Pollard Memorial Library Board of Trustees

Pollard Memorial Board of Trustees – Trustee Chair Notes Date: o The meeting took place on June 12, 2024. Location: o It was held at Pollard Memorial Library (PML), 401 Merrimack St. Lowell, MA, as a hybrid meeting, both in person and via Zoom. Opening Business Meeting call to order o The meeting was called to order by Donna Richards at 5:36 pm. o Welcome and Introductions to the new Associate Trustees: COURTNEY McSPARRON and JACK MOYNIHAN Attendance Present: Excused: Bridget Cooley, Library Director Suzanne Frechette Donna Richards, Chair Christine O’Connor Katy Aronoff, Vice Chair Judith Davidson, Secretary Ellen Anstey Helen Littlefield Muriel Parseghian Courtney McSparron (A) Jack Moynihan (A) Guest(s): Lisa Golden Acceptance of / Amendment to Agenda o The agenda was unanimously approved on a motion by Donna Richards, seconded by Helen Littlefield. Prior Meeting Minutes Approval o The meeting minutes from May 8, 2024 were unanimously accepted with no revisions on a motion by Donna Richards and seconded by Ellen Anstey. Public Comment Period o Public comment time was made available. However, there were no members of the public present to make a comment at this meeting. Current Business Strategic Plan Review o Bridget Cooley led the discussion to review strategic plan draft documents sent prior to this meeting. We have a draft activity plan and a draft strategic plan and with approval a one page graphic will be created.  o The resulting plan will be a 5-year plan FY25 to FY29. o 5 focus areas have been shifted to 3 focus areas. o Discussion of editorial suggestions on the strategic plan areas. The motion to accept the strategic plan with the discussed editorial suggestions to be reviewed and approved by the library director was made by Judith Davidson and seconded by Donna Richards. The motion passed unanimously. Following the approval of the plan there was some discussion of the implementation and how trustees will be involved. Cooley will be working on a more specific timeline of activities to share soon. Update on Strategic Plan o Culture Committee (Judy Davidson/___________ )  A Culture Team meeting was held May 13, 2024. The meeting was devoted to editing the survey questions that will be used in the upcoming Employee Satisfaction Survey that will be distributed late June or early July.  A Culture Team meeting was held June 10, 2024. The meeting was devoted to final editing of the survey questions to be used in the Employee Satisfaction Survey. The survey will be administered between 7/8/24 and 7/22/24. The next Culture Committee meeting will be held 7/15 at 2:00 pm on Zoom. o Advocacy Committee (Katy Aronoff/Donna Richards)  No meeting was held. o Outreach Committee (Suzanne Frechette/Muriel Parseghian)  No meeting was held. o Welcome (Ellen Anstey/Christine O’Connor)  No meeting was held. o Engagement (Helen Littlefield/Judy Davidson)  No meeting was held. Reports Chairperson’s Report o While appointing the two new members to the Pollard Library Trustees, the Library and staff received some very positive comments at last night’s Lowell City Council meeting. Job well done and a huge thank you to the library management and their team for everything they do at the Library and for their outreach and representation in the community! o A BIG THANK YOU TO MIMI for the delectable delights she prepared for us tonight !!!! o New Trustee name badges are available ($10.00 to replace). There was discussion of where trustees might wear them. If you do not have yours at home, they are in Bridget’s office. 2 Committee Reports Governance/Policy Committee (J. Davidson*/S. Frechette/M. Parseghian/C. O’Connor)  Two policies that came out of the Governance Committee and have been reviewed by the library side are now ready to be discussed and voted on tonight:  Name Recognition Policy (Donna did heavy lifting on this one.) Discussion of the policy; Cooley/Director made one wording change. Discussion of why the policy is needed; Question about what perpetuity means. A MOTION to approve this policy with suggested revisions was made by Donna Richards and seconded by Katy Aronoff. It passed unanimously  The second policy under discussion was the Image and Audio Capture in the Library Policy. Donna Richards made the motion to approve the policy with suggested revisions, which was seconded by Helen Littlefield. It was passed unanimously.  