Gay-Kimball Library

Board of Trustees Meeting

January 3, 2008

Present: Catherine Callegari, Beth Richardson, Jan Jones, Kathy Marrotte

Finances:  The board reviewed and voted to approve the minutes of the prior month's meeting.

Jan reports that there is currently $1,130 in the library account. Catherine noted that this amount was lower because of a recent book order. There is $6,124 in the Elaine Shubert Memorial fund. We have $362 in fine money that needs to be deposited into the fine account.

Librarians Report: Catherine reports that in December the door count was 745 (down from 973 in 06), 6 new patrons signed up at the library, the computer was used 116 times, and 1678 items were circulated. In 2007: 100 new patrons joined the library, 31% more people participated in library programs; summer reading attendance was down by 30% and total materials at the library was down by 100 items. 40 meetings were held at the library (down 9 from the year prior) and the door count was up by 11%. 23% more items circulated out, and computer usage was up 48%.

Old Business:

1.     Maintenance: In the spring, we will need to have the overhang in the front of the library entrance painted. There are mold spots in the children's area on the wall near the joining of the two buildings. This may or may not be related to the roof leaking. Harold is not sure of what he will find in the wall, and estimates that it might cost $750 for him to repair it, but he is willing to take on the job.

2.     Budget Meeting recap:  We quickly reviewed the budget meeting for Jan, and then read the letter from the lawyer that the Selectman's Office provided.

3.     Hot Soup Social: The hot soup social will be held on Saturday March 8^th from 4-6pm. We will plan this at our next meeting.

4.     Deed to Library Land: The Historical Society has purchased a safety deposit box and Kathy will make arrangements with Catherine to put the original deed in the box.

5.     Patron Records: Catherine has gone through and cleaned out all patrons who have been inactive prior to the past 2 years. We have 847 active patrons who utilize the library.

6.     Kathy: Kathy needs to officially run for her position on the board. The forms for this are at the Town Clerks office, and must be done prior to Town Meeting.

New Business:

1.     Roof Leak and Insurance: Prime Roofing came and did an assessment of the roof leak on January 1^st. They have determined that the rubber lifted away from the roof, allowing water to pool underneath it. They have fixed the issue, and recommended metal flashing over the area where the two buildings join each other to prevent future issues there. The insurance company will not pay for the repairs to the roof, but they will pay to replace the items damaged by the leak. Catherine had several people come and do estimates, and the trustees voted and chose Harold to do the repairs. He has estimated that it will cost about $930 to repair the walls and ceiling area upstairs. There is $4000 in the expendable trust account and we will use that money to have the building repaired.

2.     Heat Trax Mat: The mat has been installed and is doing a fantastic job of keeping ice away from the book drop area. There is a bit of an issue with the melted water freezing across the sidewalk, but it is a better situation than the icy book drop area. Catherine has purchased the materials to secure it to the ground but the weather has not been cooperative.

3.     New Shelves in Children's Section: We had a discussion regarding the Elaine Shubert Memorial Fund money, and came to the conclusion that a good use of that money would be to buy new shelves for the Children's Area. We could get plaques put on the ends of the shelves explaining how they were purchased. We discussed several different options including having some built locally. Catherine received an estimate for wooden shelves with metal inserts ranging from $6500 to $3200. We decided that it was most practical to replace all the shelves, minus the yellow reference shelves to the cost of $5,600. Kasey Clarke will do a comparison estimate and see if she can beat that price to build them locally.

4.     Memorial Fund: In the interest of other people who donate monies to the library in loved ones names and memories, we have decided to rename the Elaine Shubert Memorial fund to "The Memorial Fund". This will also allow us a way to keep the money separate from the general funds.

5.     Vacuum issues: The vacuum is not doing a great job cleaning the rugs, and has a belt/ beater bar issue. It has been repaired several times and it was decided after a brief discussion that we will just buy a new vacuum. Catherine has a meeting scheduled with the representative from the Vacuum Store in Keene and will purchase a new machine.

6.     Public Comments: no public were available to comment.

The next meeting will be held on Wednesday February 6^th 2008 @ 7pm.