Board Meeting Minutes

APPROVED 

MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING
Tuesday, May 19, 2009 at 8:00 p.m.

A regular meeting of the Great Neck Library Board of Trustees was held on Tuesday, April 21, 2009, in the Parkville Branch of the Great Neck Library, 10 Campbell Street, New Hyde Park, NY 11040.  [Agenda attached]

The following Trustees were present constituting a quorum:

EXECUTIVE SESSION

The meeting was called to order by President Sokol at 7:00 p.m. for the purpose of an executive session to discuss the construction manager’s contract.

On motion by Andrew Greene, seconded by Varda Solomon, the Board came out of executive session at 8:10 p.m., and reconvened for the public meeting at 8:15 p.m. President Sokol apologized for the late start of the public session which resulted from the executive session running later than anticipated.

MINUTES

RESOLVED, that the Great Neck Library Board of Trustees approve the Minutes of the April 21, 2009, Regular Meeting and Budget Hearing and Adoption, as presented.

VOTE:  Yes – 7 (DiCamillo, Eshaghoff, Greene, Kaplan, Pizer, Sokol, Solomon)

MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

TREASURER’S REPORT – PERSONNEL REPORT

During the month of April 2009, revenue received was $988,908. Total expenses were $592,304.

At the close of business, April 30, 2009, total operating fund holdings were $3,100,064. Of these funds, $3,097,284 was on deposit at HSBC and Chase Bank, and $2,780 was on hand in Petty Cash funds at Main and the Branches. This compares to an April 30, 2008, balance of $3,534,781. 

Additionally, the cash balance of the Main Building and Special Services fund was $1,574,001; the Automated Library fund was $162,280; the Restricted Gift fund was $383,593; the Branch and Special Services fund was $165,417. These funds totaled $2,285,291 on April 30, 2009. The April 30, 2008, total was $1,844,089.  

Upon motion by Marietta DiCamillo, seconded by Varda Solomon, and after discussion, it was, 

RESOLVED, that the Great Neck Library Board of Trustees accept the May 19, 2009, Treasurer’s Report.

VOTE:  Yes – 7 (DiCamillo, Eshaghoff, Greene, Kaplan, Pizer, Sokol, Solomon)

MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

Warrants

Upon motion by Marietta DiCamillo, seconded by Varda Solomon, and after discussion, it was, 

RESOLVED, that the Great Neck Library Board of Trustees authorize the Treasurer, who has reviewed all checks and supporting documentation, to pay the persons named in the Warrant dated April 18, 2009, through May 15, 2009, Paid Checks numbered 0027094 through 0027099, 0027148 through 0027154, 1225 through 1226 and 39015 through 39026, and To-Be-Paid Checks numbered 39027 through 39188, the sums set against their respective names, amounting in the aggregate to $279,590.69. 

Public Comments: Ralene Adler

VOTE:  Yes – 7 (DiCamillo, Eshaghoff, Greene, Kaplan, Pizer, Sokol, Solomon)

MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

Payroll Warrants

Upon motion by Marietta DiCamillo, seconded by Josie Pizer, and after discussion, it was, 

RESOLVED, that the Great Neck Library Board of Trustees accept the Payroll Warrants for pay dates April 9 and April 23, 2009, which have been reviewed by the Treasurer, in the amounts of $182,795.74, $178,465.42 respectively, for a total of $361,261.16. 

VOTE:  Yes – 7 (DiCamillo, Eshaghoff, Greene, Kaplan, Pizer, Sokol, Solomon)

MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

Personnel Changes

Upon motion by Marietta DiCamillo, seconded by Varda Solomon, and after discussion, it was, 

RESOLVED, that the Great Neck Library Board of Trustees accept the Personnel Changes of April 18, 2009 through May 15, 2009.  

VOTE:  Yes – 7 (DiCamillo, Eshaghoff, Greene, Kaplan, Pizer, Sokol, Solomon)

MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

REPORTS

Independent Audit

Al Coster from the firm of Baldessari & Coster reviewed the independent auditor’s report on the financial standing of the Library for the year ended December 31, 2008.

There will be some accounting changes beginning with the 2009 audit report and will be adopted the following fiscal year.

Upon motion by Marietta DiCamillo, seconded by Varda Solomon, and after discussion, it was, 

RESOLVED, that the Great Neck Library Board of Trustees accept the auditor’s report for the year ended December 31, 2008.

