##VIDEO ID:9ntwuGdx8Q0## um hello welcome to the Thursday November 21st 2024 Library Board of Trustees meeting um we get started Sam is there any correspondence um we don't see anyone for public comment no one online Okay um has everyone had a chance to look at the minutes of the prior meetings for both the um board and and the policy committee any questions thoughts um what someone like to make a motion to approve i' Mo to approve the minutes from the October October 10 and and the policy committee want do both at once yes okay so sorry here I moveed to accept the minutes from the October 10th 2024 trustee meeting in the November 19th 2024 policy Comm second all in favor I I I um report Sarah are you doing this one today yes okay state aid is $1,898 48 mmdt is $1,324 gift has $331,700 the building gift fund has 29572 42 47 cents uh the lead is 11 16,898 6,44 and the B has 1,672 1,672 43306 yeah s okay Mir do you have all that in an email from Katrina I haven't oh yeah sorry last time you okay I yeah does anyone have any questions about the treasurer's report okay moving on to the Friends report all right so they just met last night so this is all flushing my mind um they got 10 new members most likely as a result of the book sale which did very well so the book sale made almost $3,500 which was significantly from last year um the book sale room is also doing well and the coffee cart has been very popular so the expenses of that are high due to lots of hot chocolate um so again it's sort of they're not trying to break even on that it's a service that they're providing but they are putting up new signage to try and encourage more people to donate for what they do take um then the friends voted to support Megan's efforts in the teen room to feed the hungry children who come there after school so she's been providing snacks so the friends are going to take over supporting that um they chose a tree to decorate for the tree hunt theme of book leaves so it will be near the library I don't know the exact location so I can't give it away um they will be at the holiday bazaar selling various things there's a signup genius that is going around I don't know what the distribution is but hopefully it will get distributed to all of the friends I didn't think to check who it was getting distributed what's that for the bizar anybody who wants to help ban the table at bizar um Santa letters they are doing again and they have ordered a terracycle box to recycle the coffee cart things is that yeah all the little coffee insert things they want recycle places that's still one can yeah cool um the trailer big excitement I don't know that this needs to go but the trailer will be moved to the end of the parking area once the senior center is finished they talked about maybe painting the trailer where they store all of the book sale books and then mini golf planning is underway and we need to approve the liquor license thing durable right yeah on need to do that this month or um I don't think we can we can discuss it but we can't vote on it I I would have problem next got it next okay and so yes so little toown coffee and derable will be there and other sponsor and then they are planning to send out a newsletter hopefully in February a print newsletter that will get mailed to in town and then flowers were presented to Janice who is leaving the friends she's been the president and Jennifer Pletcher also so J Janice was the president and Jennifer was the membership chair but they have left and then oh also the new officer slate that happened I think at the last meeting that I did not offer so find that and I can email that to you me see if I can that quickly yes here we go so I will forward that to Chris okay so executive board so Sarah ranacker will be the chair Kathy kristofic Vice chair Brian Francis treasurer Meg rank membership goo Newman corresponding secretary PR Susan Harvey recording secretary and then Wayne Bryant member at large and there was a new woman whose name is not on this list but do you remember her name oh no there's somebody new but I don't have her name so sorry all right okay thank you there that's a lot of information yes great does anyone have any questions about the friends report well can you remind me when is mini fall March P day P day right 14th and 15th it's easy to remember doesn't mean I won't ask be like something about P all right um Sam building upd yeah um so the Sears room sliding doors one one C is not working again um I've been trying to contact the the people that reped it last time and no response but I have also had requests from the children's department and the team Department if we could just get rid of them um altogether because apparently kids are getting behind the doors and like they go and hide behind the doors even when the doors are closed they still can get in on the other side and it's I don't think I think even if we do get it repaired it's just the issue is going to repeat again so last time the issue was that they used um plastic wheels and they can't they don't they need metal cuz the drawers are too heavy and they don't make metal on so it's I think it's just going to keep happening so is that something they could have anticipated when building the building that that