MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF
THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE OLD BRIDGE PUBLIC LIBRARY
April 10, 2013
OLD BRIDGE, NEW JERSEY
Present: Barbara Cannon President
Dr. Joan George Vice President
Frank Weber Treasurer
Mary Chamberlain Secretary
Patrick Gillespie Trustee
Steven Goldman Trustee
David Merwin Trustee
Maria Nowak Executive Assistant
Darren Miguez Director
Absent: David Cittadino Supt. of Schools’ Alternate
Balwinder Singh Mayor’s Alternate
Guests: Library staff members Felisha McEachern, Nancy Cohen, Gail Sankner and Marcy Kagan
The President called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. and announced that the meeting had been advertised and would be conducted in accordance with the Sunshine Law.
Minutes
Motion: made by Steven Goldman, seconded by Mary Chamberlain, to approve the regular board minutes from the March 13, 2013 board meeting. Vote Yes: Barbara Cannon, Joan George, Mary Chamberlain, Patrick Gillespie, Steven Goldman and David Merwin. Frank Weber abstained
Motion: made by Mary Chamberlain, seconded by Joan George, to approve the executive session minutes from the March 13, 2013 board meeting. Vote Yes: Barbara Cannon, Joan George, Mary Chamberlain, Patrick Gillespie, Steven Goldman and David Merwin. Frank Weber abstained
Finance
Action on Bills
Motion: made by Frank Weber, seconded by David Merwin, to approve the bill listing in the amount of $267,013.04. All in favor
Personnel
Motion: made by David Merwin, seconded by Patrick Gillespie to approve the hiring of Part-time Passport Clerk, Lydia Kircher at an hourly rate of $14.99 pending background check. All in favor
Mr. Miguez indicated interviews for the position of Library Assistant I, Electronic Resources for 23.75 hours biweekly has been completed.
Mr. Miguez indicated the Part-time Youth Services Librarian position closed today and indicated he will be reviewing the applications.
Motion: made by Steven Goldman, seconded by Mary Chamberlain to approve an additional Part-time Youth Services Librarian, 36 hours biweekly. All in favor
Mr. Miguez introduced Teen Librarian, Jaclyn Kulesa to the Board. The Board welcomed Ms. Kulesa.
Director’s Report
Energy
Mr. Miguez announced effective May 2013 the library will be contracted with Hess for electricity. Mr. Miguez noted Hess will also consult the library on natural gas prices to determine if the library would benefit in the future.
Collections
Mr. Miguez announced Ms. McEachern has been looking into two collection agencies and is present to answer any questions. She then presented her report to the board which included the information that last month the library notices that were mailed out to patrons totaled $2,000.00 for lost materials. The amount does not include overdue fines. Ms. McEachern feels that patrons may have become accustomed to the Library’s usual mailed notices and may disregard them. It seems appears to be necessary for the Library to extend more effort to get materials returned.
Ms. McEachern indicated two libraries within LMxAC use and recommend Unique Management as a retrieval agent. The company provides a 90 day trial period. Mr. Goldman noted if the library goes this route the circulation policy may have to be changed. Ms. McEachern agreed that the circulation policy would need to reflect charges for overdue fines.
Ms. McEachern indicated the collection agency charges $8.99-$10.00 per person, and noted the representative suggested not sending patrons who owe less than $100.00. Mr. Merwin questioned if the collections would affect a patron’s credit report. Ms. McEachern said that the library does not have access to personal information so someone’s credit report would not be impacted.
The collection agency sends out three letters spaced out over 60/90 days. After the three letters the agency may start with soft phone calls. Ms. McEachern indicated at the end of 2012 $30,000.00 in fines was owed to Old Bridge Public Library.
Mr. Merwin suggested the library hold an amnesty day before going to a collection agency. Mr. Goldman indicated he felt the library should do the 90 day trial period. Mr. Goldman suggested the representative be invited to a board meeting during the 90 day trial to assist the Board in making a final decision.
Motion: made by Steven Goldman, seconded by David Merwin to retain the services for Unique Management for a period of 90 days. All in favor
Mr. Goldman indicated to Mr. Miguez he would like a monthly status report. Mary Chamberlain and the Board thanked Ms. McEachern for her report and recommendation.