Public Comments: Unidentified Lady, Unidentified Gentleman, Ralene Adler, Karen Rubin

In response to a question from Ralene Adler concerning when the three bank proposals would be available, Trustee DiCamillo responded that the Board back in October 2008 had requested the Business Office to obtain three alternate proposals for investment options. Director Marino stated that these proposals will be brought before the Finance Committee in June and the committee will then have a recommendation for the Board at the June 23^rd Board meeting.

Trustee DiCamillo thanked Mr. Coster for a wonderful job done, and also Business Manager Zitofsky and Assistant Director Laura Weir for the good job done during a difficult time.

VOTE:  Yes – 7 (DiCamillo, Eshaghoff, Greene, Kaplan, Pizer, Sokol, Solomon)

MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

The reading of the Building Committee, Policy Committee, Assistant Director and the Library Director’s Reports was dispensed with and copies were made available to the public.

Building Committee

Below is the text of the Building Committee Reports of April 23 and April 28:

Thursday, April 23 Meeting

Present were Building Committee Chairman, Andrew Greene and Committee members, Anna Kaplan and Martin Sokol.  Absent was Janet Eshaghoff.. Present from Dattner Architects were Daniel Heuberger and Ernesto Vela, Library Director, Jane Marino, Assistant Director, Laura Weir and Business Manager, Neil Zitofsky. Also in attendance as members of the public were Trustees Marietta DiCamillo, Josie Pizer and Varda Solomon.  Other members of the public were Stan Romaine, Ada Berkowitz, Naomi Feldheim, Barbara Zeller, Sandra Salat, and John Drukker.

The meeting was called to order at 7:50 p.m. by chair Andrew Greene , and adjourned at 10:00 p.m.

Mr. Greene informed Mr. Heuberger the Board has made an offer to the Construction Management firm, Park East Construction Corp to serve as Construction Managers for the renovation project, subject to satisfactory conclusion of a contract. In addition, the Board has made an offer to the environmental firm, EEA to serve as environmental consultants on the project.  Mr. Heuberger indicated that the environmental process is a complicated one. This process, called SEQR, involves submitting an Environmental Assessment Form (EAF) to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. If the EAF by itself is not sufficient because there are environmental impacts, you go to the next step, the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).  The library will work closely with both EEA and Dattner to ensure that all appropriate steps are taken.   

Mr. Heuberger went on to report on his meeting with North Hempstead Town Supervisor, Jon Kaiman at the North Hempstead town hall on April 20, 2009.  The purpose of the meeting was for Dattner associates, Mr. Heuberger and Mr. Vela, to introduce themselves and to talk about the process of site plan approval and referendum approval.  Mr. Kaiman was open and sympathetic and offered the services of the town in any way that would be helpful.  Mr. Heuberger indicated that Dattner’s intention is to make this process go as smoothly as possible and to identify the pertinent issues that need involvement from the Town so they can be resolved. Among the issues that were discussed was the referendum process and Mr. Kaiman said he would facilitate it as much as possible.  There will be a bond counsel hired by the Town although the library might have its own bond counsel. ^{[corrected 5/19/09]}

Mr. Greene and Mr. Heuberger then discussed the need to hire other consultants for the library.  It was determined that the two positions that need to be filled now are bond counsel and zoning attorney.  Mr. Greene instructed director Library Director Marino to reach out to potential candidates for proposals. The position of cost estimator was discussed and it was determined that both Dattner and Park East have such a person as part of their teams and that both estimators must work independently of each other.  Mr. Heuberger briefly described the process of identifying costs for the committee. 

The program interviews compiled by Dattner and sent to Director Marino were distributed back to staff for any corrections or clarifications.  They were fairly minimal.  Only two departments were missing and the Director will check and get back to Dattner. The Collection Inventory and Shelving requirements were also updated and distributed.  The discrepancy between the May 2008 RFP numbers and the April14, 2009 numbers was discussed.  Director Marino and Assistant Director Weir indicated that although there had been some weeding done during the intervening time, the reason for the bulk of the discrepancy is two different ways of counting: a physical count vs. a database count.   

Mr. Heuberger indicated that he wants to make the addition as compact as possible around the existing building.  The appearance of the addition will be discreet, low-key and harmonious with the landscape.  He indicated that one of the issues with the environmental review is to make sure there is minimal increase on the impervious area on the site and we limit the extent into the wetland zones.  What Dattner Architects see as their task is to change the different parts that don’t work well together and transform the existing building into one new building in which all parts work well together.  Mr. Heuberger presented a graphic representation of the requested increases giving three alternate placements for various departments.  This was not a design but rather a program placement in the building. 

