Library Board of Trustees

TENAFLY PUBLIC LIBRARY MINUTES OF THE BOARD MEETING March 11, 2019 The Board of Trustees of the Tenafly Public Library met on March 11, 2019, at 7:00 p.m. at the Library for its regular Board meeting. Board Members Present: Mayor Peter Rustin, President Kathleen Cook, Vice President Patrick Rouse, Secretary/Treasurer Martin Gilbert, Teresa Austin, David DiGregorio, Soon Juhng, and Elizabeth Warms. Absent: Mabel Allen Staff present: Library Director Julie Marallo and Administrative Assistant Ann Marie Connolly The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. Julie Marallo reported that notices of the meeting had been posted and sent to the media. Minutes Board members approved the Minutes of the regular Board meeting of February 11, 2019. Moved by: Soon Juhng. Seconded by: Elizabeth Warms. Unanimously approved. Treasurer’s Report Martin Gilbert reviewed with the Board the Library’s financial statements of February 2019. He noted that he had examined and approved the statements and reported that they were current and accurate. A motion was made to approve the financial reports. Moved by: Kathleen Cook. Seconded by: Soon Juhng. Unanimously approved. Correspondence Former Library Director Stephen Wechtler made a generous donation to the Tenafly Library Friends and noted that he loved the new website and all the good things that were happening at the library. Director’s Report The Shrewd Mechanicals of the Shakespeare Theater of New Jersey has a new tentative date of Wednesday, July 10 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. to perform in the Tenafly Library Art Gallery as part of its summer tour. We will aggressively advertise this performance when the date is firm. We are continuously experiencing leaks from the roof in the Children’s Room. Highwood Roofing has rubberized a portion of the roof at a cost of $8,500, worked on an ice damming problem on February 21 ($1,200) and on March 2 and 4 there were more leaks. Joseph Rossi is investigating. The ESOL classes at the Library are thriving. Several staff members have joined in to teach. Presently Jinwoo Yi is helping Korean speaking patrons. Mayor Rustin asked Ms. Marallo to contact the Korean Center in Tenafly to see if they have volunteers available to work with a small group. President’s Report Ms. Cook complimented the continuing quality programming being offered by the Children’s Room due to the efforts of library staff and the generosity of the Tenafly Library Friends. The Friends scheduled and funded program by the Musicians of Bergen Academies this Sunday, March 10, was exceptional and standing room only. New Business None Old Business None Report from the Mayor. Mayor Rustin thanked Ms. Marallo for her excellent 2019 Budget Presentation to the Mayor and Council on Saturday, March 9, 2019 and expressed appreciation for all of her efforts toward fulfilling the library’s mission to serve the Tenafly community and library patrons. The Tenafly Senior Center will be presenting “Conversation of Your Life” – a program of the NJ Health Care Quality Institute’s Mayors Wellness Campaign on April 10th at 1:00 p.m. at the Center. Report from the Superintendent’s Alternate David DiGregorio attended a program at the N. Y. Institute of Technology about using Zoom software for video conferences. Zoom allows the seamless sharing of information, and David suggested that it could be used to enhance communication between the school and the library. David also mentioned that Teen Services Librarian Stacey Shapiro has developed an excellent rapport with the students when she visits Tenafly High School to make announcements about library programs. Citizen’s Portion of the Meeting None Any Other Business None David DiGregorio left the meeting at 8:00 p.m. Mayor Rustin left the meeting at 8:15 p.m. Closed Session The Board went into closed session at 8:16 p.m. to discuss personnel matters. Moved by: Kathleen Cook. Seconded by: Soon Juhng. Unanimously approved. The Board returned to open session at 8:30 p.m. The following resolution was passed: RESOLUTIONOF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE FREE PUBLIC LIBRARY OF THE BOROUGH OF TENAFLY RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE UNPAID SUSPENSION OF A LIBRARY PAGE BE IT HEREBY RESOLVED THAT: The Board of Trustees of the Free Public Library of the Borough of Tenafly, in the County of Bergen and State of New Jersey, hereby elects to suspend Library Page Stephanie Meschke for five (5) unpaid work days, effective Monday, March 18, 2019. She may not return to work at the Library before Monday, March 25, 2019, at which point she will begin a three-month Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) requiring monthly performance evaluations. Moved by: Kathleen Cook Seconded by: Patrick Rouse Voting as follows: Austin – Yes Juhng - Yes Cook – Yes Rouse - Yes Gilbert - Yes Warms - Yes Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 8:36 p.m. Moved by: Martin Gilbert. Seconded by: Elizabeth Warms. Unanimously approved. Respectfully submitted, Martin Gilbert Secretary/Treasurer The next regular meeting of the Library Board of Trustees will be on Monday, April 8, 2019. APPROVED: April 8, 2019