Haverhill Public Library
Board of Trustees
Minutes of June 17, 2021
The regular monthly meeting of the Trustees of the Haverhill Public Library was called to order at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, June 17, 2021 via Zoom or in the auditorium. In attendance were Trustees Bresnahan, Klueber, Rurak, Sheehan, and Veasy-Sirois. Also in attendance was Director, Sarah Moser and Assistant Director, Jonathan Nichols.
Secretary’s Report
The trustees were given copies of the minutes dated May 20, 2021. After perusing the minutes, a motion was made and seconded to accept the minutes. The minutes were approved.
Treasurer’s Report
Business manager, Josh McDonald, presented the financial statements for May. He stated that there was an increase in the portfolio and that all of the Grad Trust donation has been received and that there are still smaller donations being made also. All of the state aid was received in May and was higher than anticipated due to an increase in hours.
A motion was made and seconded to accept the financial statements. The statements were approved.
Presentation by Jennifer Gray of Blinn, Farrell and Company
Jennifer presented the financial statements as of June 30, 2020 and 2019. She stated that out of the total library funds that the bulk of it is restricted. She suggested that her and Josh work together to separate the restricted funds into separate categories on the spreadsheet in order to make sure the funds are being spent how the donor requested and so not to confuse those funds with general purpose funds. She also stated that total assets were higher in 2019 because there were a couple of large donations and in 2020 there were not, and in addition, in 2020 there was a decrease due to the pandemic.
A motion was made and seconded to accept the financial reports. All were in favor and the statements were approved.
Director’s Report
Sarah discussed the highlights of the director’s report:
- Library hours are back to normal with nights open Monday through Thursday, although they have been slow
- The City has updated the mask mandate to “masks recommended”
- Half of the new fence has been installed
- We will have outdoor, in person programming this summer with indoor programming expected to return in the fall
- Summer reading has started
- The outreach van has been going out frequently
Old Business
Staffing Update: One of the reference positions was filled by an internal candidate as she has just completed her MLS. That leaves an open position in Tech Services, which the Mayor agreed to upgrade to a 40 hour position with a higher pay scale. An offer was made to a candidate for the reference department head position. A part time library clerk gave her notice.
A vote was needed by the trustees for renewal of Tamara Gaydos’s contract. A motion was made and seconded to renew the contract for six months. All were in favor.
Trustee Rurak asked how we can open Special Collections more to the public. Sarah said that when the new reference staff are here, they will be trained to work in Special Collections. There was discussion on the need to hire a full time permanent archivist.
Budget Update: A vote was needed by the trustees to accept the amended budget for FY22. After discussion of eliminating fees and fines, a motion was made and seconded to accept the amended budget. All were in favor.
Building Update: Paul Anastasi joined the meeting via Zoom to discuss the Schneider proposal for a new HVAC system and upgrade needed to the hardware and software. Trustee Rurak asked about the security of the new system since it will be in the cloud. Paul said there is always the possibility of a security issue with online systems and to work with IT to make it as secure as possible.
A vote to replace the compressor was taken. A motion was made and seconded. All were in favor.
New Business
- We are planning for the Merrimack Halloween Book Festival to be held indoors this year
- Sarah asked the board how they feel about having a fall fundraiser. It was suggested that it might be a good idea even if it doesn’t bring in a lot of money this year. It will be good to continue the tradition and for people to get out.
There being no further business to discuss, a motion was made and seconded to adjourn. The meeting ended at 10:50 a.m.
Sincerely, Kathleen Bresnahan