Board of Public Library Trustees

Draft of Minutes of Board of Trustees Meeting of November 17, 2022 Salem, Massachusetts November 17, 2022 A meeting of the Board of Trustees was held via Zoom on this date at 4:06pm with Trustees April, Morin, Rourke and Trustee Buckley present and presiding. Mayor Driscoll and Trustee Austin were absent. Miss Mansfield was present. Approval of draft minutes from September 22, 2022 UNANIMOUS. Miss Mansfield reported that the Children’s Room was hosting a traveling exhibition of children’s artwork from Kyrgyzstan. The Fermata Arts Foundation sponsors the program and will rotate in two more exhibitions of children’s artwork from Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan through the spring. Current Library Use and Financial reports were distributed. Salem was sixth highest in NOBLE for circulation of physical items in September and October. Salem was second highest in September and October for Overdrive/Libby circulation. Miss Mansfield noted that many additional ebook and audio titles were purchased during October, which resulted in increased circulation numbers that month. Financial reports were distributed. Miss Mansfield noted that the Board of Trust Fund Commissioners had distributed a large interest payment from one of the City held funds for the purpose of purchasing library books. The Trustees discussed the traditional holiday gift for staff. Miss Mansfield noted that the funds would need to be transferred from the investments. A motion was made by Trustee April to continue the tradition and was seconded by Trustee Rourke. UNANIMOUS Miss Mansfield reported that the library car was rattling and was brought to the local mechanic. The exhaust manifold, catalytic converter, exhaust pipe, and muffler were all in need of repair. A quote for the repairs totaled $2,574.62, with the current value of the 2005 car being around $3,200. The Trustees supported moving forward with the repairs and noted that the car may need to be replaced in the coming years. Miss Mansfield reported that there were several building projects and ongoing issues that required professional expertise from an architect. Miss Mansfield noted that she had contacted the library’s interim architect to ask questions, but noted that the interim architect had not been officially hired and was not charging a fee for his time. Trustee Morin offered to reach out to the architect to discuss the current understanding. Trustee Morin reported that he was soliciting quotes and vetting concrete excavation contractors for the fountain restoration project. The Trustees discussed whether covering the basin for the winter was necessary, and decided that the vulnerable portions of the cast iron had been removed, so leaving the basin uncovered this winter was appropriate. Miss Mansfield noted that the library sold fourteen Save Poseidon bags during the busy tourist season. Funding the anticipated shortfall for the fountain restoration was discussed. Trustee Buckley made the following motion: Whereas, the Trustees have a responsibility to steward the building and grounds of the Library; whereas, full completion of the fountain restoration project is a significant milestone in our stewardship and also contributes to the public enjoyment; whereas in addition to the significant funds that have been raised for the fountain’s restoration there will be a shortfall to complete the project; the Trustees hereby authorize the expenditure of funds from the endowment to cover up to $50,000 to complete the project, with the following conditions: to mitigate the amount of funding from the endowment, there will be ongoing fund-raising and the trustees would consider the amount of the withdrawal of endowment funds (i.e., how much of the $50,000) for the project in considering any additional non-routine funding requests from the endowment for the next two years. Seconded by Trustee April. UNANIMOUS The Trustees discussed the current mask policy and how the policy related to the school protocols. The Trustees decided to make masking optional in all areas of the library, effective immediately. Miss Mansfield noted that the library would have a delayed opening on Friday, November 18th at 11:30am due to staff training. The SLSA contract requires one safety training per year, and the Safety Committee selected Emergency Preparedness training from the Salem Police Department. Miss Mansfield reported that the ground level book drop project had stalled indefinitely. The DPS planned to install bike racks along the library’s fence, so the placement of the book drop was in limbo. Miss Mansfield proposed placing the book drop inside the fence, but noted that the deposit slot would like require removing parts of the fence. The Trustees supported placing the book drop on the property, but expressed concerns about damaging the fence and gaining the Historic Commission’s approval. Miss Mansfield will follow up with the interim architect to ask for advice. The vacancy on the self-appointing Board of Library Trustees was discussed. A subcommittee was formed and Trustees Rourke and April volunteered, and Trustee Austin will be invited to join. The subcommittee will evaluate applications and invite finalists to interview in person in early December. Adjourned 5:07pm.