[Music] this is the April 11th 2026 meeting of the Kushnet Public Library Board of Trustees we are being audio and video
recorded and we do have a quorum our first item on the agenda today is the minutes from March 14th does anyone have any clarifications or questions on those minutes no motion to accept all right second
thank you all in favor i thank you moving along to the budget all right so um we are now spent out in our longevity line um the last uh tech who was
receiving longevity received it this past pay period um as we're at 75% in total so we're in pretty much good standing uh with our budget lines for uh salaries um depending um there's still
some absences uh uh regarding staffs and um I might be able to use some of that uh for extra shifts um but I'm just being very careful cuz I don't know um what the future holds in regards to one
of the employees um and then for our operating budget um I received the bill for our energy um for February um and it has got it's starting to go down i
haven't received March yet but we are now exiting the colder month so our energy bill will be going uh less um I also maxed out the materials line um so I am using state aid to make sure
I spend the 16% of the uh of the of the library budget on materials so that we can qualify for state aid for FY uh 27 um that's pretty much it for um our
budget this month um I've been buying um office supplies nothing of importance just toilet paper and and soap and things that we do need um any questions about the budget no no looks good anybody have any
questions no okay we just need a motion second all in favor thank you new business we have um an update regarding the federal cuts to the Institute of
Museum and Library Services so I just this is um nothing we're going to vote on um this is just to inform everyone that on March 7 uh March 14th the president signed executive order 14238
that targeted federal funding to libraries and museums so uh the IMLS um what that means on a state level is that um the MBLC um does receive 3.6
million from the IMLS um and this is ongoing um and there have been a few things that have been cut by the MBLC um so for example immediately the
MBLC the board decided to um terminate um some grants that were awarded to 18 libraries in the state um 12 Perkins assisted uh accessibility training sessions u that were open to all library members now are ceasing to
exist um a grant for the Department of Corrections um that provided books to those incarcerated uh is no longer uh being funded and the big thing right now that um I use um that directly affects
me is access to training on the MBL website they have wonderful webinars for training for library directors um staff members trustees friends um and now that's no longer being funded um and
this was recently voted uh recently put into place on April 3rd so in regards to what the federal uh what the MBLC does with federal funds um
I just want to highlight the federal funding sheet that I uh sent out um and you can see what some of the grants get used for um so local history projects I mean we're not using any of these but
this is what they do it could potentially be um cut the big thing for us that we could see um a cut to is um there's uh four items here that I want
to point out uh research databases so the state uses the federal funds to um subscribe to databases um that are accessible on every libraries web page um directly through the MBLC web page
and I just want to point out something that I wasn't aware of but now they have the statistics of how many times someone um directly uses the database from a cushion so it could be I think it's it's
an accuset card um so in 20 in FY24 the database was used uh 251 times but since July of last year till today so uh this fiscal year it has been
used 1,100 times wow so there's a dramatic jump um I don't know what was that number 1,00 1,100 i don't know for sure what what's causing it but I can guess two things
one we did have uh in February January Sandra had a homeschool program where she showed everyone resources that are available to patrons i can think of that the other thing is the school i reached
uh I reached out to or the librarian in the middle school reached out to me uh on a subject of um helping someone resources so I show them their statewide databases um so the numbers it has gone
up since September till now so school year i'm just assuming at this point that there our two biggest things are either home homeschoolers and the school is using um the statewide databases um the other thing that could
potentially be cut are um would be some uh summer reading partnership with the Boston Bruins um so we receive posters um pro uh pucks and all kinds of things from the um the Boston Bruins during uh
summer reading and I believe they have visited here with blades their their mascot um and that is something that is used uh the funding is used from uh the funding is from federal
um the other thing so the two last things are the two big ones um so ebooks and audiobooks so if you have a library card in Massachusetts you're able to borrow from other networks
um for ebooks and audio books so you can take your library card and go in the Libby app and join the claims network the Boston public library network that is funded through federal funds
so you know I keep saying it our e resource our e borrowing has skyrocketed um and I don't know what would happen if that's not funded anymore because I
guess they use the funds for it to have everyone circulate the the so you're able to go borrow into another network i mean we would be if this was to be cut we would just be able to borrow from sales
so as of right now um so our our ebook and audio is dependent on federal funding a part of it to borrow outside to borrow if you wanted to go borrow from another network okay uh the funding that I use for us is uh materials
appropriated or state aid appropriated okay but this so th this um it should have a better name for it it's just library ebooks and audiobooks this is it allows you to borrow from
other networks right to to borrow something that says um Fall River has or something like that no outside of a sales network okay so from Boston or or Minute is CL okay i just like network because I
