Lincoln Library Trustees’ Meeting Minutes
Date: January 30, 2007
Present: Jack Pugh, Jacquelin Apsler. Peter Sugar, Al Kraft, Marshall Clemens, Diana Abrashkin, Trustees; Barbara Myles, Library Director; Amy Gavalis, staff representatives.
Minutes
The December minutes were approved as corrected.
Announcements
None.
Financial Report
Expenditures are in line with expectations, except for electricity which, due to rate increases, is higher than expected.
Our budget has been accepted by the town – they expect the 3.1% increase budget will pass. We did lose our $5,000 request for website improvements, but kept $607 for book binding.
Librarian’s Report
Flatbread Pizza company has donated $154. The friends are experimenting with picking out more valuable books and selling them on ebay. Library activities and participation are up over last year.
The July 4th float this year will advertise the Vault fundraising brunch that is scheduled for Sunday October 21. Al suggested that for that brunch we might offer an ‘Antiques Road Show’-esque appraisal where people could bring in items to be evaluated by an antiques professional.
Staff Concerns
Once again, the staff would like the have the carpet replaced ASAP.
Town Benefits Committee: Kathy Rushby and Jane Flanders are participating in the towns review of vacation, sick leave, insurance etc.
Building Committee
• Carpeting: has been ordered for the reference room and periodical room. We are still waiting for samples for the children’s room.
• Windows: we are having a meeting with Max Ferro on Tuesday Feb. 6th to review the window specifications.
• Vault: plans are well underway, Karle Packard is producing detailed plans with some add-alternates on the HVAC system to try and control costs. Barbara and Susan Brooks have had a meeting with the Town Clerk and Library director from Concord to learn how they share their vault facilities.
• Handicap Access: the new door is working – but needs a some minor fixes to the switches.
• Fire Suppression: The CPC has agreed to give some money – not yet clear how much – for the fire-suppression project.
Other Business
Jacquelin Apsler was appointed as the new chair of the trustees by unanimous vote. We bid a fond farewell to Jack who is stepping down as chairperson, and gave our many thanks for his excellent leadership (and short meetings).
Town Flag: the town is designing a new flag, and we will have the option of buying one or more flags to fly at the library and/or just display inside.
De-Certification of Medway: the board voted unanimously to “not serve Medway until they improve their library service.” Thus we have the option of serving them if they improve their situation but remain shy of actual certification.
Light at Bookdrop: we discussed several options – none obviously right – to provide a motion-sensitive light for people dropping off book after-hours and after-dark.
Next Meeting
The next meeting is scheduled for February 27th.
Respectfully submitted,
Marshall Clemens
LIBRARIAN'S REPORT
January 30, 2007
TO: Trustees, Lincoln Public Library
FROM: Barbara Myles, Librarian
Operating Budget FY2008
The Finance Committee’s second Budget Workshop was held on January 23 at the Donaldson Room of the Town Office Building. Before this meeting, the Library’s liaison to the Finance Committee, Stuart Haber, told us that the library would receive approval for the additional $607 for book binding plus enough money to keep the book budget at 15% of the total budget for state certification. The Library’s Budget Committee received approval for this request at this meeting.
Capital Budget FY2008
The Community Preservation Committee has not announced its funding decision for FY2008. John Koenig, Chairman of the Community Preservation Committee told me that there are other projects they are considering in addition to the Library’s fire suppression project.
Friends
The Book Sale is expanding into the Internet! Rayna Caplan, Elizabeth Cherniack, and Rebecca Andre started selling books on Amazon.com as a pilot project to raise additional revenue. Beyond advertising the books on Amazon.com, logistics for holding the books in “inventory” until the sales are made and creating an online bank account, such as Pay Pal, are in the planning stages.
The bulk of the Friends’ January meeting was spent discussing their ambitious plans for upcoming activities. Some of the activities planned for this spring are new, such as graduation book awards and TV Free week. Other activities, like the house tour planned for spring 2008 have not occurred for several years. The tried and true activities, such as book sales, the staff/volunteer appreciation lunch, July 4th parade float, and October brunch will continue into the future.
Adult Department
Ellen’s Friday Morning Book Group discussed Native Speaker by Chang-Rae Lee on January 26 as part of the “Immigrants Integrating: American Experiences” theme for this fiscal year. Dr. Richard Mollica spoke at the library on January 31 about his new book, Healing Invisible Wounds: Paths to Hope and Recovery in a Violent World. Dr. Mollica is a Lincoln resident and wrote much of his book at the library. His book draws on more than 30 years of helping victims of trauma to try and overcome their pain. The Boston based acoustic duo, “Outrageous Fortune,” performed on Sunday January 28 as part of Lincoln’s Winter Carnival weekend. Iris Osterman displayed her paintings at the library during January. The Mystery Mondays book group discussed Bertie and the Crime of Passion by Peter Lovesey on
January 22. The Write Stuff met during January. A film called “Out of Balance” was shown and discussed at the library on January 17. Classic Jazz also met in January for the 282nd time!
