Loading...
1983-03-21 City of Beverly, Massachusetts Public Meeting Minutes Board: Library Trustees Subcommittee: Date: 03/21/1983 Place: Beverly Public Library Board members present: Richard L. Buekley, Lester C. Ayers, Connie E. Dooling, Dr. Edna M. MeGlynn, Roger E. Morency, Kevin J. Murphy, Nell B. Olson, and Nancy A. White Board members absent: Katherine L. Fanning Others present: Vada Komich, Elsa Forter, League of Women Voters; Jill Baekstrom, Mrs. W. W. Hemenway, Conrad and Helen Mayor, Friends of the Beverly Public Library; Thomas Hindman, Robin Fenn-Elbot, Library staff Recorder: Nancy Abetman Regular Meeting Board of Trustees-Beverly Public Library March 21, 1983 Present: Richard BuckIcy, Neil Olson, Les Ayers, Connie Dooling, Nancy White, Kevin Murphy, Roger Morency, Dr. Edna MeGlynn. Also present: Esther Calish, Nancy Aberman; Vada Komich, Elsa Forter, League of Women Voters; Jill Baekstrom, Mrs. W.W. Hemenway, Mr. and Mrs. Conrad Mayo, Friends of the Library; Brion O'Connor, Beverly Times; Tom Hindman, Robin Fenn-Elbot, staff. Documents distributed: Circulation for the month of February by neighborhoods; Meeting Room Criteria proposal. The minutes of the previous meeting were accepted as submitted. Motion was made by Ms. White; seconded by Dr. MeGlynn. Committee Reports: Administration-Mr. Buckley presided in the absence of Mrs. Fanning. The committee discussed criteria for use of meeting rooms and recommended adoption of the attached criteria. Motion was made to adopt the criteria as worked out by the committee by Dr. MeGlynn; seconded by Mrs. Dooling. The committee also discussed extending an invitation to Mr. Richard Kelley to meet with the Board. This matter was referred to New Business. Also discussed was institution of a Task Force to discuss the matters of revision of city ordinances, by-laws of the Trustees, and compliance with Chapter 322. A motion was made by Mr. Murphy and seconded by Dr. MeGlynn for the Chairman to appoint a committee to make recommendations on said matters. Motion passed. Personnel-There was no Personnel Committee meeting. Finance Committee- Mr. Morency reported that the Finance Committee addressed the issue of Mr. Kelley's letter on postage, which has been referred to New Business. Report of the Librarian: Mrs. Calish reported that the temporary repairs have been made to the roof at the Main Library by Mr. Villanti. Mr. Murphy noted that bids for the complete job will be going out very shortly. Regarding the Financial Statement, Mrs. Calish noted that all balances are earmarked for expenditures. She reported on several outstanding maintenance bills. Regarding statistics, Mrs. Calish noted the new format which will be more specific than the previous format. She noted that since the beginning of 1983, 4,103 people have received new computer library cards. She also reported that with the new fine schedules, the library is averaging $20 per day in fines, which is an increase over previous collection. Mrs. Calish compared conclusions drawn from the Lincoln Library in Springfield, Ill. to information our own statistics give us on the mount of circulation by neighborhoods in Beverly: (1) "The necessity to travel to a library by auto or bus is not a barrier to library service in Springfield. In fact, residents who live the farthest from any library are the heaviest library users and those who live closest to a branch are the lightest," (2) "Neighborhood library service works only to a limited extent. Though 34 each of the five libraries has a magnetic effect on patrons who live within its census tract, significantly more local residents still choose to use the main library ... With one minor exception, the branch libraries do not attract the majority of library use within an adjacent census tract." (3) "The demand for library services from one "full service" library will outstrip the demand for smaller, local libraries which rely solely upon basic library materials and programming to attract users. Put differently, a library which can offer meeting rooms, photocopying machines, a comprehensive reference collection as well as programming and a materials collection will attract more readers than one which cannot offer the full range of services." She noted that our statistics compare in some areas to the above conclusions, but one difference is that our heaviest users at the main library come from the immediate neighborhood--the demographics of the city are fortuitous in that the density of population is so great that many walkers use this library. She notes that the sample distributed of circulation by neighborhoods is approximately one-third of the total. Mrs. Calish reported on programs for National Library Week, April 17-24. 1) The Friends are sponsoring a program with Selesnick & Sterling, the "Stockworth" cartoonists. 2) Brochures about the library will be sent in local mailings from the Beverly Savings Bank and Chamber of Commerce. 3) Trivia contests will be run in the library. 