Minutes for the Jan. 10 Trustees Meeting

The meeting convened at 7 p.m. via Zoom. Attending were Cindy Binzen, Curt Albee, Miriam Newman, Rachel Kurland, Carol Wilson, Melissa Strayton (librarian) and Marty Frank.

Minutes from the December meeting were accepted.

Librarian’s Report: Melissa said that she had put in an order for the collection and noted that if the line item for audiobooks looks low on the most recent financial report, it’s because the invoice hadn’t arrived. The after-school program collaboration with One Planet went well in the just-concluded session; the library was charged for 42 students during the eight-week session. Cindy suggested organizing some sort of “make-and-take” project for the next school vacation. 

Melissa worked on the annual statistical report for the state while staying home much of last week. Among the things she noticed from the statistics was a sizable increase in the use of our website, an indication that our pending upgrade is worth the time and effort. Still pending is the acquisition of the second air purifier for the back of the library and the dedication of picture books celebrating the arrival of new babies in Strafford.

Treasurer’s Report: Rachel distributed the almost-end-of-the-year Profit & Loss statement and the slightly revised proposed 2022 budget before the meeting. She noted that we incurred a $4,000 deficit in the last year, mostly attributable to the painting project. Our spending continues to increase slowly over the years and, at some point in the future, we’ll have to figure out how to increase our revenue. In the near future, however, we have a fair amount of cash in our bank account, which provides a comfortable cushion.

Marty moved, Miriam seconded that we adopt the budget presented by Rachel (although it may need to undergo a very minor modification) that calls for spending $58,671 off of expected income of $58,621. The motion passed unanimously. Rachel said that the financial report has been prepared for inclusion in the town report. She also said she has heard nothing from the IRS about our 990 filing for 2019. She now assumes that means we’re in good standing.

Other Business: Cindy thanked Curt for building guards to protect the newly planted bushes from falling snow. Rachel says that sorting of donated books for the next July sale has begun; she will soon clear out some of the empty boxes to make additional space in the basement. Melissa said she noticed that our outdoor faucet was leaking; Curt said he would check on it. Cindy continues to hear nothing from Tom Cecere about EC Fiber’s consideration of the library as a site for a hub. Although the quirks of accounting indicate differently, this year’s annual appeals letter appears to have brought in about what was expected in donations. Cindy remarked that she much appreciated book reviews for guidance in what to read and wondered what the library might do to facilitate that. That led to a short discussion about book clubs — Melissa noted that the Woodstock library has a regular group that allows participants to talk about what they’ve been reading. Miriam, whose term expires in March, agreed to run again for a three-year term.

Our next meeting will be Feb. 14 at 7 p.m., probably by Zoom.

Submitted by Marty Frank