Larchmont Public Library
Board of Trustees

Minutes of Meeting
October 12, 2011

The Larchmont Public Library Board of Trustees met on October 12, at 6:30 PM. Present were Board Chair Pamela Dubitsky, Trustees Jennifer Jordan Conley, Lauren Gottfried, Maureen LeBlanc, John McGarr, Maureen Moriarty and Iven Taub: Village Liaison Marlene Kolbert; Friends of the Library Liaison Fred Baron; and Acting Director, June Hesler.

The meeting was called to order at 6:37 PM.

The minutes of the Board meeting of 9/14/11 were unanimously approved as amended upon motion of Lauren Gottfried, seconded by John McGarr.

Friends of the Larchmont Public Library Liaison Report

Fred Baron mentioned the very successful program on October 2 and that there were two more programs this month. The scarecrow membership drive had brought in twenty-six new members and thirty-one scarecrows had been sold.

Committee Reports

Board Chair Dubitsky announced the creation of two new Board committees – the Buildings and Grounds Committee and the Library Director Selection Committee – and stated that these committees would be responsible for reporting back to the Board at the monthly meetings. Board Chair Dubitsky asked Iven Taub to join the Finance Committee, and he agreed to do so.

Budget and Finance Committee:
(Committee Members: Maureen LeBlanc, John McGarr and IvenTaub.)Maureen LeBlanc and John McGarr reported the following:

• Gift Money – In reviewing the financials at last month’s Board meeting, the Committee realized the need to revise the gift accounting procedures. The Committee prepared a set of resolutions. Iven Taub made the following motions, all seconded by John McGarr, to approve the resolutions, each of which passed unanimously:
  

  TREATMENT OF GIFTS RECEIVED BY THE LARCHMONT PUBLIC LIBRARY

  • Resolution 1 – Resolved, that in order to properly account for donations received by the Larchmont Public Library ("LPL") that are designated for specific purposes, the Board of Directors is establishing a special Trust Fund.
    The name of this fund will be the LPL Board Trust Fund for Restricted Gifts. All amounts of $1,000 or more that are received by the LPL from individuals, families, or groups, that are designated for specific purposes, will be deposited to this account.
    The LPL will create a mechanism for tracking the following information for each such donation:
    • The date the donation is received
    • The amount of the donation,
    • The name of the donor or donors,
    • The designated use for the donation,
    • The date the donation is expended by the Library,
    • The amount expended, and
    • A description of the item purchased and/or the way the funds were used.
  • Resolution 2 – Resolved, that in order to properly account for donations received by the Larchmont Public Library ("LPL") that are not designated for specific purposes and that are intended for the general benefit of the Larchmont Public Library, the Board of Directors is renaming the existing Board Restricted Trust Fund as the LPL Board Trust Fund for Unrestricted Gifts. All amounts of $1,000 or more received by the LPL from individuals, families, or groups, that are not designated for specific purposes, will be deposited to this account. The LPL will create a mechanism for tracking the following information for the LPL Board Trust Fund as a whole:
    • The date each donation is received
    • The amount of the donation,
    • The name of the donor or donors,
    • The date of each expenditure from the Fund,
    • The amount of each expenditure, and
    • A description of the items purchased and/or the way the funds were used.
  • Resolution 3 – All gifts received by the Larchmont Public Library (LPL) that are for amounts under $1,000 (whether they are designated for a specific purpose or not) shall be recorded in the Gifts & Donations Line (#2705) of the LPL Operating Account.

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Note: It is understood that when Trust moneys are used for Capital Purchases, they will not flow through the operating account. However, when they are used for Operating Purchases, including books, publications, etc., they will be added to the operating budget through the Fr Trust Line (#2855) and through budget amendments and charges to the relevant operating accounts.

• Children's Room Renovation Fund – Board Chair Dubitsky indicated that the goal is to close this fund out by the end of the current fiscal year. The Board and the library staff are compiling a list of outstanding items to be completed in connection with the renovation.
• Budget – The Committee will begin work on the 2012-2013 budget in November.

Buildings and Grounds Committee:
(Committee Members: Lauren Gottfried, Maureen Moriarty) Trustee Gottfried reported the following:

• Leaking Pella windows in Children's Room – A Pella representative was here on October 4 and promised to issue a report on the problem within two weeks.
• Sump pumps – Building Superintendant John O'Malley will order materials for reconfiguring the elevator sump pump and will perform the labor. The Board had expressed concern at last month's meeting that the library does not have a back-up generator. O’Malley estimated the cost of a generator and labor would be very expensive. The Board directed Acting Director Hesler to ask O'Malley to investigate alternatives.
• Installation of new Boiler – The boiler project is completed with the exception of some final system tests which O'Malley expects to be successful.
• Children’s Room Security Cameras – O'Malley presented to the Committee three estimates for monitors, cameras and labor. The lowest estimate, provided by Open Systems, was selected. O'Malley was directed to contact the company.
• Library Façade and Columns – Engineers Hillman and Miley are expected to complete drawings by early November. Bid documents will be completed and hopefully a contract will be signed by the end of January for work to commence in the Spring.

Library Director Selection Committee: (Committee Members: Pamela Dubitsky, Jennifer Conley, Wendy Raso) – Board Chair Dubitsky explained the civil service process. She stated that the next day she would direct that the list for Library Director II be requested. She also stated that the Committee conducted a survey of the library staff in order to find out what the staff is looking for in a new director.

Finance/Schedule of bills

The schedules of bills dated 10/5/11 were reviewed by the Board and unanimously approved upon motion of John McGarr, seconded by Lauren Gottfried. The Board received and reviewed the performance report dated October 5, 2011. There was also a review by Maureen LeBlanc of the Fiscal 2011 Year End Report, which answered some of the questions raised by the Board in the September Board meeting.

Acting Director’s Report

Acting Director June Hesler presented her report. The big news is that Kindles can now be used with the library eBooks! We had another very successful Big Truck Day with over 400 adults and children attending. And there has been continuous discussions concerning the new adult desk design.

Old Business

• The Board continued its discussion from last month’s meeting regarding the proposed Public Library Director’s Association (PLDA) revised fine structure. If the proposal passed the adult fines would increase five-cents a day per item and the DVD’s would increase fifty-cents a day per item. The Board directed the Acting Director to vote "no."
• The Board briefly discussed the drawings for the new adult circulation desk, prepared by Library Interiors. These drawings have been reviewed carefully by the library staff and some Board members. The Board expressed its pleasure with the drawings and directed Board Chair Dubitsky to contact Bill Devine of Library Interiors, asking that he begin the work.

New Business

Acting Director Hesler presented a list of one item of equipment surplus with value of $0. Upon a motion of Lauren Gottfried and seconded by Jennifer Conley, the Board voted unanimously to discard this item.

The Board convened into Executive Session at 8:30 PM to discuss the selection of the new director and reconvened at 9:10 PM.

The meeting then adjourned at 9:10 PM. The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Board will be November 9, 2011.

Respectfully Submitted,


June Hesler
Acting Library Director