Follow us:

Minutes of December 14, 2016 Meeting

Larchmont Public Library

Board of Directors

Minutes of Meeting

December 14, 2016

The Larchmont Public Library Board of Trustees met on December 14, 2016 at 6:45 p.m., attended by Board Chair Pamela Dubitsky (PD), Trustees Jennifer Conley (JC), Lauren Gottfried (LG), Maureen LeBlanc (ML), Barbara Liptack (BL), and John McGarr (JM), Town of Mamaroneck Liaison Ernie Odierna (EO), Village of Larchmont Liaison Carol Miller (CM) and Friends Liaison Sandy Bernstein (SB), Library Director Laura Eckley (LE), Head of  Reference Liam Hegarty (LH), and Library Staff Assistant Ryan Madonna (RM).  Trustee Linnet Tse was excused.
Board Chair PD called the meeting to order at 6:53 p.m.
The Board reviewed and unanimously approved the Minutes of the Board Meeting of November 10, 2016.

Friends of the Larchmont Public Library Liaison Report

SB reported that the Friends’ year end membership drive was underway. SB further reported that a screening of the movie Larchmont is scheduled for 12/18 and a large crowd is expected. LE circulated a letter from FOL President Rich Levy commending retiring Friends Director Robert Leopold on his many years of service to the Friends of the Library. LE reported that the Friends have donated $1,000 to the library in Mr. Leopold’s honor. PD noted that Mr. Leopold was one of the founders of the Friends and thanked him for his many years of dedicated service on behalf of the Library.

Committee Reports

Schedule of Bills and Performance Report: The Board reviewed and unanimously approved the Schedule of Bills dated 12/9/16 and 12/14/16. The Board approved the Performance Report dated 12/9/16. Board Chair Dubitsky noted that the Library’s FY17/18 annual budget meeting with the Town of Mamaroneck and the Village of Larchmont is scheduled for 2/6/17 at 6:00 p.m.

Transformation

LE reported that the coffee bar is now open and has been well received by staff and patrons. LE also reported that contractor MVM has finished additional punch list items, although there are a few minor outstanding issues, that the automatic doors and flushometers have been adjusted and are working well, and that Library Interiors is waiting for backordered material to complete shelving and millwork.

Building and Grounds

PD reported that At Home on the Sound donated a flowering tree in honor of Ellie Fredston and that the tree was planted on the front lawn during a small dedication ceremony. In addition, the Board reviewed and unanimously approved an estimate of $6,000 from Naber Electric to install exterior outlets at the front of the building, as well as additional data runs for computers and phones in office space on the lower level of the library.

Director’s Report

LE reported that the Children’s Room held its first Storytime Elections on 11/8. LE further reported that Teen Librarian Kim Larsen’s newly formed Teen Advisory Board has written its own mission statement and plans to focus its attention on programming for teens. LE also reported that Kim hosted MMS’s literacy classes and provided tours, book talks and crafts to sixty 6-8th graders. LE further reported that in January, Kim will have “snack breaks” for teens in The Loft during midterms. LE complemented the library staff members for their work on the annual Holiday Gift Guide which is now available at the Adult Reference desk and mentioned that Reference Librarian Frank Connelly recently performed his 10th annual holiday reading of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.

Executive Session

The Board voted unanimously to enter Executive Session at 7:35 p.m. to discuss personnel matters. The Board voted unanimously to exit the Executive Session at 7:40 p.m. The Board then voted unanimously to approve additional compensation for staff related to the Library Transformation Project.

Other Business

The Library Board unanimously approved closing the Library on Easter Sunday.
Board Chair Dubitsky adjourned the meeting at 7:50 p.m. The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Board will be held on January 11, 2017.
Respectfully Submitted,
Ryan Madonna
Staff Assistant

Privacy Preferences

When you visit our website, it may store information through your browser from specific services, usually in the form of cookies. Here you can change your Privacy preferences. It is worth noting that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our website and the services we are able to offer.

For performance and security reasons we use Cloudflare
required
Our website uses cookies, mainly from 3rd party services. Define your Privacy Preferences and/or agree to our use of cookies.