Library Trustees

Taunton Public Library Minutes for the March 15, 2023 Meeting Present: William Hanna, Ted Gay, Kevin Downing, Audrey Reese, Jason Cross Staff: Linda Coelho, Director; Mayor Shaunna O’Connell Ms. Reese called the meeting to order at 1:02 p.m. The February 2023 minutes were presented. Mr. Gay made a motion to accept. Dr. Hanna seconded the motion and the Board approved. The February 2023 financial report was reviewed. Dr. Hanna made a motion to accept. Mr. Gay seconded the motion and the Board approved. The February 2023 circulation report was reviewed. Mr. Gay made a motion to accept. Mr. Downing seconded the motion and the Board approved. New Business:  We now have two vacant library assistant positions that we will be submitting job requisition forms for approval to fill these positions. The original plan was to cover one vacant position with existing staff until after the new fiscal year begins and staff summer vacations are over. However, two vacant positions create too much of a hardship covering shifts and spreads staff too thin. Therefore, we will be filling these positions as soon as possible.  An application process for outside auditorium use programming was discussed. There is a need for a consistent format to collect all applicable information for organizations wanting to hold their programs in the auditorium. A current CORI check for all library program performers or instructors was discussed for both outside programming and our own library programs. The legal issue of whether a CORI could be requested as part of the application process was unknown. Ms. Coelho will be reaching out to the law department for more information. Old Business:  The second round of the carpet project that includes the director’s office, the literacy office and the two meeting rooms in the reference department has not been completed yet.   The side Children’s Room door is still out of order and still causing a hardship for anyone needing ramp access the library. This has been a hardship for patrons, and has been bad for business. The Mayor had good news that she had received notice that the parts for the door would be arriving on March 20th. Friends’ Report: The book sales continue to go well which will allow the Friends’ to continue to fund many library programs. Correspondence: none With no further business before the Board, the meeting was adjourned at 2:00 p.m. The next scheduled meeting will be held Wednesday, April 19, 2023 Respectfully submitted by Linda Coelho