Time Management
Mr. Miguez indicated the new time clock is up and running and going well. Mr. Miguez noted he is confident time management will be more accurate going forward. Dr. George suggested the Personnel Committee work towards generating procedures for the new time management system.
Roof Update
Mr. Miguez announced the contractor has been up on the roof to evaluate repairs and has ordered materials. Mr. Miguez indicated the contractor should be returning this week.
Finance Committee
Mr. Weber announced the library is three months into the 2013 budget. Mr. Weber indicated he foresees a flat budget for 2014 and anticipates additional losses. Mr. Weber noted he will hold a Finance Committee meeting Thursday, April 18, 2013 at 6:30 p.m. Mr. Weber indicated he would like to obtain more information from the Mayor regarding the energy plan. Mr. Weber suggested Mr. Miguez further investigate the energy plan and look into automating the library’s thermostats.
Policy Committee
Mr. Miguez announced he would like to move forward with the gifts and donations policy. Mr. Miguez indicated he will contact Mr. Goldman before the next Board Meeting to arrange a Policy Committee meeting.
Personnel and Negotiations
Dr. George announced there is a Negotiations meeting tomorrow night and a meeting with the attorney beforehand. Dr. George noted a Personnel meeting will need to be held as there are issues that need to be addressed.
Building and Grounds
Mr. Goldman asked Mr. Miguez what the situation was on the buildings smoke detectors. Mr. Miguez indicated testing resulted with them being found faulty and were replaced with new models.
Mr. Merwin indicated he is pleased that the contractor has been here to address roof issues. Mr. Merwin indicated he has concerns about doing piece work repairs on the roof.
Outreach/Marketing
Mr. Goldman suggested Mr. Miguez get in touch with some of the larger clubs in town.
Friends Report
No report
New Business
Strategic Planning Committee Composition
Mrs. Cannon announced the contract was signed. Mrs. Cannon indicated they are in the process of putting together a committee. Mrs. Cannon noted Dr. George, Mr. Weber, and Mr. Goldman will represent the Board. Mrs. Cannon indicated there will be four meetings and a retreat (for all Board members). Mr. Miguez indicated ideally the committee would consist of four board members, three staff members and three public citizens. Mr. Miguez also indicated he is waiting to hear back from one library staff member and two from the public. Mrs. Cannon indicated four meeting dates need to be arranged.
Strategic Planning Kick off Dates
Mrs. Cannon announced a meeting will be held in the near future. Mrs. Cannon noted additional meeting dates and procedures will be discussed.
E-mail Database
Mr. Miguez announced the library currently has 14,000-15,000 e-mail addresses of Old Bridge Library users that have been compiled over the past several years through LMxAC. He also indicated a good portion of them may not be up to date. Mr. Miguez stated his goal is to reach out with information to the public. Mr. Merwin said that the Township has a database company that they use that has restricted access. Mr. Merwin indicated Beau Byrtus in Parks and Recreation oversees it.
Public Comments
Nancy Cohen had a suggestion on collecting lost materials and overdue fees.
Mary Kagan announced a homeowners association booked a conference room for a fee.
Executive Session
Motion: made by Mary Chamberlain, seconded by Joan George, to go into executive session at 8:35 p.m. to discuss matters of personnel and negotiations. All in favor
Public Session
Motion: made by Frank Weber, seconded by David Merwin, to go back into public session at 9:12 p.m. and announced matters of personnel and negotiations was discussed and no action was taken. All in favor
Motion: made by Frank Weber, seconded by Mary Chamberlain to endorse the reorganization of the Old Bridge Public Library as presented by the Director. All in favor
Adjournment
Motion: made by Joan George, seconded by David Merwin, to adjourn the meeting at
9:14 p.m. All in favor
Respectfully submitted,
Mary Chamberlain, Secretary
Library Board of Trustees
Date Approved: May 8, 2013
Transcribed from tape by Linda Reynolds and Maria Nowak
Reviewed by Director Darren Miguez and Board Secretary Mary Chamberlain