SCARBOROUGH PUBLIC LIBRARY
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Minutes of the Meeting
March 16, 2023 (hybrid meeting)
Attendees: Bill Donovan (President and Chair), Ellen Detlefsen, Peter Freilinger, Anne Janak, Judy Johnson, Barbara Kapp, Nicholas McGee, Allen Paul, Susan Powell, Lenore Rapkin, Nancy Crowell (Director, non-voting), Catherine Morrison (Assistant Director, non-voting)
Absent: Kim Corthell, J. David Dittmer, Jim Kupel
The meeting was called to order at 4:33 PM by Bill Donovan.
Consent Calendar: It was noted that the Consent Calendar includes minutes from the Transition Committee meeting on 3/9/23 in addition to items listed on the agenda. Motion to accept was made by Anne Janak, seconded by Allen Paul, and carried unanimously.
Treasurer’s Report: Dave Dittmer was absent but had sent a written report to the board prior to the meeting. Motion to file the report for audit was made by Ellen Detlefsen, seconded by Susan Powell, and carried unanimously.
Library Director’s Report: Nancy Crowell noted that the library had been closed for one additional snow day on Tuesday, March 14. The grant request to AARP, described in her report, has been submitted for $7,000. Funding would help pay for signage and benches along the “Green Trail”. She announced that Henry Herbst has accepted the position of Cataloger/Adult Services Assistant and will start on April 10.
Town Councilor’s Remarks: Nick McGee reported that the Town Council had just passed a resolution to form an ad hoc committee which will address the proposed community center with a goal of placing the project on the ballot for the November 2024 election. A representative from the library will serve on the committee in an advisory capacity. Discussion followed regarding the location of the community center and progress on the school expansion project.
President’s Remarks:
Unfinished Business:
Building project — Discussion of next steps. EveryLibrary “Post-election Loss Listening Tour”. Nancy said the general feeling is that there is no need to follow up with community members about what went wrong with the election, since we are not going back to voters with an expansion project at this time. It’s likely that when we do, public perception and the economic climate will have changed. However, several board members emphasized that we should not let go of the “listening” idea completely but attempt to talk with major donors to the capital campaign, while the project is still fresh in their minds.
Board assessments — PNG Committee review. Anne Janak shared the results of the assessments with the board. There was some discussion about items that may have been unclear to everyone, particularly with regard to the process of recruiting and mentoring new trustees. The committee can use the results to identify candidates with areas of expertise that the board is lacking.
Preliminary FY2024 budget. Nancy has submitted the budget to the town and will present it to the Council on Wednesday, April 26. She reviewed it line by line with the board.
Note: Peter Freilinger excused himself and left at this point in the meeting.
New Business:
Succession planning — discussion on process. A transition committee has been formed and consists primarily of PNG committee members. They are meeting weekly and are currently in the process of editing the job description for the position of Library Director, which should be posted by the beginning of April.
Strategic Priorities and Goals. Motion to authorize the transition committee to revise and finalize this document was made by Allen Paul, seconded by Ellen Detlefsen, and carried unanimously.
Donations policy. Motion to accept the policy as revised by the PNG committee was made by Susan Powell, seconded by Ellen Detlefsen, and carried unanimously.
Suggestions for new board members. Nancy has received several suggestions and distributed a list to the PNG committee for consideration.
Staff appreciation event. Because several board members would be unable to attend on May 8, it was decided to postpone the event to Monday, June 12, at 5:00 PM. The CRD Committee will coordinate but will solicit donations of food from the rest of the board.
Items for Next Agenda:
Blocking parameters (internet filtering criteria)
Donor cultivation and formation of a development committee
Adjournment: Motion to adjourn was made by Ellen Detlefsen, seconded by Susan Powell, and carried unanimously. Meeting adjourned at 6:03 PM. Respectfully submitted by Barbara Kapp, Secretary