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BOARD OF LIBRARY TRUSTEES MINUTES 1/25/2011
BOARD OF LIBRARY TRUSTEES SPECIAL MEETING
TUESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2011
MASHPEE LIBRARY CONFERENCE ROOM



Present:  David Burton, Jane Dolan, Nancy Soderberg, and John Kowalski.

Absent:  Patricia Gamache, and Carlo D’Este.

Also Present:  Helene DeFoe, Library Director
                    Terrie Cook, Board of Selectmen
                    
Audience:  Sandra Lahart
              Brian Kehrl – Mashpee Enterprise


David Burton, Chairman, called the meeting to order at 5:35 p.m.
Approval of Minutes…Approval of the January 11, 2011 minutes was tabled until next Trustee meeting.

Meeting Schedule

Selectmen Cook explained that the Board of Library Trustees is elected and under the Charter where a Library Trustee is being appointed until next election the procedure is for the Library Trustees to meet collectively with the Board of Selectmen to review and approve the appointment.  

At the Board of Selectmen meeting on February 14, 2011, the Trustees will meet with the Selectmen to act on Sandra Lahart’s appointment as a Trustee to serve until May election.

The consensus was to cancel the scheduled Trustee meeting set for February and re-schedule to 5:30 p.m. on Monday, February 14, 2011 at Town Hall Meeting Room 3; and following that meeting the Trustees will reconvene at 6:30 p.m., Monday, February 14, 2011 at the Selectmen meeting in Meeting Room 1 for the purpose to act collectively with the Selectmen to appoint Sandra Lahart to the Board of Library Trustees.

Library Staffing for Remainder of FY-2011 and for FY-2012

David Burton stated that the principal purpose for calling this Special Meeting is that since our January 11 meeting Helene’s departure date has been moved up a full four weeks due to a revision made to union pension criteria being changed from age 62 to age 65, effective February 1st.  David said the long and short is that if Helene stays after January then she’ll fall under the 65 age requirement for full pension.  Therefore, Helene’s last day is 29th of January.  David then addressed the following:

  • On Monday, January 31st we lose a full-time 40-hour employee.  We have already been limping by so that is an issue.
  • Bridget Bontrager, Technical Services Librarian, is getting very comprehensive training by Helene these last weeks and that had to be accelerated.  They’ve done the best they can.
  • Helene will make herself available during February on a volunteer consultant basis.  Helene added that she will be here at least half of the month of February and then will leave for Florida.
  • At last Trustee meeting the Trustees created groups of 3 subcommittees.  Jack Kowalski, Carlo D’Este and David Burton have been working in the personnel arena.  Jack and David had after-hours discussions with Helene for a couple of hours; and they also met with Bridget.  
  • David met with Marilyn Farren of Human Resources for 2 hours last week.  Cold hard facts are that Dawn Thayer, Town Accountant, informed Marilyn that when Helene completes her tenure and money owed her is paid out the Library Director’s salary fund will be depleted and will be short about $1,700 in FY-2011.  Since salary fund depleted and exhausted until calendar year 2011 (FY-2012), there are no funds to pay a new Library Director until July.  
Library Staffing for Remainder of FY-2011 and for FY-2012 (continued)
  • David said he asked whether any moneys were put aside for pay-outs or buy-outs.  David explained Helene had informed Personnel 18 months ago that she would be retiring; Helene submitted her final papers this month and made it official.  According to Marilyn there is an account for these purposes but that money is earmarked for someone leaving Personnel in May.  Terrie Cook commented that she is a little confused by this statement because Helene put in her plans 18 months ago so Terrie said she’d need clarification.  Helene stated that it would seem since she is retiring before somebody retires later in the year then shouldn’t the funds be for the Library?
  • David said it was also mentioned in November that it was our hope that Bridget Bontrager would be a “place holder” and appointed Temporary Library Director.  Nothing was questioned at that time.  David said Helene checked about salary differential and it was estimated to be about $1,900.
  • Terrie Cook said she thinks that maybe crossing unions there may be a 10-day posting required under union rules, but she doesn’t know so this has to be looked into.  Helene is under Administrator’s Union; Bridget is under Clerical Union.
  • Helene said that only recently Marilyn Farren asked whether Bridget would be looking for a differential and the topic of union never came up.  It was just in the last 2 weeks the union topic came up.
  • David said to get the Library Director position posted a “Vacancy Request Form” with job description has to be submitted to Marilyn by Trustees and has to be approved by Town Manager.  Helene said she will try to review the job description Marilyn has on file to be sure everything in the new building is included.
  • David said come Monday, January 31st we do not have enough staff.  In February the Children’s Librarian will be taking her week’s vacation so she will be out also.
David said that is the current situation.  He said it has been the mission of the Trustees to keep the Library functioning; stay accredited; keep Library reasonably staffed between paid staff and volunteers.  We do not have enough staff.  A certain number of staff has to be in the building to open the doors for safety reasons.