He then asked for input on the three schemes. A concern was expressed by a neighboring resident about the potential impact to their neighborhood and about how the building would fit into the neighboring landscape.  Mr. Heuberger addressed those concerns, indicating that he wants the library to take advantage of its views onto the pond.  He wants to build the addition in the spirit of the present building. One example of a way to improve the exterior of the building is to change the lighting of the building which is harsh at night and the lighting he will be using will be more reflected and not so harsh.

The new piece will be very similar to the building that is there now.  The building will be getting bigger but the spirit of the project will be as modest as possible and still serve the needs of the library. Another resident asked if the current main entrance will be pushed out to gain space on that side. Mr. Heuberger said he would look at that possibility.  Parking was also discussed and Mr. Heuberger said he is looking at all options to maximize parking without damaging the trees.  

When asked what the next step would be, Mr. Heuberger said that the meeting on April 28, 2009 is for him to listen to the public.  He indicated that he will talk about site concerns and concerns for the public.  He will then take those concerns and the space programs he already has and produce three architectural plans to work on. 

 Public Feedback Meeting - April 28

Present:  Andrew Greene, Committee Chair; Janet Eshaghoff, Anna Kaplan, and Martin Sokol – members of the Building Committee; Dan Heuberger and Ernesto Vela, from DattnerArchitects, Library Director Jane Marino and Library Assistant Director, Laura Weir and Business Manager Neil Zitofsky; Trustees Marietta DiCamillo, Josie Pizer, Varda Solomon attending as members of the public.  Other members of the public attended.  No sign-in sheet was available. The meeting was called to order at 7:45 p.m. and adjourned at 10:00 p.m.                                                                           

After introductions from Library Director Jane B. Marino, Dan Heuberger conducted a brief overview of his firm’s work and showed some photographs of the building that detailed the impact of natural light, the borders of the natural wetlands and the extant exits and entrances. 

Mr. Heuberger also showed the amount of “program space” that would be increased by Department, using abstract rectangles to represent those spaces, explaining the process he used to reach those amounts. The issues discussed with the public included:

• Increasing the area of the Children’s Department. The increase provides adequate space for program activities and allows for the reduction of shelving height for better access and visibility.  Overlapping of program spaces with other functions will be studied. 
• Entrance platform and stairs as possible expansion area: Dattner will study options integrating this area as part of the expansion.
• Mezzanine accessibility and efficiency:  The new building will be ADA compliant. Dattner will study raising the mezzanine floor and roof to provide flexible spaces.  Upper roof would be raised a few feet and not a full story.
• Sustainable design: The design will be environmentally responsible and energy efficient.  LEED certification to be determined.
• Parking: A variance for parking will be required.  Dattner will evaluate requirements with the Town’s Dept. of Planning.  Board will follow up on option of leasing land from Water Pollution Control District.
• Cost:  Independent estimates will be prepared by the Dattner team and the Construction Management firm.
• Interim plan during construction: Board will study options for temporary sites.
• Quality of exhibition space: Better quality space will be allocated in the design.
• Levels: Maintain the existing character while looking at opportunities to connect with the Library.  Storage and ADA compliance will be provided.
• Next steps:  Dattner will have preliminary plans by end of June.  Feedback from questionnaires will be reviewed and incorporated into design process.

All members of the public seemed interested in the project and they were urged to complete and send in the questionnaire that was made available to the public through the newsletter and the website. [end of report]

Mrs. Wohlgemuth pointed out that the April 28 report excluded some names of members of the public who were in attendance as well as comments of other members of the public. The Director explained that the names in the report were obtained from those who had signed the attendance sheet and she tried to list as many issues as possible that came up. The meeting was telecasted live on public access channel but could not be replayed because the taping equipment malfunctioned the night of the event.

Mrs. Wohlgemuth asked for a commitment from the Board that a meeting would be scheduled at Parkville to educate the community with the plans. Trustee Greene replied that the Board would take it under advisement.

Public Comments: Marianna Wohlgemuth, Carol Frank, Unidentified Gentleman, Ralene Adler, Karen Rubin

Policy Committee

Text of the Report:

The meeting was called to order at 7:35 pm., on Tuesday, May 12, 2009, in the Multi-Purpose Room.  In attendance were Committee Chair Varda Solomon, Committee member Janet Eshaghoff, Library Director, Jane Marino and Assistant Library Director, Laura Weir. Absent were Committee member Andrew Greene and Board President, Martin Sokol. The Meeting was Adjourned at 8:55 pm.