they were gonna not have those metal wheels anymore um I don't possibly I don't I think they designed them thinking that the plastic Wheels were going to work oh so will that mean that you won't be able to split the start roomm into two no that a different different thing okay I don't know what doors you're talking about that oh the door that cover the TV the big yeah yeah those big wooden doors yeah um so one half of a few years ago one both sides um wouldn't close anymore because the wheels crushed the wheels that were on the track because the doors were so heavy yeah and so what I was told when they came to fix them is that the wheels can't support the weight because they're plastic and they really do need metal ones so they looked into getting metal but apparently they can't make them for that door so what they their solution was to add more plastic ones to kind of distribute the weight more and it doesn't appear that that has worked at least for one half the other half is working fine but the one half is uh the right side is not working um so even if we do get it fixed I feel like it's going to happen again and the children's room Diane and Megan and well mostly Diane they're saying that little kids go behind there and it's just dangerous and yeah it's probably not a good idea so um I was thinking about asking either George or Eric to take him down well if he guys agreed to it or we could try to fix it again that's another option but I don't I think it's better to just take them down and you're okay with the TV just being that's yeah that's fine I mean the other TV is yeah I think the main reason for that was to kind of darken the room you always get like something else to Jen to make it look nice but it just it does it's not working Shades in the yeah there are Shades yeah I think it's like makes it all okay do you need any answers from us tonight about that or just gonna um no um I mean I do want me to keep pursuing trying to get the other people to come fix it I think I don't have an opinion about this I think that if you if the if Diane thinks it's not safe for kids then yeah we should probably then I'll I'll talk to Eric um I'll talk to Eric about whether or not he can do it or trying to find somebody different make sure we store them in case like don't just get in R of them like in case someday yeah they design metal yeah the other day a kid dropped his um ID in the middle of the cir desk and 30 years you're going to come back and you're going to give it back to you because can't find it was it my son um any other it for okayer um okay um mik here here for cool um so ASO and I finished our biography redoing moved everything from moved all the 920s into the end with the all the other biographies and shifted and um took a all space from the 900s because we needed it um so that's all done uh then you know our next product was just the large print biographies which we did because it weren't there many of them and now we're off to uh work through the audiobook CDs to get those all consistent um and that's about it um any questions for Mike all right Sam okay uh Julie Meck and I did interview candidates for the open library assistant position this month and we chose Abigail uh keian of Littleton um she'll begin next Monday at one um unfortunately the same day Abby told uh that Abby that we chose Abby uh Jennifer Quinn told me she's moving to Colorado to live with her partner so um we currently have another Library System position posted um we've been getting a few um applicants I think it ends next Wednesday so we'll probably start interviews after Thanksgiving so the week after and then hopefully we'll have that position filled soon is that also six hours yes for the other people you interviewed for the position you filled not no okay uh k e o h a a h n e k e o h h a yes um I've been informed by NLC that we've been certified for another year um so we're going to receive the first half of our state aid in the amount of $2,730 67 sometime in the next few weeks I'm not sure when but assume um and then we'll receive the other half later in the year um I have sign up to attend a lib learn X conference it's a ala conference in Phoenix um from January 23rd to 28th um the conference is a Hands-On Workshop where you can learn from other Librarians about um you know L changing liary all the new technologies um and I submitted so we did meet um Kimberly Sarah and Katrina and I met to talk about the budget I created um and then the day that it was due I we had a department meeting and at that meeting uh Jim the TA told us that he wanted everyone to submit a level funding budget first and then um discuss with him any changes that we want to make so I went back to my office and I edited the thing I created I spent the whole day making um paired it down and submitted a level funded budget of um so basically what level fund it means is just um standard step increases for staff and um every year we increase how much we ask for books because of state aid and requirements and all that kind of good stuff and then everything else pretty much just stays the same from the previous year so I submitted that and then last Friday I believe I met with the um the finance team so that's Jim the TA um Ryan the assistant ta Robin