think it's I think it's very clever i don't know who came i do too love it um the other thing that could potentially be cut and felt in this library would be the Commonwealth
catalog so that is funded um from federal um so Comcat allows us to physically borrow books that are not in our network so if there's a title you want and we don't have it in the sales network we can go to this catalog and
look to see where else in the state has it as a small library we cannot hold every book known to man so we are a borrower so we borrow more than we lend so we do use com Commonwealth catalog um
that opens doors um to the entire state um and if that was to be cut you know we would be limited to what we have in the network within our own it would limit us
to what we have within the sales network just the sales network correct the good news is uh the MBLC did state that the statewide databases Comcast and the platform so the platform that makes
ebook sharing um the Libby uh will be will continue to be inter uninterrupted for the remainder of the fiscal year so that's through July yeah and then you know this is ongoing
it's fresh [Applause] um it's it's devastating you know um and as a small library we do rely on borrowing from outside of of
the network u not that there's anything wrong with it that but to have access to a whole other catalog out there um you know I don't want to think about it but
unfortunately it's the nature of how things are right now um I'm trying to think if I missed anything that uh so databases Comcast ebook and then um on a other on
a on a personal level um the MBL uh the MBLC uses federal uh money to to um employ those who work in state aid so my thought is
if there are no one if there's no one doing state aid because there's no employees what happens but that's a what if that's just um you know people are losing their jobs so these changes were not initiated by
the state they're basically a reaction to our identification of the federal funds that have been this the second part the first part um the eliminated services that was done by the MBLC done by the MLC yes so the grants the Perkins
access to training um and the the pro uh the the the grant for the department of corrections um they met at a board meeting and decided to eliminate these have they made you aware that any of these cuts could be restored cuz so many of the
cuts nationwide have been challenged like you were saying like that i I'm aware of the attorney general writing or suing um and I'm also aware of there were about 28 mayors who signed a letter
um I don't have it in front of me unfortunately i didn't read the letter um but there are people fighting out there um it's it's an ongoing thing um you know and I have to look at it as
potential yeah exactly um but is there anything that we can do or the public can do have you seen anything that um there are web there are web pages
um [Music] yes so there are web pages um there is um save imls.org org um and then there's also
a.org/showup those are web pages that you can receive more information about what's going on and to offer support i'll just Yep i'll just repeat those just one more time that way we can just um So that's save a vels.org
org and um the second website is a la.org back slash show up s H O W P [Music] mhm i guess and then after that it's
just we'll just have to just watch it and wait and see what happens and hopefully it doesn't affect I mean it will if it if it does affect state aid that will that will ultimately become a problem for the town because
we have to spend more of our budget on material and if we don't have state aid that's going to be a big it's going to be a big problem mhm mhm so and it's you know things are happening so
fast um right and it's I mean fluid right now too you know trying to do my best to keep everyone updated and you know if I do receive emails you know I will forward them um to to to the board
um but it's it's hard to hear mhm absolutely any other questions about it no i think thanks for identifying those it gives us something to think about absolutely and it it kind of quantifies things a little
bit which I think cuz you there's all that stuff out there that you read that you're just like what does this even mean like at least it kind of really likeffects us right unfocused is how it affects us cuz some people I know you know you think of it at a federal level and you think oh we're in a cushion it what does that have to do with us but as
it you know it filters down yes it does so that kind of puts it into perspective a little bit so thank you for doing that okay and um do we have any other business besides the director's report anybody else all right then we'll just
go right into the director's report so uh I apologize the director's report is a little short i was on vacation um anything uh I will say what something that just happened today uh Little People's College uh came in to visit for
their little annual uh field trip to the library so they came in to look at their artwork that's on display i did impromptu story time so that was fun um might this my calling to be a children's librarian um uh what else has happened
um Sandra has been doing a train tech hour which has been very popular so you can come in and on Tuesdays and Thursdays at two to get um advice or um instructions on how to download the app to get on the train
parking app um schedules uh or any other questions that you may have regarding the new train that's that's fantastic yes it is um Sandra did a really good job um I was here for the meeting for the train and
Sandra did a really good job helping coordinate and explain the practical parts of what they were telling us it was an interesting presentation it didn't have a lot of information about okay how do you get tickets and do this and say really a lot
of information and a lot of good thoughts on that that's great yeah yep so it is continuing along um it's been advertised in neighborhood news has been on our what social medias so we're just getting out there people are coming in for it um I had to fill in on Tuesday so
I kind of was I apologized cuz you know I just came back and I'm like I don't know but I I pulled through nobody left crying so that was always good um I just want to point