The “Valuation Form” currently given to exhibitors is in conflict with Library Policy #800-10 which states that “The Library is not responsible for any loss or damage to any property owned by exhibitors.”  Therefore, the Committee proposes that the Board remove the Valuation Form, #900-60(a) from its Policy Manual and advise staff to stop using the form.  The committee further proposes to put together a new policy and application, together with a “hold-harmless” form at its next meeting for presentation to the Board for Approval.

CD Duplication

Although Policy #700-60 states that “Duplication in whole or part of videotapes/DVD’s is prohibited” there is no provision to deal with the issue of patrons downloading CD’s to their computers while in the Library which is in violation of Federal Copyright statute Section, Section 109 and prohibited by this Library. Therefore, the Committee proposed that the Board institute new language that could be inserted in this section of the Policy and also posted as needed in the AV Department that reads: “The duplication in whole or part of any copyrighted audio or video work in any format is a direct and serious violation of Federal Copyright statute Section 17, Section 109 and is prohibited by this Library.  Failure to adhere to this prohibition could result in the suspension of Library privileges.” 

Meeting Room Fees

The Library’s Community Room serves the Community of Great Neck in a variety of ways.  The Library sponsors programs such as music recitals or movie series and various Community Groups holds meetings and sponsors programs throughout the year.  The fees requested from the community have not been raised since 1997.  Therefore, the Committee proposed that the Board approve an increase in the fees for the use of the Community Room from $10 to $25 during regular hours and from $35 to $50 for use outside regular hours.

Museum Passes

This issue has been discussed with varying intensity and interest since 2005.  Many libraries in Nassau County offer their patrons the use of passes to visit museums both in Long Island and NYC.  The libraries buy the passes and then lend them out to patrons.  They typically allow up to four people for each pass and are lent out for only a couple of days and can be reserved, sometimes up to 45 days in advance.  They can be reserved on Event Keeper, which is our program reservation system and checked out in the same way as any other item would be checked out. 

This program would allow patrons of all ages to benefit from the Carter gift fund and enable us to fulfill our mission “to offer the best possible traditional and innovative library services” and to “support the intellectual, educational, cultural and recreational needs” of Great Neck.

This collaboration would provide an entrée into museums our patrons might not be able to afford or have thought to try.  This would extend our partnership with many museums that have sent docents to do programs here at the Library on any one of a variety of programs based on their collections.

Some of the typical museums participating include: Long Island Children’s Museum, Nassau County Museum of Art, Old Westbury Gardens, Jewish Museum, Garvies Point Museum, Long Island Science Museum. Cradle of Aviation Museum, Holocaust Museum

The Committee proposes that the Board authorize the addition of museum passes as an item to be circulated into the policy manual and authorize the Director to spend up to $3,000 from the Louise Carter Gift fund to purchase passes from these or other museums in Long Island that seem appropriate to the Library’s mission. [resolutions appear under ‘New Business.’

Assistant Director

Text of the Report:

Workshops and Conferences

On Friday, May 8 I attended the Nylink Annual Meeting held at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library in Hyde Park, New York.  The theme of the conference was “Disruptive Change at Libraries: Thriving and Reviving.” In his Keynote address entitled “Taking Charge of Change: Fostering Organizational Vitality” speaker Joe Lucia, Director of the Villanova University Library, likened this age of the internet to the changes that the world experienced as a result if the invention of the printing press 150 years ago.  Just as the book changed the way society gathered information, the internet and social networking will change the ecology of knowledge.  He noted that participatory software, such as Wikipedia and Facebook, are examples of our “on demand environment.” He talked of the Library as the center of community intellectual life, with its open access to intellectual and cultural ideas, and spoke of the need for us to keep the library visible as a dynamic community organization.

Later in the program, a panel discussed “Bibliographic Gestalt”-Content Delivery and Discovery in Merging Spaces and Contexts.”  Basically, the Library catalog as we know it will undergo tremendous changes as we use the internet and URIs (Uniform Resource Identifyers) in bibliographic records to link data out to a much wider range of information and identify resources across the internet.  What we now know as subject headings will become active links creating building blocks to layers of information about people, places and information related to the initial resource.  The researcher will be able to use the initial library resource to explore beyond the library. Libraries have a great deal of unique and valuable information to share, from authority records to digitized local history collections.  Making the data available through linked records will increase the flow of information into and out of the library.

