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HomeMy Public PortalAbout20240122 - Board of Library Trustees - Agenda Packet (002)Hopkinton Board of Library Trustees Hopkinton Public Library 13 Main Street Hopkinton,MA 01748 AGENDA Monday,January 22,2024 7:00 PM meet.google.com/xgo-rbai-nbh 1.Call to Order 2.Public Forum 3.Acceptance of December 18,2023 Meeting Minutes (Vote) 4.Liaison Reports Friends of Hopkinton Library Hopkinton Library Foundation 5.Director’s Report 6.Old Business Staffing Update Target Date for Adding Sunday Hours Discussion of Book Bike Goal in 2024 Action Plan MLTA Annual Dues 7.New Business Trustee Resignation Select New Liaison to the Friends of Hopkinton Library [Vote] 8.Future agenda items 9.Adjournment Hopkinton Board of Library Trustees Minutes Monday,December 18,2023 Virtual Call to Order - The meeting was called to order by Jessica McCaffrey at 7:06 pm. Attendance - In attendance were Chair,Jessica McCaffrey;Vice-Chair,Warren Carter; Secretary,Anne Beauchamp;and Andrea Colibrì,Acting Director. Acceptance of November 20,2023 Meeting Minutes (Vote)- Jessica McCaffrey moved to accept minutes,seconded by Warren Carter - approved 3:0 Acting Director ’s Report - Warren commented on the great events planned by library staff and the great attendance at them.He also mentioned that he had attended the recent All-Hands meeting and that Andrea represented the library well.Even with the large number of programs offered,he shared that townspeople voiced their desire for even more events for children. Andrea gave a nod to YA Librarian,Jak Miller,who has recently offered new programs that are very well attended.She also welcomed new Children’s Librarian,Carly Moniz.Jessica McCaffrey had some general questions about the library’s visits to the senior center,which Andrea answered the best she could. The Dementia Friends program was mentioned.There was a brief discussion of how this important project is a needed opportunity for the community. Old Business - Staffing Update (new hires and open positions)Carly has begun.Children are responding well.107 patrons attended the recent Music and Movement program and got to meet Carly. Power was lost at the library today.The generator is on,but there is concern about the generator and the sump pump.Facilities are currently at the library 1 and working to get things squared away. Interviews were held for the part-time Reference &Technology Librarian position.There were only two applicants and Andrea and Danielle were not excited about either applicant.Andrea has asked HR to re-post the position. We will be considering applicants in the process of completing their MLS in order to widen the pool. There were fourteen applicants for the Assistant Director position including some very good candidates.The first round panel conducted eight interviews and recommended that four (1 internal,3 external)be offered second round interviews,which will be held this week.Nanci will be included remotely. FY25 Budget Process - Nanci is working from home very part time and has resumed leading budgeting. Some large adjustments may need to be made due to Carly’s salary. Budget funds can’t be used toward Trustee membership in the Massachusetts Library Trustees Association.We can explore other funding sources.Warren will explore what the guidelines/rules/laws are and whether there is another means.Andrea will explore the issue with Elaine Lazarus. Elaine Lazarus will be the interim Town Manager. Friends of the Library update - Friends netted $1,100 in the photo sessions they held for the holidays and may repeat it next year.The book sale netted $2,150.They were awarded one Marathon bib from the town and have had a second bib donated by the husband of a member through his work.They will sponsor mini golf during a school vacation.ESL classes are still going strong.They will be offering a lecture series from Framingham State professor(s).They are also discussing restructuring the Friends leadership and responsibilities. New Business - The Trustees will revisit the discussion of the book bike mentioned in the 2024 action plan when Nanci returns.May consider a fold wagon instead or something that would help with booth setups at town events.Bike service area is limited.What is the problem a bike would solve?A great goal would be to check out books at an event and then the patron has to come to the library to return it. Discuss Hop 101 date -now considering a late June Thursday because of organization feedback that weekend in Spring is tough.This year the event will be at St.Johns.We may seek out food trucks to be outside in the parking 2 lot.Jessica