Haverhill Public Library
Board of Trustees
Minutes of September 15, 2022
The regular monthly meeting of the Trustees of the Haverhill Public Library was called to order at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, September 15, 2022 in the Donald C. Freeman Whittier Room. In attendance were Trustees Bresnahan, Coletti, Rurak, Sheehan, and Veasey-Sirois. Also in attendance was Director, Sarah Moser and Assistant Director, Jane Lemuth.
Secretary’s Report
The trustees were given copies of the minutes dated August 18, 2022. After perusing the minutes, a motion was made and seconded to accept the minutes. The minutes were approved.
Treasurer’s Report
Business manager, Josh, presented the financial statements for August. Highlights included:
- Josh is waiting for the final audit report then the audit will be complete.
- The portfolio is down as the markets continue to fluctuate.
- An invoice from OverUnder came in for $46,000 and was paid for with the recently donated money.
- We will need to keep an eye on the building repairs and maintenance budget as we have already used about half.
- The outside services budget is higher than usual due to the condo purchase.
There was discussion on creating a separate budget for the renovation and a separate report for money used from the donation.
The trustees would like Josh to add a new line item for Insurance.
Director’s Report
Sarah discussed the highlights of the director’s report:
- Summer reading is finished. There was good participation and the camp theme was liked.
- Sarah has been consulting with the roofing company and the awning supports will be installed in the fall and the awning in the spring.
- Sarah has been interviewing for a new Haverhill Promise director.
- The library will start to open on Sundays soon but it has been difficult to get staff to work that day.
Old Business
OverUnder Update:
- The first public meeting was August 24. There was a good turnout and diverse participation.
- There have been about 100 survey responses.
Staff Updates:
- Sarah has been interviewing for multiple open positions. The head of reference position will be posted soon.
- Jane and Abigail both started and are both working out well.
- The new head of archives starts Sept. 19.
Annual Report: Sarah made edits and presented a second draft of the annual report.
New Business
Sarah attended the first Friends meeting since summer break. The Friends stated that they would like to be a focus group for the renovation project. They are also working on items to sell for the 150th anniversary. Sarah suggested items that would appeal to a wider audience and to think about an online store on a website. There are companies and possibly staff that could help with that.
Sarah, trustee Coletti and Mark Pasnik of OverUnder interviewed PR consultants and agreed to hire Christine Paul. The trustees discussed her qualifications and proposal. A motion was made to accept the proposal with an additional focus on the legacy gift within the context of the 150th anniversary and renovation. All were in favor.
There being no further business to discuss, a motion was made and seconded to adjourn. The meeting ended at 10:55 a.m.
Sincerely,
Kathleen Bresnahan