===PAGE 1=== Lunenburg Public Library Trustees of Lunenburg Public Library, Meeting minutes April 18, 2024 Attending: Harry Kubetz, Donna Saiia, Muir Haman – Director LPL, Laura Boussom, Maia Wentrup, Robin Venezia – Friends of LPL, Jana-Lee Balish, Bob Conroy Absent: Dick Mailloux The LPLBT meeting was called to order at 6:45 p.m. by Chairperson Harry Kubetz. Public Comment ● Robin reminded us of the Friend’s plant sale coming up. 29 of 40 packages have been sold. Individual plants will also be sold on 5/4. Robin offered to help with placement of the plants if needed. Agenda Items ● Approval of Minutes o Donna made a motion to accept the minutes of March 21, 2024 as amended, seconded by Maia. The motion passed unanimously. ● Director’s Report o April is month 10 out of 12. We are 83% through the year and the budget is 67% expended. o Salary line is under-expended because of the staff vacancies the first half of the year. Muir is looking at ways to utilize that surplus money. o Heating charges have been lower. Contracted services is 0% expended. We may use some of that money for some painting. o Annual renewals for various subscription services will be coming up to utilize some of the library materials budget. o There has been good turnout for programs. The last few weeks in the library have been very busy with lots of visitors. Teen programs have been successful lately. Jana asked Muir if the library had a poetry month display. Muir said there was a progra m but no display. o The library of things inventory has been expanded with some lawn games. The WiFi hotspots continue to be popular. o North End Subaru has given us a signed agreement to continue funding the concert series. o Muir has been discussing website design with Melanie and looking at the best approaches to updating the website. o The recent requests for public records is continuing and the library has responded with some exemptions regarding privacy and patron confidentiality. Muir asked if we should update the room use policy to exclude HOA groups because of ongoing problems. Harry suggested Muir speak with Michael-Ray and town counsel for advice. o The LSTA grant proposal was submitted on April 10th. The focus is on an educational series about how government works. o Lydia is rebranding a book club this summer, the armchair travel series, and launching a new book discussion that will focus on uplifting and inspiring stories. o Muir has reached out to several EV charging station vendors for cost estimates. Donna asked if there is any state or federal money available. Muir is checking on this. o There was a vandalism incident on one of the café tables. The school resource officer has been notified. o Melanie and Dan have been working on the Advanced Workstations in Education literacy stations. They have been able to access the admin portals to update software and this has improved performance. ● Green Communities Update o No update this month. ● Library Invested Funds Update o The investments are up to 95.6k, a slight increase over last month. ● Library Sign Update o Muir shared three sample letters in black, gold and grey. o Tim from Add-A-Sign suggested that we go with a darker metallic finish to improve the contrast against the front of the building. ● ARPA Update o The architect is incorporating feedback from the trustees into the plans for the Teen Room, and Muir will be meeting with Chr is in a week on the next step. At Dick’s request, Harry expressed concern about the timeline for completing the renovations and urged Muir to be aggressive about pushing the plan through. ● Teen Room Usage Policy ===PAGE 2=== o Teen room is for patrons in grades 6-12. o Parents should not attend teen programs. They may browse and check out materials. o Maia said the age range on the low end should be changed from 10 to 12. o Harry asked if a parent could accompany a special needs child and Muir said yes, they do allow for exceptions. o Maia made a motion to accept the teen room policy as amended, seconded by Jana. The motion passed unanimously. ● Friends of LPL Update o The Friend’s book and bake sale is coming up on Saturday June 1 st with a Friends preview on Friday May 31st. o Lydia invested 20k in a CD. ● Board Comments o Harry told Robin she is welcome at any of our meetings. ● Adjourn o Motion to adjourn by Donna. Seconded by Laura. Meeting was adjourned at 8:38 p.m ● Attached Documents o April 18, 2024 Agenda o April Director’s Report o April 2024 Youth Services Report o April 2024 Young Adult Services Report o April 2024 Adult Services Report ===PAGE 3=== ===PAGE 4=== FY24 Budget Report April is 10/12 = 83% FY25 Budget Report No updates. Town Meeting will be May 4 at 9am. Staff Spring has sprung at the library. The last few weeks have been very busy with lots of visitors, especially on Friday and Saturdays. Staff have been well occupied. The eclipse viewing party was a nice highlight and went smoothly, and characterizes