who's the assistant Finance director and Michelle Reynolds who is the treasurer and um we discussed what I actually wanted to submit which is that I'm requesting um two new positions so 135h hour um Library team assistant team librarian uh 37 and a half hour um Adult Services librarian position and um currently Diane works at 35 hours so I wanted to increase her at 37 and a half just to keep with um the other senior Librarians so um they have very good poker faces because I have no idea how they didn't say absolutely not but they also didn't say Yes um so the way it's going to work is that they're meeting with all the department heads and you know figuring out the budget and then they're going to create their own budget and in a couple of weeks they're going to send that out to all the staff and then in January um the select board and finance committees are going to have the same meetings they have every year um there's going to be two smaller meetings the week the weeks in two weeks in January like on Tuesday or Wednesday night and then a Super Saturday so I'll probably be on one of the Tuesday night meetings um and so basically if what I asked for of the finance team if they said no then that's my chance to go before the select board and finance committee and say this is what I want so that's like my second chance at you making my case for these positions um and if the finance team says that I can and they put in the budget then I just have to present that um so yeah so that's where we're at right now so I have like I said don't really know yet but I did present it to them they were very receptive I told them you know why what the needs are um that the team room gets like close to 90 kids um that we really have a demand for adult programming so that's why we're asking for Adult Services librarian um why we're we want to keep um you know the children's librarian at a higher level too as well so yeah so that's where we're at um I'll let you guys know in a few weeks what the finance team says with the budget and if not then I'll talk to you guys about how we can make the case of sled more in finance committee sounds good I read through your um the budget draft that that you attached I thought was really good compal that's what I created yeah okay and I wonder if it comes to it with the when we when you present for the S board and finance committee if there's a way to make like a one or two pager of this to yeah yeah well they're gonna ask me to create a a PowerPoint okay yeah so that's what yeah because I'm super interested in want to read this whole thing they do too we just never do know see I like and then when are we talking about just in case um if you did have to what week is that that you'd have to talk to them so hopefully it's um the first week of January or second week in January because I'm going to be in Phoenix the other week um but I think it's um let me look I put it [Music] in oh uh so 21st and the 28th going to be the smaller ones okay and then I think February 1st that's Saturday Super Saturday so that's when the you know Highway and police so that doesn't so I think it'll be on the 21st okay um when it gets closer if you like if especially if it doesn't go through the first time and like just so we can show your support and have your back like just let us know yeah okay thanks if we're allowed to which I assume it's open yeah it's so um did you have more work S no that was it just the fin financially we're doing we're on track and direct the stats one question it has to do with stats um we talked about cerah reads there's a lot of e reading and wondering whether or not you could add circulation for E for like kind of digital content which um yeah I think we get that I know you do it at your end but yeah um it's BC though right yeah I think VLC and I come I'm sure we get it some way great um you also completed the emergency plan yes I completed the emergency plan um I changed what you ask me to change um yeah I submitted it um I sent it to Poli didn't I was okay um um yeah so right now the only thing we're really going to be working on is I'm still trying to get them to install ads um I still about that yet um I think I have to get near um like for dat kids I think we ones we have on maybe let flashs and Stu like that did you share the disaster plan with the staff as well not yet I'm just gon to share yeah okay um does anyone else have questions for Sam all right moving on to Old business this is old or new in the middle so I wasn't sure if you were asking me if we had I think we have to start talking about what we're oh that's where you're I you're asking about the previous yeah no that did they ever get their checks yes they did okay great um great grand scholarship coming around again um we probably want to start um getting all the information together in January um I think that we talked about having a subcommittee and we I think we established it with um it was it's a thing like policy where we need to say like here this is what we're meeting and stuff like that um and so I'm I'm interested in being on it I don't know if anyone is there anyone else who's interested in being on the scholarship committee that would be kind of develop the requirements um and then vet the the