Crandall Public Library

Call to Order

President Shapiro called the meeting to order at 4:34 p.m. Quorum was established.

Public Comment

No public comment.

Correspondence and Press

No correspondence and press.

Incident Reports

The Board reviewed the incident reports.

Department Reports

Assistant Director

Excused; written report submitted.

Adult Services

Ms. Boyer discussed that at the end of the All Together Now Summer Reading Program, there were 237 adult participants; in addition to the 573 children participants, the Department was happy with the numbers. Ms. Boyer relayed that she had been away for almost three weeks, and during that time, the Department experienced a couple of unexpected absences, and the remaining staff really stepped up; she wanted the Board to know how wonderful they are, sharing the names of the employees.  

Children’s Department

Ms. Farrar introduced the Children's Department intern, Beth Sanger. Ms. Farrar also discussed the end of the All Together Now Summer Reading Program and how happy they were with the numbers; sign-ups and active participation returned to pre-pandemic levels, which was great; the robust adult portion of the program seemed to get families reading together and possibly sparked family members challenging each other, increasing the overall numbers. The Department is moving into fall now; today was the last outdoor storytime for the season; they are bringing events indoors. The Homeschool Hangout was successful, with approximately twenty-seven children and thirty teens, the highest attendance for a homeschool program. The Teen Department made a lot of new connections, and some of the teens returned the next day. The Departments are discussing making this a monthly event.

Teen Department - Frieda Toth (Written Report)

Monthly and Pancake Party written reports submitted.

Circulation Services

Development Department

Ms. Barrios reported on the status of the Treasures of the Community Henry & Betsy Crandall Award, honoring Dr. Jacquiline Touba, being held this Friday at the Queensbury Hotel starting at 6:00 p.m. Ms. Barrios stated there are 102 confirmed reservations. It is wonderful to honor Dr. Touba, who does so much for the Library and the community.

Folklife Department

Mr. DeGarmo discussed the Champlain Valley National Heritage Partnership International Summit he attended last week. The Folklife Center received official notification that the Department is one of six awardees of $40,000 to work on the Champlain-Adirondack Biosphere project; both sides of Lake Champlain are a United Nations Educational Scientific Cultural Organization (UNESCO) designated area.[1] The Department's grant is for a video project similar to the Battenkill Inspired and Lake George on the Water video series they have done in the past. Mr. DeGarmo gave an update on the Fall Concert Series, the Learn to Play the Ukulele Program, the upcoming Bluegrass Jams, the Folklife Center's pop-up, three-day show in November, Two Sided Quilts of Connie Harris Farrington, and the winter Hammer Dulcimer Workshops, presented by Dan Duggan. See the Library calendar for event information.[2]

Facilities 

Excused; Ms. Naftaly relayed Mr. Dickinson's updates on the completed Park entrance repair/repainting project; the final quotes for the boiler system replacement project should be here soon, and more information on the geothermal heating option will be forthcoming.

Friends of Crandall Library

Ms. McDowell reported the Friends are busy getting ready for the fall indoor book sale on Friday, October 20, from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., and Saturday, October 21, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., they will hold accepting book donation for two weeks prior and one week after the sale. The two book sale kiosks in the Library by the Park and Circulation desks are very profitable, bringing in approximately $100.00 weekly.

Approval of Board of Trustees Minutes: August 23, 2023

Treasurer’s Report, August 2023

Mr. Barcomb reported the revenues are 76.9%; as of August 2023, expenses are 48.7%. August is 66.7% of the 2023 budget year. Mr. Barcomb explained the budget revisions as outlined in the report.

Approval of Claims Auditor Report, August 2023

Acceptance of the Claims Auditor Report for August 2023 bills and payroll; there were no discrepancies in August

Committee(s) Reports

Personnel Committee

Approval of the Permanent Appointment of Caitlin Costa, Head of Circulation & Technical Services, effective August 25, 2023.

Warren County Civil Service Exam State #65208 Local #11251.

Approval of the Appointment of Thomas Cottone, Library Page, effective September 18, 2023, at $15.25/hour.

SALS

President Shapiro reported that SALS met last week; SALS Director and ALA Executive Board Member Sara Dallas and the SALS Board of Trustees discussed intellectual freedom and the unfortunate events leading to the temporary closure of Rockwell Falls Public Library; discussion ensued.

Director’s Report & Action Items

Ms. Naftaly informed the Board that the Head of IT, Mr. Ray, and Ms. Forshey have been working on gathering information to upgrade various audio/video aspects of the Community Room; the work is under New York State Prevailing Wage, and the equipment is under New York State contract. The upgrades will allow us to offer the public the use of top-end equipment without the need for staff intervention. Ms. Naftaly will have the project specifics for approval at the October meeting. Ms. Naftaly reported on the Glens Falls Arts District meeting she attended today; they are moving to reconfigure under the LARAC umbrella, and their next steps are to complete an Arts District Strategic Plan. They will continue to move forward and advocate for all of the Glens Falls art forms; more information will be forthcoming. Ms. Naftaly proposed creating a sustainable, year-to-year fellowship for local writers, utilizing some of the Herlihy bequest funds to set up 'The Herlihy Fellowship at Crandall Public Library'; the yearly income from this separate account would function as a grant, sponsorship, or commission for adults to create a legacy of the written word associated with Crandall Public Library. The Board members agreed the fellowship and updating the Community Room are both great ideas, and Ms. Naftaly should move forward; more details/logistics will be available at the October meeting.

Action Items

Approval to stay open until 7:00 p.m. on Friday, October 20, 2023, for the Friends Book Sale.

Old Business

Approval of the Annual Trustee Self-Evaluation Document

The Board moved to accept the self-evaluation document; Trustees should return the completed form to Ms. Caimano by October 14. The Development Committee requested Trustees add comments/suggestions about the self-evaluation document, as it is a work in progress.

Ad hoc Communications Committee

Ms. Naftaly and the Ad hoc Communications Committee shared the sample elevator speeches/suggested talking points document; Ms. Naftaly will email the document in Word format so Trustees can make changes and add comments/suggestions.

Public Hearings on the Proposed 2024 Crandall Public Library Budget will be held in the Towns of Moreau and Queensbury and the City of Glens Falls as follows:

New Business

Discuss the 2024 Board Meeting Dates/Times

Approval of the 2024 Board Meeting Calendar will be on the October Agenda.

The 2024 meetings will remain on the fourth Wednesday of the month at 4:30 p.m.

Discuss the addition of a (right-side) handrail to the original staircase.

A left-side handrail is already in place.

The Board discussed the addition of the handrail. Mr. Goralski recommended hiring an architect/engineering firm to complete a building condition survey to evaluate what needs to be repaired or replaced to preserve the building well into the future. Ms. Naftaly explained her conversation with an architect concerning the right-side handrail, including the historic building guidelines and current building codes. Ms. Naftaly will research building condition survey options; no formal action was made.

Discuss additional publicizing of the October Public Hearings.

Additional ways to publicize the October public hearings:

The Board agreed to add the legal notices to social media; Ms. Barrios will post them on the Library's Instagram and Facebook.

Executive Session 

No executive session was held.

Adjournment