noted it may be more of a summer daytime event.Also,is the space big enough?Will people be away?The week before Memorial Day may be an option? Adjournment - Jessica moves to adjourn at 8:01,Warren seconded,passed 3:0 3 Hopkinton Public Library Director ’s Report January 2024 2023 was a busy year for the Hopkinton Public Library,as can be seen by the statistics below. Total Hours the Library was open to the public 2863.5 Total Hours Saturdays open to the public 320 Total Hours after 5:00 open to the public 585 Attendance in the Library [patrons only]82,725 Computer sessions 2,125 Museum passess borrowed 977 Number of Volunteers 76 Volunteer Hours spent 411.5 Number of registered borrowers 11,418 Total items circulated [including renewals]179,389 Overdrive circulations 42,577 Total circulation [downloadable &physical]221,966 Wi-fi usage 85,274 Number of “hits”to website 77,271 Number of Visits to Senior Living Facilities 33 Number of Seniors served by those visits 265 Number of times our meeting rooms were used by outside groups [including town] 362 Number of attendees at outside meetings [including town] 4,626 Total number of LIVE programs for Adults 186 Total attendance at LIVE Adult programs 1,338 Total number of LIVE programs for YAs 91 4 Total attendance at LIVE YA programs 777 Total number of LIVE programs for School Children Aged 6-11 125 Total attendance at LIVE School Children's Aged 6-11 programs 1,812 Total number of LIVE programs for Young Children Aged Birth -5 136 Total attendance at LIVE Young Children Aged Birth -5 programs 4,582 Total number of LIVE programs for General Audience/All Ages 21 Total attendance at LIVE General Audience/All Ages programs 440 Staffing-wise,we have hired three of the four new,supervisory positions and extended an offer to the fourth.Danielle Cook was promoted to Reference &Technology Supervisor.Daniel Boudreau was hired to fill the Adult Services Librarian vacancy that was left by her promotion. Andrea Colibri was promoted to the position of Youth Services Supervisor.This left a vacancy for Children’s Librarian,which was filled by Carly Moniz.Allison Keaney was hired in 2022 as our Circulation &Technical Services Supervisor.We said goodbye to Linda Connelly,who had been with the library for over 20 years.Ray Stephenson,formally a library substitute,was hired to replace those 19 hours that Linda left behind.Cailin Chenelle left us to take a full-time Children’s Librarian position,vacating a 19-hour Library Assistant position,which was filled by Seth Ledoux.We are currently in the process of interviewing for the Reference/Technology Librarian position that was vacated when Kate Kazlauskas left to take a full-time position with Milford.Lastly,we have extended an offer for our new Assistant Director position.This is an internal candidate.Once they have been approved by the Selectboard,we will need to retro-fill that person’s current position,following which,we should finally have a full cadre of staff.When that happens,we are aiming to either begin Sunday hours in March or September,depending on which makes sense,giving the timing of things.When we do open Sundays,it will be from 12:00 -4:00.We will not be open Sundays in the summer. We would not have been able to accomplish all that we did this past year without the amazing staff.It is a pleasure to work with folks that go above and beyond by pitching in to help one another in order to better serve the public.Hopkinton is truly lucky to have such a dedicated and creative team working at their public library.It is my pleasure to serve each and every one of them.I would be remiss if I didn’t give a shout out to Andrea Colibri to thank her for filling in for me while I was out on extended leave.Never once did I worry that things would not be handled appropriately or efficiently. 5 Thanks also to the Friends of the Library and the Hopkinton Public Library Foundation for providing much needed funding so that the library can provide the community with the rich programming that it has asked for.We couldn’t do what we do without them. Respectfully submitted, Nanci M.Hill Library Director DEPARTMENTAL UPDATES CHILDREN’S In December,the Children’s Department held 42 programs with a total of 907 participants. Detailed information about each of the programs can be found in the table below.Each program is listed in this month’s report to demonstrate the variability or consistency in attendance.As you will see,the most popular programs continue to be Monthly Music &Movement,Baby-Toddler Storytime,and Parent-Child Playgroup.The two crafternoons over winter break were also well-attended. PROGRAM DATE #Patrons Type Intended Audience Alphabet Scavenger Hunt 12/1/2023 23 passive ages 0-5 Baby-Toddler Storytime 12/5/2023 23 active ages 0-5 Baby-Toddler Storytime 12/12/2023 31 active ages 0-5 Baby-Toddler Storytime 12/26/2023 11 active ages 0-5 Baby-Toddler Storytime 12/6/2023 34 active ages 0-5 Baby-Toddler Storytime 12/20/2023 28 active ages 0-5 Baby-Toddler Storytime 12/27/2023 28 active ages 0-5 Baby-Toddler Storytime 12/21/2023 14 active ages 0-5 Baby-Toddler Storytime (Saturday) 12/16/2023 34 active ages 0-5 Baby-Toddler Storytime (Sensory Friendly-group size limited) 12/5/2023 26 active ages 0-5 6 Baby-Toddler Storytime (Sensory Friendly-group size limited) 12/12/2023 24 active ages 0-5 Baby-Toddler Storytime (Sensory Friendly-group size limited) 12/26/2023 13 active ages 0-5 Baby-Toddler Storytime (Sensory Friendly-group size limited) 12/21/2023 18 active ages 0-5 Chess Club 12/26/2023 2 active ages 6-12 Chess Club 12/4/2023 7 active ages 6-12 Chess Club 12/11/2023 5 active ages 6-12 Community Outreach:Sunshine Preschool 12/8/2023 10 active ages 0-5 Community Outreach:Sunshine Preschool 12/8/2023 28 active ages 0-5 Community Outreach:Playhouse Preschool 12/13/2023 18 active ages 0-5 Crafternoon (I-Spy)12/29/2023 28 active ages 6-12 Crafternoon (Tissue paper stained glass) 12/26/2023 36 active ages 6-12 December Storywalk (Snowmen at Night) 12/1/2023 NA active ages 0-12 Drop-in Family Activities 12/9/2023 24 passive ages 0-12 Drop-in Family Activities 12/16/2023 15 passive ages 0-12 Leftover Preschool Take &Make 12/16/2023 10 passive ages 0-5 Leftover Preschool Take &Make 12/8/2023 4 passive ages 0-5 Lego-Duplo Club 12/7/2023 15 active ages 6-12 Lego-Duplo Club 12/14/2023 21 active ages 6-12 Lego-Duplo Club 12/21/2023 18 active ages 6-12 Lego-Duplo Club 12/28/2023 28 active ages 6-12 Lego-Duplo Club 12/29/2023 4 active ages 6-12 Monthly Music &Movement:The BenAnna Band 12/13/2023 107 active ages 0-5 7 Parent-Child Playgroup 12/7/2023 40 active ages 0-5 Parent-Child Playgroup 12/14/2023 41 active ages 0-5 Parent-Child Playgroup 12/28/2023 34 active ages 0-5 Preschool Storytime 12/6/2023 18 active ages 0-5 Preschool Storytime 12/20/2023 18 active ages 0-5 Preschool Storytime 12/27/2023 26 active ages 0-5 Preschool Storytime (Saturday)12/16/2023 18 active ages 0-5 Read to a Therapy Dog 12/6/2023 6 active ages 6-12 Read to a Therapy Dog 12/20/2023 4 active ages 6-12 Table-Top Games and Activities 12/1/2023 15 passive ages 6-12 TOTAL PATRONS 907 TOTAL PROGRAMS 42 Passive programs 6 Active programs 36 Our new Children’s Librarian started on December 13th.The community has been enjoying meeting her.Together we are excited to be expanding and offering new programs within the Children’s Department.While I will maintain Baby-Toddler Storytimes (ages 0-3)three times a week,Carly will be adding Babytime Friday on mornings (ages 0-18 months).My preschool storytime will turn into a new program called Alphabits offered twice a week (once in the morning and once after school)for preschoolers and kindergarteners.This program will support early literacy skills such as alphabet awareness and sound-symbol correspondence.Carly will be offering preschool storytimes (ages 3-6)twice a week (once in the morning and once after school).We will also be offering Craft Lab twice a week in the evenings (we will each be running a session)for children ages 6-12.This will be a program geared towards explorative process art.Carly will also be offering a 3rd,4th,5th grade book club afterschool on Tuesdays.We will continue to offer Chess Club (ages 6-12),Parent-Child Playgroup (ages 0-5),and Lego-Duplo Club (ages 3-12).It is notable that given that Pokemon Club has been drawing a younger elementary crowd,Jak and I will be running it together so that we can support the elementary and middle school students. 8 Presently,I am focusing my attention on the Winter Reading Marathon.I am working in collaboration with Carly,Jak,Danielle,and Dan.We have elected to go back to basics with a paper log given the feedback from patrons after the Summer Reading Program.I have designed a half-sheet paper log for the 4-week program,which will run from February 18th through March 16th for all-ages.We are encouraging participants to focus on “consistency.”Each reader is challenged to read four days each week for four weeks.For every week that they read four days,they will earn 5 drawing tickets for the drawing baskets.While I have created the log,I am working on creating a webpage,marketing the program through the schools with a 4-5 minute video,and creating social media advertisements. There are a few changes regarding collection