Two more policies that were drafted much earlier will need more thorough review by library staff because of the number of staff and organizational changes that have taken place (Child Safety and Meeting Room).  Over the last year+ we have completed 6 new policies and/or reviewed policies: o Art Display Policy o Book Mobile Policy o Materials Selection Policy o Materials Reconsideration Policy o User Behavior Policy o Public Comment Policy  Organization of Trustee documents: Bridget sent a copy of the city record retention policy to the committee, and we will consult with it as needed. Art Committee (__________ */Ellen Anstey/Donna Richards)  Nothing to report. Security/Building/Grounds (Suzanne Frechette*/Helen Littlefield)  Nothing to report. Outreach (Donna Richards*/Katy Aronoff/Judy Davidson/Helen Littlefield/Mimi Parseghian)  Nothing to report. Nominating/Personnel (Katy Aronoff*/Donna Richards/Ellen Anstey)  Nothing to report. Director’s Report o Bridget Cooley prepared the June Director’s Report and distributed it to trustees via email prior to the meeting. Special discussion arose around numerous issues including:  Doors Open Lowell took place with assistance from the Ambassadors from the Library Foundation. QR codes allowed patrons to tour at their own pace.  Historic Board: PML will be sharing email distribution system with the Historic Board; will happen 4 times a year.  MBLC: new opportunity for MBLC cards to better serve region; PML is testing some of the technical issues right now to get this into place.  Summer reading books are available in library and bookmobile. 3  PML staff have done heavy outreach in May; June will also be strong; they are emphasizing meeting with library partners; bookmobile very active.  Budget: After the budget was passed, the director was notified that City Manager was asking for 5% cut from library due to changes in waste fee; The new budget is still an increase over the 2024 budget.  Discussion about the budget: We evaluate the City’s support of library funding through comparison of per capita funding with other MA municipalities. Even with the recent budget increase, our ranking in funding in the Commonwealth remains one of the lowest. Wayne Jenness referred to the library as part of the livability aspect of the city. John Leahy promoted the library budget.  There was a question about the increase in the number of incidents reported. Grants o Nothing to report. PML Foundation (Donna Richards) o Donna Richards provided the following PML Foundation Report.  The PMLF met on Wednesday, May 15, 2024 AND we had our annual meeting last evening, June 11th.  As usual both meetings consisted of committee updates on ongoing initiatives, however, at the annual meeting board officers (Jamie O’Hearn, Chair; Kerry Jenness, Vice Chair; Donna Richards, Treasurer; Tricia Kennedy, Clerk) and new members (Lah Tessier and Joe Pyne) are voted in. It is also the meeting where the Finance Committee presents an overview of our financial status.  The next PMLF meeting is Wednesday, September 18, 2024. Friends of the PML (Helen Littlefield) o Helen Littlefield provided the following Friends Liaison Report.  The Annual Book Sale was held Thursday - Saturday, June 6 - 8th, 2024 and raised $2,500.33 which is the best sale the group has ever had. Bridget Cooley and Ed Hickey are commended for their assistance in the middle of the elevator/space crisis.  Please remind your family and friends about Jeanne d’Arc’s Give a Click program. Every quarter, the Jeanne D'Arc Credit Union "We Share A Common Thread Foundation" donates $1,500 to a worthy area non-profit organization, through the “Give A Click” program. Vote for The Friends of the Pollard Memorial Library, one of this quarter’s featured organizations, and the non-profit with the most votes will receive $1,500. Use the link Give-A-Click - Jeanne D'Arc Credit Union to cast a vote. Voting ends June 30, 2024.  The Friends’ next meeting is August 1, 2024 . Old Business o There was no old business. 4 New Business (Announcements and Questions ) o Book Mobile Team would like to have a contest to name the book mobile. They have suggested a summer rollout. This could be followed by a celebration of the 1st year of the book mobile. Adjournment o The meeting was adjourned at 7:37 PM on a motion by Donna Richards and seconded by Judy Davidson. All in attendance were in favor. o Our next meeting is Wednesday, SEPTEMBER 11, 2024. Goal-Based Director Report - June 2024.docx These minutes were approved at the September 18, 2024 Trustee Meeting 5