Pollard Memorial Library Board of Trustees

POLLARD MEMORIAL LIBRARY BOARD of TRUSTEES Meeting Minute Meeting took place on October 6, 2021 in-person at the PML and by conference (Zoom) call.  Call to Order o Meeting was called to order by Donna Richards at 5:35pm.  Attendance: Present: Excused: Victoria Woodley, Director Linda Kilbride, Secretary Donna Richards, Chair Sara Marks Anne Mulhern, Vice Chair Christine O’Connor Suzanne Frechette Syed Hasan Helen Littlefield Muriel Parseghian Katy Aronoff (Associate) Amy Watson (Associate) Guest: Belinda Juran  Acceptance of / Amendment to Agenda o Victoria Woodley requested that an updated Reproduction of Images request from WGBH be added to the agenda. o The agenda, with amendment, was unanimously approved on a motion by Suzanne Frechette and seconded by Muriel Parseghian.  Meeting Minutes – September 1, 2021 o The title of the document needs to be changed to reflect Meeting Minutes. o The date of the next meeting needs to be changed to October 6, 2021. o The meeting minutes, with revisions, were unanimously accepted on a motion by Helen Littlefield and seconded by Muriel Parseghian.  Strategic Plan FY2022 – FY2026 o Donna Richards requested any last-minute feedback in advance of a vote to approve the FY2022- FY2026 Strategic Plan. She noted the plan as presented reflects the work of the Strategic Planning committee, staff, community, and Trustees. We had the opportunity to review the process for preparing this plan, we have participated in the discussions, and we had the opportunity to review and comment on the DRAFT plan. What is presented now is reflective of all that work. o Victoria Woodley requested a change to Goal 1 – 1.5 to read “Create a library accessibility plan to facilitate better physical and technological access to library resources for all residents, including those with disabilities and non-English speakers.” o Donna Richards made a motion to approve the Strategic Plan with Vicky’s revision. Suzanne Frechette seconded the motion which was unanimously approved. o Victoria Woodley and Donna Richards discussed next steps: 1  o A draft Action Plan and Evaluation Framework Recommendations with metrics was shared. o A Staff Meeting is scheduled for 10/7/2021 for roll out. o Members of the SP Team in place will act as lead and co-lead for each of the 5 goals. Staff have an option to pick which team they'd like to be on. o Each of the teams will report back to the Strategic Planning committee. o Donna Richards suggested a trustee might also be a member of these subcommittees. They may act as a resource or an advocate if needed. It was an idea raised to give the trustees more engagement in this process and show the staff there is support from the ‘city.’ Victoria Woodley is going to ask for staff feedback regarding this proposal.  Trustee By-Laws discussion and approval o The Governance Committee (Suzanne Frechette, Anne Mulhern, Sy Hasan, and Muriel Parseghian with Chair Donna Richards) met via Zoom on March 18th to review the bylaws. The revised (redlined) bylaws were sent on September 6, 2021 to the full board for review / comment (at least 30 days in advance of a meeting). o On September 29, 2021, Donna Richards resent the revised (red-lined) copy of the By-Laws to request that we consider adding a duty to the ARTICLE V Committees – Outreach (Duties) "Maintain relationship with Library staff through an annual meeting." o Donna Richards also requested we consider adding this sentence to ARTICLE II – Section 7 Library Director’s Report "The Director will provide, at a minimum, a monthly written report 5 days prior to a meeting. The Board may request weekly written reports as deemed necessary. The Board shall review ….. “ o A. Mulhern made a motion to accept the by-laws with these 2 revisions. Suzanne Frechette seconded the motion which was unanimously approved.  Trustee position vacancy checklist o This was meant to provide us with guidance. o Sara Marks is not seeking another term. Once Sara sends a letter and the position is posted an Associate Member can apply. o All trustees were asked to reach out to potential candidates for the vacant position. A goal is to create a board more reflective of the city’s population. o It was suggested that openings be posted in anticipation of a vacancy. It was also noted that the posting links on the City website still do not work for library trustee openings.  