development and maintenance.First,Carly and I will both be selecting and ordering materials going forward.She will be selecting graphic novels, chapter books,board books,and DVDs.I will be selecting easy readers,nonfiction,playaways, and Wonderbooks.We will both select picture books.Second,our graphic novel section is beginning to outgrow its shelving space.Due to the popularity of this section,we have purchased additional shelving so that it can nearly double in size.Given Carly’s strong interest in graphic novels,she will be determining the best way to expand the current collection and reorganize it to make it easier to browse.Meanwhile,I will be labeling the Easy Reader collection to make them easier to browse.I am labeling them based on their “levels.”The goal is to help parents and children select books that better match the new-reader ’s abilities. 9 Finally,while our cataloguer is on leave,I have taken back cataloging for the children’s department as part of my workload. Respectfully submitted, Andrea Colibri Youth Services Supervisor REFERENCE |TECHNOLOGY In December,the Adult Department held or participated in 17 total events with 197 participants. These included: ●3 site visits with 20 patrons served ●2 take-and-makes with 55 kits taken ●3 virtual events with no Hopkinton residents joining ●2 Library Speaker Consortium talks with 37 views ●4 in-library events with 82 participants ●5 off-site library events with 59 participants Event Title Date Type Attendance Women in World Jazz @ Senior Center 12/2/2023 In Person 26 T&M Wire Shaped Earrings 12/4/2024 Activity 30 Blackletter Calligraphy with Debbie Reelitz 12/5/2023 In Person 9 LSC Victoria Aveyard 12/5/2023 Virtual 17 Scrabble club 12/5/2023 In Person 2 50+Job Seekers'Network 12/6/2023 Virtual 0 Visit to Fairview Estates 12/6/2023 In Person 9 T&M Lavender Sachets 12/11/2024 Activity 25 LSC Stephanie Land 12/12/2023 Virtual 20 SEPAC 12/12/2023 In Person 7 50+Job Seekers'Network 12/13/2023 Virtual 0 Visit to Golden Pond 12/15/2023 In Person 7 Blood Drive (Canceled due to building flooding)12/19/2023 In Person 0 50+Job Seeker's Network 12/20/2023 Virtual 0 Chat 'n'Chew Book Club 12/20/2023 In Person 5 Visit to Senior Center 12/20/2023 In Person 4 Blood Drive 12/26/2023 In Person 36 LSC=Library Speaker’s Consortium virtual author talks;some attendance may be views of recording. 10 ADULT DISPLAYS IN DECEMBER FICTION Holiday Books and Movies The Shortest Books for the Shortest Day Brain Vacation Let It Snow! Books We All Pretend We’ve Read NONFICTION Spirituality and Faith Jewish History Human Rights Energy and Environmental Conservation Other Projects We will hopefully be interviewing some Reference and Technology Librarian candidates in mid January. The Adult Department is continuing its weeding and updating project.The Fiction and Nonfiction collections are being weeded.We also de-acquisitioned the Adult Music CD collection due to low circulations and a need for the space.The Adult Reference collection was weeded,and remaining resources were shifted to the circulating collection or the Local History collection to hopefully increase usage of these materials.The space freed up by this will be used by our incoming Language Deposit from the BPL. Our first BPL Language Deposit is on the way.We will be receiving about 20 adult fiction items each in Spanish,Portuguese,and Hindi.These materials will be on loan to us,for us to circulate to our patrons as if they were our own materials.We will be able to rotate this collection to keep fresh titles on the shelf,as well as to try a variety of languages to see what our community is most interested in. Dan,Jak,and I are continuing to plan this year's Hopkinton 101 event.We have selected Saturday,June 29th as the date.It will be held as St.John’s on Church Street.They have a lovely inside area with an outside space that can be used for food trucks.Registration for the event will start soon. The Library’s subscription to HopNews started on January 1,2024.Although there has been some controversy around the subscription,as of 1/12,we have filled 92 of our 100 subscription licenses,so there is clearly demand. Jak and I picked up a free “computer table”from the Joshua Hyde Library in Sterling,MA on 1/9/24.We installed this table to be used as study carrels behind the Adult Nonfiction stacks.On 11 1/11/24,the first day that it was available for patron use,it was in use for most of the afternoon (our busiest time)and occasionally had 3 folks seated at it (max capacity).We have felt that there was a need for additional quiet study space on the lower level,and the swift patron pickup on use