Library Trustees' Meeting - 10/6/2010

BYRON G. MERRILL LIBRARY – BOARD OF TRUSTEES – OCTOBER 6, 2010

The meeting was opened at 6:30 with Roger Daniels, Tom Wallace, Leina Smoker, and Susan Turbyne in attendance. Also in attendance was Jan Serfass.

Review/Approval of Minutes – June 2, 2010 - It was moved (Roger Daniels) and seconded (Leina Smoker) to accept the minutes as written. The motion passed.

Welcome Leina Smoker – Since our last meeting, Jan Serfass resigned as a trustee. We thank her for seven years of service to our library and community. We welcomed Leina as the new member of the board and we look forward to having her work with us. The NHLTA Library Trustee Manual has been ordered for her.

Secretary function – For the time being Susan will be doing the minutes for our meetings.

REPORTS
Treasurer’s Report
Account Balances – Total Assets: $95,905.96
YTD Income – Expenses – We have spent 64.6%, $21,702.40, of our approved budget as of September 30, 2010
Projected 2010 Expenditures were discussed.

Library Director’s Report
We are very much involved in ‘Lakes Region Reads’ which is taking place at this time. The basic premise of this project is that readers at eighteen of our area libraries are reading the novel, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows, the story of the people on the island of Guernsey during WWII. The story, through letters, tells of the heroism of the people as they survived German occupation. Our library display to call attention to this period in history includes our collection of Life magazines from 1941-1945, town reports from that time, and some of our books and videos.
Over forty events have been planned. Some of the events are:The Kick-off Event took place this past Saturday at the Wright Museum in Wolfeboro, NH, a museum illustrating 1940s home life and celebrating the heroic efforts of ordinary people during this time. Well-known journalist Mike Pride discussed his book We Went to War featuring narratives from NH veterans and their World War II experiences. Free copies of the book The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society were given out and ice cream was served. It was an enjoyable afternoon. The next event is planned for this Saturday in Stow MA and will feature antique vehicles, military vehicles from this era and some re-enactments. On Friday, October 15th, in Gilford, visitors will be able to see what a day in the life of a soldier was like, sample MREs (Meals Ready to Eat), and try on a uniform.
Ann Barrows, co-author of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, will hold a question and answer presentation at the Inter-Lakes High School auditorium and there will be an opportunity for book signing.
The culminating event on November 6th will be a Big Band Concert at the Tilton Veterans Home. The Lakes Region Big Band will headline a USO-themed concert to celebrate our veterans with music from the Big Band era.
Three events were planned here in Rumney. These events are a joint effort between our library and the Rumney Historical Society and are supported in part by a grant from the Humanities Council of New Hampshire. The first event took place last month when historian Marcia Schmidt Blaine did a power point presentation on life here in Rumney during the WWII years. The event was well attended and well received and everybody enjoyed the homemade pies we served after the program. Marcia is returning on Thursday, October 21st, for a follow-up program when local residents will share some of their reminisces of the war years. We have been handing out free copies of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society at the library and will gather for a book discussion on Thursday, November 4th. Jim is hoping to make potato peel pie for the occasion.
In addition to our everyday tasks we have several cataloging projects in the works - juvenile non-fiction (Jan) - John Serfass will be adding front pieces to the display to better show the books, the 800s (Lara), and the 900s (me).

OLD BUSINESS
Unanticipated Income – It was moved (Roger Daniels) and seconded (Leina Smoker) to accept the donations (from donations and the Old Home Day Book Sale) received since June 2nd, 2010, in the amount of $613.25. The motion passed.

2010 Improvement Projects - Update
Refinish Entry doors – Work on doors has not been done. Susan will speak with Paul Turley again.
New Lighting Project – Tom has been meeting with people from Laconia Electric to
get suggestions for our lighting. He has also investigated an energy improvement grant with the NH Electric Coop – they would pay for 50% of the cost of lighting. Bill Johnstone from NH Electric Coop will visit the library tomorrow morning to assess our needs.

NEW BUSINESS
LIBRI Foundation Book Purchase -It was moved (Roger Daniel) and seconded (Leina Smoker) to use $350.00 from the Old Home Day Book Sale for the Libri Foundation book purchase. The motion passed.

2011 Budget – Tom and Susan attended the selectmen’s meeting on September 20th to discuss the budgets for the next year. The selectmen have asked that the proposed budgets be submitted by November 1st.
2011 Operating Budget – We need to think about next year’s requirements. We discussed increasing hours.
2011 Library Trust Fund Expenditure Authorization – We need to think about projects and money needed.
Accessibility Project Capital Reserve – We are going to request $5,000.00 to go into the fund.
Other Business – The next meeting will take place on Wednesday, October 27th at 6:30 pm.

The meeting was adjourned at 7:50 pm.