February March 5, 2025 Meeting

March Meeting Minutues

Call to Order

Sue called meeting to order at 7:02 p.m.

YA Librarian’s Report

Jennifir Huston

Thank you to the Friends for sponsoring Crafty Teens Shadow Boxes, there were 7 participants.

• Aromatherapy Program has been rescheduled to April 22nd.
  Upcoming programs:
• Teen Take & Make: Seed Starter Kits to correlate with the Boyden Seed Library.
• Community Reads: Teen Ghost Hunt After Hours with Noah Faraday and Crafty Teens: Weave your own bookmarks.
• Summer Reading: Level Up. Jennifir plans to visit schools to promote Summer Reading.
• There will be only summer reading programs for teens due to low participation.
• There will be a joint program in July with Jennifir and Emma: Wicked Fun Games with Escape Room.

Children’s Librarian Report

Emma Brelsford

Emma has purchased summer reading goodie bags, temporary tattoos, stickers, pencils and activity sheets from iReads.

July 30: Creative Wanderings Art Studio for a Tie Dye Part

Emma and Holly are starting a Garden Club in late March. Emma purchased seed starter trays and terracotta pots from Amazon. Kids will start seeds in the library and then transfer to raised beds that will be kept on the patio at the old entrance. The kids will also decorate a pot with paint pens, plant a seed and take the plant home.

July 15: Rona Levanthal Storyteller

July 18: Ultimate Mobile Gaming Bus

Approval of February Minutes

Treasurer’s Report

Katherine Howard

• Katherine thanks Libby and Sara for their feedback on the Treasurer’s Report. Final 2024 Annual Report
• will be resubmitted at the April 2025 meeting.
• Membership Drive is finished, $4,193.22 income with further deposits pending for March.
• The Bartholomew CD 2024 interest will be added to the February Report.
• Am Ex/Amazon spending will end Dec. 6th every year going forward.
• American Express account being switched to Katherine from Sara on 3/7/25.
• Proposal made that an extra checking account be opened in order for the Departments to manage their spending for Amazon and programs, allowing them to keep track of their expenses and lessen the burden on FOBL Treasurer.
• Libby said they will continue to order from FOBL’s Amazon account but to set up invoicing system for Department expenses which will be paid by Libby through this separate checking account.
• Katherine made a motion to move forward for a separate checking account to be opened in Director Libby O’Neill’s name and she and Katherine would have sole check writing ability. The FOBL will transfer ½ of the departments budgeted amount into this checking account at the beginning of each year with
  the second half of budgeted amount to be transferred on July 1st. Jennifir and Emma to keep records of their expenses on excel and will funnel reports to Libby, who shall give report to FOBL. This should streamline purchases, payments and reporting for both the Library Departments and the Treasurer/Friends Board.
  Katherine makes a motion to accept the opening of separate checking account and Mo 2nd. All voted to approve.
• A few donations were made, Zoo passes (250) arrived and are $20.
• IREAD purchases are being made for summer reading programs.
• Sue made a motion to accept February’s Treasurer’s Report, 2nd by Colleen. Motion passed.

Director’s Report

Libby O’Neill

Thanks to the Friends for sponsoring some really great programs in February: A discussion about Venice, A gardener program on a Sunday that was well attended by 20 people. A virtual program with local Life Coach, Ronnie Hochman. She spoke about Reframing which was very interactive. Libby hopes to invite her back for an in-person program.

Library staff will meet 3/7 to discuss their vision and spending for Makerspace.

March 3: Community Read kickoff event with Medium Tiffany Rice was a huge success with 67 attending.

March 9: Wayne Miller Author talk.

March 18: Remember to sign up for Community Reads Author event, there are only 20 spots left. Meet and greet with Author at 6 pm in Community Room with food and drinks. Book reading upstairs at 7 pm followed by book signing. Betsy B, Sue and Betsy L will volunteer at the event.

March 29: Community Read event Carol Welch to demo basket weaving

Trustee Report

Kevin Penders

Kevin was unable to attend March’s meeting. Libby O’Neill discussed March’s Trustees’ meeting. Trustees discussed Makerspace, they have purchased a locked cabinet, and Libby will need to request more money for tables due to increased costs. Library Budget has been approved through committees and just needs to go to Town Meeting for approval. Joyce Parlapiano has again offered to prepare a spread for Community Reads event.