Helene advised that she checked with the Board of Library Commissioners and the most the Library could cut and not lose certification is 5 hours.  Friday the Library is open 5 hours.  Therefore while it’s not going to be a popular thing, Helene thinks closing Friday would be most doable and then spread coverage over other days until you hire a Director and then you can go back to normal hours.  Problem is you try to spread everyone over 6 days a week.  Helene said she has been covering the reference desk at least 15 hours a week.  It was the consensus that the Library should close on Friday until staff needed has been hired.
Motion:  David Burton motioned that effective next week beginning January 31, 2011 we will close the Library to the public on Fridays until such time as staffing levels are brought up to the point where we can go back to being open on Friday; John Kowalski seconded this motion.
VOTE:  Unanimously approved.

David said he was gratified that staff positions were created at Town Meeting last October.  Terrie said at last Friday’s convention the Governor said the State is doing local cuts again…so, no money.

David said day-to-day everyone is doing the best they can; we will have amended hours for the foreseeable future and still we are way short.  He said Friday is typically a Children’s Program day so that will be a problem. David said he did not get the feeling that there is help “floating” at Town Hall.  He said we’ve beefed up volunteer role and rely on them even more heavily now.

David asked:  If we had a directed gift or grant where we could hire subcontractors what about that?  Terrie said the best way to get answers is to meet with Marilyn Farren and Joyce Mason.  Terrie said she would be willing to join in this meeting as a facilitator and she would also ask Mike Richardson to be there since he will be the Selectmen Library liaison next May.  David and Jack wholeheartedly agreed to participate in this meeting.  Terrie said she will try to set a time with Joyce and Marilyn and will contact Mike Richardson, David and Jack with meeting date/time.

Helene asked whether or not it would be possible to put an Article on Special Town Meeting Warrant so they could hire a Director in May?  Terrie said “yes” it can be done, but where does the money come from?
Communications

David said he just wanted to run something by Terrie.  He said he received a letter at home last week from Amelia Bingham saying, among other things, that she felt the tribe as a whole should have been invited to participate in the planning and construction of the Library.  David said that on behalf of the Board of Trustees he goes on record as saying this Board and members had made overtures to the Tribal leaders over the years.  It was noted that in the new Library there is a huge wall of space upstairs dedicated to Native American culture.  Helene said back when we met with architect Stewart Roberts at Town Hall, the committee decided to shrink the building size by ten percent.  That was done because of the cost.  We lost the ability to have things like a local history room.  Mrs. Bingham was thinking we had some type of room here to house her artifacts, but we don’t have such a room.  Also, if items have value, then questions of insurance or special storage needs can come into play.

Terrie suggested inviting Mrs. Bingham and John Cahalane to a Trustee meeting since Terrie understands there is no room at the Library for what is being suggested.  John Kowalski said we’ve made overtures many times, so let’s make the overture again.  Perhaps we could send a letter to Cedric Cromwell as well and perhaps with their new building there is a plan to house things in a “historical” room in that new building.

Adjournment

The meeting adjourned at 6:55 p.m.


Respectfully submitted,


Jean Giliberti
Recording Secretary