Library Board of Trustees

TENAFLY PUBLIC LIBRARY MINUTES OF THE BOARD MEETING April 12, 2021 The Board of Trustees of the Tenafly Public Library held a teleconference Board meeting on April 12, 2021 for its regular Board meeting. Board Members Signed-In: President Kathleen Cook, Vice President Soon Juhng, Secretary/Treasurer Martin Gilbert, Teresa Austin, David DiGregorio, Meena Dogan and Elizabeth Warms. Absent: Shama Haider and Patrick Rouse. Staff Signed-In: Library Director Julie Marallo and Administrative Assistant Ann Marie Connolly. The meeting was called to order at 7:02 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 March 8, 2021. Moved by: Elizabeth Warms. Seconded by: Teresa Austin. Unanimously approved. Treasurer’s Report Martin Gilbert reviewed with the Board the Library’s financial statements of March 2021. 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: Soon Juhng. Seconded by: Elizabeth Warms. Director’s Report There has been a noticeable shift in circulation. E-circulation has gone down slightly, in-house circulation is up 18% and the door count is up 50% even though we are still on reduced Covid hours. To date we have not had crowding problems, but the staff is under pressure to continue to open up more computers. The staff continues to follow all protocols which will stay in place until the Covid numbers change. This includes not allowing any inside programs. We are taking a wait and see approach to all summer programs balancing accommodating the public and keeping everyone as safe as possible. Ms. Marallo reviewed the evaluation results of the NJ Library Construction Bond Act (NJLCBA) Grant application. Two different judges gave very similar scores to the Tenafly Library application which verifies that there are facts that we just cannot change to improve our chance of getting a higher score – our socio-economic status, being ADA compliant and the condition of our building are three major ones. David DiGregorio discussed investigating a pilot program making the library a communication hub for other communities if our infrastructure is strong enough to support it. This would enable sharing programs and resources with other communities. Julie Marallo noted that since signing on with Frontline, our WiFi is working much better. Meena Dogan discussed sharing our library with the larger community by improving our digital presence. Discussion followed regarding the large part BCCLS plays in connecting to other libraries and the need to cover all aspects of programming. Julie Marallo informed the Board that she was grateful to the Friends for providing a wonderful breakfast to the staff on two mornings in appreciation for their working through the Covid 19 pandemic to keep the library open to the public. Answering Elizabeth Warms’ question about the $2 million federal dollars going to libraries, Ms. Marallo explained that the money is expected from the American Rescue Plan that passed this week. It will send $200 million to the Institute of Museum and Library Services, an agency that provides federal support to libraries and museums across the country. Most of the funds will go to state library agencies using a population-based formula with a $2 million state minimum. President’s Report Kathleen Cook reminded Board members that the Financial Disclosure to the State is due this month. She also mentioned that as an active member of the Friends, she was happy to contribute to the well- deserved and beautifully done thank you breakfast for the library staff. Old Business In follow-up to a March 9, 2021 Borough Council meeting during which the replacement of the rear library EIFS façade and roof repairs were discussed, a meeting was held on March 16 with Mayor Mark Zinna, Borough Administrator Jimmy Homsi, Borough Engineer Andy Hipolit, Martin Gilbert and Julie Marallo. On March 22 Martin Gilbert, Mayor Zinna, Jimmy Homsi and Andy Hipolit met in person to walk around the outside of the building to examine the building issues in person. Martin Gilbert pointed out all the structural things wrong on the rear wall and the sides of the building. The south side has an 18 inch square piece of plywood covering cracked and patched stucco. There are holes from baseballs thrown from the field hitting the wall and squirrel damage all over the walls. Martin suggested the wall be constructed of brick. Since the Library, Teen Center and McCandless Room have the same continuous roof, he questioned the wisdom of installing new roofing only on the library roof. Martin also suggested that it would be in the best interest of everyone if a project manager was hired to oversee the project. Mayor Zinna said that the project was moving ahead. New Business None Report from the Mayor None Report from the Superintendent’s Alternate None Citizen’s Portion of the Meeting None Any Other Business None Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 8:08 p.m. Moved by: Martin Gilbert. Seconded by: David DiGregorio. Unanimously accepted. Respectfully submitted, Martin Gilbert Secretary/Treasurer The next regular meeting of the Library Board of Trustees will be on Monday, May 10, 2021 at 7:00 p.m. Approved: May 10, 2021