The Town of Lincoln, MA - Library Trustees

PRESENT: Jack Pugh, Chairman, Emily Althausen, Jenifer Burckett-Picker, Marshall Clemens, Al Kraft, Diana Abrashkin, Trustees; Barbara Myles, Library Director; Nadine Rebovich, Staff; Paul Giese, Susan Brooks and Al Schmurtzler, Finance Committee and Dennis Picker, School Committee.

BUDGET DISCUSSION: Jack Pugh asked for a vote on the FY-’05 Level Service Budget (total of $664,322) which assumes library services at ’04 levels and a new inclusion of full 15% funding (by Town Taxes) of the "book / materials" budget. This was moved, seconded and passed by unanimous vote. Jack Pugh asked next for a vote on the FY-’05 0% Closed Sundays Budget (total of $650,294) which also includes full funding of the 15% "book-materials" budget by Town Taxes. This means that FOR THE FIRST TIME in many years the total "Book-materials" budget is inserted into the base budget and included in next years beginning numbers. It was moved and seconded.

Great differences of opinion were expressed. One view remembered a past vote at Town Meeting where it was voted to add moneys to the library budget in order to preserve Sunday Services. Others felt the financial circumstances of this year were different from past years and thus warranted Sunday closings, if the over-ride does not pass.

At issue was the offer by the Finance Committee, to add the full cost of the "Book-Materials " to the FY-’05 0% budget. To accept this offer, we need to cut about $14,000 from the FY-’04 budget. The only combination that gives us this total cut is the Sunday Closing. No other morning can provide the necessary savings because Sunday closure removes the heating, janitorial and three librarian salaries for a full 24 hour period plus the extra supplies needed to serve the public.

One Trustee felt there was undue pressure to accept the Sunday closures from others in the room and one felt that the Library Board was accepting a FinCom decision that interfered with the Library Board’s legal authority. Another board member, in looking at the itemized list, noted that we had already reduced many line items to 0 and that he could not find areas to trim that were acceptable or that totaled to $14,000.

The FinCom representatives explained that they were attending this meeting to review the history of the last few months, which was a period of constantly changing state revenue numbers. In the FY ’05 0% budget, the FinCom had been able to find about $70,000 to distribute to Town Hall ($ 27,000), K-8 schools ($23,000) and the Library($ 14,000). This is with in the budget that does not require an override. The $14,000 in our 0% closed Sundays budget is absorbed by the $8964 book increase and an $5530 increased basic expenses. The FinCom is offering the funds and would have to justify this expenditure to the Town Meeting if they are to recommend passage. The Library trustees were under NO OBLIGATION to accept the funds and if the trustees can come up with a "better" place to bridge the $14,000 gap. The FinCom will then have to decide whether they can recommend our CHOICE in the process of discussing the pros and cons of the override budget. Passage of the override will restore the Sunday service in the Library’s budget.

LIBRARIAN’S REPORT: Director Barbara Myles reviewed progress on the 250th Anniversary History Project, The Anniversary Webb Page, Dr England’s Music Score Donations, the new Library page in the Lincoln Journal, the Facilities Review, Capital requests, Community Preservation grant request, Budget FY’05, possible Sunday closure, and Library Lane survey results.

STAFF CONCERNS: Nadine Rebovich, described how the letter from Staff to Trustees concerning the new trustee selection process had evolved at a Staff Meeting. The Staff felt very positive about their participation in the Director Search Process. They developed a list of constructive and thoughtful suggestions for the qualities, areas of knowledge and experience they hope for in a new Library Trustee.

Students will begin the video history project on January 27. Mary Pappas (a Lincoln parent and a teacher) is teaching the school elective and the Recreation Department program. She and Dan Pereira will write an article for the Lincoln Journal to publicize the project. The Friends of the Library have donated over $1,500 to this project in exchange for being named its sponsor.

Stacy Howard (Assistant Children’s Librarian) and Bill Carroll (Consulting Archivist) made an exhibit for the town’s 250^th anniversary highlighting the founding of Lincoln. Bill scanned portions of historic documents, which are stored in our vault, and wrote the text. Stacy put the information into a web page. The link to this exhibit is located on the home page of our website, www.lincolnpl.org. The plan is to change the exhibit every month throughout the year to promote the work that has been done to organize and catalog vault material.

Lisa Aker-Rothenberg and I met with Jim Meadors about the scores that Dr. England plans to donate to the library. Lisa and Jim agreed to use the Dewey Decimal classification system to assign call numbers to the scores. They are working out the last details of the call numbers to make it easy for patrons to locate specific scores as well as to browse the collection. Jim is willing to assign the call numbers to the scores on a volunteer basis. However, we need additional volunteer hours to process the scores.

To promote the library and its services I made arrangements with Stephen Hagan of the Lincoln Journal to have a Lincoln Public Library page in the Lincoln Journal. For the past month, library staff prepared a list of library events and a column for publication each week in the Lincoln Journal. The goal of the library page is to make residents more aware of their public library. This increased awareness should lead to increases in circulation of library materials and attendance at the library.

The Finance Committee approved the library’s reserve fund transfer request to pay for the facilities review of the library. Michael Louis, a Senior Project Manager with Simpson Gumpertz & Heger Inc., came to the library on January 14 to inspect the building envelope. He is focusing on structural issues. During his inspection, he took many digital photographs and will use them for his written report. The library’s mechanical systems will be inspected on Monday January 19. On January 20 Michael Louis will meet with custodian Bob Bottino, who has worked at the library for decades and is a key person to include in this facility review.

On January 7, Ellen Sisco, Amy Gavalis, Jane Flanders, and I met with the Friends of the Library to brainstorm about funding for the library. The Friends want to fund projects that are considered “extras.” For example, the Friends pay for the programs at the library. In past years, the library has submitted a wish list to the Friends but this year they want to be involved with creating the library’s wish list. Some of the ideas that were considered include: purchasing DVDs and books on CD, donating money to the vault project, purchasing audio visual equipment and computer equipment, and donating money to the school library.

Jack Pugh and I met with Paul Giese (co-chair of the Finance Committee) and Al Schmertzler (the library’s liaison to the Finance Committee) on January 9 to discuss the library’s budget proposals. They asked for a budget that includes closing on Sundays, which the library has proposed in the past. We provided them with this information with the understanding that the Trustees have not voted on this proposal.

Now that we are in the grips of winter with below freezing temperatures and longer nights, patrons are complaining more about the lack of parking on Library Lane and their safety concerns about backing out of the parking spaces into oncoming traffic. The street lights were ordered months ago but have not yet arrived. Assistant Town Administrator, Christopher Coleman, is in contact with the light company. When he gets a delivery date for the lights, he will pass this information along to me.

It has been unusually cold during the past month and the furnace has had trouble keeping the library warm. At first we attributed the entire problem with the heating system to the cold weather. During Ellen’s January 9 book discussion group, however, the Tarbell Room was less than 60 degrees. Even though the patrons were cold, they stayed and had an animated discussion of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Other areas of the library were less than 60 degrees as well such as the Reference Desk and the Children’s Room.

Yes, it was cold outside, but sub 60 degree weather is unacceptable! The library’s HVAC contractor came to the library on January 9 and found that the fresh air intake vent was stuck in the open position. A motor had broken inside the unit. While we wait for the new motor, the fresh air intake vent is forced shut with a piece of wood.