Baker Free Library
Board of Trustees Meeting
 September 12, 2007
 Approved Minutes

  1. Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 6:58 pm following a brief celebration to thank Eric Anderson for his five years of service as a trustee. Present at the meeting were Elizabeth Foy, Colleen Haggerty, Susan Hatem, Tom Ives, Regan Mack and Library Director Linda Kling.
  2. Minutes: Regan made a motion to approve the minutes of the Board of Trustees’ meeting of August 1, 2007. Colleen seconded it, and the motion was passed 4-0 with Tom abstaining due to his absence from the last meeting. Regan noted that he will continue to be able to attend Wednesday meetings so no change will be necessary in January.
  3. Treasurer’s Reports:
    1. Tom presented the Monthly Budget Report for the month of August. Upon completion of 16.66% of the budget period, the library had spent 16.23% of its budget. There was discussion about how the budget cut is affecting the library in relation to book purchases and the need to publicize the situation close to next spring’s town meeting. It was suggested that Linda write an article about how a collection is developed over time. The board also discussed the landscaping on the south side and between the library and Bovie, and the board asked Linda to get estimates on lawn mowing before the snow flies to include in the next budget. Susan moved to accept the Monthly Budget Report as presented, Regan seconded the motion and the report was accepted as presented.
    2. Tom presented the report on the Special Expenditures Account for the month of August 2007. The closing balance in the Nonprofit NOW account was $18,744.59. The closing balance in the RSA Account was $7,670.63 for a total in both accounts of $26,415.22. Colleen questioned the item "Other – special program/employee purchase" under receipts and Tom stated that it is incorrectly listed under the RSA account and should be in the operating account. The total under RSA receipts should be $90.15. Susan moved to accept the report as corrected, Colleen seconded it, and the report was accepted.
  4. Director’s Report:
    1. Utility pole/signs: Linda will call the utility company to inquire about the angled pole viewed at the last meeting. After discussion, the board decided to hold off on the question of the BFL and Bovie signs for now.
    2. Risk Management Committee update: The committee is planning to meet Tuesday, September 25th at noon.
    3. New Hire: The new page hired for five hours/week is working out well.
    4. Summer Programs: Linda reported that the children’s summer reading program run by Jenny Ericsson, "Race Into Reading", was a great success with 254 readers reading 4,139 books. In addition, the TNT summer program for "Teens and Tweens" which included a book review activity designed by Celeste and Jen had 33 participants, produced a useful scrapbook of "Summer Picks" book suggestions, and received great feedback from kids and parents. Linda will explore publicizing these ventures.
  5. Old Business:
    1. Personnel Manual: Susan reported having met with Linda to work on the manual. Having drafted a grievance policy, they are now checking on how it fits with other policies in the manual and how it compares to other libraries’ policies. Linda called NH Municipal Association but they do not give advice regarding library policy manuals. She will contact Attorney Melissa Martin who specializes in library law. The NH Library Trustee Association’s revised manual due out this summer has not yet been published.
    2. Granite lion: Mrs. Gouin has ordered the lion. Perry Monuments will install it once it arrives and the board decides on placement.
    3. Financial Statement Binders: Tom delivered two financial statement binders to Linda for storage in the library.
    4. Bank signature cards: Tom will follow up now that Bow Mills has become Merrimack County Savings.
    5. Human Resources: Linda and the staff are working through the continuing staff shortage due to family and medical issues this past year.
  6. New Business: None.
  7. Correspondence: None
  8. Next Trustee Meetings: Oct. 10, November 14 and Dec. 12 at 6:30 pm.
  9. Adjournment: Tom made a motion to adjourn, Regan seconded it and the meeting was adjourned at 7:58 pm.

Respectfully submitted,

Susan Hatem

Secretary