what we are seeing at the library. Lots of faces energetically engaging with staff. We’ve added a rack to our Library of Things display, and added three new lawn games to the collection. We’ve received some feedback about other ideas to add as well. The hotspots continue to be popular especially corresponding to vacation times. North End Subara has returned a signed agreement to continue funding the concert series for another year. Joslyn and Kaitee used free ticket vouchers for librarians to attend Anime Boston on March 29th and returned full of great ideas for Manga in our library’s collection. As a result of this inspiration, Kaitee will be launching an adult Manga Reading Club this Spring, and a teen- focused Manga book club in the Fall. Melanie and I have been discussing the website design and best approaches to updating our website. Aspen offers the capability to build a full library website that is integrated to the catalog and discovery layer. The immediate catch is that CWMARS has not implemented Google Analytics and other functionality that would make an Aspen site as useful as we would want as a marketing tool. Jeanette, CWMAR’s Executive Director, has invited me to attend the May 4 Executive Committee session to participate in a discussion about implementing this functionality. Lydia and Melanie and either Kaitee or I will be attending the MLA conference later in the month in Framingham. Melanie was awarded a scholarship to cover her attendance costs. The library will reimburse the other attendees. Our public records request journey continues. We have responded to recent requests for security footage with the assertion that these records are exempted in three ways. The two exemptions mentioned last month (security records/plans, privacy of individuals, especially minors) and the exemption that protects the confidentiality of library use. Town Counsel assisted in preparing these responses. Our LSTA grant project proposal was submitted on time on April 10 th. The project is entitled “Nothing Beautiful without Struggle” and, if funded, will attempt to bridge a gap between government and residents, providing an educational series about how government works, especially on the local level. It will train library staff to train others in facilitation and moderation skills, and introduce a book discussion series and film discussion series, each focusing on challenging topics and political science, as opportunities for library staff to practice hands on experience with these skills while they engage with other community leaders FY24 Budget Budget Expended % Expended LIBRARY DIRECTOR SALARY 85,590$ 67,485$ 79% ASST LIBRARY DIRECTOR SALARY 60,486$ 47,013$ 78% LIBRARY STAFF SALARIES 218,674$ 147,282$ 67% BLDG REPAIRS & MTC -$ SEWERAGE DISPOSAL 1,000$ 683$ 68% ELECTRICITY CHARGES 22,500$ 9,433$ 42% HEATING CHARGES/NATURAL GAS 18,500$ 10,129$ 55% WATER CHARGES 1,000$ 866$ 87% NETWORK MAINTENANCE 500$ 180$ 36% BOOK SERVICE 4,500$ 3,294$ 73% PROGRAMS 11,000$ 6,517$ 59% CONTRACTED SERVICES 2,500$ -$ 0% CWMARS NETWORK 19,880$ 19,880$ 100% POSTAGE 900$ 289$ 32% OFFICE SUPPLIES 6,000$ 4,363$ 73% CUSTODIAL SUPPLIES 300$ -$ 0% LIBRARY MATERIAL 85,500$ 45,370$ 53% MILEAGE REIMBURSEMENT 900$ 83$ 9% TOTALS 539,730$ 362,867$ 67% ===PAGE 5=== and spread those skills. Local state representatives have also committed support to the project and will help create open forum opportunities in town. Programs We had a very successful Spy Week this vacation week in the Children’s Area. It was Taylor Swift (!) who stole the books from the library! Teen programs have seen success lately. Five attendees came to the Grow Your Own Salsa program, and twelve are registered for the Friday afternoon Taylor Swift (new album) listening party. Kaitee is also re-branding the (Not So) Young Adult Book Club and launching the Angst Appreciation Book Club, which features our library’s first AI generated program title. Lydia is also rebranding a book club, the Armchair travel series, and launching a bright spots book discussion that will feature uplifting and inspiring stories, a departure from the dark and dreary subject matter that sometimes dominates book clubs. Her baking club has also launched successfully as a partnership with Eagle House. It received coverage in the Sentinel and Enterprise and in the Lunenburg employee newsletter. Building & Maintenance I’ve reached out to several EV charging station vendors for cost estimations. Chargepoint chargers offer a promising product that minimizes maintenance costs and simplifies the payment platform. Their stations start around $10,000 per unit. Their level 3 (DC fast chargers) are in the range of $60-70,000. I have some sample letters from Add-A-Sign and Tim’s suggestion is that we go with a darker metallic finish than the gold metallics to improve contrast. I met with Chris Ruth and Damon McQuaid to move forward with the Teen Room renovation. Damon will begin