Russell Library Board of Trustees

RUSSELL LIBRARY A great place to be. Board Meeting Russell Library Annex Board Room Tuesday, April 24, 2018 Present: Trustees Berlind, Hadley, Markot, Murdock, Nelson, Norwood, Wisneski, and Zakarian; Interim Library Director and CEO Doyle; Director of Youth and Family Leaning and Interim Assistant Director Billingsley; Director of Finance & HR Administration Harlow; staff member Cathy Ahem. Excused: Trustees Becker, Russell, Thazhampallath, and Zawisky 1. Call to order: President Markot called the meeting to order at 6:38 p.in. It was moved (Trustee Norwood) and seconded (Trustee Zckarian) to add several items to the agenda: to item 3, approval of minutes of the Special Meeting of April 18, 2018; to item 6, a discussion of the contract procedure used in the recent hire of a new director; and to item 7, a report from the nominating committee. The motion passed unanimously. 2. Public session/Comment: There were no comments from the public. 3. Approval of Minutes a. It was moved (Trustee Hadley) and seconded (Trustee Zakarian) to approve the regular trustee meeting minutes of March 20, 2018. The motion passed with Trustee Norwood abstaining. b. It was moved (Trustee Nelson) and seconded (Trustee Hadley) to approve the special trustee meeting minutes of April 18, 2018. The motion passed with Trustees Wisneski, Zakarian, and Murdock abstaining. 4. Administration Report -Brandie Doyle, Interim Director and CEO • The budget hearing at the common council meeting, with support from Director of Youth and Family Leaming and Interim Assistant Director Billingsley, Director of Finance & HR Administration Harlow, and Trustees Markot and Norwood, went well. If approved, the library may be able to add 6 more open hours per week, down from the 12 I/2 originally requested. • Library staff recently participated in FOIA training conducted by the city. Board members will be invited to the next training. All are reminded that any email or whtten communication between staff and board are subject to FOIA. • New security cameras have been installed with a networked system so that areas can be viewed from many locations and from mobile devices. Library staff camot give patron information to police without a cout order or subpoena. Recently the Middletown Police Department sought information from the Library about a suspected thief.  The lighting project has been approved by the city, and $60,000 in LOCIP funding can be pursued, but the vendor originally selected is no longer doing business in North America so new bids are being sought. Through LION, an upgrade to the online catalog will roll out in mid-May. The program PIKA brings modem search methods to the catalog. Some of the statistics in the monthly reports are inaccurate because circulation statistics should include "in house" use, community programs should include library programs plus staff going out into community organizations, and computer use should include wireless computer use in the library. Personnel matters: Ramona Burkey has signed a contract to become the next Library Director and CEO; she will begin on May 30. Kathleen Molski has been promoted to supervisor of pages beginning July 1 ; she is working on her LTA degree. There is a new page, a high school student. Maureen Chabre will retire in early July. Friends accounting: the last round of Friends funding (November-April) has been spent and there is $13,000 available for the next round (May-October). A wish list will be presented to the Friends Finance Committee soon. • Former Director Arthur Meyers will be honored at the Arbor Day celebration at the Wadsworth Mansion on April 27th, 2 p.in. • Christy Billings recently won a CLA support staff award. New Business a. It was moved (Trustee Berlind) and seconded (Trustee Norwood) to approve the FY 19 Holiday Calendar. The motion passed unanimously. b. It was moved (Trustee Berlind) and seconded (Trustee Norwood) to approve the renewal of the CLC lease agreement. After some discussion of liability issues with regard to snow, ice, and leaf removal, the motion passed unanimously. c. Interim Library Director and CEO Doyle went over a draft FY19 Russell Company budget explaining that gifts, fines and fees, and the interfund transfer have been adjusted down, and that costs for background checks may increase. Building maintenance will be lower; dues for the Urban Library Council have been eliminated. The microfilm readers may have to be replaced. Marketing costs will be lower, and the materials recovery expense has been zeroed out. d. There was a discussion of the LS&S Vitality Index. LS&S is a firm that submits unsolicited reports to City officials and specializes in the privatization of libraries. Because the figures used are from 2014, many of the efficiency figures are now out of date; library staff has been reduced from 85 to 60 since 2014. Some of the inefficiency ratings are due to a sprawling building that is old and requires more staffing and maintenance. It was suggested that an annual report to the community would highlight recent improvements in efficiency and the importance of library services to the public. e. Trustee Norwood, referring to the contract creation in the recent director search, suggested that a procedure be outlined so that a previous contract is reviewed and revamped early in a job search, allowing all board members and the Company lawyer to have ample time to make suggestions. There is also a need to debrief all involved in the recent search and to survey staff. Committee Reports and Recommendations :  a. Finance & Audit Committee Report: in the absence of Andy Becker, chair, there was no report except that the Finance Committee plans to meet on May 8. The endowment is down due to recent market conditions. b. Policy Committee Report: Eamonn Wisneski, chair, reported that there had been no new action. c. Facilities & House Committee Report: Steve Nelson, chair, had nothing to report. d. Human Resources Committee Report: In the absence of Tisha Zawisky, Chair, there was no report. e. Nominating Committee Report: Trustee Zakarian reported that the committee will meet soon to plan the June annual meeting and to determine which board members will continue in their positions. She asked for suggestions for new Company members, and is planning to bring a potential new board member to the May board meeting. 7. Adjournment: It was moved (Trustee Norwood) and seconded (Trustee Nelson) to adjourn the meeting at 8:25 p.in. Next regular board meeting: Tuesday, May 15, 2018 6:30pm Re spectfully submitted, Wcndi OAOw Wendy Berlind, Secretary