Trustee Minutes from July 6, 2011
The Board Meeting for the Trustees of Brown Memorial Library was called to order at 6:03 p.m.
Attendance: Patty Furness + Mocha, Garry Kalajian, Bea Howe, Lorraine MacLeod, Rod Jones, Connie Scheffy, Nola Jordan, Meg Fearnley
1. The Secretary’s Report was accepted as presented.
2. A motion was made and passed to accept gifts and donations to Brown Memorial Library in June in the amount of $82.50, all of which came from our on-going book sale. Voting to accept donations is more than just a formality. Occasionally donations are made for a specific purpose and it is possible that the stated purpose might not coincide with the library’s mission. Bea reported that in general we are right on target budget-wise for the first half of the year. She also explained that the May Treasurer’s Report had been corrected to show the $225 grant for Odds Bodkin’s performance.
3. The Librarian’s Report was presented and discussed. Our numbers for May were good and adult circulation was up dramatically. Meg reported that the state library budget was indeed cut but that the situation could be worse. Some libraries will see their interlibrary loan delivery schedule reduced and the entire system will function more slowly, but it will, at least for the time being, continue to function and that is very important to patrons who need materials not available in their home library.
4. Under Old Business, Connie and Garry reported that they found the Library Trustees’ Conference on June 7 to be very worthwhile. They came away with a better understanding of trustees’ responsibilities and obligations, particularly with reference to the right to know law.
5. Bea reported that the July 4 book and plant sale netted $942.00. We owe an enormous debt of gratitude to Janet Sillars and Brian Carter for all their work with the plants and to our very generous customers.
The library also won the blue ribbon for their entry in the parade.
6. Meg mentioned that there have been some complaints about the cost of copies (currently $.25 per page). Garry offered to check other places to determine the going rate and Meg will keep track of how many copies she makes for library use over the next month. The trustees will then re-examine the question at the next meeting.
7. Patty brought with her two folding chairs she found at Sam’s Club – a padded metal chair for $17.44 and a larger plastic chair with a slightly flexible webbed seat and back for $20.00. After trying out both chairs, the trustees agreed that the plastic chair would meet our needs better and authorized Patty to purchase twenty of them using Special Projects funds.
8. Patty also donated and installed new sidewalk lighting, which looks great and makes the walkway safer.
9. Bea reported that we did indeed get our credit of $237.96 from TDS.
10. Under New Business, the trustees voted to authorize Bea and her husband to spend not more than $1,000.00 to purchase a new CPU to replace computer number 3. Bea believes the actual cost will be closer to $600. The money will come from the Payson Fund.
11. The Masons have very generously offered to provide a roast beef and ham meal for our annual fund-raising dinner on August 20. They would like us to do the serving and clean up and to provide homemade desserts. They will let us know if they need help with set up. Alan Rogers will provide music for the evening.
12. Bea reported on another generous offer, this one from Audrey V. Sylvester, president of the Friends of Brown Memorial Library. The Friends have offered to provide pizza and klondike bars for the families that attend Andrew Pinard’s magic show on August 24 at 5:00 p.m. Bea will be in touch with the Friends.
13. Meg referred the trustees to a recent article that recommends libraries that do not already have one develop a policy about how to deal with problem patrons, something more libraries are beginning to experience.
Meg will e-mail the article to the Board. The trustees agreed that it is time for us to revisit our policies and see if they need updating.
The next meeting will be Wednesday, August 3, at 6:00 p.m.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:05 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Nola Jordan
Secretary