Board of Library Trustees

Meeting Minutes

Documentation

• Meeting Minutes for Approval – December 16, 2025 & January 13, 2026
• Professional Staff Reports
• Director’s Report
• Financial Report

Call to Order

The meeting was called to order at 7:00 P.M. by P. Ivanovskis.

Public Comment

None.

Approval of Meeting Minutes

After the Board reviewed the minutes, K. Penders made a motion to approve the December
minutes as presented. J. Ooi seconded and the motion passed 4-1-0, with A. Clement abstaining
as she was absent from the December meeting. P. Ivanovskis made a motion to approve the
January minutes as presented. K. Penders seconded and the motion passed 4-1-0, with J. Ooi
abstaining as she was absent from the January meeting.

Correspondence

None.

Friends’ Report

Betsy Lorusso provided a report from the Friends. The Friends annual meeting will be held on
February 4th at 7pm, during which the 2026 budget will be voted on. A bylaw committee will be
formed during this meeting to review the Friends bylaws, a process that’s done every few years.
The election committee has proposed Mo Ryan as Vice President for a one-year term, and Sue
Collins will continue as President. The Friends spring book drive is scheduled for March 21st and
April 11th, both 10am-12pm. The spring book sale is scheduled for May 14-16.

Professional Staff Reports

L. O’Neill reported that a collection of Spanish fiction books has been ordered and is currently
being cataloged. The Children’s Department is running a winter reading challenge 1/27-3/30 for
grades 4-6.

Financial Reports

L. O’Neill reported that 100% of capital outlay has been spent. Currently, the Library is at 55%
of required MBLC spending.

Director’s Report

Library Operations

None.

Programs & Services

The recent adult paint night was very successful, so much so that a second
session was added. One was sponsored by the Friends and one was paid for out of State Aid. The
puzzle competition was also very popular. The Friends sponsored the prizes of free books from
the bookshops. Feedback received suggested not mixing children and adults, so the next puzzle
competition in April will just be for adults. The Library will be participating in 2026 Together
with Pride. L. O’Neill and P. Ivanovskis will be attending the legislative breakfast in Swansea on
February 27th. Senator Feeney is hoping to attend. Representative Chaisson cannot attend, but
will be meeting with L. O’Neill next week. K. Penders may also attend.

.

Personnel Updates

L. O’Neill is seeking additional substitutes to hire. Some of the existing subs
have gotten full-time jobs elsewhere, creating a need.

New Business

Director’s Annual Evaluation:

It’s time to start thinking about the Director’s annual evaluation so the current Board members
can provide input before the Board changes in May. S. Halton, as Clerk, will circulate the
evaluation form, which consists of a numerical scale rating for various aspects of the role and
allows for comments. S. Halton will average the numerical ratings and aggregate the feedback. P.
Ivanovskis will then send the evaluation to L. O’Neill with the opportunity to discuss the
evaluation and goals for the next year. All individual Board evaluations should be submitted by
April 3, 2026. Due to scheduling conflicts, the April Board meeting was rescheduled to April 7,
2026 at 7pm.

New Business

New Logo:

A committee consisting of L. O’Neill, J. Parlapiano, Lesleyanne
Foster, Mo Ryan, and Emma Brelsford has been formed to select a new logo. Staff have until
March 6th to submit design ideas; two have been received so far. The Committee will meet on
March 16th to review the designs, and the Board will be asked to vote on the selected logo at the
April meeting.

Old Business

2026 Community Reads Update:

The brochures, bookmarks, and posters have arrived for the Community Reads, sponsored by the
Friends. L. O’Neill highlighted some of the programming, with adult, teen, and children’s each
having 5+ programs. A copy of the brochure was passed around. This year, there are promotional
magnets for the first 50 people to check out a copy of The Art Thief (it has been keychains in
prior years).

Budget Update:

L. O’Neill and P. Ivanovskis met with Paige Duncan, Town Manager, who mentioned there may
be cuts to the budget to align with a 3% increase (~$5,000). However, the Town Manager’s
budget was published today and there weren’t any cuts made, so the Library’s new programming
line item of $5,000 remains. The AdCom meeting on March 11th will be the next step in the
budget process. The Library’s representative(s) are yet unknown. L. O’Neill also submitted a
$30,000 CIP request for which there are no updates yet.

New Website Update:

L. O’Neill and Kathy Bell-Harney have attended two website demos and have four candidates
total. They should have a decision soon so the Board can vote on funding in March. The current
vendor is a single person rather than a company, and is inflexible with changes to the website
template in Drupal.

Adjournment

Respectfully submitted,
Renee Spinner