Hooksett Public Library
Board of Trustees
May 10, 2005 9am
Minutes

Present: Mary Farwell, Chairperson, Lisa Gillis, Secretary, Heather Shumway, Director, Guests, Mary Ledger, Trustee Candidate.

Secretary's Report: Minutes from the April 12, 2005 meeting were approved and filed.

Treasurer's Report:

  • Utilities are over budget as expected, however not having a director's salary for two months has helped to offset. Trustees request a memo to be added to special accounts for better control of spending.

 

Director's Report:

  • HS reported she is still working on collection development particularly large print books and the need to better promote them.
  • HS will be a presenter at the NHLA Conference this week on Pay Equity.
  • HS has discontinued the purchase of cassettes and VHS tape in order to save for newer technology such as CD's and DVD's.
  • HS met with Deputy Fire Chief Mike Hoisington about the cracks in library foundation. Response to documenting the cracks with pictures was met with a noncommittal answer. The trustees approved the purchase of a digital camera for library use.
  • Independent Film series has been discontinued due to lack of patron interest.
  • Circulation report was distributed and circulation is down most likely due to Thursday closing.
  • HS will attend tonight's planning board meeting to gather information about the proposed strip mall planned next door to the library.

Unfinished Business:

  • HVAC
    • Central Aire has completed all prep work necessary for roof top installation. A different roofer needed to be selected because of scheduling. Date for installation is set for June 2&3. The Library will need to be closed while this work is taking place.
  • Target Grant
    • HS will have ready for MF to review on Wed.
  • Meeting Room Maintenance
    • Wes has completed painting the meeting room on the kitchen side and will work on other areas as time permits.
  • Veterans Plaque
    • The plaque honoring Hooksett Veterans has been hung in the reference area of the Library. MF will contact the Banner for the rededication.
  • Benchmarks for First Six Months
    • HS and trustees reviewed goals and approved. HS would like to present a prioritized goal list to the trustees next month.
  • Red Cross Blood Drive
    • The library will host a blood drive on June 20th from 2-7. LG will look into providing child care, since event is being held on last day of school.
  • Credit Card for Director
    • The trustees voted to authorize the application for a MasterCard .The card is for library use only and only director has authority to use. The trustees would like to see the limit set no higher than $3,000.

New Business:

  • NHLTA meeting May 26th
    • HS will again be a presenter at conference. MF will attend other seminars taking place at the same time.
  • Homework Room
    • LG suggested that the current homework room could also be utilized as a quiet game room , for games such as chess and cards. HS and MF liked idea but needs to be put on hold until more staff can be hired.
  • Kiwanis
    • Kiwanis is once again offering financial support for the summer reading program. The trustees voted to pay for Heather's dues to join Kiwanis.
  • Survey Monkey
    • HS attended a seminar about surveys and found out about a free service called Survey Monkey. The service would allow the library to conduct patron survey through our web-site.
  • Rehire List at Town Hall
    • Tabled to next month
  • Meeting Room Policy
    • A group of Hooksett residents and non- residents were wishing to hold weekly bible study services at the library. Their request was denied due to lack of space for a weekly meeting.. Library space is reserved for town groups. HS will look into revising our meeting room policy to provide more clarity.
  • Request for blinds in Tech Services.
    • The staff working in tech services would like to request blinds be installed on their windows facing circulation desk. Trustees agreed as along as circulation desk is still properly covered.
  • Desk for Heather
    • HS is still searching for a reasonably priced desk that fits her.
  • Handling of cash receipts
    • Procedures for handling cash receipts and deposits were discussed and a plan is in place.
  • Payroll to Town
    • HS and trustees began researching ways to save money on the handling of payroll.
  • Potential class that could be offered at the library
    • MF will bring in Centennial Center (Concord) newsletter so we can see what they offer
  • Comparison of our staffing with comparable libraries
    • MF suggested that HS might be able to get staffing information from other libraries so we could compare our staffing. We would need to compare fulltime equivalents (40 hours per week ) so we need to know the total number of hours that other libraries are open and the total number of staff hours that are worked. It would be nice to know, of that total how many full time staffers and part time staffers there are.

Items we are tracking:

  • Insurance of library contents
  • Shelving options
  • Kids' Community Service
    • Helpdesk for computer lab
  • Gift for AnnMarie
    • MF waiting to hear back from AnnMarie .
  • Vacation Policy
  • Measurement Tool for staff and Library Director reviews
    • Measurement tool for staff complete; working on director
  • Wal-Mart Grant
    • Wal-Mart gives matching grants, maybe booksale proceeds could be used to refurbish children's YA area or to start a music collection.

 

The next Trustees Meeting will be June 14th at 9AM