applicants that we get and then um and then bring them you know bring them to the board to talk about it that I would do that okay cool no one else has to say yes if you want to just let me know later that's fine I don't feel under Cure right now I'm interested all right cool and you're going to like create a rubric right we're gonna create a rubric yes whatever yes and that's the part that I'm most nervous sad don't how to do that so yeah um but yeah that is the plan this year um when he suggested it be so that we're not kind of going on gut and we don't get bi like get end up being biased um for or against people for reasons our own personal reasons um that we have the and also that we do it blind was also a suggestion at least for the first kind of first go around a bit so um anyway that's the stuff we'll talk about so I just wanted to kind of see who G who was interested in that okay um that's all I wanted to say about that all right new business so we're going to not vote tonight right uh so um we received the $6,890 as they you mentioned in the report um so it's been dispersed um so similar to how we had that 686,000 I was just asked what do we want to do and so that's that's really what the what I was trying to get in the agenda um so similar to the other um funds we've received from m LC can only be used toward its green technologies or to pay down the debt um I've I don't see any of the bills for the building project um that's all been handled by the OPM and pmbc so I am not sure how much has been paid and what has not been paid um other than little things I've seen here and there um so I did contact Brian to ask him but he did not respond as of this meeting so um yeah so is really is there I guess the discussion is you know do you want to use it to pay those bills or was there anything else you want to use it towards and I think just a conversation we're not going to make any decisions so and out of just out of curiosity can you split it like does it all have to be used to pay can you use I think we can it depends on what it is we're trying to split for okay so it has to be they they prefer that we spend it soon rather than Linker uh n BLC and this and the town um but there's like a lot of limits on what we can really even use it for are there ideas of things to spend it on um I know um some said maybe getting more solar panels but I don't know and I think it would be more than I me those solar pounds were 130,000 yes yeah yeah yeah I um and in terms of just to speak to the Deb exclusion just to um to bringing that down um that's what we did with the 600 um and it was partly as I mean I don't want to Courtesy is the wrong word but basically like we all paid for this um and so it's kind of way of saying like we're you know we have some extra money that um that really does blow up to the town because they you know so what we could do is like reduce the debt exclusion that we have for that too that's that's another option yeah yeah which I know was what the the town would preferred is that's yeah I was wondering if they had it yeah yeah yeah they were by the way we have the static solution yeah traed the two libr that much green that's anyone else I mean let's open this up to people have thoughts about what they I mean I think there was a telling Green Technology thing that we needed that would make sense but in not having that it feels like the dead exclusion is probably the right thing to do yeah no I had the same thought so if there's something on anyone's mind or there's like like Mir said are there examples if there's something specific that people want it would be interesting to explore but that exclusion makes sense of you know the problem is with a lot of these things is we would have to it would be a construction cost basically we'd have to pay um uh what is it called um the higher wages and create an RFP and the town Wood the town Wood right yeah um I think we had talked this was a while ago when this is was an imaginary money like before about it um we talked about how many solar panels we could do and where we would put them is that something that um I we could ask about if we if we wanted to to kind of figure out or is that part of an RFP RFP process that we have to start it and then find out yeah that would be part of Mir what do you think no I mean I don't have any ideas but I don't know what is out there so if there were things that you other libraries have done or whatever that could be useful was there anything on right because like if you could if you know of any of those like the other libraries have done with this money um also I know that we got a 41 out of 100 or whatever it was is there anything in that list that seems like it would make sense for a little this was on the lead scoreboard um we got which a lot of it's not meant for small towns um but you know we achieved lead certification which is amazing but maybe are there any ideas on there that seem like we could do I think a lot of the things that were on there the reasons we didn't get them were as size and B A lot of them have to do with town so like how close are we to the train so we're not considered close enough and so we can't there's nothing we can do about that right we can't create a bike thing you know yeah