1998-11-24City of Beverly, Massachusetts
Public Meeting Minutes
Board: Library Trustees
Subcommittee:
Date: November 24, 1998 7:00 P.M.
Place: Beverly Public Library
Board members present: Diane Costa, Edward Brindle, Katherine Fanning, Margaret Goodwin,
Neil Olson, Helga Senko, and John Young
Board members absent: Lindsay Diehl, Kevin O'Reilly
Others present: Thomas Scully, Anna Langstaff, Joanne Panunzio
Recorder: Anna Langstaff
Diane Costa presided.
Nell Olson made the motion, seconded by Kay Fanning, to accept the minutes of October 27,
1998 as read. Motion passed.
Public Presentation
None
Committee Reports
Personnel: No report.
Administration: No report.
Finance: There was a discussion on how to proceed with budget time table. The Long Range
Planning Committee will meet on Tuesday, December 15, 1998 at 6 P.M. to review the action
plan for next year. This will provide the basis for the development of next year's budget.
Long Range Planning: Committee will meet Tuesday, December 15, 1998 at 6 P.M. (see above)
Report of the Library Director
1) Copies of Library Director's report (on file with these minutes) were mailed to trustees. 2)
Farms Project: "Working" fundraising committee met at Farms Library on November 24, 1998.
David Squires explained how the Weston Library conducted their fundraising campaign.
Fundraising committee will meet again January 19, 1999 at 9 A.M. 3) Bamet Room: Air quality
in Bamet Room was tested and is fine. Repainting has begun.
Communications
1) MBLC Open House: Thursday, December 10, 1998. 2) Volunteer Tea: Tuesday, December 8.
3) Farms Nutcracker Tea: Sunday, December 6.
Unf'mished Business
1 ) Book Sale: Book sale raised approximately $1,300. 2) New member handbook: Handbook
was distributed to all Board members. Many thanks to Lindsay Diehi for all her work.
New Business
None
Public Presentation
None
The next meeting of the Board will be Tuesday, December 15, 1998 at 7:00 P.M. at the Main
Library. Long Range Planning Committee will meet at 6:00 P.M. on the same evening.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjoumed at 7:40 P.M.
Library Director's Report
11/24/98
Friends of Libraries: Anna Langstaff attended a workshop on library friends organizations
sponsored by Massachusetts Friends of Libraries and the Massachusetts Board of Library
Commissioners.
Beverly Farms Building Project: I attended a workshop on preserving architecturally significant
library and school buildings sponsored by Historic Massachusetts. I also artended a workshop on
fund-raising sponsored by Massachusetts Friends of Libraries and the Massachusetts Board of
Library Commissioners. Michele Mann of the Friends of the Farms Library also attended this
workshop. The MFOL and MBLC may sponsor another fund-raising workshop in the spring
targeted to fund-raising for building capital campaigns.
The honorary Fund-raising Committee for the Farms project is almost in place. So far, those
who have agreed to lend their names are, Dr. Robert Searoans, Henry Lodge, John Updike, Caleb
Loring II, and Christine Sherrill.
Flooding Problem: The City has finished installing the back flow preventer valve on the drainage
system on Dane Street as well as raising the level of the bookmobile driveway entrance to keep flood
water from sloshing in from Dane Street. Installation of the pump is all that remains to be done and
that may have to wait for spring.
A bacteriologist has sampled the air in the Barnet Gallery and other areas of the basement
to make sure we have no mold spores or other causes of "sick building syndrome" caused by the
flooding and the rooms tested clean.
The Bookmobile librarian's office has had a new floor and carpeting installed and the
librarians have moved back in.
School Library Cooperation: Our staff and the school librarians have met with the Assistant
Superintendents of Schools and again with the Superintendent who reiterated his support for
improving the school libraries. He reminded us that money is tight and that he cannot do everything
he would like to do, but he is concerned about improving the high school library for accreditation
review and renewed his pledge to provide a full time professional librarian in each elementary school
as it is reopened. He also supported installing library automation systems in the secondary schools
next year and each elementary school as it reopens but told the school librarians that they must
convince their principals to include funding for this in the building budgets.