[Music] this is the May 8th 2024 meeting of the offish public library Board of Trustees we are being audio taped and videotaped and we do have a quorum first item on the agenda today is the minutes from April 10th does anyone have any clarifications or questions on those minutes it's not we need a motion motion accept second all in all right thank you next on the agenda is the budgets um we are roughly we roughly have a month and a half left in FY 24 um our energy line we have 3 months um that we need to pay bills from and we're at 71% spent uh so that includes April May and June um our material line I am trying to spend as fast as I can as you know in the summer a lot of authors put out all popular authors put out their Beach reads as we call them so I will be purchasing additional copies of for example your Patterson or your hild um they will have um new books coming out um and then um for our salaries no and then for our salaries um because of the departure of the children's room assistant there is some money there uh to cover our um our whole our gaps in our scheduling so uh some staff members are taking vacations um so the schedules might look a little off um for our regular staff but um the vacancy is helping in that sense that I can give um additional hours to um some staff members um other than that anyone have any questions regarding the budget I had a I'm not a question when you mentioned materials yes do you have to buy extra books for the uh summer reading materials for the local schools do you um if we get a list in advance I we can yes um it's just historically it's sometimes it's difficult to get that list until like a um but I would think they would have that now though if someone reached out I will reach out um to I am uh going to the school in June um uh June 17th I am going to the school to discuss summer reading uh during their lunchtime at elementary school and to uh the we are doing the bookmark contest again so I will be handing out uh items uh to the third and fourth grades so um if I don't get a response um I can definitely um speak to someone there that day about um summer reading um I know last year the summer reading list was um some of it has been the same for a while um but um we can I can prepare better for uh ordering additional copies because what happens is it gets checked out and then it might not return till the end of the summer and we end up borrowing from other libraries um but I will look into that for summer reading for our school here anything else no everything else looks good anybody else have anything no all right motion all in favor thank you old business we have an update on the Portico since uh last meeting I uh had a slight visit here at the library with Seth Ro and Ro brothers and uh I showed him what Jim morat had finished uh he spent a lot of time outside looking at how to attack that um um so Seth got back to me a couple days later um he's going to have uh Dan manard come out from the DPW because they're going to probably need a piece of equipment to get that up in the air um and held until he can get into place he uh Seth also told me that he can keep the price of it low if I can help them with the corales that are out there so um when they're ready they're going to set up stage in I'll finish the outside here to get that going and then he'll come back um while the stage in drop everything in place and have it ready for the next 100 Years hopefully so so are we waiting on Dan to get back to Seth or are we waiting on yes yes and yes yes yes and yes yeah so so I think they were looking at using a um a piece of equipment like I was saying the raising in place um so they're trying to coordinate that and pick Dan drain what he's got over there that he can use okay um getting it's got to come out of the basement and it's it's pretty heavy and awkward in size but it could be taken Jim said it can come out and I'm sure he measured before we started building it um so he'll the plan is to get it out of the basement when the corales are done um bring it out front raise it in place slide it in and then uh do the tie ups um with a new roof a skin on the roof of bit I think we're looking at using rubber cuz it's longterm and it's flexible enough so they cover the arch itself um and then final tie end with the uh the wall the old and the new that'll take a while because he's got some preer that's going to be done out here so Seth and I work on what's out here I'll get the coral one side is finished the other side it still needs to work so I want to make sure that again nice and level so that we drop it in it looks nice and it's secure so cor the arms yeah the brackets that you see okay U so it won't take long it probably sounds hotter than it is but getting into the old and the new and time together that's where the challenge is going to be but it'll get and so when are we thinking potentially an opened question it will get done like do we have like a Target like a no we we know what has to be done they're really really busy right now 2025 yeah no no no no it'll be sooner than later okay before winter right yeah no I expect that sometimes sum hopefully earlier of the summer than later but it's coordinating their schedules and then for them to send a couple of guys over to tie and that's not a big deal it's just getting now you get DPW involved and and myself involved and the rose Brothers involved so everyone schedu and getting an off that everyone says oh yeah okay good that'll work right that's where we're at right that's okay progress good yes thank you it'll get thank you very much anybody have any questions for John or no thank [Music] you next item of business is the fy2 budget so the FY 25 budget I think uh we have seen the like um so at the board selection meeting on April 30th they voted uh and that was a $923 increase um and then that following evening the finance committee also voted in in so that would bring us to a FY 25 budget of [Music] $3,998 um what that means for us next year forar is that our Mar would be $36 that 3 ,6 um so now it gets sent to the printers and hopefully voted on