Russell Library Board of Trustees

Russell Library Company Annual Meeting Monday, June 10, 2024 6:00pm Held via Zoom DRAFT MINUTES I. Call to Order - The Meeting was called to order by President Wisneski at 6:02 p.m. II. Public Comment - - There was no public comment by those present, and there were no messages sent through email or the website. III. Approval of Minutes MOTION: It was moved (Carolyn Shaw ) and seconded (Deborah Shapiro) to approve the minutes of the December 18, 2023 Russell Library Company Meeting. The motion passed unanimously with all in favor. IV. Welcome/Opening Remarks A. Eamonn Wisneski, President of the Board of Trustees - President Wisneski welcomed the members of the company and new prospective company members. V. Annual Highlights, Aspirations A. Ramona Burkey, Russell Library Director 1. Director Burkey shared that the library is busier than this time last year. Circulation is up 5.3%. Digital circulation is up almost 30%. Library visits are up 29%. Program attendance is up 30%. New library cards are up 13.6%. Russell Library has attended many community events in the last year. There was another climate survey administered to staff in December 2023, with increases in positive responses. The staff has been engaging in training, workshops, and conferences including DEI work. The library implemented its portfolio review process, which is something that staff members work on collaboratively with their immediate supervisor in order to build capacity and help the library achieve its mission and goals. Using an ARPA grant, the library was able to achieve office space collocation to increase collegiality. The Friends of the Library have supported 484 programs and concerts through May 31. It is $20 a year to join Friends of the Russell Library. The Space (for teens) Grand Opening will be  June 22nd from 1:00 - 3:00. There are new amenities in The Space. The Memory Box digitization station is a free service for patrons. It has been collocated to a space with local history offerings. The library is planning for the future. Updates can be found on www.russelllibrary.org/future. Silver Petrucelli and Associates and Margaret Sullivan Studio are helping to analyze survey results to bring a vision of a future-ready library to Middletown voters, potentially in 2025. The library continues to be invested in hearing voices from the Middletown community, particularly youth voices, in planning for the future. President Wisneski shared that the Feasibility Committee voted that the final site for the future library will be the current library campus. Company members Deborah Shapiro and Carolyn Shaw asked about preserving green space and parking. Philip Pessina shared that he had a positive experience working with Silver Petrucelli and Associates on the senior center. He shared his appreciation for the library and, in particular, the church building. Debbie Shapiro shared that the church building was also utilized as Middletown High School in 1840. Director Burkey shared that the current plan for the church is to be a community gathering and arts and cultural space. Charlotte McCoid wondered about the potential for satellite sites in the future. Director Burkey shared that library branches could potentially be used in the future for expansion after this next expansion. 2. Aspirations for the next fiscal year: Continue short- and long-term facilities planning. Update code compliance and accessibility in the lobby, utilizing funding from the ARPA grant. Utilizing ARPA money, instituting Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to get books into children’s homes starting this summer and fall. The summer reading program for all ages kicks off this Saturday. The library calendar will allow people to reserve meeting rooms online. The library union contract negotiations will begin this year. Secrets of Russell Library will have a new format with actors portraying people important to Russell Library’s history. VI. Committee Updates A. Executive Committee: E. Wisneski 1. The Executive Committee will be bringing forth new Company nominees. The main focus for the committee has been feasibility and facilities issues. B. Finance Committee: A. Becker 1. The audit for the fiscal year was completed as a clean audit. The city budget was submitted and approved. The budget for the Company was approved and will be submitted to the full Board of Trustees at the next Board meeting. The endowment fund managed by Essex Financial Services has made gains this year. C. Governance Committee: J. Hadley  1. The committee has been looking at the Company bylaws. There are some changes to the bylaws that will be brought to the Company in New Business. The committee works in close partnership with Assistant Director Brandie Doyle. D. Strategic Planning Committee: K. Atherton 1. The committee has been working on effective messaging, with a focus on talking points that are factual and spreading Russell Library’s mission. There has been some misinformation shared regarding Russell Library’s budget, so the committee has worked on sharing accurate information in easy-to-absorb small pieces such as service, building, and funding. 2. Talking Points to Share: a) Service (1) Circulation is up over 5% (2) Program attendance is up over 30% (3) Children and youth programming is through the roof - we need more space for the kids! b) Building (1) The Russell Library is staying at 123 Broad St. - our home for nearly 150 years (2) We are going to keep and preserve the beautiful brownstone church (3) We are going to keep and preserve the Hubbard room - a hub of Middletown learning and culture c) Funding (1) The Library will be pursuing federal sources of funding (2) The Library will be pursuing state sources of funding (3) The Library will be pursuing a ballot referendum in 2025 and humbly asks Middletown for their support and vote d) “You sound really interested in the library. Let me get you in touch with someone who can tell you more!” 3. Carolyn Shaw asked why the Feasibility Committee voted for the current library campus to be the chosen site. President Wisneski shared that this was in part due to community response. Alison Johnson asked for a FAQ synopsis explaining the process so far to help with consistent messaging. Director Burkey noted that the Strategic Planning Committee has been working to update its FAQ document and that there is valuable information on the Planning for the Future page. VII. Unfinished Business: None VIII. New Business: A. MOTION: It was moved (Jennifer Hadley) and seconded (Wendy Berlind) to approve revised Russell Library Company By-Laws. Trustee Hadley shared a copy of the revised bylaws with the Company prior to the meeting. There  were updates to language as well as specific duties to the Board. The bylaws were also updated to reflect that non-Board members can sit on committees. There were updates to terms for the Board President, as well as the conditions set forth for participation by a member of the Russell family or an appointee of the family. Debbie Shapiro noted that the paragraph numbers skip a letter in Article 5, Section 3 and offered to amend the numbers. MOTION: It was moved (Deborah Shapiro) and seconded Carolyn Shaw to amend the lettering of Article 5, Section 3 in order to be sequential. The motion passed unanimously all in favor. B. MOTION: It was moved (Deborah Shapiro) and seconded (Wendy Berlind) to accept the Executive Committee’s recommendation to elect as members of the Russell Library Company those nominees whose names the Executive Committee will present: William Foster, Alison Johnson, Nathan Mealey, Philip Pessina, Diane Smith, Shawonda Swain, and Pierre Sylvain. Diane Smith shared that she is a library lover and always makes a point to visit libraries wherever she travels. Alison Johnson shared that she has great respect for the work of the library and is excited for its future. Nathan Mealy is a librarian at Wesleyan University and visits the Russell Library frequently with his family. The motion passed unanimously all in favor. C. MOTION: It was moved (Wendy Berlind) and seconded (Deborah Shapiro) to accept the Executive Committee’s recommendation to elect two Company-appointed nominees for the term of June 1, 2024 - May 31, 2027: Eamonn Wisneski and Kellin Atherton. The motion passed unanimously all in favor. IX. Adjournment - MOTION: It was moved (Andy Becker) and seconded (Carolyn Shaw) to adjourn the meeting at 7:24 p.m. The motion passed unanimously. Attendees: Ramona Burkey Eamonn Wisneski Sarah Schulenburg Andy Becker Ann Percival Carolyn Shaw Cindy Harrison Cyndi Sanders Deborah Shapiro Jennifer Hadley John F. Shaw Judy Omphroy Laura Taft Lauri Douglas Mary Giglio Myke Halpin Pam Miller Steve Nelson Wendy Berlind Catherine Boone Kellin Atherton Tom Russell Alison Johnson Philip Pessina Diane Smith Andrew White Charlotte McCoid Nathan Mealey Respectfully Submitted, Sarah Schulenburg Sarah Schulenburg, Secretary