SIMSBURY PUBLIC LIBRARY BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING
Minutes - April 16, 2007
Present: Charmaine Glew, Babs Gardner, Carol Bingham, Bert Kaplan, Anne Erickson. Susan Bullock, Director and Eileen Sickinger, Recording Secretary. George Boissard, Friends.
The meeting was called to order by C. Glew, Chair, at 7:20 P.M.. The minutes of the March 19, 2007 meeting were accepted. Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment (FF&E) was added to the agenda as item 6E.
Communications: Mrs. Bullock shared a letter from the Connecticut Library Association announcing a "Lifetime Achievement Award" to Jan Madrak in recognition of her dedication and services to the library field.
Mrs. Bullock also passed around the Job Meeting Minutes from the library construction team.
A letter from Arthur Sweeten offering to donate to the Library a painting by Helen Galick, depicting the Simsbury canal going through Hopmeadow Street, was read. After checking the accuracy of the scene with the Simsbury Historical Society, Mrs. Glew will email the Board with the information and they can reply as to whether or not they feel the gift should be accepted. If and when it is hung in the new building, an appropriate plaque will be placed with it.
A patron has complained about the video "Between Lovers" which she felt should not be on the Library's shelves. Her complaint was discussed and it was felt that since an adequate description of the contents was on the cover, the public could decide whether or not they chose to check it out. Mrs. Bullock will inform her of the decision.
Committee Reports: Friends: The annual meeting and luncheon will be held on May 8th at Hopmeadow Country Club.
Since Friends will be paying for the bay window they will sign a separate payment contract with Montfort Contractors.
Friends have offered to pay to have the north basement finished so that they can use it for their purposes. Following discussion C. Bingham moved that the Library Board approve the offer from the Friends of the Library to finish the north wing basement for their use. The Friends will relinquish their use of this space when and if the Library requires it for its use at no additional cost. Second: A. Erickson. The motion passed unanimously.
Friends have asked if Board members could attend their Finance Committee meeting following the regular meeting on Thursday at 1:30 P.M. They want to coordinate and clarify how their money will be spent in the new building. Mrs. Bullock had the list of the cost of items for the new building from the State Grant request. The payment process for different items was also discussed since pledges will be coming in over a three year period.
Personnel: The ad for Jan Madrak's position is ready to be posted and the technical services clerk's position will be advertised this week.
Library Task Force: At a recent Public Building Committee meeting it was learned that there is a brick problem. The original supplier is no longer in business and it will be very expensive to replicate them. Alternatives are being researched. The contractor has agreed to remove some trees and the position of the exposed transformer has been changed. The time capsule that was buried twenty years ago was found and the Library Board has requested that it not be opened. A new time capsule is going to be placed next to it when the appropriate time comes.
Fund Raising: Friends two mailings have been very successful. There was a brief discussion on how grant monies and fund raising money are distributed.
FF&E: Mrs. Glew requested the Board consider prioritizing items that will be purchased for the new building. This way there will be a clear understanding of how much items will cost and from which funds they will be paid. At the time of the application for the State Grant there was a breakdown of furniture, fixtures and equipment and the cost of same. The Board discussed the pros and cons of installing RFID in the new building. Since this is a new process still in its early stages it was felt its merits have not really been proven. Mrs. Bullock likes the program and said studies are now being held on its value. She feels that it should be done with a consortium of libraries to keep costs down. It was felt that, if possible, funds could be held in reserve until such time that more is learned about it and the experience of libraries
already using it could be reviewed. It was decided that at this time RFID will not be a priority in the FF&E budget.
Interior Designer: A. Erickson, C. Bingham, B. Gardner and S. Bullock reviewed the various libraries they have recently visited. Most of these were buildings that have been decorated by designers under consideration for the new building. The plan is to have a figure amount available when a designer is chosen that they will be able to work with when preparing the interior design.
The 2007-08 budget remains the same.
Mrs. Glew complimented the staff, town officials, and all those involved in the move to the temporary quarters. The Library Board is extremely grateful to all who worked so cooperatively to make the move go so smoothly.
Representatives of the Hartford Foundation will be doing a site visit this week.
Mrs. Bullock briefly reported on a workshop she and G. Ryan attended on "Future Trends in Library Services". Technology is changing and it is becoming more apparent that different age groups use technology differently and libraries must be prepared to accommodate these different groups.
At 10:00 P.M. B. Kaplan moved for adjournment. Second: A. Erickson. So moved.
Anne Erickson, Secretary
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