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Library Trustees Minutes Oct 25 2022 City of Beverly, Massachusetts Public Meeting Minutes Board: Library Trustees Subcommittee: Date: October 25, 2022, 6:00 P.M. Place: 32 Essex St, Beverly, MA Board members present: Margaret Altman, Marshall Handly, Cathryn Keefe O'Hare, Ivy Mahan, Colleen Michaels, Kevin O'Reilly, Joanne Panunzio, Myron Schirer-Suter Board members absent: Mary Behrle Others present: Allison Babin, Meghan Karasin, Recorder: Meghan Karasin Kevin O'Reilly presided. Meghan Karasin stated that the meeting was being recorded. Cathryn Keefe O'Hare made the motion, seconded by Joanne Panunzio, to accept the minutes of the meeting of September 27, 2022. Motion passed. Marshall Handly and Myron Schirer-Suter abstained. 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 2023 Budget: The city administered a 7%raise to the Library Director and a 5% raise to the Assistant Director. Transfers haven't yet been made into those budget lines. Allison Babin stated that she would have preferred that the raises were the same percentage but the Director isn't consulted for the raise of the Assistant Director. Her understanding is that this was done across the board with 7% given to city department heads, and 5%to assistant department heads. The new Director salary is in line with the handful of communities (Haverhill, Lynn, Reading, Woburn, Wakefield)that the Mayor had looked to when in discussions about removing fines. Funds were transferred from the training line and fulltime line to the sick time buy-back line. There was a higher level of participation in the sick time buy-back program this year, with 2 staff members participating. The uniform stipend has been paid out to custodians. 2. Building Issues: Regarding the library HVAC project, the selection committee met and interviewed three design firms on October 5. Allison Babin now has a better sense of the time frame. The project is expected to take about 22 months, much of which will involve some disruption. Drilling in the parking lot will take about 3 months, excluding the 2-week testing window. Marshall Handly asked if it has been determined that the parking lot is suitable. Allison Babin stated that they are 99% certain that it is, but need to determine how deep to drill, which could impact total cost. Ivy Mahan asked what the plan is for alternative parking. Allison Babin stated it's not yet determined. Allison Babin stated that the administration is more concerned about the disruption in the building. At some points entire floors of the building will be closed. There are likely going to be days where the library will close. Joanne Panunzio asked about the state's open hours requirement. Allison Babin said that hours at the Farms branch could satisfy the requirement and there may be exceptions for construction. Kevin O'Reilly asked if it's possible to close the library to compress the time frame or do a staggered closing. Allison Babin replied that this would likely be part of the discussion but they may only be able to compress it so much, due to supply chain issues. It has been suggested that they do the work on the parking lot and the first floor at the same time. The main library needs a little over $6000 in upgrades to the elevators by December 31 due to a change in interpretation of the code. The contract for repairs has been signed. The 1996 library van continues to have issues. The city's mechanics have been creative but concerns exist about safety. The administration is planning for a 2024 replacement. The custodians need a full size van to transport books, snowblowers, patio furniture, and other items. Funding could come through a capital request or state aid. This is the last year the library's state aid goes to the Farms branch debt. Last year's state aid was approximately $71,000 which would more than cover the cost of a van. Marshall Handly and Kevin O'Reilly suggested the library look at electric options. 3. Community Engagement: The library has been serving as a COVID test distribution site since last Tuesday. Tests are available at all locations, and at all service desks. Staff have given out 345 kits in a week. Allison has asked the Mayor's Chief of Staff if they would like to replenish our supply. The children's librarians are working on a library card drive at the Hannah Elementary School. To support this, the library card application is being translated into Portuguese and Arabic. Katie Nelson, Teen Librarian, and Allison Babin will be appearing on BevCam to discuss the Teen Room renovation. 4. Website: The Salt Trust Fund has been credited in the footer of the website. Thanks to the Board for the suggestion. 5. Friends of the Beverly Public Library: The Friends will host a book sale from November 18 to November 20, with a preview day for members on November 17. In addition, they'll host a pop-up sale at the library on election day, November 8. A Friends membership insert was included in city Water& Sewer bills. They plan to request this every 2 years. In 2020, this resulted in at least $4000 in memberships. At the October meeting, the Friends voted to make a $2000 donation to the Nancy P. Robinson Memorial Fund. 6. North of Boston Library Exchange (NOBLE)Updates: Three NOBLE libraries are currently in temporary spaces while undergoing renovations. Melrose and Marblehead have moved to old schools, while Gloucster is in an old cinema. The library saw an increase in visits and calls from Gloucester patrons while they were moving. Kevin O'Reilly asked if any other libraries are using ground source heat pumps in their renovations. Allison Babin said she would find out. NOBLE headquarters is moving. Because they have migrated to the cloud they can go into regular office space, instead of flex space. And have found space just up the road. 7. Personnel: A staff training on the collection development policy, with role playing over challenging books, was recently held. It was a good experience for staff to have time to practice and experience how they would feel in this situation. The administration also distributed two manuals on weeding the collection to help guide decision making in this area. Katie Nelson, Teen Librarian, is currently attending the New England Library Association Conference in Manchester, NH. Natalie Maes has been hired as a full time Library Assistant in Circulation. John Debski, who has worked with us on and off since 2007, has been promoted to part time library assistant. 8. Trustee Terms: Joanne Panunzio and Colleen Michael's terms expire on January 31 2023. Both have agreed to serve an additional term. Allison Babin will be in contact with the Mayor's Office regarding this. 9. Programs: For adults, Monday Mornings is hosting New England's Haunted Lighthouses. In addition, Graham Goss is offering space for writers to participate in National Novel Writing Month (NalloWriMo) on Sundays in November. Teens will have a Murder Mystery Party as well as Downtown Cleanup. And Childrens will have story times, LEGO club, and at the Farms, Pumpkin Painting and a Costume Parade. Communications None. Unfinished Business 1. Public Presentation Policy: This policy was first discussed at the June 2022 meeting. This draft has been reviewed by the City Solicitor. Ivy Mahan asked if there are any interactions between the board and the public presenter. Allison Babin stated that it's important to not discuss a topic that's not on the agenda. As listed in number 9, the board may vote to add a topic to a future agenda. Joanne Panunzio asked if the names of those speaking out would be on the agenda. Allison Babin said that they might but a revised agenda would have to be posted to accommodate this. Cathryn Keefe O'Hare asked if the public would understand that there won't be a discussion. Allison Babin stated that typically the Chair would make that announcement before public participation began. Marshall Handly made the motion, seconded by Myron Schirer-Suter to approve the Public Presentation Policy. Motion passed. 2. Collection Development Policy. Cathryn Keefe O'Hare suggested some grammatical edits. Marshall Handly made the motion, seconded by Joanne Panunzio, to approve the Collection Development Policy, as amended. Motion passed. New Business None. List of Documents/Exhibits • Draft minutes from the September 27, 2022 meeting • Fiscal Year 2023 budget to date (10/25/22) • Draft Public Presentation Policy • Draft Collection Development Policy The next regular meeting of the board will be held via Zoom at the library on November 29, 2022 at 5PM. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 7:13 PM.