at town meeting um but the increase at the meeting um on the 30th the increase was due to the energy which we all know went up um so I I'm happy with the number uh it meets it's it meets Mar um I'm Mara fy2 is $2,970 th000 so we are above what we uh needed to be so that puts us I believe in good standing for FY 26 um any questions about FY 25 could you explain the people at home with that sure so the mar is a Formula that that the state uses um for public libraries to receive state aid so what they basically ask for is that municipalities um continue to give a increase to uh public libraries budgets so what that is it's the last three fy2 uh last three FY uh divided by 3 * 1.0 25 um so for this year it would have been FY 24 20 uh 22 23 24 and you would get the mara FY 25 so the mara FY 25 is 2,9 uh 2,971 um so it's we're above it we are doing uh the the selectman and the Town Administrator are very well aware of the mar because if we don't meet the mar um we are in the risk of losing certifications for uh being a public library um and that would be devastating to our patrons um and to the library itself so that's what the mar is in a nutshell have you ever heard of a um community that lost their certification yes we're did what happened when they lost their certification so they're no longer part of the network really um they basically your library is your library that's it so they couldn't borrow from elsewhere and because we're such a small Library we do borrow from the sales network um I think they're back no they are they are this was I think 2017 is around that time I was here as a part technician and the emails would come in that if you have a book from we hand you would have do s just out of curiosity I even know if you would have this answer but in a given month what percentage of patrons requests for books come through sales that come in as opposed to inous so our items so Network um 1, 92 vots or item just say it's not broken down come from the network not from our library we lend out 601 book of this was just for April I'm sorry I should clarify that wow um I can get the the numbers broken down but if you see up here uh in the statistics so you can see for books for just adult books 200 uh I'm sorry 2,000 books were just borrowed for uh were adult books um so roughly you're looking at half but you said only a th things right so it's a th000 items out of 7,000 but this does this number include this number so this number is everything so it's periodicals DVDs audio uh not not the ebooks and if e or a Museum passes so would we would have to do the math for us so I'm listening to what you had to say about 60 2 63% of total book requests or periodicals uni number come from outside this the library 1,9 50% that's why it's so critical for this library to meet thear because if we didn't they would only have be able to borrow the books that we have here so if somebody had we have one copy of a book and it's out that's it that's it you have to wait for it to come back but then you yourself could go to another Library so you can get the book so the only the only thing that that's hurting is is here analogous to close and most of the library art and saying that stack only is available exactly and then you and then you run into and then getting your recertification back there's a long laundry list of of things that you have to do I mean the the chair with the director and the Town Administrator has to go up to Boston to present and plead your case and why should we get certification back and it's I don't it's not even worth all of the the hassle and the trouble than just to do the mar and make sure that you meet it it's only the 1.025 yeah you know so you're looking at a 1% increase for each time so it's not they want minimum commit correct and I think why they did that was because you know first things you know towns look to cut I think if they're going to do it just like anywhere else right is the extra like things like you know so I think what they they were trying to protect the libraries to say Hey listen you can't that's not the way this is kid work we have to it's going to be painful if you do right exactly and and it in the the library still generates revenue for the town so you know okay while we're on the budget um I know the town's in trouble financially is there any issue with us not getting the rest of the money for our budget for the rest of the year because we still have to meet our Mar for this year even though it's been a approved nobody can mess with you know so so the Mark goes by what was budgeted not what was spent it's what was appropriated so they appropriated they were to take back some money we're okay yes I got you okay that was my concern MH y y cuz for example last year we did what was appropriated yeah it wasn't what was right the actual right they have to they have to bookmark it for here M and then if it ends up being that there some extra that's okay it can go back to my concern is what if the town says we're putting a freeze on spending right now you can't spend any more money and that's that was my concern but if it goes by what's appropriate what was appropriate y right you're good does anyone have any other questions on the fy2 budget okay moving on on to the new printer to on uh April 30th we received our new printer um our new printer now is an all in one so we have capabilities to fact scan uh copy um and so that means we are now accepting faxing Services again so that has picked up again cuz people we were turning people away um I they installed it that day um to one of our computers um and then I reached out to sales to have it installed on our public computers and our staff computers uh I submitted a ticket that day did not hear back I followed up uh earlier uh this week have not heard back yet so I I don't I don't know what's going on but um it's not affecting our services here we we can print we can fact um you just public computers are are still connected to the old printer so it's not urgent it's just odd that um I haven't gotten a response yet um and the I am waiting on an invoice for it so it