Branch Information

On Thursday, May 14, 2009, the Parkville Branch was forced to close for the day, due to leak in a water main that needed to be repaired.  We had hoped to be able to open for part of the day, but finding and then repairing the leak proved to be more time consuming than originally thought by the repair crews.

Director 

Text of the Report:

Milestone

During one of my interviews when I applied for this job, I was asked to describe my first 100 days.  As of today, it has been 100 days since I started at the Great Neck Library. And while I am sure CNN won’t be doing a report card on my first 100 days, it is a milestone worth noting.  It has been, to be sure, a very busy time, filled with meetings with staff, the Board and its various committees and the community.  I’ve discovered a few things along the way.  The Library is blessed with a dedicated hard-working staff ready, willing and able to serve this community every day.  The Nominating Committee and the Music Advisory Committee are all filled with diligent and dedicated volunteers whose sole mission is the betterment of the community through the Library.  The Board of Trustees, while single-mindedly dedicated to getting the renovation accomplished, is also the steward of the Library we need them to be, acutely aware of their responsibility to ensure the Library is run in the best possible way.

Meetings

Along with several members of the Library staff, I attended the Long Island Library Conference held on Thursday, May 8 at the Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury.  It was extremely well-attended with over 800 librarians from Nassau and Suffolk attending.  There were many vendors attending and interesting workshops on all subjects, including a Review of the New Laws of the Workplace, Dealing with Difficult People and Going Green.  There were a few performers and authors appearing in workshops as well.  The keynote speaker was author Adriana Trigiani, who wrote such books as Lucia, Lucia, Queen of the Big Time and Funny Valentine.  Her funny and heartfelt speech delighted the capacity crowd.

In addition to the regularly scheduled monthly meeting of the NLS Member Library Directors, there were two additional meetings of the NLS Directors in May.  One was a lunchtime workshop on motivating employees and staff.  The other was a collaborative meeting with Suffolk Library System Directors and had as its guest speaker the current President of the New York Library Association, Josh Cohen. I was also a guest of the Merchant Marine Academy librarians for lunch, along with Laura Weir and it was a pleasure to spend some time and get to know them as well as enjoy their beautiful view.

Staff safety and security is important to us all.  So, I thought it was important to bring in a police officer to talk to the staff and give them some information on how best to deal with problems that might crop up.  At our monthly general staff meeting, we had as our guest Officer Bob Browne of the Nassau County Police who spoke about how to deal with problem patrons or emergencies that might necessitate calling 911.  He was very knowledgeable and has a lot of experience working in the area, which was a great benefit to the staff.

Building Project

We received 376 surveys.  A compilation of the results is attached.  Overall, those who responded are in favor of a renovation and expansion.  Most of the respondents use the Main Library but we had responses from all three branches as well. As of tonight’s meeting another 20 responses were received bringing the total to 396. The change in the number of responses did not change the trend

Staff Notes

On May 7, Jennifer Green, Suzanne Fiala and Janet Fine were recognized by the Village of Great Neck Plaza as "Star Performers."  They were nominated for being helpful, hardworking, and cheerful and having an excellent relationship with all our patrons.  It was very exciting for them to be singled out and thanked in a public forum. 

I attended a performance of “Urinetown” put on by Levels.  The performers were filled with energy, passion and talent and Ethan Mann and his staff are to be commended for a terrific job. The Programming and Publicity office, headed by Interim Dept Head Pam Levin has done a wonderful job putting some new layout and designs into the newsletter, creating new monthly calendars for both adult and children’s activities.  Thanks go to Pam as well as Debbie Feldman and Grace Fererra. Adult reference librarians Jonathan Aubrey and Maureen McKenna created “Star Poems” which they hung throughout the library during the month of April to celebrate National Poetry Month.  These colorful tributes to literature and poetry were a wonderful lift and reminded us all what libraries can do.

Thanks go also to the Computer Dept, run by Janet Fine, who successfully uploaded the latest upgrade to our circulation system and automated card catalog with minimal fuss and disruption to service.  They are Garry Horodyski, Joe Marchione and Shuqian Zhang.

State Charter

We received a letter from the State Education Department to inform us that the Board of Regents formally voted to grant an absolute charter to the Great Neck Library.  The actual charter document will be prepared and forwarded to us in the next couple of weeks. [end of report]

Trustee DiCamillo along with Trustee Eshaghoff attended Levels’ production of Urinetown which was wonderful and dynamic and the young people were great. The Director was asked to pass on kudos to Ethan and Barry.

