to Town Meeting with a plan that will succeed in increasing library salaries in general. Timing will be a particularly sensitive and important consideration in the plan.
- Filming in and around the library was completed in a half hour in the morning and a short time in the evening.
Housekeeping items:
- The next Trustees' meeting will be on November 8 at 9 a.m. Angela notified us that she will be out of town from November 15 to 27.
- The Trustees agreed to draft a thank-you letter to Sharon Colvin for her services to Gleason.
- The Trustees will extend an invitation to Verna Gilbert to attend the Endowment meeting on October 25.
Director's Report:
Building:
- The new defibrillator has been installed across from the Circulation desk. David Flannery is helping to find training, and the public may use the defibrillator. [N.B. Instructions on the use of these devices is usually available on the devices.]
- David Berkowitz has not yet replied to Angela on the brick situation, but there has been no significant leakage.
- Angela is consulting Gary Davis on signage on the entrance and exit driveways.
- Some enforcement of the no bicycles, skateboard, etc. policy is being provided by the crossing guard and police.
- Early Release has been going well. Phil suggested assigning some students as "sheriffs" to encourage self-policing.
Collection: Circulation is way up on Saturdays, justifying the summer Saturday openings and continuing into September.
Budget:
- The budget is holding at about 25% use overall, which is on target for this period.
- The Town pays for utilities; our utility costs are not growing as much as other Town Departments, hopefully demonstrating our good management.
- Angela noted that the state has assigned $477,326 as our minimum municipal appropriations budget, on a formula of approximately:
3 years of budget + 1.25%
3
This is the "red flag" figure: if our budget sinks below it, we need to get a state waiver to continue to receive state aid.
Personnel:
- The Town's paid time off figures are published. The tight budget means this benefit is thin.
- Interviewing is in process for Sharon Colvin's job. Angela will invite a teen team to participate, to gather their input.
- Staff meeting topics will include cutting hours and use of space.
Other:
- The Friends' Annual Meeting will be on November 10 at 2 p.m. Marcella Pixley, Carlisle teacher and author of Freak, will be the speaker.
- Gleason's new e-mail newsletter design is in process.
- The web site may change servers. MVLC may be defining and streamlining their services, and it may not be viable to put the entire web site (except for the catalog) on their server. The Friends can support the cost of a new host server.
- The equal access grant application was accepted and money should arrive soon for the program.
- The closing policy for 2008 was approved by majority (Dale Ryder was not present).
- The art committee wants to hold a fundraiser art auction to help cover the cost of damage from hanging the Art at the Gleason exhibits. Brooke Cragan and her committee will plan this event. The date is to be determined.
- Angela suggested considering opening the library on Sundays for events and charging a considerable fee for this purpose as a means of revenue enhancement. Discussion of this idea will continue.
- Dave Model is our Finance Committee liaison. The Trustees agreed that he will be invited to one of our future meetings.
The meeting was adjourned at 11:40 a.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Priscilla S. Stevens, Secretary
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