should be 800 $800 and uh $8.90 I should say $8.90 um but I haven't received a invoice yet but it's it's working fine all my wood it's been great um and I'm just glad that we have the facts again because we had to turn away a lot of people who were looking for fact nuses because I feel like we're the only one in town uh and um that has that capability is there a thief for the use of the fact yes so there is a thief for a fact so it is I see if I remember so uh local numbers and 800 numbers it's uh 50 cents for the first page and and then 25 cents for every other for every page after that uh long distance it is I think it's a dollar for the first page and 50 cents for after so every page after that minimal judge yes and we do and and it's cheap compared to everyone everywhere else like Staples for example um and we do Supply a c letter that has to be submitted and then uh we don't charge for that so that's just the one off that get sent um and I do feel that it does transmit a little bit faster uh it scans faster I don't know about afterwards but it's still a phone line so you can't update that and that's our update with our printer anyone have any questions all right we have no new business on the agenda do we still have no new business okay and so we'll move on to the director's report um so I I was on vacation for April so uh that's why our meeting is probably going to be a little bit short um so just some highlights of April um in the first week of May um so one important thing I did is that because we're coming towards the end end of the fiscal year um staff still have some time off approvals um so I emailed uh each staff member to let them know what they had um and to so that we can plan accordingly that way we're not rushing the last week of June um the other thing that has happened since I came back from vacation is that I started interviewing for the vacant children's room assistant position I have conducted three interviews I have another one scheduled for tomorrow um and it's we're moving along with that um that uh you know it it's not a quick process so um I am still accepting applications if anyone out there is interested um another thing that has happened here um is that grass cutting has resumed um so I'm going to speak to Dave to coordinate when we have like the concerts or anything that's held outside to make sure that the grass is cut cuz it it's growing really fast um and another thing that has resumed is that Mosquito Squad is uh now doing their monthly treatments and those treatments will continue until September and that was funded by the friends so I I thinkk the friends for doing that um to keep us uh safe from the little pest F I think there um and then just you know everything that is routine I you know I've been doing ordering um posting on our social medias our newsletter went out the the day that I came back um and um that's it for the director's report any questions about anything on the director's report how the bathrooms working i f beautifully haven't had any issues with clogging or anything so I I am fantastic it's it's been fine and I think I mentioned the odd smell that has gone away that was in that area so we now Convoy we haven't had any um situ uh troubling situations building wise um I I did see Dave last week um one Mowing and um I did they did give him a list that I provided to the Town Administrator of just odds and ends and um he's just backed up so but what was needed like paint paint is not a Do or Die situation it will get done it's just you know and as long as not the bathroom's backed up no bathroom bathrooms are fine and it's raining today so nothing no water coming in on the sides of the building so we're we're okay fantastic yes yes yes and then lastly I just want to talk about some events that we have coming up in May uh May is the swing month till we get to June where summer reading starts and our Summer Concert Series starts and it's the busy time at the library so in may we we ease into it with some um highlighted programs so this Saturday we are showing uh Wonka at 11:30 and I will provide some uh treats Wonka theme treats and then this Monday um May 13th we are showing the movie boys in the boat at 2: p.m. uh Monday this is really important Monday APR uh May 20th the Ford Middle School will perform uh music for a spring evening um hopefully be held outside we will have good weather um and that will be at 6 and I believe they they were here last year also um I just missed it I I started a week after that but we're excited to to welcome the Ford Middle School here and then on Wednesday May 22nd we have an author talk with Ann Parson and she will be bringing her book the bird of the dog a historical novel based on mostly true events I'll leave you in suspense there and that will be at 6:00 p.m. and then then our first non-official uh summer concert series but our first concert uh in the spring will be welcoming back uh Barry at Judy and Barry daasi the quintet and they will be doing uh they'll be celebrating the Timeless Classics of American music and that will be on Wednesday May 29th at 6 um and I was told that was R Steve last year so we we'll start welcoming the crowds again and that's a wrap up for our May schedule June will be extremely packed so any questions about director's report or events any sound like you're okay do anybody have anything else before we adjourn today I just want to take a moment to thank Diane Ferrera um our one of our board members she's not able to be here today she's not running for reelection but we want to thank her for her 9 years of service on the library Board of Trustees um and I guess we'll just see what our next meeting is I have Wednesday June 12th at 12:30 does that work for everyone Steve is that good for you I think it is we checking here okay Jerry is that good sorry John so far so good yes good for you good okay our next meeting will be Wednesday June 12th at 12:30 if we have no other business second all in favor I I this May 8th 2024 meeting of the aate public library Board of Trustees is officially adjourned it is 1:00 thank you [Music]