OLD BUSINESS

Long Range Planning Committee

President Sokol appointed Trustee Pizer chair of the Long Range Planning Committee which constitutes the Board as a whole. She in turn appointed Trustees Eshaghoff and Kaplan to join her on the steering committee of the Long Range Planning Committee.

NEW BUSINESS

Holiday & Sunday Schedule

Upon motion by Anna Kaplan and seconded by Marietta DiCamillo and after discussion, it was,

RESOLVED, that the Great Neck Library Board of Trustees adopt the Holiday & Sunday Schedule as set forth below:

HOLIDAYS 

Labor Day – Monday, September 7, 2009 – Closed

Rosh Hashanah –Saturday, September 19, 2009 – Main & Parkville – Open; Lakeville & Station – Closed

Yom Kippur Eve – Sunday, September 27, 2009 – Sunday Hours

Yom Kippur – Monday, September 28, 2009 – Main & Parkville – Open; Lakeville & Station – Closed

Veterans’ Day – Wednesday, November 11, 2009 – Closed

Thanksgiving Day – Thursday, November 26, 2009 – Closed

Christmas Eve – Thursday, December 24, 2009 – Closed at 1:00 p.m.

Christmas Day – Friday, December 25, 2009 – Closed

New Year’s Eve – Thursday, December 31, 2009 – Closed at 1:00 p.m.

New Year’s Day – Friday, January 1, 2010 – Closed

M. L. King Jr. Day – Monday, January 18, 2010 – Closed

Presidents’ Day – Monday, February 15, 2010 – Closed

Easter – Sunday, April 4, 2010 – Closed

Memorial Day Weekend, Sunday & Monday, May 30 & 31, 2010 – Closed

Independence Day Weekend, Sunday & Monday, July 4 & 5, 2010 – Closed                                

SUNDAY HOURS (September 13, 2009 through June 13, 2010)                    

Main & Parkville – Open from 1:00 – 5:00 p.m. Lakeville & Station – Closed

VOTE:  Yes – 7 (DiCamillo, Eshaghoff, Greene, Kaplan, Pizer, Sokol, Solomon)

MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

Donation Acknowledgement

Upon motion by Varda Solomon and seconded by Marietta DiCamillo and after discussion, it was,

RESOLVED, that the Great Neck Library Board of Trustees accept the contributions of Iris and Ken Grover in the amount of $100 and  Richard Wong in the amount of $100 in memory of Eleanor Gluck.

The director pointed out that there were other smaller donations ranging anywhere from $10 to $50. President Sokol officially thanked all those who contributed to this fund in memory of Eleanor Gluck.

VOTE:  Yes – 7 (DiCamillo, Eshaghoff, Greene, Kaplan, Pizer, Sokol, Solomon)

MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY 

Policy Manual Changes

SECTION 900-60(a)

Upon motion by Varda Solomon and seconded by Josie Pizer and after discussion, it was,

RESOLVED, that the Great Neck Library Board of Trustees authorize the removal of the form 900-60(a) [Valuation Form] from the Library’s Policy Manual effective immediately and that it should no longer be used.

Public Comments: Marianna Wohlgemuth

VOTE:  Yes – 7 (DiCamillo, Eshaghoff, Greene, Kaplan, Pizer, Sokol, Solomon)

MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

SECTION 700-60 (CD DUPLICATION)

Upon motion by Varda Solomon and seconded by Marietta DiCamillo and after discussion, it was,

RESOLVED, that the Great Neck Library Board of Trustees authorize that Section 700-60 of the Policy Manual be amended to include: The duplication in whole or part of any copyrighted audio or video work in any format is a direct and serious violation of Federal Copyright statute Section 17, Section 109 and is prohibited by this Library. Failure to adhere to this prohibition could result in the suspension of Library privileges. 

Public Comments: Unidentified Gentleman, Marianna Wohlgemuth, Carol Frank, Karen Rubin

VOTE:  Yes – 7 (DiCamillo, Eshaghoff, Greene, Kaplan, Pizer, Sokol, Solomon)

MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY 

SECTION 800-10 (MEETING ROOM FEES)

Upon motion by Varda Solomon and seconded by Janet Eshaghoff and after discussion, it was,

RESOLVED, that the Great Neck Library Board of Trustees authorize an increase in the  rates for rental of the Community Room from $10 to $25 for use during regular hours and from $35 to $50 for use outside regular hours effective immediately.

