BOARD OF LIBRARY TRUSTEES MEETING
TUESDAY, MAY 19, 2015
MASHPEE LIBRARY CONFERENCE ROOM
Present: Carlo D’Este, Kate Milde, Joan Lyons, and Allen Waters.
Absent: John Kowalski, Mark Wright, and Mary LeClair.
Also Present: Kathy Mahoney – Library Director
Audience: Ryan Bray – Mashpee Enterprise
Carlo D’Este, Chairman, called the meeting to order at 4:11 p.m. and welcomed newly elected Trustees Joan Lyons and Allen Waters to the Board. Carlo suggested Joan and Allen Google “library trustee handbook”. He said it is a good, simple reference tool published by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC).
Before addressing the agenda, there was a brief Library Staff/Trustees introduction period during which Carlo D’Este, on behalf of the Trustees, expressed thanks and appreciation to the Library Staff members for their fine efforts and dedication to the library.
Approval of Minutes …Tabled until next meeting.
Friends of the Mashpee Public Library
Kate Milde reported:
- Friends will be holding weekly meetings up to the June 18th event.
- Friends hope to get out invitations for the June 18 gala…to be held 5-8 p.m. at New Seabury. Friends are looking for total of $4,000 for complete sponsorship of the event. Doing silent and live auction. Emphasis going to be Fifth Anniversary of the new Library Building.
- Kate said Friends looking forward to seeing Library Trustees at the June 18th gala.
Reports
Kathy Mahoney’s Library Director’s Report for May was reviewed and discussed.
- Kathy suggested that now that the Library has celebrated five years in operation in the new building, it is time to begin the conversation about expanding library hours. The library is currently open 42 hours a week, but state law mandates that communities with population of 15, 000 or more be open to the public 50 hours or more each week. Although Mashpee has not reached that milestone, it has surpassed 14,000 and demand for more hours is often voiced by the public.
- Kathy indicated that increasing hours gradually over time in small increments would make the transitions more manageable. She indicated that the first addition of hours should be Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Currently the library is open from 12 Noon until 7:00 on those days, and she would like to expand the hours on those day to 10:00-7:00, for a total of four additional hours a week. At this point, there is no timeline for implementing this change, but she wanted to raise the issue for future consideration. She will need to review schedules and operations and determine what resources might be necessary to add those hours.
- The grant application that Kathy authored for the town to receive grant funds for an archivist to work with town departments was approved by the state. The archivist will be coming in July to visit.
- Kathy said Library will be launching the program with the schools to get children to have library card.
Reports (continued)
- Library technology survey being done in conjunction with $10,000 grant. Intent of survey is to improve library services. They will do all the reporting and data goes into their cumulative data base so we will be able to benchmark against peer libraries
- Kathy advised that Library purchased resume-writing software package with grant funds.
- Kathy said there is a lot going on at the Library…Library is now much more than “books”.
Laptop Loan Policy
Kathy provided a drafted Laptop Loan Policy for review and approval by the Trustees.
MOTION: Carlo D’Este motion to accept the Laptop Loan Policy as written.
Motion was seconded by Allen Waters.
VOTE: Yes-4.
Roll Call Vote: Allen Waters, yes Joan Lyons, yes
Kate Milde, yes Carlo D’Este, yes
Next Meeting …4 p.m. on Tuesday, June 9, 2015 in Library Conference Room.
Adjournment
Kate Milde motioned the meeting be adjourned; Carlo D’Este seconded the motion; and it was unanimously passed. The meeting adjourned at 5 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Jean Giliberti
Recording Secretary
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