Board of Public Library Trustees

Draft of Minutes of Board of Trustees Meeting of June 21, 2018 Salem, Massachusetts June 21, 2018 A meeting of the Board of Trustees was held this date at 4:35pm at the Library with Trustees Buckley, Merry, Salerno, and Trustee Yale present and presiding. Mayor Driscoll and Trustee Schild were absent. Ms. Mansfield was present. Approval of minutes for meetings of April 26, 2018 - UNANIMOUS Current Library Use and Financial reports were distributed. Ms. Mansfield reported that Salem was the third highest in NOBLE circulation in April and May. Overdrive circulation held at second highest for April and May. Miss Mansfield noted that the consistently strong circulation numbers for digital items indicates that adding additional digital services in FY19 would be successful. A discussion of Hoopla followed. Miss Mansfield distributed the FY19 City budget that was approved by City Council. Miss Mansfield noted some cuts to the budget, including a reduction in overtime hours for the full time library custodian, a reduction in electricity, and a reduction in the building maintenance line. Miss Mansfield reported that $370,000 was set aside in FY19 for the Library’s HVAC project and that $68,000 was set aside for carpet replacement. Miss Mansfield reported that Michael Lutrzykowski stopped by earlier in the week to report that the Library’s HVAC project was ahead of schedule. Miss Mansfield noted that the Library had received an invoice for 30% of the planning fee from BLW. Emergency measures to restore cooling were reported, including repairs to the current system and the addition of portable a/c units for the mezzanine and reference floors. Trustee Yale asked Miss Mansfield to check in with Michael Lutrzykowski on a monthly basis to make sure the project stays on schedule for completion by July 31, 2019. Miss Mansfield reported that the structural issue had been investigated by the structural engineer and that only minor repairs were required. A copy of the report was distributed. Miss Mansfield noted the City had awarded $100,000 to the Library for this project, and that the extra money would be returned to the City. Discussion of future projects followed. The fountain and the window sills in the Children’s Room were discussed. Miss Mansfield reported that a company was conducting a telephone survey about the Salem Public Library from a blocked telephone number that appeared to be fraudulent. The calls had been reported to the police. The first survey question was regarding the frequency of visits to the Library’s West Branch. Discussion followed noting concerns regarding the timing for the strategic plan survey. Miss Mansfield reported that NOBLE had asked the library to purchase its own website domain, instead of using www.noblenet.org/salem. Salempl.org had been purchased for the library, but required a credit card for purchase and for annual renewal. Discussion of obtaining a credit card for the Library followed. Dr. Salerno volunteered to look into this possibility. Miss Mansfield reported that the landscaping had been completed. The Trustees voiced their appreciation of Miss Little’s generosity. Miss Mansfield noted that the Historic Commission had approved the Library’s Certificate of Appropriateness for replacing the wooden retaining wall with granite. The work would be scheduled to commence as soon as possible. Miss Mansfield distributed information on library mission statements and vision statements to review for the strategic plan. Discussion followed, and it was agreed that the short and simple mission statements were most appealing. A sample survey was also distributed for review. Trustee Buckley noted that some of the personal questions may not be necessary unless required by a grant. The Trustees asked Miss Mansfield to gather feedback from the staff. The Trustee vacancy was discussed. Trustees Buckley, Merry, Salerno, and Schild were appointed to a subcommittee to review applicants. Miss Mansfield reported that she had completed her MLIS degree and had obtained certification from the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners. The Trustees congratulated Miss Mansfield. Meeting adjourned at 5:45pm.