MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF
THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE OLD BRIDGE PUBLIC LIBRARY
FEBRUARY 9, 2005
Present:
Joseph Nuzzo, President
Steven Goldman, Treasurer
Kathryn Arabia, Secretary
Dr. Joan George, Trustee
Linda Seiler, Trustee
Barbara Cannon, Mayor’s Alternate
Dr. Patricia Johnson, Superintendent of School’s Alternate
Margery Cyr, Director
Maria Nowak, Executive Assistant
Absent:
Mary Chamberlain, Vice President
Tara Flynn-Rozanski, Trustee
The President called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. and announced the meeting had been advertised and would be conducted in accordance with the Sunshine Law. The Secretary called the roll.
Minutes
Motion: made by Dr. Patricia Johnson, seconded by Steven Goldman, to approve the minutes of the January 12, 2005. Vote: Yes: Steven Goldman, Joseph Nuzzo, Linda Seiler, Dr. Patricia Johnson, Dr. Joan George and Kathryn Arabia. Barbara Cannon abstained.
Finance
Motion: made by Steven Goldman, seconded by Linda Seiler, to approve the bill listing in the amount of $124,459.19. Unanimously approved.
Personnel
Resignation
Motion: made by Dr. Patricia Johnson, seconded by Kathryn Arabia, to accept the resignation of Library Intern, Linda Murray, effective February 24, 2005. Unanimously approved.
Motion: made by Steven Goldman, seconded by Linda Seiler, to accept the resignation of part-time Custodian, Tiberiu Fekete effective January 26, 2005. Unanimously approved.
Appointment
Motion: made by Steven Goldman, seconded by Dr. Joan George, to approve the appointment of full-time Head of Maintenance & Custodial Services, Tiberiu Fekete, effective January 27, 2005 at an annual salary of $35,000.00. Unanimously approved.
Personal Leave of Absence
Motion: made by Linda Seiler, seconded by Steven Goldman, to approve the request for three months Personal Leave of Absence for Carmela DiMaria, part-time Custodian, beginning February 7, 2005 until May 7, 2005. Unanimously approved.
Library Board Committees
Mr. Nuzzo, President, appointed the following Library Board committees:
Finance:
Steven Goldman, Chair
Tara Flynn-Rozanski
Barbara Cannon
Joseph Nuzzo
Personnel:
Chair Mary Chamberlain
Steven Goldman
Dr. Patricia Johnson
Joseph Nuzzo
Building/Maintenance:
Steven Goldman, Chair
Barbara Cannon
Joseph Nuzzo
Policy:
Kathryn Arabia, Chair
Linda Seiler
Barbara Cannon
Joseph Nuzzo
Schools:
Dr. Patricia Johnson, Chair
Tara Flynn-Rozanski
Kathryn Arabia
Dr. Joan George
Joseph Nuzzo
Director’s Report
The Board reviewed and accepted the Director’s Report. There was extended discussion about the New Jersey Public Library Statistical Report for 2003, which identifies the Old Bridge Library as falling below the 25th percentile in more than one category, including books owned per capita; and above the 100th percentile in items circulated. Also falling below the 25th percentile, is the per capita funding for the Library. These issues are not new to this year’s Statistical Report, but they do indicate that serious improvement in funding is needed if the Library’s services are to remain of high quality. The Board asked Mrs. Cyr to draft a letter for the Council expressing their concerns about the status of library funding and the fact that the Library has received virtually no increase in funding the past three years. The Board will develop Mrs. Cyr’s draft at the next meeting.
Workshop
Mrs. Arabia asked Mrs. Cyr about the ideas she learned from the workshop “Beyond the Book Sale.” Mrs. Cyr informed the Board it was disappointing in one way, as she would liked to have heard that someone had raised a million dollars. One idea she did hear, which seemed to be successful, is the East Brunswick Library’s use of vending machines as fund raisers. The vending machines sell sodas, snacks, and office supplies.
Mrs. Cyr and Maria Nowak will meet with vendors next week about the options for vending machines in our Library. The Board asked for a full report at the March meeting.
Mrs. Arabia commented on the teams and feels the teams are a great idea and are very positive and should be motivational for the staff. There was lengthy discussion about the “Dress for Success,” the “Diversity” and the “Standing Ovation” teams. Mrs. Cyr emphasized that the “Standing Ovation” program was truly to recognize outstanding performance and not to be a popularity nor a political award. There was discussion about the difficulties of implementing guidelines for appropriate dress at work, but how important it was for staff to present a professional appearance.
Mrs. Seiler asked about the SAM software. Mrs. Cyr gave a very brief overview of SAM; the automated circulation system and the status of the migration to a new system; and the change in the public internet hub structure, which will be done by the State Library this summer.
There was discussion about the reorganization in process in the audiovisual area. Only a very few comments have been received from members of the public at this point. The library is decreasing the number of books on cassette and increasing the number of books on CD’s purchased. The library has not purchased videos for two years and is only buying DVD’s. Donations of videos are accepted and the Library receives many of these, which are added to the collection.
Old Business
Lighting Project
Mrs. Cyr informed the Board she spoke with Joe Criscuolo and Mario Barone and there is money left in the bond to finish up the rest of the work the Library needs, such as the switching and the additional lighting for the Technical Services department. Mr. Barone is awaiting the final estimate from the electrical contractor Dependable.
Personnel Committee Meeting
Mrs. Cyr said she will call Mary Chamberlain to set up a meeting with the Personnel Committee as soon as possible.
New Business
Policy Committee
The Policy Committee scheduled a meeting for February 21, 2005 at 5:30 p.m. to review the draft of Acceptable Behavior Policy.
Library Treasurer Bond
Mr. Goldman expressed his concerns about the form he was given to fill out for the bond, and he is waiting to hear from a supervisor from Fleet Insurance.
Mrs. Cyr expressed concerns about the size of the bond in relationship to the size of the Library’s budget. The Board suggested Maria Nowak call the auditor and ask if the Library should increase the bond for the Treasurer.
Public Comment
Dr. Johnson thanked Margery Cyr, Maria Nowak and the entire Library staff for all their help during a two day workshop she held at the Library. Dr. Johnson said it could not have been a more pleasant experience.
Adjournment
Motion: made by Dr Patricia Johnson, seconded by Linda Seiler to adjourn the meeting at 8:50 p.m. Unanimously approved
Respectfully submitted,
Kathryn Arabia, Secretary
Library Board of Trustees
Date Approved: March 9, 2005
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