Skip Navigation
This table is used for column layout.
 
June 10, 2015 Trustees of the Gale Library Minutes
TRUSTEES OF THE GALE LIBRARY
DATE: Wednesday June 10, 2015
TIME: 10:00am
LOCATION: Gale Library, 16 S Main Street

MEETING MINUTES
  • Call to Order: 10:03 A.M.
  • In Attendance: Lynne Camp, Chairperson; Kathy Meserve, Treasurer; Anne Banks, Secretary; Dana Whitney, Alternate; Terry Caswell, Director.
  • Minutes from the Previous Meeting (5/13/15): Lynne motioned to accept the minutes as written. Kathy seconded the motion. Minutes were accepted unanimously.
  • Correspondence and Communications: Kathy sent an email to Terry in May about an original copy of the Newton Town Charter. Jim Doggett reported to the Historical society that the Charter was found in the town vault. The town is hoping to have it preserved if funding can be found. Jim was inquiring if the library would like to display a copy of the Charter, which is 22” by 28”. The copy would need quite a bit of wall space to display front and back of the document, and it would need to be placed carefully so that people could stand close in order to read it. We all felt it would be difficult for us to display the document in the library in this way. Anne asked if a small copy could be made so it could be available for viewing by anyone interested in seeing it. All felt it would not be legible if made smaller. Per Kathy, no progress has been made in this project, as reported by Jim at the June meeting of the Historical Society.
  • Library Director’s Report: Anne moved to accept the Director’s report as written. Kathy seconded the motion, which passed unanimously.
  • Treasurer’s Report: Lynne moved to accept the Treasurer’s report as written. Anne seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously.
  • Unfinished Business:
  • Building Maintenance Review:
  • Terry reports that the outside faucets are still dripping when the water is turned on but it seems to have improved with increased usage. She mentioned that the lock and latch on the back door is still a problem, in that it is sometimes very hard to open, and it is sometimes hard to unlock the door. Terry did have the locksmith come out but he could find no issue with the door at that time. Terry will continue to monitor the problem.
  • The dehumidifier has been working ok for now. Terry will continue to monitor to be sure the hose is draining the water properly. The air-conditioners are in.
  • Terry asked whether we should raise the question to the Safety Committee of whether to install a ‘stair lift’ in the library to provide better access to and from the second floor. Terry will do more research and may bring the topic up at the September meeting of the Safety Committee.
  • The glass top for our new conference table that was purchased by The Friends of the Library is in place and looks great.
  • Staffing Update:
  • Terry is still receiving inquiries about the open part-time position, but feels she can manage fine for the summer. Amanda has been working more hours, and Betty has also taken on more hours. Cathy will also have more availability.
  • Unattended Children Policy Review: The Trustees reviewed the policy. Kathy motioned to accept and sign the Unattended Children policy as written. Lynne seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously. Policy was signed by the Trustees.
  • Unitil Municipal Energy Efficiency Program: No town departments have been contacted by Unitil thus far.
  • New Business:
  • Annual Investment Policy Review: As required by law, the Trustees reviewed the Investment Policy. Lynne moved that we accept and sign the Investment Policy as written. Kathy seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously. Policy was signed. Terry will let Audrey Blodgett at the Department of Justice, Charitable Trusts Unit, know that we have done so and will forward her a copy of the approved policy.
  • Annual Water Testing: Terry went to Epping and picked up the kits to perform both Basic and VOC testing. The cost is $250. She will take the samples and bring the samples to Epping Well and Pump for processing. This is a library expense, but Terry feels we can ask the town to pay for it in the future, as it is a safety concern.
  • NHLTA Conference Review: Attendees Lynne, Kathy, Dana, and Anne all agreed the conference was worthwhile. Some of the sessions were geared more toward larger towns and cities, but still interesting. Some of the sessions will provide useful action steps for future needs of the library – to run a capital campaign for a new library, for instance, or to convert a building previously used for another purpose. Lynne received insights into the public’s ‘Right to Know’ from the session so named. Terry Knowles’ session on ‘The Other Money’ was quite informative, especially to Lynne and Anne who were attending that session for the 2nd time.
  • July Meeting: Terry noted that last year the Trustees did not meet in July. Lynne asked if we felt we could conduct the necessary business without meeting in July this year. All agreed that  we could. Lynne moved that the Trustees not meet again until August. Kathy seconded the motion, which passed unanimously. Lynne will put out the necessary notice as required by Right to Know.
  • Weapons Policy Review: There had been recent discussions on the library listserv about weapons policies, and Terry thought this might be a good time to review our policy. After some discussion we decided to leave the wording as it is. Lynne motioned that we accept the policy as written. Anne seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
  • Acceptance of Donations: Patrons – May $2.95, KBA Grant - $220.00, Lauri Gaudet - $13.63, restricted to the purchase of a book in memory of Lisa Fortin. The title of the book purchased was The Little Free Library. Lynne moved that we accept donations of $2.95 from patrons, a KBA Grant of $220.00, and $13.63 from Lauri Gaudet with restrictions. Anne seconded the motion, which passed unanimously.
  • Friends’ News: The Friends’ discounted York’s Wild Animal Kingdom tickets are now available. They do not have to purchase the tickets in advance, so part of every ticket they sell brings them a profit. The Friends will also be holding a book sale on June 13th at Estabrook’s Garage from 8-1. They plan to purchase a memorial bench from Landscaper’s Depot in Lisa Fortin’s memory. The bench will be installed on the Gale Library grounds, probably where the bicycle rack is currently. Terry is still working on a brochure for the Friends.
  • Monthly Invoice Review and Initialing: Invoices were reviewed and initialed at the meeting.
  • Next Trustee Meeting: Wednesday, August 12, 2015 at 10:00 AM.
  • Adjournment: 11:45 AM.
               Respectfully Submitted,

Anne D. Banks, Secretary