Russell Library Board of Trustees

RUSSELL L[BRARY A great place to be. Board Meeting Russell Library Annex Board Room Tuesday, May 15, 2018 Present: Trustees Becker, Hadley, Markot, Murdock, Nelson, Norwood, Thazhanpallath, and Zakarian; Interim Library Director and CE0 Doyle; Director of Youth and Family Leaning and Interim Assistant Director Billingsley. Excused: Trustees Berlind, Russell, Wisneski, and Zawisky 1. Call to order: President Markot called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.in. President Markot added a new item of business, item 6b: Middletown Common Council budget cuts and consequences to the Library. 2. Public session/Comment: There were no comments from the public. 3. Approval of Minutes: It was moved (Trustee Becker) and seconded (Trustee Hadley) to approve the regular trustee meeting minutes of April 24, 2018. Trustee Markot asked that in item 5e the phaase allowing all board members and the Company lawyer may have be crtyaurged to allowing all board members and the Company lawyer to have . Th!e rmchon palssed with Trustees Thazhanpallath and Becker abstaining. 4. Administration Report -Brandie Doyle, Interim Director and CEO ' Persomel: • Ramona Burkey's first day will be May 30. She plans to work 8:00am-4:30pm most days. We are busy preparing her orientation schedule. She is on Mayor Drew's calendar May 30 at 10:00am. Jem and Brandie created a Staff Look Book to help Ramona learn everybody's names, titles, and faces. • Bridget (Bridey) Morris was hired as our new page and started on May 9. She is finishing her junior year at Mercy High and has worked as a teem volunteer with Heather Scussell. • Christine Tkacayk was hired as our new public services Assistant and started on May 10. Christine is a librarian who previously worked at Russell Library and has already "hit the groundrunning!" • Projects: • Spending down city funds! • Reffigerator purchased for summer meals, installed in office next to storytelling Room. • Nice new trash/recycling cans (which match the Library fapade) were ordered for the entrance and exit. • Bike racks installed on half-wall in front ofchildren's Activity Room.  • In response to several patron complaints about smokers outside the Activity Room, we created a designated smoking area further from youth spaces and the Library entrance. A bench and trash can/ash tray were moved, and we have a shelter in mind to direct secondhand smoke away from the sidewalk and toward the road. • We may pursue grant funding to create a sensory playground outside the Activity Room or in the Courtyard, pending Ramona's approval. • Combined water fountain/bottle filling stations ordered for the lst and 2nd floors. We will pay for the lst floor's; the City's Recycling Coordinator, Kim O'Rourke, will pay for the 2nd floor's out of grant funding. • Based upon Matt poland's vision, we are ordering more digital displays to be installed throughout the Library to promote events and stream important live events, such as candidate debates, election results, and Middletown Common Council meetings. • Information services and Adult Learning office doors may be installed pending city approval. Three quotes were required, purchasing process currently underway. • Time card redesign (to match the city's format) completed and next year's batch ordered. • PIKA catalog upgrade rolled out May 14. Check out the new interface! For Middletown only: !±±±p ://md.cq±a±gg±±Q±±±i|2raries.o±:g4 For all LION: !±ff±2:!4£a±a!og.1ion±±b±a±ias±Qfg£. Statistical highlights : • Young Adult circulation up l95% over April 2017! Due to Admin movement offunding to increase YA materials budget, Heather Scussell's concerted efforts to order in-demand new titles, and Heather covering more hours on the lobby Information desk. • Inter-library borrowing up across the board, a testament to the effectiveness of the new LION delivery service. • Youth magazine circulation up 648% over April 2017! • YFL reference questions up 52% due to efforts to improve statistics gathering. • Computer class offerings and attendance up due to new Digital Literacy Librarian. • Youth programs and attendance up. • Youth card holders up due to fine-free youth card campaign. At our May 9 Director's meeting we discussed: • Compiling the Armunl Report requested by Trustees at the last Board meeting. I asked all Directors to send me any major accomplishments they would like to see highlighted in the report. I will talk to Ranona about how far she would like me to proceed with the report before her start date. • The new Library Director and CEO orientation schedule. We agreed that one hour should suffice for each department Director's first meeting with Ranona. I will ask Ramona what she would like each department Director to prepare for her first meeting with them. • PIKA rollout. I reiterated that all public service staff should familiarize themselves with the new interface before public launch. • In-house use statistics gathering. Jenn and paula described our initial approach to collecting in-house use statistics. We will start with youth board books, picture books, magazine, and graphic novels; YA titles; and adult magazines (these are collections commonly used in-house but not necessarily checked out or taken home). The process for tracking in-house use was explained, training will be planned and offered to staff. At our April 25 Staff meeting we discussed: • Ramona's staff Look Book. All staff were asked to provide a self-portrait to Jem by May 9 and forewarned that those who neglected to do so would be "hunted down" and photographed.  • Summer Leaming. Jenn described three components of this year's summer Learning plans: the Reading Challenge, Summer Programming, and Donations. Staff were reminded to review Beanstack to see how the online challenges will run and told how to solicit donations from local businesses for prizes. • FY19 Holiday calendar. Brandie shared the recently-approved FY2019 Holiday calendar with staff. Many were upset that we will be open the Saturday before Labor Day (September 1 ), as we have traditionally been closed that entire weekend. In response, Brandie polled the CT Library Community. Approximately twice as many libraries that responded are closed the entire weekend versus open that Saturday. Several of the former are closed Saturdays throughout the summer. ' Many thanks to the Friends for approving $13,000 in funding for Library programs and museum passes! 