MINUTES
STEPHENSON MEMORIAL LIBRARY TRUSTEES MEETING
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2013
Present: Bruce Dodge, Bob Marshall, Neal Brown, Mary Ann Grant, Kristin Readel.
Absent: Jami Bascom, Scott Jones, and Gail Smith.
Minutes taken by Patricia LaPree.
7:03 PM – Chairman Brown called the meeting to order at this time. He requested that Mary Ann act as a voting member for the meeting and she agreed to do so.
7:04 PM - Review of the March Trustee meeting minutes and follow up on the action items therein:
The trustees reviewed the March minutes. Bruce moved to accept the minutes as written and Neal seconded the motion. The vote to accept was unanimous in the affirmative. ACTION: Pat will have the accepted minutes posted on the Town website and provide a copy for the Secretary’s notebook.
7:10 PM – Follow up on the action items from the last meeting:
1) Pat did submit the approved and amended February 2013 meeting minutes for posting on the Town Website and to the Secretary.
2) Kristin did meet with the Friends and there will be a Friends of the Library event during National Library week.
3) The review of the Library by laws was tabled for discussion this month.
4) Mary Ann reported that Article 7 of the existing Library by laws (the article pertains to the role of the Friends) was not discussed at the last Friends of the Library meeting.
5) Mary Ann reported that a member of the Friends, Mary Ann Beard, will attend the New Hampshire Library Trustees Association Conference in May as the guest of the Trustees.
6) The Trustees will choose new officers at the May Trustees meeting.
7:17 PM – Spending and Treasurer’s report:
1) Mary Ann reviewed the monthly statement from the Town office and the Library checking account as well as the Merrill fund balances to date. There is $3945.57 in the Library checking account and there has been no activity in that account in the last month. The Merrill building fund account balance remains unchanged, as has the book fund. The Computer fund is also unchanged. A discussion followed about the best possible uses for the Merrill fund within its stated parameters. Bob reviewed the balances that were brought forward from 2012 to 2013, which totaled $11383.00. Bob requested a more precise accounting of the expenditures from the Merrill fund in the monthly treasurer’s report as a tool for future budget planning. Bruce reported that the spread sheet that he has devised for use by the
staff can provide the information, but it can not currently be accessed at the Library because Open Office will not read the document. ACTION: The Library computers will get Windows Microsoft Excel installed. Kristin will ask the Town Administrator if the Town has a multiple user’s license for the software that the Library can use and if not the software will be purchased.
2) There was a brief discussion about heating costs. The current monthly average in January, February and March of 2013 has been about $1000.00/month.
3) The auditors are coming on April 15, and Mary Ann is ready for them.
4) Bruce made the motion to accept the Treasurer’s report as submitted. Neal seconded the motion. The vote was unanimous in the affirmative to accept the report.
7:30 PM – Librarian’s report:
1) Kristin will be going on medical leave for six weeks beginning April 25. Gail intends to staff the Library with volunteers in her absence.
2) There is nothing new to report about the status of the Library parking lot. The TA is working on it.
3) National Library week (April 14-21) will have lots of activities at the Library: The Friends of the Library will host an open house on Wednesday April 17 at 7 PM. There will be a sit-and knit with Jami for two hours on April 18. Ploughshare Farm, the Robotics team and local textile artists are all planning to do something during the week. The community gardens will sponsor a seed swap.
4) Computer Users group will meet on April 10 and May 8. The second week in May is Computer Privacy Week, so that will be the topic.
5) The community coordinator at Crotched Mountain Rehabilitation has approached the staff about having volunteers at the Library. There are already volunteers from there active at the Library.
6) Kristin and Gail have designed two spine covers, one for the Greenfield specific books that has blueberries on it, and a lilac for the New Hampshire specific books. Staff is hoping that the blueberry theme can be incorporated into the new Library sign. The designs were given to Bruce to use as he finishes the sign design.
7) A discussion was held about the development of a plan by the Trustees for the grounds at the Library. The goal would be to not only address current needs, but to plan for the future needs of the space.
7:55 PM – Library use statistics year to date and from March 2013:
Kristin called Alexandria to request how to separate computer use and check out data and they said that it can not be done. ACTION: Kristin will ask Andre Wood about how it might be done. The statistics continue to show that Wednesday is the busiest day of the week and Saturday is almost as busy. The Alexandria system can generate comparative statistics for a year beginning in May, and an excel spreadsheet can be designed to track that data.
8:07 PM – Update on the Town Emergency Plan:
Bob reported that he has talked to the Emergency Director and was told that they will contact the Library Trustees when they have completed the whole plan for the Town. Bob said that he did address the Library’s desire to upgrade the heating/cooling system in order to be a part of the emergency facilities for the Town. Any funds or grants available for the upgrade would be applied for through federal or FEMA sources.
8:11 PM – Other Business/Old Business:
1) Capital Improvement Project Report from Bob. Bob reported that he and Paul Renaud intend to present the final CIP report to the Select Board in September 2013. The deadline for the Trustees to submit their information to the CIP plan is July 2013. A discussion followed as to what might be addressed in the report to the CIP. Some items that were discussed included exterior landscaping and play space, the driveway expansion which might involve putting in a “green” driveway rather than just paving it, environmental improvements to the interior of the Library, and that the Trustees should keep in mind when doing the planning that the Library will be
part of the potential neighborhood heritage district.
2) Neal reports that the contractor that has been awarded the bid to do the exterior painting and repair of the Library is ready to start as soon as the weather gets better.
3) There was a brief discussion about beginning long range, e.g. 10-15 year, planning for the things the Library will need to continue to be a vibrant part of the future of the community. Some example was broadband services and e-readers available at the Library.
8:55 PM – Bruce made the motion to adjourn the meeting at this time. Neal seconded the motion, and the vote was unanimous in the affirmative to end the meeting. The next meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 1, 2013 at 7PM at the Library.
Respectfully Submitted,
Patricia LaPree
| 
