MINUTES
STEPHENSON MEMORIAL LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2016
PRESENT: Bruce Dodge, Mary Ann Grant, Jami Bascom, Ray Cilley, Neal Brown, Julie Perrin.
The minutes were recorded by Patricia LaPree.
6:34 PM – The meeting was called to order by Chairman Dodge.
6:34 PM – Review of the preliminary minutes for September 7, 2016 meeting:
There was one clerical error. On line 2, add “N” to “Stephenso”. The motion was made by Bruce to accept the minutes as amended, and it was seconded by Jami. The vote was 3-0 in the affirmative to accept the minutes. ACTION: Pat will amend the minutes and have them posted on the Town website.
6:36 PM – Treasurer’s Report:
Mary Ann provided the Trustees and the Director with a year to date report of revenues and expenditures for the Library Trustees checking account, the Town budget and the Merrill Fund. Julie noted that the phone bill was high last month due to a higher rate being charged for part of the month before the new rate was applied. She stated that going forward the bill will average $130.00 a month. The Trustees noted that the budget continues to be on target for the fiscal year in expenditures, and there was a brief discussion about potential use of any monies not expended by the end of the year. No decision was made about the monies at this time. There was a discussion about how the Trustees’ checking account gets replenished. Julie stated that she maintains a spread sheet of discretionary spending for the Library and the Trustees account
in Google Drive under SML account, and that all the Trustees have access to it through their gmail@stephensonlibrary.org. for their review. The account gets replenished by fund raising and donations.
Jami made the motion to accept the treasurer’s report as presented, and it was seconded by Neal. The vote was 3-0 in the affirmative to accept the report.
6:40 PM – 2017 Budget:
Julie provided the Trustees with a first draft of the 2017 operating budget for the Library for their review and input. Julie began the discussion by saying that the 2016 budget was a good working budget for the growing needs and popularity of the Library. The largest increases in the budget are wages, to bring the Director’s salary into compliance with the federal Fair Labor Standards Act which goes into effect December 1 2016, and in the computer support and maintenance line due to the warranties expiring on the public computers so the IT support from Twin Bridges will cost more. Otherwise, the budget is the same as last year. There was a discussion about book acquisition. Julie explained that she uses about 80% of the budget for new acquisitions and reserves 20% for patron book requests. Currently the Library is open 30 hours a week
and a total of 33 hours a week to include opening and closing times. The Trustees agreed that the budget is good and they support it being given to the Select Board for review. The motion was made by Neal to approve the budget written by Julie and it was seconded by Bruce. The vote was 3-0 in the affirmative to approve the draft of the budget. ACTION: Julie will forward the budget to the Town Administrator.
7:30 PM – Julie shared a preliminary mockup of the new Town website and the Library page with the Trustees. It will be ready for launch in about 3 months. There was a brief discussion about the possibilities for the Library page that will be available with the upgrade.
7:47 PM – Julie wanted the Trustees to know that Eileen Eiber’s second anniversary of employment at the Library s coming up and Julie is planning a celebration. She is the first employee of the Library to come on board after Julie started and she is a major part of the Library team. The Trustees will send roses to her and deliver them to the Library. ACTION: Neal and Mary Ann will get the roses and deliver them.
8:03 PM – Foundation Repair Update:
Ray reported that Underwood engineering will have a final document within two weeks, and then bids can be solicited. Underwood has some recommendations for contractors. ACTION: Ray will reach out to three contractors for bids.
8:05 PM – Replacement of clerical staff:
Neal reported that he thinks that the person who does the minutes for the Conservation Commission might be interested and will ask her. The Trustees discussed reaching out to people who take minutes for other Boards in Town.
8:11 PM – Librarian’s Report:
Julie provided her monthly report and year to date statistics for the Library to the Trustees.
- Julie reported that circulation and patron visits continue to rise monthly, and programming continues to be well attended.
- The parking lot is being paved and the Town is incurring the cost.
- The gas fireplace inset will be brought into compliance and the cost is being split by the Library and the Town.
- Julie is continuing to research the VERSA option for the Library.
- The New Hampshire State Library has a small 3-D printer available for libraries to borrow. Julie has taken the required training at the NHSL and Greenfield is on the list to borrow it. Julie and the Trustees discussed at length the pros and cons of borrowing versus purchasing one for the Library. The ability to borrow the unit from NHSL is limited and there is a waiting list. The value of Greenfield having their own unit would be the possibilities for collaboration with GES students to foster the current educational trend to provide opportunities for students to gain exposure to innovations in technology. Owning one will also provide opportunities for grant funding for future projects. The motion was made by Neal to purchase the To Go 3-D printer for the Library, and it was seconded by Bruce. The vote was 3-0 in the affirmative to purchase the 3=D
printer that Julie recommend.
9:05 PM – Update on Action Items from the September meeting:
Mary Ann purchased a two drawer filing cabinet from Staples and it is ready to use. Jami will need a key.
The Policy committee met and they worked on the posting policy. It is not finalized yet.
The minutes from the Policy committee were read by the Trustees. The motion was made by Bruce to accept the minutes as presented, and it was seconded by Jami. The vote was 3-0 in the affirmative to accept the minutes.
9:10 PM - New/other business:
Bruce reported that there is a possibility that the construction of a break room at the Library might be able to be done by Lowe’s.
The review of the non-public minutes from the meetings in September will be tabled until the next Trustee meeting.
Mary Ann and Bruce will not be able to attend the November Trustee meeting. The meeting will still be held on the regular date.
The budget meeting with the Select Board will be on November 10. The Trustees will attend to support Julie in defending the budget.
9:14 PM - The motion was made by Neal to adjourn the meeting and it was seconded by Jami. The vote was 3-0 in the affirmative to adjourn the meeting.
The next meeting of the Trustees will be on Wednesday, November 2, 2016 at 6:30 PM in the Wensberg Room at the Library,
Respectfully submitted,
Patricia LaPree
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