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GILFORD PUBLIC LIBRARY TRUSTEES
MINUTES of April 8, 2008
PRESENT: Polly Sanfacon, Robert Kammeraad, Weldon Bosworth, Tracey Petrozzi, Katherine Dormody, and Daryl Thompson. Chairman Robert Kammeraad called the meeting to order at 8.35.
MINUTES: The minutes of March 2008 were accepted as circulated.
BOARD ELECTIONS; Weldon Bosworth was welcomed as our newest Trustee. Elections were held: Robert was nominated and will serve his second term as chairman, Tracy agreed to continue on as treasurer, and Weldon took over the secretarial position.
REPORTS: Circulation was down, probably due to four of the staff being at the PLA conference; there were no programs during that week. CD check-outs were up, due to a larger selection, and also because cassettes are down. Looking at reports done by day-of-the-week, there were no surprising trends. However, by looking at the reports by hour, specifically between the morning hours of 9 and 10 and evening hours of 7 and 8, the evidence suggests we should be open for the same hours all week. The largest number of check-outs is in the morning between 9 and10. There are lesser numbers in the evening between 7 and 8, but many people count on coming after work, or after diner. This is something to watch. When we move over to the new library, we will definitely have
consistent hours, although staffing will be an issue for longer hours. We looked over the register report; there were no questions.
PROGRAMS: The April schedule was reviewed. There is nothing new; we are continuing on with what we have. Katherine noted that the guitar sessions have been very successful. There will not be as much adult programming over the next couple of months, so the staff can prepare for the move. The summer reading program will also be shortened and we are not going with the State this year. Our program is Catch a Dragon by the Tale and will be spread over 6 weeks. Katherine and Tasha are looking for sponsors who might be willing to pay $1200 to support the program, in exchange for having their logo and advertising put on materials.
PERSONNEL: Katherine announced that we have two new employees, both starting today. Joanne Buckner has been hired for the part-time position, sharing the rest of her week with the recreation department. Katherine received 36 resumes for the full-time position. Six applicants were interviewed, and that number was cut down to three. The team interviewed those candidates and chose Lura Shute. Lura has a BA in education, is also a Gilford resident, and has worked as a daycare provider, so she knows the children and has many community ties. Katherine is working with Tasha on her 2-year educational plan, which will start this summer. Tasha may be in need of financial help. Tracy will see what might be out there and suggested looking at some workshops offered at the schools which
could add credits to her continuing education. Polly will check with the other town departments. Katherine suggested asking the town for more money for next year. Weldon pointed out that it would be critical not to set a precedent on this sensitive issue; we need to set a policy. We also want to make sure the courses are chosen to benefit the library. We agreed to table this for now; we will research options, and revisit this next month.
PLA CONFERENCE: Katherine expressed great enthusiasm for the conference, saying it was a wonderful experience, adding that it was very beneficial to have all four full-time staffers participate. There were definite underlying themes throughout the conference. Everyone was hearing the same types of messages--libraries are really evolving, changing. The focus is now on the customer- stealing principles from retail and incorporating them into libraries. Katherine is still gathering notes: Jessie did the marketing track, Tasha took the children’s, Katherine did administration, and Betty covered a variety or workshops.
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PLA CONFERENCE (continued): The issue of funding libraries was explored, and Katherine was very excited about what she learned. She discussed community support for libraries; perceptions of the librarian were highly related to support for the library, i.e., we like the librarian, we like the library. Also, if you think the library is transformational, you’ll support it. We discussed the philosophy of voting behaviors, as it is critical to focus the message to reach the right people to get them to vote for you. Libraries are moving from being informational to transformational. Weldon asked, “What is the ultimate goal for the library for Gilford?” A plan is needed to handle the fundamental vision. Katherine will give us a copy of her notes.
CONSTRUCTION BUDGET/UPDATE: Katherine went over the report, showing some extra things that were needed and wanted; important details included total contributions received and expected. Kate is working with a few individuals in regard to old pledges. The Friends have gone to the bank to ask for a $400,000 loan, to cover the remaining construction costs. A two-year loan is in the works. This will let us open the library with furniture and some extras. We will have the camera system but no cameras, no book drop. The Trustees have been invited to meet at 9:30 tomorrow at the site for a tour.
Katherine is thinking about purchasing less expensive, trendy furniture for the library. A trip to IKEA in Stoughton, Massachusetts, is planned. She has also talked to Rick Ippolito, and will go through their showroom to see what they could do for us – at cost or a little over.
TRUST FUNDS/CAPITAL RESERVE: A letter was sent to Leo Sanfacon and Leo is working on the trust situation. Katherine will ask for Diane Mitton’s help with looking into dissolving funds. We are hoping the Trustees of the Trust Funds can release Capital Reserve interest. Daryl motioned to dissolve the Helen MacIntosh Howe fund; this was seconded by Weldon. All were in favor.
FRIENDS OF LIBRARY UPDATE: The Friends organization was awarded a grant for $5000 to pay a consultant to do background work for a strategic plan. This goes beyond Kate’s six-month position. After attending workshops on How to Move a Library at the PLA, Katherine and Betty are now feeling very confident that we can do this. We will need professionals for moving the furniture, but we will move the books. Rent-a-crates need to be found. The Friends have formed a ‘moving’ committee. The Gilford Rotary is anxious to help and we will involve the community. As far as the schedule goes, the new library should be pretty much completed by July. The summer reading program will begin after school gets out, and will continue for six weeks, until
the first of August. The library will then be closed for two weeks for the move. After the move is completed, there will be a ‘soft’ opening for donors -- an event is being planned. Tracy and Daryl will be on that party-planning committee. The ‘grand’ opening will be combined with Gilford Old Home Day. The Old Home Day Committee thought this was a great idea! The theme this year is: Gilford - A Storybook Village.
NEXT MEETING DATE: Our next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, May 13th, at 8:30 AM.
ADJOURN: The meeting was adjourned at 10:13.
Respectfully submitted,
Daryl Thompson, Secretary
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