4) The Rotunda will have a theme of National Library Week. 5) The Children's Room is offering a number of programs with "pets" as the theme. A discussion took place regarding the Business Breakfast. Mrs. Calish also reported on the NOBLE computer meetings which she has been attending, with topics such as services available for entering data and on the consortium by-laws which should be ready by June, so that incorporation can take place. She invited Trustees to attend any of the meetings. Regarding departmental reports, the bookmobile has a leaking roof which DPW is attempting to fix. A new volunteer is assisting with bookmobile clerical tasks. Children's room has 16 class visits schedules within the next several months. In Young Adult Services, response has been excellent from teachers to the class assignment alerts. Three young adult orientations have also been planned for classes, as are book talks. Tom Hindman will also be going to the Farms library to consult regarding their young adult collection. Unfinished Business: Mr. Morency asked about the Farms roof. Mrs. Calish noted that as soon as the weather allows, Mr. Rossi will begin. New Business: Mr. Morency reported on a meeting which he and Mr. BuckIcy had with the Mayor regarding the matter of putting a ramp at the Farms for the elderly and handicapped. Mayor said that he will consult with the Public Works director for plans to be drawn up. He also stated that with this commitment, he would like to see the Farms branch open more hours. No action will be taken until the Board of Trustees approves. A motion was made by Mr. Morency and seconded by Mrs. Dooling to invite the Clerk of Committees, Mr. Kelley to the next meeting of the Board to discuss his communication on mailing. The motion passed. In response to an informal communication from the City Auditor requesting that the library request the dog tax to be transferred to a specific account (i.e. maintenance or purchase of books), a motion was made by Mr. Morency and seconded by Mr. Ayers that the Chairman send a letter to Mr. Gannon requesting formal written communication from him citing his authority for this request. Motion passed. A motion was made by Ms. White and seconded by Dr. MeGlynn to close the library on Easter Sunday. The Chairman noted that proper publicity should be given. Motion passed. The meeting date for the next meeting of the Board was set for Thursday, April 21, at 4:30 p.m. at the Farms Library. Mr. Olson requested that no meetings be held before the 4:30 meeting. A discussion took place about the hedges in from of the Library. A motion was made by Ms. White and seconded by Mr. Murphy to adjourn. Meeting was adjourned at 5:25 p.m. Nancy S. Aberman Recorder Adopted: March 21, 1983 CRITERIA FOR USE OF MEETING ROOMS The Library Director may give permission for use of the library facilities under the following conditions: Rooms to be used for meetings are the Yellow (Downstairs) Room and the Beverly Room, as well as the Beverly Farms meeting room. Rooms are not available for religious, partisan or political group meetings, nor for the benefit of private individuals or commercial concerns, nor for fund-raising purposes, unless said fund-raising is specifically agreed upon by the Board of Trustees. Admission may not be charged for any program taking place in the library. Use of meeting rooms will be on a first-come, first-serve basis, with priority being given to library-related programs. Scheduling conflicts will be resolved according to the following order of priority: 1) library-sponsored events; 2) Friends of the Library; 3) meetings which are open to the public; 4) other meetings. Such meetings may only be conducted during the library's regular hours. Meeting rooms are not assigned to outside organizations on a regular monthly basis. In other words, the library does not become the regular meeting place for any outside organization. Library has to be selective in assigning meeting rooms because available rooms are also used for library services. Only the preparation of light refreshments involving no cooking will be permitted in the Library. Water is available for use in preparing coffee or tea. Any group serving refreshments must provide their own dishes, utensils, linens, etc. Smoking is not allowed. Reservations for use of meeting rooms must be made in writing to the Director. Application letter must state name of contact person and telephone number. The fact that a group is permitted to meet at the public library does not, in any way, constitute an endorsement of the group's policies or beliefs. Request to use electrical equipment must be submitted to the Library in advance and permission obtained from the Director to use electrical outlets. Each group is responsible for leaving the room in order and for the replacement of lost or damaged equipment. Library cannot store equipment. The responsibility for opening and closing the Library meeting rooms is reserved to the employee in charge of the Library. The Library Trustees reserve the right to revoke or refuse permission to use any meeting room.