Children's Department
The winter season of Children’s programming began the week of January 15. The popular Wonderful Ones, Terrific Twos, Preschool, and book discussion groups for 3rd & 4th graders and 5th & 6th graders are back this season. A winter carnival crafts activity was available at the library on Saturday January 27. Children decorated snow flakes with markers, crayons and glitter!
Reference Department
Reference staff answered at least 273 documented reference questions during December 2006. Jeanne is offering drop-in training sessions for patrons to teach them how to use the databases, like the Historic Boston Globe and Books in Print. Dozens of databases are available to patrons and we want to increase the use of these databases.
Vault
I have begun putting the finding aids for materials in the vault onto the library’s web site. The files are in PDF format so any web browser can open these files. By improving access to the finding aids, usage of vault materials should also increase. Jeanne has begun organizing the collection of documents donated to the library from St. Joseph’s Church.
TV Free Week
The heads of the public services departments: Ellen Sisco, Amy Gavalis, Jane Flanders, and Jeanne Bracken met with Lincoln School principals: Sharon Hobbs (grades 5-8) and Stephen McKenna (grades K-4), Kathy Clark (Lincoln PTA), Nancy Rote (Hanscom School Librarian), Alice Sajdera (Lincoln School Librarian), and Susan Taylor (Friends of the Lincoln Library) met on January 24 to discuss programs for the upcoming national TV Free Week, April 23-28, 2007. The events are firming up and the Friends are interested in sponsoring some of the events.
Building Repairs
1. HVAC
The library had no heat on January 22 and 24. Solar-Tech staff explained that the boiler was not turning on because the receiver controller for the boiler thought the building had enough heat. Adjusting the receiver controller manually only provided a short term repair. As a result, it was replaced on January 25.
2. Vault Renovation Project
The Building Committee met with Karle Packard of Red Hawk Studio Architects on January 16 to review the partially completed construction documents. Karle had incorporated designs from the electrical engineer and mechanical engineer for the electrical and HVAC systems. Space from the Lincoln Historical Room is used to expand the vault and there is concern that the renovated LHR will be too small. Karle will address this concern as he continues with the construction documents.
Karle and I made a site visit to the Concord Free Public Library on January 25. Leslie Wilson, Curator of Special Collections, gave us a tour of the vault and showed us the architectural plans for her library’s vault. We also met with the Concord’s Library Director, Barbara Powell, about the vault and special collections renovation projects.
3. Window Replacement Project
Max Ferro’s window report had suggested a restoration project as alternative but this option was rejected by the Trustees at their December 19, 2006 meeting. Unfortunately, Max’s report insinuates that the cause of the rotten windows is a substandard painting job and disregards the class action lawsuits that found fault with the wood preservative used in Marvin windows during the mid to late 1980s.
4. Carpets
The low price quote ($12,935) for carpets in the Farrar Room and Reference Room was submitted by RD Weis Company. Installation is scheduled for late March or April. A sales representative from RD Weis will bring carpet samples to the library on January 30 for the Children’s Room carpeting project.
5. Painting
The painting and plaster repairs identified in Simpson, Gumpertz and Heger’s condition site survey in January 2004 and funded with FY05 capital planning funds was completed in early January.
6. Automated Entry Doors
Lincoln’s electrician connected the electricity to the door closers on December 29. Door Concepts technicians made adjustments to the electronic settings on January 2 and 12. Members of Lincoln’s Disability Commission are pleased with the automatic doors.
7. Flag
The Fire Department raised the library’s new flag just in time to honor Gerald Ford upon his death on December 26.
8. Generator
The generator failed to start for its weekly exercise on January 18 and would not start manually on January 20. A technician from Cummins N.E. came to the library on January 22 and found that two of the three glow plugs were not working. (Glow plugs heat the combustion chamber before the engine is started. Without these glow plugs, the generator’s diesel engine will not start during cold weather.) The timer clock was also not working. Replacement parts are on order to make the necessary repairs.
Kudos
Thanks to the Flatbread Company for having a fundraising event for the library even though this restaurant is in Bedford and donating $154 to the library. The manager of this restaurant called only a week before the fundraising event and explained that she would donate a percentage of the proceeds from pizza sales during 4 to 9 p.m. on January 2 to the library. I told her that I thought this was great to do for the library especially since her restaurant is located in Bedford, not Lincoln. She was surprised and told me that she thought she was speaking to the Bedford Public Library. As a result, I thought she would make the donation to the Bedford Public Library instead of Lincoln and did not promote the event. Next year we will do better!
| 