there's a it's a lot of things that more on the town than that were on us okay so yeah wonder if I because I just looked up you know how to make your library green or something but um some of the library of things if there was something for the library of things specifically that was like green procurement they're talking about we have seeds but like anything like that if there was an item I think yeah we couldn't use it for that it would have to be for the building okay yeah it wouldn't be like a thing that we would lend out there okay all right um okay so let's uh I I want Trina have a chance to yeah they haven't even spent the 686,000 so plan on voting on it next mon sure next okay okay um Library board retreat and topics I think almost were you there at the last board retreat yeah okay so so this was it was a couple years ago already we had a board retreat uh was did we have one we didn't have one last year this year a couple years ago already yeah time FES um and we're thinking about having another one now um especially because we're coming up to the time where we have to start to um redo the Strategic plan um there's a lot of resources available for us for that there's someone at NLC we can there consultant that we can hire we have the money to do that um so we shouldn't feel too scared I'm telling myself that strategic plan um but but uh Katrina Sarah and I all went to the MLA um Metts Library Association meeting last month um and some people had kind of just been through their strategic plan but they also were you know it was great just hearing all the other um trustees talk about what why they do what they do what makes you know what makes the library um a great place for them and things like that so um I think it'd be worth having a board retreat kind of talk about um like what like because I think we each have individual reasons why we care about the library and why we do this um and so kind of talking about those trying to figure out if our mission statement as it is is correct if we want to update it um and kind of just try to figure out other um um like how we could get more people interested in being trustees what skill sets do we have what skill sets are we looking for that sort of thing so um what I wanted to do was just kind of see everyone everyone into having a retreat yes what okay is it it's like a one day thing yeah it's just probably like a morning yeah yeah um it's been on the weekend morning in the past um I think we did it in February last year does any I don't know if we can pick a date today but does anyone have any feelings towards like February March April I know mir's gonna be like I'm gone February vacation I don't have done okay any bad mons all okay all right I mean I don't know that February will work because I'm going away Super Bowl weekend turns out I didn't know that um and then it's February break which you know maybe we look at early March um do I need to is it can I am I allowed to send out a doodle for this or is this something that I can send out okay you send out a d on you can set it up yet um yeah so in then I it's it not being until March we can talk about like if we have like I guess in the next month if everyone kind of think about um if you have ideas of what you might want to see on I have a list of ideas but it's not about me so um yeah we can talk about what we'd like to see on that what our goals might be set those goals I Calles so I think we're just going to do one today yes we're just going to do the um sorry TR um we're just going to do the um Library usage called Y and thank you to the policy committee for putting together the whole Patron code of conduct and this was just a quick change um that Sam requested because he said a lot of people are um using aot you know like working working from the library and so um we just added one line of eating and drinking are prohibited Library computers per Sam so Sam is that yeah pretty much so that's the only change we made I like it it's concise okay any I'm three of the people of the five here are all the policy Comm for uh we do have to take another vote on this so somebody please I move to approve the library usage POS second all faor great thank you and thank you for bringing the time into the patr one I think yes I think it's important that we have that we look at that maybe you can we just uh yeah look at it individually and then come back to it yes yes okay um Sam early closing yes so this again so uh Christmas calls on Wednesday the 25th um so two things one in the past we've closed early on Christmas Eve um I believe at 2 pm but I couldn't we we couldn't go back far enough to figure out exactly but we think it was 2m does that work for everybody yes and then so that's the one request is that we close at 2 p.m. and then I'm not sure if the town is going to do anything with the other days of the week or if they going to close on the 24th to because I think in the past they've done that so I just wanted to get a vote saying that we would follow what town hall does but I haven't heard I haven't one way or another yet yeah has Town Hall ever closed on the 24 I think so okay I think so and would we do that if they yeah if they yeah I would I would say we close at at 2 pm on the 24th unless Town Hall