— Trustee Minutes – June 3, 2024

Fitzwilliam Town Library Board of Trustees

Minutes of the June 3, 2024 Meeting

Members present: Chair Robin Marra, Carole Beckwith, Richard Marshall, Beth Lorenz, Nan Fey-Yensan, Alternates Pam Troccia and Amanda Blicharz, Director Kate Thomas and Assistant Director Cindi Beede  

  1. Call to Order – 5:30 pm
  2. Approval of minutes of the May 6, 2024 meeting: Motion to approve as written Richard/seconded Carole; unanimous in affirmative 
  3. Approval of the manifest – approved by all present
  4. Chair’s Report
    1. The Trustees are happy to welcome Amanda Blicharz (Blee-hash) as our newest alternate trustee. Amanda is a librarian by training and has lived in Fitzwilliam for about a year and a half.
    2. Robin asked that some changes be made to the Library website, including the addition of Amanda as an alternate and to adjust the new regular time of Trustee meetings (to 5:30 pm)
    3. Timetable for staff recruitment – A discussion ensued regarding the potential future hire of a Library Director. Robin researched the last search for a Library Director and shared some ideas for such time that the Trustees would be launching a search for a Director (composition of a committee, etc.).  The most recent position description will need to be reviewed over the summer months.
  5. Library Director’s report
    1. Circulation decreased by 16% this month from last year (current: 1649); the decrease is likely due to reduced patron use of DVDs.
    2. May programming- 15 adult programs; 15 children’s programs; total attendance of 467 (last month was a total attendance of 281); the Alice in Wonderland community event was a tremendous amount of work, but a huge success that attracted many community members and families.
    3. Patron attendance in the building for May was 1120 (up from last month)
    4. Provided space for 7 non-programming meetings (37 attendees)
    5. Cleaning position has been filled and the Director and Assistant Director are satisfied with their choice. 
    6. Lighting upgrades and carpet issues are being addressed. 
    7. ALA Grant – 44 patron surveys have been completed to date on the improvements made with the support of the ALA grant funds (data will continue to be collected through June). The final report is due June 30th to the American Library Association. 
    8. June looks to be a very busy programming month, both for children and adults.
  6. Old business
  7. 2nd floor discussion – The Trustee’s meeting was held on the second floor of the Library for the express purpose of illustrating, real time, the immediate needs of the space and to facilitate discussion of priorities. Cindi and Kate provided a menu of potential projects which could be addressed with the support of the $15,000 in expendable trust funds plus the $10,000 in ARPA funds that must be encumbered by the end of the calendar year (and, are designated for second story improvements). Some discussion items included:
    • Deep cleaning
    • Repair of plaster/ceiling/water damage (which may present an opportunity for some insulation in the ceiling) 
    • Stairwell- remove trap door; make adjustments to railings; wall around stair well to create a door at the top to eliminate the current “trap door”
    • Need audiovisual equipment for second floor and a plan for a projection space/wall
    • Purchase of insulated blinds to help with heat loss
    • Repurpose current area designated as the “kitchen” on the second floor as needed storage
    • Locke collection will need to be downstairs for monitoring purposes
    • Seating capacity is greater upstairs than in the annex 
    • Beth will reach out to contractors for estimates for the potential outlined projects associated with the second-floor space.

b. Fundraising consultant – Beth shared some names of development professionals via email after the last meeting; many are fully booked with other clients until 2025. The purpose of fundraising was discussed with a “bricks and mortar” focus seeming to be the preferred approach. We estimate needing between $250,000-$400,000 to do something comprehensive upstairs (e.g., to meet engineering concerns); need a formal campaign with direction from a professional fund raiser; a discussion ensued about the information a professional would need to develop an appropriate case statement (budgetary, strategic plans, etc.).

  1. New business
  1. Review/revision of Internet policy-   Robin will make amendments to the existing policy based on his recommendations and those of the Trustees; a motion to accept the Internet Policy as amended was made by Richard/ seconded by Carole; unanimous in the affirmative.
  2. Review/revision of Social Media policy – Robin will make amendments to the existing policy based on his recommendations and those of the Trustees; a motion to accept the Social Media Policy as amended was made by Beth/ seconded by Richard; unanimous in the affirmative.
  1. Ongoing business (e.g., Friends of the Library; Buildings & Grounds) and/or announcements
    1. Book sale; Friends having difficulty finding someone to take all of the left-over books that do not sell
    2. No updates on building and grounds; still need a gardener; Beth will ship out the upstairs ideas to potential contractors for their review, assessment of the second-floor space and cost estimates
  2. Date/time for next meeting: July 1, 2024 @ 5:30 p.m. 
  3. Adjournment: 6:35 pm; Motion made by Beth/seconded by Richard; unanimous in affirmative.

Respectfully submitted,

Nan Fey-Yensan, Secretary

June 3 2024