Haverhill Public Library
Board of Trustees
Minutes of August 20, 2020
The regular monthly meeting of the Trustees of the Haverhill Public Library was called to order at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, August 20, 2020 via Zoom or dial-in. In attendance remotely were Trustees Bresnahan, Klueber, Rurak and Veasy-Sirois. Also in attendance were Director, Sarah Moser and Assistant Director, Jonathan Nichols.
Discussion with Cindy Cavallaro, President of The Friends of the HPL
Cindy discussed the possibility of opening the Friends Shop and if they would be allowed to and if so, how to do it safely. She indicated that they would need access to a restroom, that they would supply their own PPE, and thought it might be possible with 1-2 volunteers and 1-2 customers at a time. Sarah stated that the volunteers should know all of the new policies. Jonathan said it might be possible to use MyLibro to make a reservation to shop. Trustee Rurak asked if they could do online shipping and Cindy said she would like to discuss it.
Secretary’s Report
The trustees were given copies of the minutes dated July 16, 2020. After perusing the minutes, a motion was made and seconded to accept the minutes. The minutes were so approved.
Treasurer’s Report
Business manager, Josh, presented the financial statements for July. He stated that the stock market was up 3% this month. There were a number of memorial gifts in memory of Esther Rosen. He stated that we will need to monitor library generated income and seek out new ways to generate income. A motion was made and seconded to accept the financial statements. The statements were so approved.
Director’s Report
Sarah discussed the highlights of the director’s report. The roof will be finished this or next week. Stats are high, especially Overdrive. Special collections is still closed and can’t reopen until the vacant reference position is filled. She stated that since opening one month ago people have been mostly agreeable and staff is reviewing the rules with each patron. Staff has been handing out pagers to keep track of each patrons time in the library. More children have been coming in, computers are spread out, bathrooms are restricted to hand washing only and curbside pickup is still popular.
Old Business
Website Update: Jonathan gave an update on the website redesign. He stated that the completion is on target to go live soon and that staff is adding content. Flor has done a lot of translating into Spanish. There is the option to add another language to the website. Trustee Rurak stated that it might be a good idea to add all languages like the City of Haverhill and Haverhill Public Schools websites. Sarah commended Jonathan for his work on the website.
New Business
Summer Reading: The summer reading program has ended. It was successful with a good number of participants, both children and adults, and a lot of positive feedback.
Election Update: Since the library is a polling place, Sarah and Luis has been working with the City Clerk to make sure voting goes smoothly since the library won’t be open as long as the polls are.
Fundraising: Staff is discussing alternatives to the Fall Fundraiser with the possibility of virtual options.
There being no further business to discuss, a motion was made and seconded to adjourn. The meeting ended at 10:00 a.m.
Sincerely,
Kathy Bresnahan