Public Comments: Unidentified Lady, Ralene Adler, Karen Rubin

VOTE:  Yes – 7 (DiCamillo, Eshaghoff, Greene, Kaplan, Pizer, Sokol, Solomon)

MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

POLICY MANUAL CLEANUP

Upon motion by Varda Solomon and seconded by Marietta DiCamillo and after discussion, it was,

RESOLVED, that the Great Neck Library Board of Trustees authorize approve the changes to Section 1500-10, 500-50, 500-55, 600-10, 700-40, 800-10, and 900-60 of the Board Policy Manual as outlined in the attached schedule. [see below]

Section 1500-10B (Membership in the Association) The membership rolls list will be maintained at the Main Branch of the Library.

Section 500-50:   (Levels Hours of Service) Programs extend beyond the above listed evening hours as required, with the usual limitation of midnight 10 p.m. when the evening maintenance crew is scheduled to finish work.

Section 500-55 (Staff and Trustee Privileges)

• Purchase of Books – Staff and Trustees have the privilege of purchasing books, records, cassettes, etc. through the Library at the library discount rate. (The discount is variable and sometimes unpredictable). This is a personal privilege and should not be abused by ordering materials for others. Orders should be placed through the Director’s Secretary. Bills should be paid within two weeks

• Fines –  Staff and Trustees are not excluded from paying special fees: such as those that were imposed for the rental of video cassettes..

• Use of Copy Machines – Payment should be left with the Director’s Secretary. Copying of any material for the Library should be done by the Director’s Secretary

Section 600-10 (f): Selection Policies , Local History Collection – Each gift will be accessioned with a Deed of Gift Agreement form (see attached), which acknowledges transfer of property to the Great Neck Library according to the Library’s policy on gifts.

Section 700-40 (f):   Loan Periods and Limitations – Materials will be considered returned on time if returned to the Circulation Desk at any Great Neck Library facility by the date indicated on the attached due-date card or receipt. In addition, material will be considered returned on time if returned through a book drop at any Great Neck Library facility before the next scheduled opening of the Library following the date indicated on the due-date card or receipt. Once the Library has opened, material will be considered overdue and fines assessed as set forth in Section 700-45 

Section 800-10: Rules For Use of Meeting Rooms - Hours

Main Library

The Community Room may be available from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 10:00 p.m. weekdays.

Parkville Branch

The Parkville Branch meeting room may be available from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 5:45 p.m. weekdays. In addition, this room may be available in the evening until 9:00 8:45 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. when the Branch is open until 9:00 p.m.

Fees – A fee of $10.00 $25.00 will be charged for use of the rooms between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 8:45 p.m. If a program extends beyond these hours, a fee of $35.00 $50 to cover building and custodial expenses will be charged.

Application Procedure – Specific meetings are scheduled through the Library Director’s Office or the Parkville Branch Librarian’s Office once Board Director approval is granted.

Section 900-60 (a): Standing Committees – Art Exhibits Committee

Note: strikethrough text to be deleted and boldface is new text.

VOTE:  Yes – 7 (DiCamillo, Eshaghoff, Greene, Kaplan, Pizer, Sokol, Solomon)

MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

Museum Passes

Upon motion by Varda Solomon and seconded by Andrew Greene and after discussion, it was,

RESOLVED, that the Board of Trustees of the Great Neck Library authorize the following addition to Policy Manual section #700-40.  New section “x”:  Museum passes will circulate for a period of 4 days. Late fees will be $4 per day. Replacement fee for the pass will be $45. The passes are available to Great Neck Library cardholders only and are not renewable.

Public Comments: Karen Rubin, Stanley Romaine, Carol Frank, Jayne Alexander, Ralene Adler.

Since this was the second reading of this policy, and in accordance with Board Policy Manual Section 200-10(c), Trustee Greene moved and Trustee DiCamillo seconded for this to be tabled until the June Board meeting. All were in favor.

Excess Equipment

Upon motion by Janet Eshaghoff and seconded by Andrew Greene and after discussion, it was,

RESOLVED, that the Great Neck Library Board of Trustees declare the items listed on the appended schedule dated May 13, 2009, excessed and authorize the Director to dispose of same in an appropriate manner.

VOTE:  Yes – 7 (DiCamillo, Eshaghoff, Greene, Kaplan, Pizer, Sokol, Solomon)

MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

Page Salary Schedule

Upon motion by Josie Pizer and seconded by Andrew Greene and after discussion, it was,

RESOLVED, that the Great Neck Library Board of Trustees approve the attached Page Salary Schedule dated May 19, 2009, with an effective date of June 29, 2009.

