Library Board of Trustees

TENAFLY PUBLIC LIBRARY MINUTES OF THE BOARD MEETING June 14, 2021 The Board of Trustees of the Tenafly Public Library held a teleconference Board meeting on June 14, 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, Shama Haider and Elizabeth Warms. Absent: Meena Dogan and Patrick Rouse. Staff Signed-In: 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 May 10, 2021. Moved by: Elizabeth Warms. Seconded by: Soon Juhng. Unanimously approved with the exception of Shama Haider who abstained. Treasurer’s Report Martin Gilbert reviewed with the Board the Library’s financial statements of May 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: Shama Haider. Seconded by: Kathleen Cook. Unanimously approved. The Board discussed the John Wilcox fund at Valley Bank, which will mature on September 11, 2021. After discussion the Board moved to renew the fund at the most favorable rate for the shortest period of time taking into consideration the penalty incurred if the money is needed before the fund’s maturity date. Moved by: David DiGregorio. Seconded by: Teresa Austin. Unanimously approved. Correspondence None Director’s Report Governor Murphy lifted the indoor mask mandate for vaccinated people as of May 28th. Individual businesses or entities have the freedom to decide about safety precautions. The library will continue to require staff and community members to wear masks while inside the building. This decision is out of respect for our younger patrons (a large part of our patronage) who are unable to be vaccinated and are still at risk for COVID-19 infection. We are not in a position to determine which of our patrons are vaccinated and which are not. Patrons over 2 years of age who are unable or unwilling to wear a mask will not be able to enter the library building, but they are welcome to use our doorside pickup service. Ms. Marallo informed the Board of several incidents of patrons coming in refusing to wear masks and verbally abusing her and the staff. Mayor Mark Zinna, Borough Administrator Jimmy Homsi and Police Chief Robert Chamberlain have all been informed by Ms. Marallo. The Borough has adopted mandatory mask wearing in all municipal buildings, and the Police Chief will be called if a patron refuses to cooperate. Shama Haider stressed that no employee should put up with abuse from patrons, and she and Board members urged Ms. Marallo to call the police immediately. Ms. Marallo discussed with the Board some of the policy changes that are taking place in BCCLS. It attempted to establish a rubric of which library services are basic and which are optional. With a vote of 34 to 39, the rubric did not pass. These changes in discussion can have a huge financial impact on many libraries. Board members were surprised that BCCLS, which was established to share services, is pushing away from that mission. President’s Report Kathleen Cook mentioned that as part of the discussion at a Trustee Round Table meeting last week, the fact that Tenafly Library opened its doors on July 13, 2020, immediately after Governor Murphy gave permission, was discussed. Many Trustees were not aware of how long Tenafly has been open. Some libraries are just opening now. Mrs. Cook and the Board members thanked Julie Marallo and the library staff for their great accomplishment in bringing to life the library’s mission to serve the public. Old Business None New Business The Board discussed how/where future Board meetings would be held. Various suggestions were discussed including all at library, a hybrid of both trustees attending from home while others attend at the library, and all virtual if the weather dictates it. The Board will not meet again until September, and the COVID-19 statistics then will enable the Board to make a more timely decision. Report from the Mayor’s Alternate None Report from the Superintendent’s Alternate David DiGregorio reported that the Tenafly High School Library is quiet with many students participating in Zoom. Students are looking forward to new learning experiences by participating in a new program of interviewing entrepreneurs from other countries. Citizen’s Portion of the Meeting None Any Other Business None Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 7:50 p.m. Moved by: Elizabeth Warms. Seconded by: Martin Gilbert. Unanimously accepted. Respectfully submitted, Martin Gilbert Secretary/Treasurer The next regular meeting of the Library Board of Trustees will be on Monday, September 13, 2021 at 7:00 p.m. Approved: September 13, 2021