Canton, Massachusetts · Saved source text

April 1 2019

Library · Source meeting date: 2019-04-01 · Record 65105

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Canton Library Board of Trustees 
Minutes of April 1, 2019 
 
Attendees: Chris Untersee, Bernie Mendillo, Mike Sundin, Dorothy Shea & George Comeau from the Trustees, 
Jody Middleton, the town’s Human Resource Director and Library Director Andrea Capone. 
 
The meeting was called to order at 7:43 pm. 
 
A vote was taken and unanimously approved to allow Peg Mead to attend and vote via phone. 
 
George Comeau made a motion to move into executive session for the purpose of discussing salary negotiations 
for Library Director, Andrea Capone 7:49 pm. Dorothy Shea seconded. Each member voted in favor 
individually. 
 
Executive session was ended at 8:27 pm. Jody Middleton left the meeting at this point. 
 
Minutes: 
A motion was made and seconded to approve the minutes of November 19, 2018 with the amendment that Mike 
Sundin should be listed as an attendee. These were unanimously approved. A motion was made and seconded 
to approve the minutes of February 11, 2019 with the amendment that Director Andrea Capone should be listed 
as an attendee. These were unanimously approved. 
 
Director’s Report: 
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 On April 2 Canton patrons will be all be enrolled in the new “Automatic Renewal Program” that was 
discussed last month. This service has been implemented in the SAILS network and has been very 
popular. Canton residents with an email address on file were notified of this upcoming change via email 
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from the network on March 28. So far we have had no complaints or concerns from the public. 
 “Mutter und Kind” by the Dutch painter, Cornelis Bisschop is on loan from the Milton Art Museum and 
is currently installed next to the fireplace in the Art and Music Room. MAM elected to waive additional 
insurance for the piece and has provided us with an exemption rider from their insurance provider. 
 Extensive electrical repairs to improve the lighting are ongoing throughout the building. 
 We continue to have new leaks throughout the building as our rubber roof continues to age. The DPW 
graciously helped us to identify the source of major leaks on the second floor of the library as well as 
behind the Reference Office. The DPW was able to patch and repair the holes they found and their 
repairs have been holding up well. 
 The contract for the roof repair over the Art and Music Room has been approved and we anticipate a 
start date for the work in mid-April. 
 An outside company will once again be needed to complete exterior lawn services for the library. A 
spring clean-up has been ordered for mid-April. 
 The library continues to operate with only one full time custodian and one part time temporary 
custodian. Work is ongoing with the town to resolve this issue and to fully staff the library’s custodial 
needs. 
 Our Full Time Children’s Librarian will be out on medical leave for 12 weeks. We have covered her 
absence with other library staff.

 Our part time para-professional library staff have now all been cross trained in the various departments 
which serve the public. This is extremely useful as we are able to more quickly respond to staffing 
needs. 
 George Comeau made a motion that in the likely event of the passing of a member of the staff’s family, 
the board can choose to close the building during the funeral and the collation. In addition, the board 
offers the Community Room for the collation and will staff the event. The motion was unanimously 
approved. Director Capone will inform Town Hall. 
 The library is chronically short of parking spaces. This is compounded by Salon Monique’s patrons 
using the library spots. The library has received a letter from Salon Monique claiming that the library’s 
lot is municipal parking and that, as tax payers, they are entitled to park. The board has requested 
Director Capone speak to the police chief about wording to order and install additional signs specifying 
library parking. Currently, warning notices are put on vehicles but it may be necessary to ask the police 
to begin ticketing repeat offenders 
 Lauren Stara from the MBLC conducted a review of the library space with various members of the staff 
and trustees. She had excellent suggestions about creating various noise zones in the library. Some 
suggestions are more simply implemented including creating an adult quiet zone in the current music 
room by moving the stacks to the second floor and moving study carrels and tables in that area. Other 
suggestions included moving the fiction stacks into the reference room due to the tall ceilings and using 
the lower ceiling areas for more study and meeting areas. Lauren is going to write up her 
recommendations for the trustees to create an official policy. 
Standing Committee Reports: 
 The Behavior and Conduct subcommittee has had two meetings to review our policies and is continuing 
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to look at the issue. The next meeting is scheduled for April 9. We hope to have a proposed policy for 
the full Board to review this spring. 
Friends Report: 
 The Friends hope to put on a “Librewery” program this summer. This will be a beer garden type event. 
West Bridgewater hosted a similar event and over 300 people attended in the first hour. More details 
will be forthcoming. 
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 The next meet of the Friends will be on Monday, April 8. 
 
Budget Update: 
 The Board of Selectmen voted to recommend a FY20 Operating Budget that is $15,286.00 over our base 
budget. While this falls short of our request for funding for a new custodial position, it does position us 
well for increasing our Saturday hours over the summer. If the Board feels that we should move forward 
with Saturday hours during the summer we will need to impact bargain this with the Union and I will 
begin the process. 
 The board reviewed the current library finances. 
 
Meeting Room Applications: 
 Nothing to report at this time.

Upcoming Programs and Events: 
 
 SCORE Boston is an organization that helps small business owners and those wishing to become 
entrepreneurs to launch. They have been successfully partnering with the Boston Public Library as well 
as some libraries on the North Shore and Tim Nelson, who is a Canton resident approached the library 
with getting a group established here. They hosted their first meeting on how to write a business plan in 
March and 33 people attended. The library hopes to continue to partner with this group to help promote 
and support small business development in Canton. 
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 Half Day Children’s Movie will be shown on Wednesday April 3 at 1:30. The Schools have again 
graciously offered to bring pizza to the library for this event. 
 The 5th Annual Volunteer Fair will be held Wednesday, April 24th, 4 - 7 @ Community Room. This 
Volunteer Fair is an opportunity for local non-profit organizations, community groups, and town 
departments to connect with potential volunteers and new members. There are 16 confirmed groups who 
will participate this year. 
 An Evening with Robert Frost on Thursday, April 9, 2019. To celebrate National Poetry Month, Actor 
Stephen Collins will perform this unique, interactive one-man play. 
 Jane Blair of Art Matters will return to the Canton Public Library on Thursday, April 11 at 7pm to 
showcase the life and art of Vincent Van Gogh. Van Gogh’s life is one of the most dramatic, romantic, 
and tragic stories in all of art history. Program funded by the generosity of a library patron. Three-part 
series. 
 The Canton Historical Society will be hanging a Canton flag that was given to a militia in 1822 in the 
rotunda and has been restored on April 14. 
 
 
 
Future meeting date: 
April 22 
 
Meeting was adjourned at 9:16 p.m. 
 
 
Respectfully submitted, 
Peg Mead, Clerk