Board of Public Library Trustees

Draft of Minutes of Board of Trustees Meeting on January 19, 2017 Salem, Massachusetts January 19, 2017 A meeting of the Board of Trustees was held on this date at 4:03pm at the Library with Trustees Buckley, Little, Salerno, Schild and Glenn Yale present and presiding. Trustee Merry and Mayor Driscoll were absent. Miss Mansfield was present. Approval of minutes for meeting on November 17, 2016 – UNANIMOUS Current Financial and Library Use reports were distributed. Salem’s circulation numbers fluctuated from second highest circulation in November to third highest in December. Miss Mansfield noted that the Library was closed for the equivalent of 5 business days in December and two days in January due to Christmas and New Year’s holidays falling on the weekends. Miss Mansfield reported that the Library had received several donations. A gift in the amount of $50 was given in memory of Michael Gallagher for the purchase of children’s books. Richard Brown gave a donation in the amount of $250, and Richard Savoy sent a commendation of Reference Librarian Alyssa Staples to the Mayor’s office with a donation of $250 for the excellent service he received. A copy of the commendation was distributed. Discussion of current thank you practices and future possibilities followed. Miss Mansfield reported that the remaining $2,400 in funding for the elevator repair had been secured through Capital Improvement funds and the repair is scheduled for Tuesday, January 24th. The repair is expected to take at least one day, and then the elevator will need to be inspected by the State before going back into service. Concerns regarding building accessibility during the repairs were discussed. Miss Mansfield reported that CIP funding for the HVAC consult with RDK in the amount of $7,500 had been approved. RDK is scheduled to visit the Library on Monday, January 23rd to begin the consult. Concerns about the cost of the repairs were discussed. Miss Mansfield reported that the Library had received a Certificate of Non-Applicability from the Salem Historic Commission for the windows project, allowing the project to go out for bid as soon as architect Bob Farley completes the project specifications. Miss Mansfield reported that the Library had submitted an FY17 Determination of Eligibility Application to the CPA for the proposed Investigation of Cracking around the Third Floor Window project. The project had been determined as eligible to apply for funding, and Miss Mansfield will begin working on the full grant application, due March 17th. Miss Mansfield reported that Architect Bob Farley had visited the Library to do some final measuring for the windows project and had found a new crack in the building underneath a window in the Reading Room. The crack was not present during the Brownstone and Brickwork project and will be investigated in the coming weeks, weather permitting. Researching updated pricing quotes on repair and replacement options for the fountain was discussed. Possible partnerships to help fund the project were explored. Miss Mansfield noted that the Library could apply for CPA funds for the repairs after the current building concerns were addressed. In other business, thank you cards from the staff were distributed in appreciation of the very generous holiday gift. Miss Mansfield reported that a part time custodian had been terminated, leaving two part time custodian positions open. The minimum wage increase to $11.00 per hour went into effect on January 1, 2017, and the part time custodian position starting pay was still at $11.82. Miss Mansfield reported that there were not many qualified candidates for the positions, and most candidates were unable to provide professional references for background checks. Concerns regarding finding qualified, reliable candidates at the low pay rate were discussed. Miss Mansfield reported that the FY18 City department budgets had been given out with the instructions to level fund service personnel lines and to level fund non-personnel lines. The Library’s proposed budget will be discussed and voted on at the February meeting. Miss Mansfield noted that several fundraising opportunities had been presented recently. Hestia Creations had offered to create a commemorative ornament of the library building as a fundraiser. The Flatbread Company restaurant had also offered to host a fundraiser on behalf of the Library. Miss Mansfield noted that patrons had been interested in purchasing Salem Public Library canvas tote bags, which had been a fundraiser for the Friends in the past. Further investigation of these opportunities was discussed. Meeting adjourned at 5:14pm.