of that table proves the need. Dan Boudreau planned and started execution for our LitFix program,a new offering where patrons can register to get one book per month hand-picked for them by a staff member.This program will be launching in mid January.There are currently 35 patrons registered for this program,and we are excited to launch it soon! Respectfully submitted, Danielle Cook Reference and Technology Supervisor YOUNG ADULT This December the YA department celebrated the holiday season with a heavy dose of joy and happiness.As we closed the year,we reflected on our wonderful patrons and the services that we provided to them.Although the holiday season brought some disruptions to our “normal”programming,it also injected plenty of cheer. Due to a slight slowing down of programming,largely due to two of our high school volunteers being away for the holidays,we took the chance to complete our biannual weed,and begin the annual inventory process.Seth,Maura,Ray,and many others helped me to evaluate books for condition,analyze their circulation statistics,and pull books to be weeded.The Friends of the Library graciously provided the funding to support More than Words,a worthy non-profit organization that helps us with discarded books that the Friends don’t feel they can sell.We culled over 500 titles,with roughly 200 of the titles going to More Than Words,200 titles were sent to support the North Central Correctional Institute,25 titles sent to various other libraries,and the rest either went to support the Friends books sale,or were recycled due to poor condition.This “weed”coincided with a continual shift in the collection,making room for new titles. We are also continually evaluating how we use space and how our patrons interact with the room and services.The holiday break highlighted how we are not meeting the educational and recreational computer use needs for our teens and tweens.By doing observational surveys,we observed that teens were often waiting to use computers in the YA room.Looking ahead,we will be making changes to add more computers and 12 change the layout to help facilitate patron computer use.Our town IT staff has been very helpful throughout this process. This December we decided to make a change to the way we run our Dungeons & Dragons group.A victim of its own success,it was becoming difficult to provide the best possible playing experience with so many teens coming each week.Because of this, we split the group into two groups who alternate weeks.This has worked out much better and is easier for Nate,our Dungeon Master,to handle.On a positive note,Nate was accepted into Northeastern University!We are very happy for him. We continued to serve our patrons through other crafting and SAT study programs.Our SAT group leader,Sidhi also received some very good news,with her acceptance to Harvard coming at the end of winter break!I truly have some of the brightest and delightful teens who volunteer their time at our library. Our Diversity Reads book club explored books highlighting diversity in fashion showcasing a wide variety of designers and stylists who have made their mark on the world through self expression. Pokemon Club had a strong showing this month and continues to appeal to mostly school age and tween patrons.Overall in December the YA department had 167 participants attend 13 programs. Program Name Total Occurrences Total Attendance In Person or Virtual Program Description Ornament Take and Make 1 46 In Person Ornament craft in conjunction with the Holiday Stroll (option to do it in person or as a take and make) D&D Club 3 65 In Person Dungeons and Dragons for teens and tweens Pokemon Club 4 41 In Person Pokemon play and card trading for middle grade and tweens Peer Led SAT Study Session 1 9 In Person High school standardized test prep 13 December Stitch Witch 2 2 In Person Individual crochet and knitting instruction for all ages Frayed Knots 2 4 In Person Crafting program for socialization and craft from ages 9-109. Totals 13 167 This January,the YA Department will continue to offer fun and engaging programs for our teens and tweens.We will complete the annual inventory of the YA collection and aim to complete the upgraded computer set up before the close of the month.In January,we look to provide a supportive place for our teens to study and relax!If you see groups of stressed teens in the last couple weeks of January and in the beginning of February,know that it is testing season.Between midterms for some,SATs for others,and MCAS for more still,our kiddos are under a ton of pressure! Respectfully submitted, Jessica “Jak”Miller Young Adult Librarian 14