Library Trustees Minutes Sept 19 2023.docx City of Beverly, Massachusetts
Public Meeting Minutes
Board: Library Trustees
Subcommittee:
Date: September 19, 2023, 5:00 P.M.
Place: Beverly Public Library, 32 Essex Street Beverly, MA
Board members present: Margaret Altman, Mary Behrle, Marshall Handly, Ivy Mahan, Cathryn
Keefe O'Hare, Kevin O'Reilly, Joanne Panunzio
Board members absent: Colleen Michaels, Myron Schirer-Suter
Others present: Allison Babin, Meghan Karasin
Recorder: Meghan Karasin
Kevin O'Reilly presided. Meghan Karasin stated that the meeting was being recorded.
Mary Behrle made the motion, seconded by Joanne Panunzio, to accept the minutes of the meeting
of June 27, 2023. Motion passed.
Public Presentation
None.
Committee Reports
Personnel: No report.
Administration: No report.
Finance: No report.
Long Range Planning: Allison Babin acknowledged the great help that Mary Behrle and Meghan
Karasin were to the process and thanked the trustees who reached out to elected officials.
Allison Babin met with the Mayor and Chief of Staff. The community survey garnered 628
responses and Mary Behrle facilitated meetings with the staff and the Strategic Planning
Committee. The plan is due to the state on October 1. Once approved it will be shared with the staff,
posted to the website, shared with the Friends group and potentially presented to the City Council.
Report of the Library Director
1. Fiscal Year 2023 Budget: Allison Babin stated that many budget lines were 100% spent, or very
close to it by the end of the fiscal year.
2. Fiscal Year 2024 Budget: Everything is on track. The new requisition process is most obvious in
the Books and Subscriptions line. The large encumbrance there includes purchase orders for yearly
budgets with vendors. This gives the Director a better understanding of what funds are really
available. Ivy Mahan asked about the library van. Allison Babin stated that the money has been
allocated and the order has been placed. The library is just waiting on delivery.
3. Building Issues: The holiday schedule for Veteran's Day and Christmas Eve have been finalized
These paid holidays fell on the weekend for full time staff, which requires a discussion with the
Mayor. The library will be closed Friday November 10 and Saturday November 11. For the
Christmas Holidays, the library will be closed Sunday December 24 through Tuesday December 26.
The union has signed a side letter to that effect. Ward 6 Councilor St. Hilaire reached out to the
library about a veterans organization who wanted to donate a bench to the Farms branch in honor of
Jerry Guillebe. Allison Babin has been working with various city departments to arrange for the
installment of the bench on the Vine Street side of the library. The procurement department is
helping to get a vendor lined up to do the work on the north elevator. Funds for the repairs have
been appropriated by the city council. The elevator should be in working order by the end of the
year. The Sohier AV system has been installed. The camera needs one more piece of wiring before it
works correctly. Regarding the HVAC project, Allison Babin is attending the construction firm
interviews, with Bond, Consigli, and Turner. The earliest start date mentioned was June 2024. There
is still more design work to be done by the construction firm.
4. Community Engagement: Allison Babin shared the Childrens and Teen Summer Reading reports,
highlighting the programs and participation numbers in both age groups. Assistant Communication
Librarian Graham Goss set up a voter registration table on the 2nd floor of the library, providing
easy access for patrons to register to vote. The library will once again collect used costumes in the
lobby of the main library for the Recreation Department's used costume sale.
5. Collections: The library has received printed files about the Varian Site since the 1980s. There
was an agreement that this is how the public could access the records. This file delivery has
continued even though the documents are all online. The library has hundreds of binders with
technical information that staff don't have the knowledge to guide patrons through. Reference staff
reached out to determine if the library needs to maintain these files. After public comment and
consultation with the city solicitor the library will only keep the last 3 years of files. Historic
Bevelry has expressed interest in prior years and the files will be transferred to them.
6. Personnel: Head of Communications, Ona Ridenour, attended the American Library Association
annual conference in Chicago and brought back materials and information to share with staff. One
full time Children's Librarian will be on maternity leave from October to December. The library is
working with Bibliotemps to find a temporary employee for that position.
7. Programs: For adults, there's a Banned Books Discussion, a Living Room Conversations program
on the Beverly Village for Living & the Arts, and the Farms is holding a Fix-It Clinic. Teens have
Crafternoon, Dungeons & Dragons, and an author talk with James Bird. For Children, there's story
times, Science Squad, and Music with Dara at the Farms.
Communications
"A love letter to the Beverly Public Library" in the August 30 edition of The Salem News.
Unfinished Business
Presentation of Strategic Plan: Allison Babin presented the FY25-FY30 Strategic Plan. The goals
are big and broad by design. A minor adjustment was made to the mission statement, adding in
"serves all members of the community." Core Values were formed by the staff in a session run by
Mary Behrle. The Key Focus Areas flow from these. Ivy Mahan commented that the plan is
engaging and readable. Marshall Handly added that the level of detail is good, allowing the library
to be flexible. Kevin O'Reilly asked if the strategic planning group meets again after the plan is
implemented. Mary Behrle stated that she hasn't seen that but it could be done. Yearly action plans
are due in December. Once the Strategic Plan is submitted, Allison Babin will write the action plan
and will present it to the board at the November meeting. Joanne Panunzio made the motion,
seconded by Marshall Handly to accept the content of the strategic plan, with leave to make style
adjustments in the final presentation. Motion passed.
New Business
Contract for Assistant Library Director: Meghan Karasin's contract expired in August. After
looking at comps from other communities, Allison asked for salary adjustment for the Assistant
Director to $92,600. We are waiting on the Mayor's decision. We hope to have a contract for the
board at the October meeting.
List of Documents/Exhibits
• FY23 Budget Report
• FY24 Budget Report
• 2023 Children's Summer Reading Report
• 2023 Teen Summer Reading Report
• "A love letter to the Beverly Public Library" in the August 30 edition of The Salem News
• FY25-FY30 Strategic Plan
The next regular meeting of the board is October 24, 2023 at 5 PM in person at the main library.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 6:45 PM.