VOTE:  Yes – 7 (DiCamillo, Eshaghoff, Greene, Kaplan, Pizer, Sokol, Solomon)

MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

Telecommunications Upgrade

Upon motion by Josie Pizer and seconded by Marietta DiCamillo and after discussion, it was,

RESOLVED, that the Great Neck Library Board of Trustees authorize the Library Director or her designee to enter into an agreement with Verizon for telephone and internet service as per their proposal dated March 20, 2009.

VOTE:  Yes – 7 (DiCamillo, Eshaghoff, Greene, Kaplan, Pizer, Sokol, Solomon)

MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

Upon motion by Andrew Greene and seconded by Janet Eshaghoff and after discussion, it was,

RESOLVED, that the Great Neck Library Board of Trusteesauthorize the Library Director or her designee to purchase an NEC UX 5000 digital telephone system from Select Telecom, Inc., as per their proposal dated October 27, 2008, at a cost of $44,275, to be charged to the Main Building and Special Services fund. 

Trustee DiCamillo, after asking what percentage of the telephone equipment would be allocated to the branches, declared that she would prefer that a part of this expenditure be charged to the Branch and Special Services fund instead of the entire expenditure to the Main Building and Special Services fund.

Trustee Solomon moved and Trustee Greene seconded for the motion on the table to be amended and all the Trustees were in favor. Trustee Greene moved and Trustee DiCamillo seconded for acceptance of the motion to amend the resolution. All were in favor. Therefore, the amended motion reads as follows:

Upon motion by Andrew Greene and seconded by Janet Eshaghoff and after discussion, it was,

RESOLVED, that the Great Neck Library Board of Trusteesauthorize the Library Director or her designee to purchase an NEC UX 5000 digital telephone system from Select Telecom, Inc., as per their proposal dated October 27, 2008, at a cost of $44,275, to be allocated between the Main Building and Special Services fund and the Branch and Special Services Fund as appropriate.

Discussions will take place at the Finance Committee meeting in June on what is ‘appropriate.’

VOTE:  Yes – 7 (DiCamillo, Eshaghoff, Greene, Kaplan, Pizer, Sokol, Solomon)

MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

OTHER BUSINESS

Financial Advisor Contract (Munistat Services)

Upon motion by Andrew Greene and seconded by Vards Solomon and after discussion, it was,

RESOLVED, that the Great Neck Library Board of Trustees authorize the President to enter into an agreement to retain the services of Munistat Services as financial advisors to the Great Neck Library for the building expansion/renovation project for a fee not to exceed $10,000 to be charged to the Main Building Special Services fund.

Trustee Greene explained that in executive session Attorney Kevin Seaman provided clear advisement that a financial advisor should be on board immediately and Mr. Seaman emphatically recommended Munistat Services. The financial advisor will compare alternate sources of financing, such as dormitory authority, private sources, banks, etc., and advises as to the most advantageous way to proceed.

Trustee DiCamillo said she understands the nature of the expediency at this time but she is concerned about moving forward without having read the contract and was unable to verify the information that was stated as factual.

Director Marino suggested that the Board could authorize the Library Director to enter into a contract with Munistat and then bring the specific contract back for Board approval.

Trustee Green withdrew the original motion and modified it with the following which was seconded by Trustee DiCamillo:

Upon motion by Andrew Greene and seconded by Marietta DiCamillo and after discussion, it was,

Public Comments: Ralene Adler, Marianna Wohlgemuth

VOTE:  Yes – 7 (DiCamillo, Eshaghoff, Greene, Kaplan, Pizer, Sokol, Solomon)

MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

Personnel

Upon motion by Andrew Greene and seconded by Josie Pizer and after discussion, it was,

RESOLVED, that the Great Neck Library Board of Trustees authorize an  increase in salary of $5,000 to Janet Fine effective February 9, 2009, to compensate her for additional duties as Head of computer services.

Trustee DiCamillo asked the Library Director to convey the Board’s commendation to Ms. Fine for her diligence in heading the Computer Department.

VOTE:  Yes – 7 (DiCamillo, Eshaghoff, Greene, Kaplan, Pizer, Sokol, Solomon)

Marianna Wohlgemuth spoke to her letter of April 13, 2009, and the Library’s response of May 19, 2009.

OPEN TIME

Speaking: Unidentified gentleman, Ralene Adler, Carol Frank, Stanley Romaine, Karen Rubin

ADJOURNMENT

The meeting was adjourned at 10:30 p.m. on motion by Marietta DiCamillo and seconded by Andrew Greene.

Respectfully submitted,

Janet Eshaghoff
Secretary of the Board of Trustees