Meeting Minutes from April 3, 2019
The Board Meeting for the Trustees of Brown Memorial Library was called to order at 6:08 p.m.
Attendance: Patty Furness, Connie Scheffy, Ellen Barselle, Laurie Farrell, Seth Benowitz, Devon Pendleton, Annette Leonas, Jason Grey
New trustees Devon Pendleton and Laurie Farrell were introduced.
Election of officers for the coming year were held with the following results:
Chair–Patty Furness, Treasurer—Annette Leonas, Secretary—Sandy Wadlington.
The Secretary’s Report was accepted as presented.
Treasurer’s Report—As Nola Jordan is no longer a trustee of the library, her name must be removed from all library accounts. A motion was made and passed to accept donations to Brown Memorial Library in March in the amount of $47.91. $26:00 of that amount came from our on-going book sale, and $21.91 from general donations. Annette noted that we will need to request a portion of the money allotted from the town to meet expenses. She also noted that utility expenses were a bit high last month, likely due to weather conditions. The change to LED lights should help mitigate electrical costs. A motion was made and passed to accept the Treasurer’s Report as presented.
Ellen reported growth in all aspects of library usage. Attendance at programs has been higher including the Monday morning Story Hour. The Pajama Party was a huge success. A tempting variety of new books is available for adults and children. Kudos to Ellen, Laurie and Leslie and Maggi for their creativity and enthusiasm in developing activities and for providing a welcoming environment for the families of Bradford.
Discussion was held regarding a change to library hours. Ellen and Leslie again presented evidence indicating that the current hours are not attracting patrons during evenings after 6:00PM on Monday and Wednesday nor on Saturday afternoons or Sunday. After lengthy discussion, a motion was made and accepted to change the current hours. Beginning in June the library will be open Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10:am -6:00pm and Saturdays from 9:am to 1:00 pm. The library will be closed on Sundays. It was noted that Bradford residents with library cards are entitled to use the Newbury Public library. This arrangement provides access to a library every day of the week.
Currently there is no new information as to when the LED lights will be installed in the back portion of the library. Seth will meet with the electrician an obtain updated information for the next meeting.
Upcoming programs at the library include an informative talk on the North American Porcupine on Thursday April 18, at 7:00 p.m. presented by the Bradford Conservation Commission and the annual Egg Hunt on Saturday April 20th at 11:00 am. On Saturday May 4 there will be a Flowers for Mother’s Day project.
The next meeting will be held on Wednesday May 1, 2019 at 6:00 p.m.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 7:00 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Connie Scheffy, Acting Secretary