does something different where do they do the what do they do New Year's Eve like on the 30th they don't do anything okay you close early enough to paron um on time with that yeah okay I move to follow whatever Town Hall does unless and if they don't close on the 24th then to close at 2 p.m. it's a really long motion 2PM on the 24th unless the to that's see I can't do it either I just started with that one yeah I second all or go along with what the town decides what the town should close the library at 2m on Tuesday the 24th or to follow whatever the town policy whatever the town decides to do sure so you're saying if the town decides to close on 24th the library be closed too right for the whole day yeah yeah I would prefer that we stay open till two unless you have a strong feeling about staff um we've we've done both in the past to be honest and I personally don't care do you have you know do you have a lot of people that come in on that day like I just if it's low attendance then I would be swayed but um in the past people came in to get DVDs mostly yeah but DVDs is kind BLS anym there school on that day is it half day or is it all no there's no school that week so on the 20th yeah this is The Sweet Spot next year's the real sweet spot with two full weeks yeah there's never two full weeks really so with the Wednesday Christmas and Wednesday New Year's th I'll go back after so they would if Christmas is on a Thursday they would go to school on the Monday and Tuesday I didn't even know they have the 24 I don't pay attention anymore you was always a half day but that's not like that's old that's old school that's me being oldan are Town employees and so I guess I feel like if the town decides to close that's a good point yeah I think yeah I think we should CH all the town all right so this is what read the um move to close the library at 2m. on Tuesday the 24th or if the town closes to follow whatever the town does that makes sense would the town do something silly like close at noon oh they've done that so we can't say if they so we have to say if they but we've or or or or if the town oh yeah if the town so if the town closed at noon I would still stay open till two okay okay so unless it's only if they close or if they close on the 26 what do you how do you what are your thoughts on that I think people are be chomping at the bit to get back to the library they do that P on the 26 no idea what they're gonna they they throw things at us the day before yeah that's helpful I would say be open on the 26 just yeah yeah 26 feels like not at all not the it's not a b okay so I will take the two on the 24th unless the town closes and then do the whole holding yeah okay okay J vote for that let's try that one more time what you have um it it um so a motion to close the library at 2m on Tuesday the 24th or if the town closes to follow whatever to follow what the town does or to I guess if the town closes to close yes yeah not if they're not closing you're just going to close that too yeah all right uh motion to close the library at 2m. on Tuesday the 24th or if the town closes to close as well great concise all right all in favor second oh I I haven't done an actual motion never the most all right thank you um other business I had something I can't remember so if anyone else has anything for it go for um just to discuss um whether or not we want to allow liquor for that I move you can't vote so next time it'll be easy one yes just remember it again I forgot oh no I know okay there was an email from that went to the mvlc board about um firearms in the library I don't think we have like that you can't have them to be specific and someone at another library was asking if anyone has that in their policies is that town do we have we have it now we have know if there's a town building one I hope so yeah yeah I learned the other day at Department had meeting that you can PL in town land during certain amounts of time with a bow and arrow right so what conservation PL not conservation on okay but somebody set up a a thing on the cemetery like you could hunt in a cemetery oh wow went through Cemetery like d that seems strangly there's like this very specific you can hunt the deer during this period of time with a bow and arrow to help control the deer population that's the only thing I do a in a forest though right Forest yes yeah you could just be like visiting Grandma and yeah like hunt the roads isn't the roads to appropriate some Road some roads are State that's true so um interesting yeah I don't know if there's a gum policy in by just okay um any other other business okay um trusty updates anyone have anything to share I went to the Boston typewriter orchester which was wild it was not at all what I expected but it was fun and it was was I wanted to go to that so much but it was the same night as sweet and sweets at the high school okay yeah was it a full house Pack 83 people El awesome they come back again I mean I think the library patrons that were in meetings hated it everybody else that's awesome that's great yeah okay I only have that we went to the MLA think it was very very small okay all right um I guess so our next meeting is on December 12th and I'll take a motion toour motion toour I all in favor great