Minutes for March 11 Trustees Meeting

The meeting convened at 7  p.m. in the library. Present: Cindy Binzen, Curt Albee, Rachel Kurland, Marty Frank, Melissa Strayton (librarian), Carol Wilson, Kerry Claffey (bookkeeper), Miriam Newman and David Webb (for the Friends).

Minutes from the February meeting were accepted.

Librarian’s Report: Melissa said things are going well; a couple of orders for new materials have been put in and she’s scheduling volunteers for the near future. She is in the process of determining how much has been spent on children’s programming and comparing it to the previous year to figure out how long our funding should hold up. The subscription to the Kanopy streaming service is ready, and the board agreed to make it available at the beginning of April. The annual statistical report for the Vermont Department of Libraries has been completed and submitted; there was little change from the previous year. Melissa has notified the Children’s Literacy Foundation that we intend to apply for a grant. If we’re successful, we will receive $2,000 to purchase new books, and the school and the pre-school will also receive grants. 

Stuart Smith has made arrangements with a classical guitarist and intends to put on a benefit concert this fall. The program hosted by Robyn Jacobs about menopause drew only four people but went very well. A couple of the lights in the building have been blinking, and Curt said he would have Tom Root check them out.

Friends’ Report: David said the Friends are returning to action after a winter hiatus. A meeting is scheduled for April. The Friends will cover the cost of refreshments for Melvin Coburn’s talk.

Treasurer’s Report: After Kerry distributed a Profit & Loss statement, which showed no remarkable changes, Rachel reported that the annual statement has been filed with the probate court. She checked in with Mascoma Bank to see if they might offer any attractive CDs where we could park some of the money now in our checking account, and none of the rates of return come close to what we might get at Vanguard, where the Library Investment Committee maintains accounts. Kerry will check our cash flow history to help us determine how much we should leave in the checking account, and Rachel will research what will be involved in setting up an account. 

Miscellaneous: Miriam was congratulated on being elected to another term, and Cindy reported that she has acquired more stationery. 

Officer Elections: By unanimous votes, Cindy was re-elected as president, Rachel re-elected as treasurer and Marty re-elected as secretary.

The next meeting will be April 8 at 7 p.m. at the library.

Submitted by Marty Frank