Library Trustees Minutes Sept 24 2024-1 City of Beverly, Massachusetts
Public Meeting Minutes
Board: Library Trustees
Subcommittee:
Date: September 24, 2024, 5:00 P.M.
Place: 32 Essex St.
Board members present: Margaret Altman, Mary Behrle, Marshall Handly, Ivy Mahan, Cathryn Keefe
O'Hare, Joanne Panunzio
Board members absent: Dominic Copeland, Colleen Michaels, Kevin O'Reilly
Others present: Allison Babin, Meghan Karasin
Recorder: Meghan Karasin
Joanne Panunzio presided. Meghan Karasin stated that the meeting was being recorded.
Marshall Handly made a motion, seconded by Margaret Altman, to accept the minutes of the meeting of
June 25, 2024. Motion passed.
Public Presentation
None
Committee Reports
Personnel: No report.
Administration: No report.
Finance: No report.
Long Range Planning: No report.
Report of the Library Director
1. Fiscal Year 2024 Budget: Allison Babin presented the final budget report. Most lines were almost
100% spent.
2. Fiscal Year 2025 Budget: Everything is on track. However, the bookmobile maintenance line is already
99% spent as there have been a lot of problems with the vehicle. Allison will have to navigate whether to
pull from another line, request more funds from the city, or request funds from the Friends. The books and
subscriptions line shows 79%used due to encumbrances because of the city's new requisition system. The
city is negotiating with the unions now, including DPS and the Librarian union. The salary figures in the
current budget don't reflect raises that may result from these negotiations. Funds will need to be
transferred in to cover this.
Margaret Altman asked about the computer maintenance line. Allison Babin explained that this was the
NOBLE membership fee. Cathryn Keefe O'Hare asked about the fully spent training line. Allison Babin
explained that this line is for stipends that librarians receive as part of their contract. This is separate from
the professional development line.
3. Building/Vehicle Issues: The building made it through the summer without another closure due to
HVAC issues. The city is still exploring options about a roof replacement and HVAC,but there are no
significant updates at this time. The bookmobile has required a lot of repairs this year, including issues
with the generator, air conditioning, air brakes, steering box, and tires. We are beginning to do research on
bookmobile vendors for the inevitable replacement of the bookmobile. The library van was branded with
the library logo.
4. ARIS Highlights: The Annual Report of Information Survey is sent to the state each year. It is a broad
collection of statistics, and includes staff,programs, circulation, etc. The state compiles this and sharesit
publicly, which allows for comparisons to other libraries. Circulation last year was the highest ever. This
includes physical materials and ebooks/audiobooks through OverDrive. Electronic Collections, which
does not include OverDrive, but does include hoopla was also the highest ever. We saw the most growth
with hoopla and the New York Times.
5. Action Plan Status Updates: The FY25 Action Plan corresponds to the most recent strategic plan.
Allison Babin updated the trustees on the status of the action items. One major action item is redoing the
carpet and paint on the first floor,particularly the Children's Room. With the most recent state aid award,
we should be able to accomplish this project this fiscal year.
6. Collection/Service Updates: The library has added Kanopy to the collection. Kerri MacLaury, Head of
Reference, has been training staff and it is live now. The Farms now has wireless printing. In January the
library will be launching a Digital Equity Program. Kerri MacLaury is working with the UMass Lowell
Digital Equity Partnership, which is funded by the Massachusetts Broadband Institute at the MassTech
Collaborative. Up to twenty people will be able to sign up for a series of ten classes to learn computer
skills. If they complete the program they can keep the chromebook. It's free to the library and fills a gap
in our services. We help people all the time, but this is a deeper level of assistance than we can provide
day to day.
7. Community Engagement: Allison shared the Summer Reading recaps for children, teens, and adults.
The city has hired a Social Services Navigator. She's a trained social worker but her job is as a navigator.
She is at the library every Friday morning, and will also be adding afternoons and evenings. We have
wanted a social worker at the library for a very long time and this fills an area of need that is not our
expertise. Allison Babin was on the panel for Building an Inclusive Beverly with the Police Chief,
Planning Director, Director of the Council on Aging, and the Director of Multilingual Learner Education
at Beverly Public Schools. The panel was moderated by Wangari Fahiri, the City's Diversity, Equity,
Inclusion and Belonging Director. Climate Preparedness Week runs September 24-30. There are a number
of programs planned at both the main library and the Farms branch. Banned Books Week is an annual
event that runs from September 22 through September 28 and highlights the value of free and open access
to information. We have displays,programs, and handouts for this week.
8. Personnel: Assistant Circulation Librarian Jerusha Maurer has retired after 17 years with the library.
We posted the position yesterday and already have 9 applicants.
9. Professional Development: All department heads took a 2-hour Massachusetts Library System webinar
on how cis managers can better support and retain trans staff. Head of Teen Services, Katie Nelson, took
an American Library Association course on neurodiversity and mental health in the library, which had a
lot of practical advice and resources. Next month she will also attend two days of the New England
Library Association Annual Conference which is being held this year in Portland, Maine. Allison Babin
has been accepted to the Library Leaders in New England program. The aim of the program is to equip
library professionals with essential strategic thinking skills to effectively navigate the evolving landscape
of libraries. This program includes a 3-day retreat plus 11 months of virtual learning.
10. Programs: Adults have Brunch with a Banned Book, Business Lunch Book Club, and Beverly Bird
Walks. Teens have Dungeons and Dragons, Crafternoon, and the Summer Reading Art Opening.
Children's has storytimes, sensory storytimes, and a Tween Night featuring snap circuits.
Communications
None at this time.
Unfinished Business
None at this time.
New Business
Proposed Trust Fund Spending for FY25: Allison Babin presented the proposed spending and 3-year
rolling averages of income of the funds. Some funds have restrictions as to how they are spent.
Cathryn Keefe O'Hare asked who invests the money. Allison Babin stated that there's a committee that
oversees the investments, but it is the Trustees responsibility as well.
List of Documents/Exhibits
• Draft minutes of the June 25, 2024 meeting
• FY 2024 Budget report
• FY 2025 Budget report as of 9/23/24
• ARIS highlights
• FY25 Action Plan
• Summer Reading Recaps for Children, Teen, and Adults
• Banned Books Week flyers & crosswords
• Proposed Trust Fund Spending for FY25
The next regular meeting of the board is October 22, 2024 at 5PM in person at the main library.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 6:36PM