Haverhill Public Library
Board of Trustees
Minutes of April 19, 2018
The regular monthly meeting of the Trustees of the Haverhill Public Library was called to order at 8:35 a.m. on Thursday, April 19, 2018, in the Donald C. Freeman Whittier Room. In attendance were Trustees Klueber, Veasey, and Rurak, along with Director Sarah Moser, Assistant Director Ricky Sirois, and Bookkeeper Perry Frankston.
Secretary’s Report
Without a quorum present, no vote was tendered regarding minutes from either February or March meetings.
TD Wealth
Joe Marini of TD Bank attended to present his semi-annual overview of the trust and special collections accounts. He provided an extensive summary of the factors that will and are most likely to affect the trust in both the short term and long term. Discussion of the financial market, economy, and the relative health of the library’s finances followed.
Joe will return in October for another update.
Treasurer’s Report
Perry Frankston, Business Manager, provided copies of the March financials for the trustees to examine. Brief discussion followed.
Friends’ Shop
Jen Scarci and Cindy Cavallero presented quotes and plans for the renovation of the Friends’ Shop. Discussion followed regarding the reliability of vendors, materials being used, and timeline for work. The renovation is expected to provide room for additional merchandise and greater flexibility and storage.
Jen also revealed that she will be leaving shortly and will no longer be overseeing Friends’ business. The completion of the renovation project will be handled by Cindy.
Director’s Report
A copy of the Director’s Report was provided for review.
Old Business
Dana’s contract is up for renewal in May and a decision needs to be made on what length of extension to offer and what terms. This will include a meeting between Sarah, Dana, and Reference Dept. Head Liz Rieur within the next few weeks.
Approximately 50 photographs in the digitization project are too large to be effectively digitized for public use. However, the negatives are also deteriorating rapidly, and conservation efforts are needed very soon in order to preserve them. Sarah offered two options: Preserve and digitize now, saving digital files for anticipated future improvements, or Preserve only with expectation of future digitizing. This issue will be raised again at the May meeting.
The Van has been purchased and plans are underway to outfit it properly for use around the community.
The bathroom renovations are underway and work is progressing.
Attempt to resolve the mold issue continues, with the next work day scheduled for May 15th. A search for a dehumidification solution continues.
Sarah researched two options for having a second art appraisal. Both quotes came in significantly higher than the appraisal that was recently completed. The trustees will revisit the issue at the May meeting.
New Business
Sarah provided information on the initial draft of the FY19 budget, which will be up for a vote at the May meeting. It contains only minor changes from the FY18 budget.
Respectfully submitted,
Kathleen Bresnahan
Secretary