out story time has resumed lori did take a break for two weeks and the first week she ca we started story time we had 22 participants here so um you know things are are getting uh are are on the up and up here because pretty soon will be
spring vacation summer um and we're in our busy season um so that's pretty much it for the director's report any questions on the director's report no did you read this one um okay all
right so I just want to point out some items uh or programs that are coming up so tomorrow we have uh Mass Ottabbon they're coming back and tomorrow's program is birding by ear so it will be a part lecture partly if the weather
cooperates um little field trip to our backyard um so that is basically um identifying birds through sound um next week we are closed on Good
Friday and then on Saturday we have a fun-filled day here i hoping to I have received a tracking number for so I probably mentioned it two meetings ago for neighborhood uh forest they provided
free trees i had 136 people sign up for free trees um so I'm hoping that the trees arrive uh before Saturday and we're going I'm going to do send an email out and have a pickup week but on that Saturday we have multiple things
happening at the library one serad will be here um and they'll be doing seed bumps with the little ones and you know discussing the master plan with anyone who um has any questions or you know wants more um information regarding it
and that's from 11:30 to 1:30 and then at 1:30 we have the poop museum they will be here uh Susie will be here at 1:30 um it is a sign up uh event um the registration is capped at
50 um in fear of that when this program was at Lakefield they had over 200 people it is a popular one the topic is hot it's It's a popular subject with some of
our It's fascinating it's I stopped in like it was amazing i just love saying it so and they will eat poop at the end oh my god okay it's honey not
poop you have to learn about animals and and all kinds of fun facts about poop and it's she wears a poop hat which I think is adorable um so there are still some spots available so you can call us or come in and um we can sign you up for
that what a great way to start vacation exactly so that is the thing it's informative and then uh during spring break we have our comic uh
class for kids and that is with Caribbean um that is registration required so that's on Wednesday uh April 23rd at 200 p.m um we have a uh kids movie uh Dog Man the new Dogman movie
that is going to be shown on Thursday uh April 24th at 11 a.m and then we have the Ever Paplio Lego Club so we have two chances for you to come and uh play with some Lego on Friday uh April 25th at 100
p.m and then we'll also have another LEGO club that following uh Saturday uh April 26 at 11 a.m yes it's going to be a busy end of the month um and then we are May is
already packed with we have a few we have the Ford Middle School concert um they will be here i'm just mentioning that all right so Ford Middle School will be here uh doing their spring
concert on May 19th at 6:00 p.m outside uh yes if it's raining there is a rain date which would be May 21st as well as the terrific job that Brian
Chamber does with the music his ability to have that many middle schoolers focus in one direction at one time is impressive right absolutely absolutely they look like they're having fun yes they do they all look like they're having fun absolutely
any questions about director's report programming anything in the future when's the summer concert series the summer concert series is starting June 25th and the first performer is 60s
Thunder so they'll be back again yes um and then we will go for eight weeks uh and I think a couple people in that too right there are so Matt York Matt York is uh May 14th at 6:00 p.m so
those aren't part of the summer concert but they are concerts and then on this is a new new to the library um on May 10th which is a Saturday at 2:00 p.m at 12:00 p.m we have surround colors of
South Asian music very different very unique and then we welcome back Judy and Barry Dasi on May 28th at 6:00 p.m so yes not officially the start of summer but we have a packed Oh yes we
are we are packed and then I could even say this one on June 7th we have I believe they performed at the counseling on aging last year in a question we have Louiswis and Ferry Songs and Stories of the American Songwriters 1960 through
1975 and that's on Saturday June 7th at noon so that's the f the first time you'll be here at the library so lots of new things exciting once again yes yes okay does anyone have anything else
any questions all right i just want to take a a minute to thank Steve this is his last meeting uh we appreciate your six years of service and all the budget help
you have served us over those years in particular um we will miss you and um feel free to come back anytime but we do thank you thank you for your service thank you very much thank you um selected
can we um can we set the next meeting dates i don't know if we want to continue on Fridays or if we want to go back to Wednesdays what does the easier for you yeah whatever easier i mean I can do I can do May 9th is a Friday if
that works could we jump a week could we jump a week to the I can't do the 16th but if you want to do the 14th or the 15th that week I could yeah I'm going to I know I'm going to be away yeah no that's fine yeah I can't do the 16th that week but I can do If you want to do
the Wednesday or the Thursday I can either way will you be back then oh yes yes yes okay does the Wednesday or the Thursday work for either one of you which day is better either way thursday might be better thursday is better thursday is better for you good
for you okay so let's do Thursday May 15th thank you yeah no problem and you want to do 11:30 is that better than 12:30 that's fine okay okay at 11:30 okay okay so we'll do Thursday May 15th at
11:30 perfect thank you very much all right and if we have no other business Stephen you can do it for the last time sure i second all in favor i I This April 11th 2026 meeting of the Kushna Public
Library Board of Trustees is officially adjourned it is 12:10 thank you
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