Chairperson’s Report o Donna Richards reported that funding the gap to meet the FY22 MAR ($65,245) was approved at the September 24th City Council Meeting - no waiver needed !!! A thank you was sent to CC, CM, and CFO. o There was overwhelming support for library initiatives submitted through the ARPA Funding Community Input Form. Victoria Woodley and Sean Thibodeau were invited to make a presentation regarding the mobile library to the City Finance and Purchasing Departments.  Art Committee Report o N/A  Governance Committee Report o See agenda item - Trustee By-Laws discussion and approval 2   Nominating/Personnel Committee Report o N/A  Outreach Committee Report o Muriel Parseghian / Helen Littlefield / Katy Aronoff / Donna Richards, members of the Trustee Outreach Committee partnered with Belinda Juran and Niki Tsongas CONTINUE to advocate for the PML to meet with City Council & School Committee candidates. o September 13th the PMLT spoke before the CC Finance Subcommittee. o We are preparing information to respond to the MOTION: Request the PMLT and PMLF speak before the CC to provide an overview of what the library has done during COVID-19 and its post-pandemic plans. o Muriel Parseghian commented that advocacy was going great but reminded the team that after the election we need to ensure that the CC memorialize the MAR and that CM Donoghue and CFO Baldwin work with the library board to create a five-year financial plan. o Library Brochure: This has been reviewed / revised and Bridget is made the final edits. It needs translation (QR codes for translation).  Security/Building and Grounds Committee Report o N/A  Directors Report (Victoria Woodley) o Victoria prepared the October Director’s Report and distributed by email. o Victoria Woodley reported that hiring is one of her greatest challenges now as the City is not required to pay minimum wage. Pay for certain positions falls well below the State’s minimum wage. It was suggested we review pay practices in other Lowell municipal departments and do a comparison of pay scales and job titles in other libraries in our compare group.  Reproduction of Images request from WGBH o A representative of the WGBH Educational Foundation requested renewing the rights to reproduce an image (the Cassidy sisters) owned by the Library. The request is to use the image in free internet streaming. The permission period begins retroactively on 8/25/20 and goes for 10 years to 8/25/30 with reimbursement of $250/yr. A motion made by Mulhern to approve the reproduction request from WGBH was seconded by Sy Hasan and unanimously approved.  Foundation Report (Donna Richards) o The PMLF met on September 15, 2021 via Zoom. o We purchased technology to provide hybrid meetings in the Community Room on the Ground Floor. o The Foundation has 2 major fundraisers. The Annual Appeal takes place in the Fall and it is in production now. Author Night is a Spring event and the search for an author is underway. o The next meeting is scheduled for October 20, 2021 at 8:30am.  Friends of the Library Report (Helen Littlefield) 3  o The Friends had a book / rummage sale on Saturday, October 2nd and raised $1,050. The next meeting is scheduled for Nov. 10, 2021 at 6:00PM o There are 17 active museum passes, funded by the Friends, available to patrons.  Old Business o Joanne Belanger was asked to resign. Brendan Flynn, the Asst. Director, is managing in the interim and JoAnn Keegan is overseeing the response to COVID initiatives. o Victoria Woodley shared a letter she and Lillian Hartman wrote to City Manager Donoghue on September 23, 2021 to request that the Council on Aging and Library no longer report to the head of Health and Human Services. Victoria and Lillian are Directors of their respective departments. o Mulhern reported that a GitHub website is set up for trustees and could be used as a central document repository.  New Business o Helen Littlefield requested clarification regarding the name of the Library. It was explained that Lowell Library is the overarching name that includes the main building, Pollard Memorial Library, a branch at the Senior Center, and an online 24/7 eLibrary. o Items for future agenda:  Adjournment o The meeting was adjourned at 7:07 PM on a motion by Donna Richards and seconded by Helen Littlefield. All in attendance were in favor. o Our next meeting is Wednesday, NOVEMBER 3, 2021. Minutes prepared by: Helen Q. Littlefield and Donna S. Richards October 12, 2021 4