Minutes for June 19 Trustees Meeting



Present: Cindy Binzen, Curt Albee, Miriam Newman, Marty Frank, Rebecca Seibel, Carol Wilson, Ingrid Webb (for the Friends)


Minutes from the May meeting were accepted as amended.


Friends Report: Sign-ups for helping at the book sale are not pouring in; some recruitment may prove necessary. We do have an organization that has expressed interest in taking all unsold children’s books. The rest will be packed up and shipped to Better World Books. Curt said he’ll be setting up the tent on Wednesday and can leave it up for a few days after the sale.


Librarian’s Report: Rebecca and Emily visited Newton School to tell students about the summer programming that’s scheduled and the reading logs. The Monday evening summer programs will begin July 10 and include a workshop on cartooning.


We received a $2,000 grant from Turrell, and Rebecca said she will soon apply for grants from either the Byrne Foundation or Mascoma Bank to supplement that amount. The benefit concert that Stuart Smith is putting on is scheduled for Friday, July 7 at the church.


The Vermont Department of Libraries ran a workshop on the Verso system that we have decided to switch to. Rebecca was unable to attend, but David Webb did go and brought back a training manual. The state appears to be behind schedule in assisting libraries that wish to make the change; no application for the grant that  will cover the start-up costs has been made available yet. The mahjong and meditation groups continue to gather weekly at the library. Mike Tisdale has been asked to order a Chromebook for the library with his next equipment purchase.


Treasurer’s Report: Unrestricted donations are running $700 behind last year, but we are otherwise on track. The Investment Committee awaits instructions on what the trustees wish to do with this year’s disbursement, which is a little bit more than $6,700. We can elect to spend it, reinvest it in the endowment fund, or place it in a separate account.


Miscellaneous: Curt talked with Eli Mintz about tree work behind the library. When the rain stops long enough for things to dry out, Curt and Eli will survey the area to determine which trees should be removed. Curt will get an estimate on what it will cost to get that work done, including chipping up the trees. The search for a mason continues.


Next meeting will be July 10.


Submitted by Marty Frank