5. Old Business: President Markot discussed the by-laws that were presented by the Policy Committee to the Board 15 months ago. These revisions should be given to the membership for approval. If there is a need for other revisions, we can bring them to the Company next year. It was moved (Trustee Thazhampallath) and seconded (Trustee Nelson) to submit the revised bylaws for Russell Library Company member approval at the armul meeting on June 19. Discussion followed. President Markot proposed the final version be sent out with a core letter that highlights the changes. Interim Library Director and CEO Doyle noted with the union contract there is a change that should be made to page 4, Section VI and remove the following language: "as shall the review of any grievance proceeding required by a collective bargaining agreement to be held by the Board;" In Article Ill, Section Ill, titled Election of City Trustees, the word e/ecf!.o72 should be removed. The language at issue is whether the by-laws of the Russell Company can limit the terms of City appointments. City appointments that have term limits are set out in the City code of ordinances. Trustee Thazhampallath amends the approval of the by-laws by deleting the word E/ec/z.o7¢ before City Trustees, substituting 4apoz."Jme#/ of City Trustees and deleting the last two sentences which read: "No such approved City Trustee shall serve more than four full successive three-year terms. When a City Trustee-'s term expires (12) years, he or she shall not be nominated as a Company Trustee for one year." There was a discussion of why May is considered the last meeting of the Trustees whose terms are expiring in that year. It has been the practice of the Board that if there is business that needs approval, the Trustee holds office until the election of new Trustees in June. President Markot states the motion has been made and amended to send the bylaws to the Russell Company for approval at its annual meeting on June 19. The motion passed unanimously. 6. New Business: a. It was moved (Trustee Thazhampallath) and seconded (Trustee Nelson) to approve Director and CEO Ranona Burkey for financial authorizations with Liberty Bank and Essex Financial Services. President Markot states the motion passed unanimously. b. President Markot brought new item 6b, Middletown Common Council budget cuts and consequences to the Library. He stated they leaned the Common Council cut from  various departments and those for the library regarding salaries of staff that had yet to be hired to lessen the mil rate. The result is they cut Ramona's salary. Trustee Thazhanpallath commented this was not against the Library; they looked at vacant positions. They cut the Arts Coordinator; Stephan Allison had retired so the Council thought it was a vacant position and could be removed. They didn't check to see what the position does and if there are union restrictions. They looked at Brandie's salary as Interim Director for $ 113,000 and they took the line item for director of S 136,000 which was to go to $ 142,000 in July and plugged in $ 113,000. They failed to understand there was a signed contract; the Board did not let them know we hired someone. Trustee Thazhanpallath states it was a $28,000 cut in salary; there is no problem because there is money in the current budget. He spoke with Diana Doyle in Finance who said we have $80,000 for a Chief Administrative Officer that is not filled; if they don't hire until October, the funds saved from that would offset the cut in the Director's salary and make it whole. The Mayor can veto the budget and the Council can override. To make the lines work, we need to put a resolution in place to put in abeyance I/4 year for the CAO position and move the associated funds to the Director's salary line. Committee Reports and Recommendations : a. Finance & Audit Committee Report: Trustee Becker reported on the endowment; it is down due to the downturn of the market. He discusses the City budget: it is on target with expenditures. For the Company budget, disbursements are up due to the legal expenditure of an additional $25,000. The other $25,000 is scattered throughout the budget. Brandie states the Friends have given an additional $13,000 to the Library. It was noted that although Trustee Becker' s term on the board ends this spring, he may remain on the finance corrmittee. b. Facilities & House Committee Report: Steve Nelson, chair, would like to discuss with incoming CEO and Library Director Burkey the history of building projects. There is a May 30 webinar on assessing Library Buildings; Trustee Nelson can be included. Trustee Thachampallath suggested that incoming Library Director and CEO Burkey meet with chairs of all cormittees and that President Markot update the committee membership. Interim Library Director and CEO Doyle will help. The possibility of a Board retreat or extra meeting in September was raised. There was a concern about the city-provided insurance for the library building; Trustee Nelson said a building assessment was needed and Trustee Thazhanpallath will arrange for one to be made. c. Policy Committee Report: Eamorm Wisneski, chair, reported that there had been no new action. d. Human Resources Co]rmiittee Report: In the absence of Tisha Zawisky, Chair, there was no report. e. Nominating Committee Report: Trustee Zakarian reported that they are working on the June 19 meeting; they have an agenda and will review it with incoming CEO and Library Director Burkey. It was moved (Trustee Thazhampallath) and seconded (Trustee Hadley) to approve Taneisha Duggan to fill the vacancy of Patrice Barrett as a Company Trustee for one year. The motion passed unanimously and the name of Taneisha Duggan will be added to the Company list. Trustee Thazhanpallath asked to clear up some confusion regarding emails he sent regarding his departing the Board; having a connection to the City, and having a new Library Director, for continuity he will continue on as a board member. 8. Adjournment: It was moved (Trustee Nelson) and seconded (Trustee Becker) to adjourn the meeting at 8:27 p.in. The motion passed unanimously. Next regular board meeting and annual meeting of the Russell Library Company: Tuesday, June 19, 2018 6:30 p.in. Respecrful ly submitted, Wendy Berlind, Secretary Notes take by Marie Norwood