Otis Library Hybrid Meeting* Minutes
Thursday, October 12, 2023
6:00 PM, Meeting Room, Otis Library
Sue Brofman, Chair called the meeting to order at 6:08 PM. Members present: Jim Adams (Zoom), Sue Brofman, Tom Burke, Diane Dyer, Susan Ebitz, Brad Havill, Gloria Mamokhin, Carol Reife, Donna Rich, and Celeste Watman (Zoom)
A motion was made by Tom, seconded by Carol, to approve the September Meeting Minutes. The motion was unanimously approved.
Tom delivered the Treasurer’s Report. A motion was made by Susan, seconded by Diane, to approve the treasurer’s report. The motion was unanimously approved.
Director’s Report: submitted by Director Brad Havill
Attendance:
• To date this FY: 2159 Adults, 182 Children, 49 Teens (total of 2390 persons)
• 291 computer users, 241 phone calls, 195 reference questions* (727 total)
• Last week was the busiest week since the first week of September.
• We switched to Winter Hours this week.
• Museum Passes: 110 circulations since KH created a tracker (July/August timeframe)
o Berkshire Museum: 11
o Clark: 24
o Mass MOCA: 10
o Berkshire Botanical: 13
o Bidwell House: 4
o Arrowhead: 4
o Rockwell: 20
o HSV: 7
o Chesterwood: 4
o Mount: 6
o Magic Wings: 5
o Ventfort
ILL/Delivery: Slowing down some (19 bins out, ~16 in for the last month
New Patrons:
• Since approximately June 1: 63 New Library patrons have joined our library.
Other:
• We completed the State Aid/Financial Report that was submitted Sept 29 (about a week before the deadline).
• We hosted Ed the Wizard’s Pirate Party Oct. 4th – small crowd but they had a lot of fun.
• Tuesday Oct. 10th, I visited the new Richmond Library (with Donna).
• I have a meeting with Anna Popp from MLS on Nov. 1st.
• Still planning on a visit to Erving.
• Working on the Grant and need to work on Statement of Need with others.
A motion was made by Gloria, seconded by Carol, to approve the Director’s report. The motion was unanimously approved.
4. Old/Ongoing Business
Small Library Grant (SLA) – Brad and Donna visited the Richmond Library that is part of the Richmond Town Hall. Both were very impressed with the use of space and the independent funding used to complete the project. Other trustees will visit when the facility is open to the public. Larry Gould took Sue, Donna, and Tom on a site visit to view various town properties for the proposed new library. The first parcel, adjacent to the school was ruled out due to numerous rocks, steep pitch and access issues related to getting to the parcel. The second parcel, in 100 Acre Park, is between O’Brien’s and Transfer Station. It is a lovely piece of property. The Board was concerned that the property is not accessible from Rt. 8 but considers it a viable option. The Harmony Hall site was also offered to be incorporated with the existing building. The Board found this problematic for many reasons: Demolition costs, lack of land space around either building and the difficulty of making the current building ADA accessible. The group looked at a piece of property in East Otis that is currently not for sale but might become available in 2024. Several board members questioned why the property directly in front of town hall is not being considered. Selectboard member Gary Thomas’s support of exploring the sale of the Fratelli’s property for town use was also mentioned. The library will continue to work with the town to determine two viable sites for the Otis Library to make the May deadline for the Small Population Grant. Sue urged all to now get actively involved with this project by talking to groups, conducting forums and attending meetings.
Strategic Plan – Brad was notified that both the Strategic and FY 24 Action Plan had been approved by MBLC.
StoryWalk – “Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf” by Lois Ehret, through October 31st. Lyn O’Brien and Susan have had a conversation about making the Farmington River Trail more accessible. Brad, Donna and Susan will continue to work on this as part of the FY 24 and FY 25 Action Plan.
Book Club – Eight people attended the September book club offering, The Wind Knows my Name by Isabelle Allende. Susan facilitated this discussion. Nine Parts of Desire by Geraldine Brooks, Hybrid, Otis Library and on Zoom on Tuesday, November 12th from 4:00 – 5:30 PM, facilitated by Carol Reife. December’s offering is The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese. The library will not be able to get copies of this book because it is so current. Participants are urged to buy and “share.”
5.New Business:
Brad shared a proposed draft job description for a part-time program & outreach assistant. He suggests that we all look and discuss November’s meeting.
Susan proposed that the Director Search subcommittee meet to determine an evaluation of the Library Director’s job and report back to the full board for approval at the November meeting.
Donna and Susan invited all to join in “Trunk or Treat” representing the library on October 28th. Donna will provide decorations for the back of Jim Ebit’s truck. Susan will provide goody bags and books to give to every child. Children’s books from the back porch at the library will also be gathered.
Other:
Molly Kelmelis was acknowledged for her enthusiasm and dedication to the library this past summer.
The Fireworks will be held on July 6th, 2024.
Next meeting is the annual meeting where board members will vote for Chair, Treasurer and Secretary.
At 7:55, Tom made a motion to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Susan. The Board unanimously approved.
Respectfully Submitted,
Susan Ebitz, Secretary
Next Meeting: November 9, 2023
Future Meetings: December 14, 2023, January 11, 2024, February 8, March 14, April 11, May 9, June 13, 2024