Membership

Colleen McManus

115 memberships paid in 2025

• 15 February
• 140 Total memberships
• In 2024, we had 144 memberships.
• Membership is attached to Money Minder for the first time. Colleen to contact Money Minder to see if thank yous can be sent out as membership is paid or all at once at end of year for tax records.
• Many noted on membership forms that they would like to volunteer, Colleen to pass names to Executive Board and to Lesleyann.

Newsletter

Bernadette Thie

• Our next newsletter to be out Mid-April. April 1st is due date for any articles for the newsletter.
• Sue will post a Promo for Founders Day including Library of Things, Henna painting
• Sue and Betsy B to write up the Co-Presidents letter.

Book Shop

Margi Rossetti:

• Canvas bag with swag is in the sorting room. Colleen will finalize memberships paid and do drawing.
• Tuesday’s sorter is out till April but substitutes are in place.
• Big News: Matt Donnelly, a book seller from Mansfield will be taking over for Adam. Matt has a wider focus of subject matter but does not take vinyl or encyclopedias. Matt does this as his full-time job, will report sales on a quarterly spread sheet, and FOBL will receive 50% of proceeds. Matt’s company is Donnelly Delivers and he is ready to start immediately.
• Thanks to Margi, Betsy B and Libby for finding Matt.

Book Sale

Lesleyann Foster

• Publicity has been done and will be sent to Jen Linsky. Book marks promoting book sale are being printed. Flyers will be out soon. Request for volunteers for both Book Drives underway.
• Dates of spring book Drives: March 22nd and April 26th. Bernadette has volunteered to be in sorting room at the March drive to keep books received in order.
• Spring Book Sale: May 8, 9, & 10 with the Set-up May 7th.
• Discussion on updating pricing for book sale. Lesleyann researched Book Sale Finder and pricing for Bag of Books range $5-10. Most agree that the price of Bag of Books be raised to $10 which would include an FOBL imprinted blue bag ( which has a cost of $2 each). Suggestion to put a picture in Upcoming
  Newsletter of the blue bag full of books (and estimate # of books) with the cost $10, so shoppers will know in advance there will be a price change.
• Janice to spear head doing inventory of the blue bags. She will reach out to Jen Linsky about purchasing the blue bags.
• Betsy B requested a motion to purchase up to 300 blue tote bags, Betsy L made motion, Katherine 2nd. All voted to accept.

Old Business

Snowflake Fox – Sue Collins

Sue reported that she spoke with Foxborough Cultural Council member, Alyne Ricker who provided Sue with contact info of Lidy Chan. Lidy is a Cultural Council member who told Sue that the Council wants to auction off the Foxes to individuals to place on their front yards. Cultural Council’s goal is to raise $5000
for each Fox. Sue told Lidy that the Friends, who are a non-profit, felt this was way too much for us to spend. Lidy said she totally understood and felt it possible that the Council could come up with a price for non-profits. At the Councils March meeting, there was discussion about separate pricing for nonprofit organizations. No decision was made. Friends have been invited to their April 2nd meeting which is at the same time as our monthly meeting.

New Business

Betsy B welcomed Ashley Clement to the Friends of Boyden Library board as a Member at Large.

• Betsy B stated that per our by-laws we need to do an annual audit every year. Katherine did the
  audits in 2022 and 2023. Betsy B asked if anyone would volunteer to work on the 2024 Audit.
  Bernadette volunteers to work on audit during the summer.
• Annual bill was received from Constant Contact. Need to find out who is our administrator on
  account. Jen Linskey paid $177.10 on her credit card, she will need to be reimbursed. Bernadette
  believes that there is a discount for non-profits for Constant Contact. Jen L, Katherine and Betsy B to
  discuss who will be the Administrator on account. Katherine made a motion for $200 per year to pay
  for Constant Contact, Colleen 2nd, Vote unanimous, motion passed.
• Betsy L requests a volunteer to oversee Bay State Book pickups in April while she is away. Libby offers
  to oversee, Betsy to forward contact info to Libby and Kathy Lowey.

Adjournment

Respectfully submitted by:

Betsy Lorusso