the next step and put together an estimate. A conservative estimate from these two experts put the project out to bid during the summer, with a fall start date, and a 2-3 month construction phase. This work is interior work and could be completed when exterior projects cannot. One of our café tables was vandalized with a swastika. Unfortunately, no security coverage and no witness. Our conversations with teens who regularly sit in the café have not been fruitful. We referred the details to the School Resource Officer, and put in a work order to remove the damage. Technology Melanie and Dan have been working on the AWE literacy stations. Two were freezing, and they have been able to access the admin portals to update software. We may be able to squeeze a little more life out of these devices. Melanie will also be added a slider to the website to help present services visually. This slider will be part of our marketing for Summer Reading. She has also been implementing the suggested changes (hours, address, weather closing information at the top of the website). These changes should be completed by May. A longer cable for the Rally Bar has also been installed to support groups who want to place their laptop on the conference table itself during their meetings. ===PAGE 6=== APRIL 2024 Youth Services Area Trustee Report MARCH STATS: ACTIVITY NUMBER / PARTICIPANTS BOOK IN A BAG KITS 1 12 POPCORN AND A BOOK KITS 1 10 LPL KIDS BOOK CLUB 1 8/1 A NEW CHAPTER BOOK CLUB FOR ‘TWEENS AND TEENS 1 8/1 PRESCHOOL STORY TIME 3 66/55 MUSIC AND MOVEMENT CLASS WITH MONUMENT SQUARE MUSIC SCHOOL 1 35/21 PRE-K STORY TIME 3 51/37 GUEST READER STORY TIME WITH JEN MORRIS 1 22/19 DROP-IN CRAFT WITH MISS JOSLYN-LEPRECHAUNS 1 10 LPL KIDS LEGOS AT THE LIBRARY 1 23 S T E M WITH CHRIS- CREATIVE CHEMISTRY 1 13 S T E M WITH CHRIS- FLIGHT TEST 1 12 ===PAGE 7=== PLANTING/SEED STARTING PROGRAM WITH ROBIN 1 37/22 ‘TWEEN DRUMMING CIRCLE WITH MATT 4 39 HIGHLIGHTS FOR MARCH • STEM PROGRAMS- We hosted 2 S T E M programs with Chris Rodrigues this month. In the first program kids learned about being a chemist by conducting fun and exciting experiments. They then created chemical reactions, experimented with different densities, and learned about other important aspects in the field of chemistry! In the second program the kids learned about the physics of flight by studying lift, thrust, and drag. Kids then built, experimented with, and created flying machines based on these aerodynamic principles. • Music and Movement classes with Monument Square Music School of Leominster drew an even bigger crowd this month! Joe and Stephanie do an excellent job of making the class fun for the kids while giving them a good introduction to the basics of music and singing. • 2 OFF-SITE VISITS: On March 1st I was invited to be a guest reader in a second-grade classroom at Lunenburg Primary School for Read Across America Day. After sharing the story Jimmy Zangwow’s Out-Of-This World Moon Pie Adventure, we all got to try tasting moon pies! The kids were great, and I really enjoyed reading to an older group with longer attention spans! On March 15th, Melanie and I presented at a seminar at the Family Childcare Center affiliated with Children’s Aid and Family Services of Fitchburg. I spoke to the providers about how to structure and present a circle time for young children to add a literacy component to their day with the kids in their daycare. Melanie then presented information about what services they had access to at our, and most any other, library. Melanie did a great job with this, and there were many questions about what the families had access to at their library. The women present were very attentive, even though all our information was shared through an interpreter as most spoke only Spanish. I provided documents with lists of resources and steps to follow for a circle time. I shared these in Spanish, thanks Google Translator! • Food Explorers S T E M program- In this great cooking program the kids got to make fried Mozzarella Bites and Blueberry Trifles. • Planting with Robin- Robin Venezia and I collaborated to present a spring planting program for kids. We planted zinnias and Mexican sunflowers for the kids to then give to their moms for Mother’s Day. The plants are currently flourishing in the Story/Craft Room waiting for May when the kids will be invited back to transplant the flowers to take home. We had a great turn-out for this program with lots of enthusiastic planters! UPCOMING EVENTS FOR APRIL: ===PAGE 8=== • April 1st - Book in a Bag & Popcorn and a Book Kits available • April 1-29th - Preschool Storytime • Aril 8th- Solar Eclipse Party • April 3-24th - Pre-K Storytime: ELC, et al • April 8th - Music and Movement Class with Monument Music School • April 6th - S T E M with Chris- “Green Screen Animation” • April 22nd -Drop-In Craft with Miss Joslyn- Galaxy Jars • April 10th - LPL Kids Book Club • April 10th - New Chapter