GILFORD PUBLIC LIBRARY TRUSTEES
MINUTES OF May 4, 2007
PRESENT: Katherine Dormody, Polly Sanfacon, Bill Seed, Tracey Petrozzi, Kate Hamel (The Friends) and Daryl Thompson..
MINUTES: The minutes of April 2007 were accepted as written.
REPORTS: Circulation is up 19% over April of last year. Again, it was mentioned how many compliments we hear about our staff- how helpful and friendly they are. Bill said the staff is definitely doing something right, to see such an increase in ‘business’. Katherine said although this is all good, the staff is feeling the extra stress of the increase in growth, which we should keep in the back of our minds. The volunteer hours are up over last April also, at 259 hours.
The annual town audit is done and went well. We examined the town budget report and the itemized category reports; there were no questions this month.
PROGRAMS: The library had a May Pole Celebration on the 1st, with a huge turnout; it lasted into the late morning. Tasha and Lisa did a phenomenal job. Next year they will use cloth instead of crepe paper for the May Pole streamers, due to all the handling and the wind factor. The Mother’s Day Tea is scheduled for Saturday, the 13th at 1:00, and a large turnout is expected. The Early Release Days’ After School Programs have been very well attended. This month is the Currier Art Program, which will involve a currier coming up from the museum. The reading groups for first and second graders and fifth graders are continuing. The program for the third and fourth graders was not working very well, so fifth
graders replaced that group. Katherine noted that Tasha is very creative; instead of using sample programs, she is choosing her own books and doing her own crafts. Storytimes, Tales for Tails, Babylap and Yoga continue to be popular children’s programs.
The ‘Young Adults’ will enjoy an evening with the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. This is a library program based on the book of the same name. Pants (jeans) get signed, and are traveling throughout New Hampshire. This is scheduled for the 31st.
The events planned for the Summer Reading Program have been scheduled through August. Again, the staff is feeling the pressure, but will be doing a lot of the same things as last summer. Creative Writing will be offered again, with Barbara Bald instructing this year. The theme of summer reading is Read Across America, which will explore “traveling” across the country and learning about the different states.
For our adults, Paula Greene taught a well-attended craft class making Mother’s Day cards on May 1st. Foreign Movie Night will present “The Son’s Room” on the 11th. There will be a book discussion, A Year of Wonders, on the 17th. The Knit-Wits continue to meet on Fridays at 1:30.
LIBRARY PROJECT: Bill gave us a building update-- things are going along well. There had been an issue with the gravity fed sewage system; either the Library would have to be elevated a foot, or we would have to pump to the tank. It was decided raising the building would be too costly and involved, so a pump will be utilized.
The floor plan has come a long way and is pretty much as it will be. A gift shop has been incorporated into the plans. The subcontractors have all been hired with the exception of the landscaping: Tim Jordan, Wayne Breton, and Belknap Landscaping are all preparing proposals.
The original house will no longer become part of the new library. The house may be moving across the street if that makes economic sense, and the potential owners are able to get a variance on bringing the house up to code because of its historic value. The fire department would also have to approve it for occupancy. Saving the house would be a plus, as it does have historic meaning to many people and the town of Gilford.
Upcoming dates for the building project are May 21st for the Planning Board and June 11th for the Groundbreaking. We are planning to send invitations to the Governor and other officials for this event.
FUNDRAISING: Our slogan is, Around The Corner…The Story Continues, followed with the three “E’s”: Enrich…Engage…Empower.
Kate and Katherine along with several others have been working hard on the fundraising packet, which is almost complete. The packet is very impressive, covering everything from the library’s history to color-pictured pages of events, as well as drawings of the floor plan. Bill suggested the chocolate bars with the new library on the label be presented with the packets.
We discussed the next steps to successful fundraising. The Event Committee has been meeting weekly, working on general events for the community at large. It was agreed that everyone working on this project must complete a pledge form. We need to have unanimous support--we want to be able to say we have one hundred percent support from the trustees, the staff, and others closely involved with the project. All board members of the Friends will be asked to pledge. We want to be able to report that the Trustees, the Friends, the library staff have raised ……..amount of money to date.
The Friends’ membership-at-large will also be encouraged to pledge. A request will be made in a future mailing; however, the membership-at-large will not be included in the ‘Family and Friends’ portion before groundbreaking. The Friends’ annual membership drive is in June and all new and renewal membership dues received this year will be put towards the new building fund.
A letter has been sent to all those patrons who have pledged and paid, asking for their continued support. Those individuals who have pledged but not yet paid will be asked to pay their pledges before the Groundbreaking on June 11th. Phone calls will be made.
For new pledges, a core group of Trustees will go with partners to ask. We are looking for good representatives of the library, people we are comfortable with. Kate and Katherine will be the lead ‘team players’. Other team people will be Mary Ann Hart of the membership committee and Lisa DiMartino, of the library staff. Several other good people were also suggested.
BEHAVORIAL POLICY: Several incidents of extremely bad behavior have recently occurred on library property, requiring police involvement. One disrespectful boy has been ‘expelled’ from the library for a month-- two others for life. Realizing the seriousness of this situation, the staff has pledged to become more consistent with enforcing the rules; everyone will be on the same page, and will not be overly tolerant.
Bill felt these were juvenile matters, and should be handled by appropriate officials. He asked if we could make a complaint of disorderly conduct. Polly explained that until they are charged with something, they will not move into the legal system. They have to be charged and admit they are guilty.
Tracey felt the school Resource Officer should be a presence here every so often. Katherine reported that he has been contacted and is involved. There had been another incident which took place between the school and the library, and a mom had written a letter to the middle school.
Bill suggested we have the Resource Officer come to talk with us about how best to handle this situation. We should all understand how the process works and we should ask for recommendations for a solution.
Katherine will invite the Resource Officer to come to the next trustee meeting on June 12th, either at 8:30 or 10:00.
The new Patron Behavior Policy which Katherine presented was reviewed, as well as a letter which will be sent to parents when an incident occurs. We talked about posting the policy and how best to get the rules across to the population. A motion was made and seconded to accept the new Patron Behavior Policy.
Our next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, June 12th at 8:30.
Respectfully submitted,
Daryl Thompson, Secretary
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