Book Club with Miss Joslyn • April 23rd -Legos at the Library • April 30th - Food Explorers Program APRIL SCHOOL VACATION WEEK: “SPY WEEK” • Tuesday, April 16th- Spy School- Create your secret identity, and learn how to be a great spy! • Wednesday, April 17th- Solve the Crime! • Thursday, April 18th- Movie Night- “Spy Kids 3” Respectfully submitted, Debbie Laffond, Children’s Services Librarian Joslyn Davis, Library Assistant “Creative Chemistry with Chris” “March Leprechaun Drop-In Class” ===PAGE 9=== “Drumming Class with Matt” “Mother’s Day Planting with Robin” ===PAGE 10=== Kaitlyn Himmelberger Young Adult Services April 2024 April Summary - Programs o Video Game Night, April 5th ▪ 13 attended o Grow Your Own Salsa, April 11th ▪ 5 attended ▪ Salsa Garden now on display in Teen Room - Collection o Anime Boston ▪ Manga collection panels were very informative. Will start a Teen Manga book club in the fall. Starting an Adult Manga Book Club next month. o New “Not So Young Adult” Book club ▪ Restarting and rebranding the club to the “Angst Appreciation Society”. A book club for adults that read YA novels. Starting in May. Upcoming Scheduled Programs - Taylor Swift Listening Party, April 19th o Currently 12 registered - Succulent Night Lights with WickedGoodHenna, May 2nd - Escape Room, May 17th Other news/updates • Teen Events policy update o Teen events are exclusively for the teens and are “parent free” time. • Vandalizing the Library o Informed of a vandalization of a cafe table by some of the teens. Unknown person carved a swastika into the side of the table. Informed the officer at the school and had the vandalism removed. Reequested that the library put out a brief statement in the newsletter. ===PAGE 11=== Trustee Report Adult Services Department April 2024 A few outstanding programs we hosted in late March and April include: ➢ Two drawing classes with Jill Pottle held on Sundays, March 24th and April 7th, were highly rated and well attended. We had a combined 17 students between the two classes join us for the six-hour workshops with local artist Jill. This was generously funded by the Lunenburg Cultural Council, so we were able to give each student drawing supplies to continue practicing at home. ➢ Rachel Goclawski came on March 28th to give an evening lecture on foraging basics which drew a crowd of new faces to the library. We had nine attendees join us for the talk and everyone left with notebooks full of useful information for their foraging hobby. Universally there was positive feedback about the free classes anyone can attend at the library, which was gratifying to hear from people who have never visited us before. ➢ Our “Baking Book Club” kicked off at the Lunenburg Adult Activity Center on Monday April 1st with nine interested bakers coming to pick cookbooks. This is an encouraging start! More patrons have checked out books from our display by the front desk since then. We should have a good selection of pies to discuss and sample at our May meeting in a few weeks. ➢ Due to the weather in the beginning of April, we needed to reschedule our poetry month program with J.T. Turner who came to the library as Robert Frost to give dramatic readings of his works. There was little turnaround time between the original date and the rescheduled one for Saturday April 6th, but there was still a cozy crowd of 12 people who raved about the performance. He is a performer I would love to have back again soon! ➢ Lastly, the artist reception with Liz Cardoso for her current photography exhibit in the Wallace Room “Portugal Unveiled: Through the Doors of Time” was a great success this past Saturday, April 13th. We easily had over 30 people visit the exhibit throughout the two-hour reception. The exhibit has been highly praised by patrons, Liz was professional and very easy to work with, and it’s been wonderful to get back into booking regular art exhibits in the library again. Looking ahead, here are the upcoming March and April events at the library: ➢ A hand drumming workshop on April 17th for adults to learn Balkan drumming techniques. ➢ Creeque Alley: A Tribute to American Folk Music will be performing as part of the North End Subaru music series on April 25th ➢ A beekeeping and honey talk titled “Hive to Honey” with local apiary Rainbow’s End will take place on Saturday April 27th ➢ Elizabeth Barnes from the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) will visit to talk about Spotted Lanternflies on Monday April 29th ➢ We will kick off a new meditation group: Community Supported Meditation with a local patron leading guided meditation beginner sessions in biweekly meetings starting Tuesday May 7th ➢ The Spring Puzzle Swap will be held Saturday May 11th, with puzzles accepted on Monday April 29th ➢ Lastly, Alison O’Leary will give a talk on her seafaring adventures off the New England coast at the library on Wednesday April 15th Respectfully submitted, Lydia Gravell