This is the January 28th uh regularly scheduled meeting of the Franklin Township Library Board of Trustees. I'm going to call the meeting to order at 51. And first we're going to do the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge algiance to the flag of the
United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> Roll call. Agnes Kulabana, >> yes.
>> Aisha Ali, >> yes. >> Deborah Kelly, >> yes. >> Mayor Kramer, >> here. Amy Arcala, Kevin McNeel, Tiana Gresham, Nick Champa >> here,
>> January Adams, I'm here too. And this meeting is being held in accordance with the Open Public Meetings Act, uh, public law 1975 C231, Sunshine Law. The schedule and notification of this meeting have been provided to the
Courier News, the Home News Tribune, and the Franklin Township Clerk. Copies have been posted in the library's vestibial and are also available at the reference desk. At this point, we'll have nomination and election of officers. Are there any nominations for the office
of president? >> I nominate Nick. Wait a second. >> Is there a second? >> But I don't think we need a second for a >> for a nomination. >> Oh, okay. >> It's my pet peeve.
>> All in favor? >> Are there any other nominations? Are there any other nominations? >> Hearing none. >> Hearing none. >> All in favor. >> You do it by acclamation.
>> Is everybody in favor? >> Yes. >> Yes. >> I uh now I'll do the nomination for the vice president slashtreasurer. Are there any nominations? I will nominate Aisha.
>> She is here. >> You're supposed to nominate who's not here. >> Are there any other nominations? There being none, I will ask for um an acclamation. >> All in favor? >> I
>> I was a little unexpected. >> Will you accept that? >> I accept the nomination. >> Okay. >> Thank you. We have >> secret meeting now.
>> Nick was >> Oh, secret. I'm sorry. >> Nick was picked as president. So, it's his meeting. >> It's from now on. Okay. >> Yeah. Good. >> Are there any nominations for the office of secretary?
What was that, Agnes? >> No, no, no. I was just I said I was just talking to myself that I'm a secretary somewhere. I don't want to take another secretary position. >> Do you have anyone to nominate
like maybe Kevin? >> I nominate Kevin. Are there any other nominations? >> I said I nominated Kevin. >> Yes, but we're looking for other nominations now. >> Oh, okay. Sorry.
>> Seeing none, u those in favor of of Kevin McNeel as our secretary, signify by saying I. >> I he is not here. So we accept
>> it's what happens when you're not there. >> That's right. >> Um in the university uh often who doesn't attend the department meeting gets elected department head
whether they want it or not. Okay. I'd like to open this meeting to public comment. the first portion of our public comment. Is there anyone member of the public who would like to uh have their say?
Seeing none, I will close the public comment portion and we'll move on to uh discussion and approval of the minutes from the December 17th, 2025 meeting. Um, for
those who have managed to read them, um, is there any discussion? >> Is there a motion to accept the December 17th minutes as presented? >> My motion. >> I
>> go ahead, Agnes. I wasn't here, but can I move it because I read it? >> Yes. >> Okay. So moved >> and I seconded. >> Any discussion of the minutes now that it's seconded?
Seeing none, those in favor signify by saying I. I. >> I. This motion is passed unanim unanimously. Um, we should move on to director's reports. January, do you have anything
uh that you'd like to point out on the um financial report? The only thing I'll point out is that um this is the halfway point of the fiscal year where you would expect 50% of the funds to have been spent and we're at
42.9 and the branch is at 41%. >> Okay. Would anyone else have any does anyone else have any comments about the uh
50% mark? >> I applaud that we the workass compensation hasn't been used which is a plus for our library. >> Yeah, that doesn't happen until later on the spring when we'll get that bill that they do the audit and we get the bill.
Oh, >> okay. January, would you like to uh amplify anything in that's in your operations reports report? >> Yes. >> Okay. >> On January 10th, the library uh worked with the Muslim Heritage
Vermont Coalition of New Jersey and there was a workshop of the art of Turkish mosaics, which I hear was very nice. Uh the the adult services department had 40 adult programs with 610 attendees.
The youth services department had 36 programs that 1,320 people participated in. And the uh first year-long reading challenge ended on December 31st and it was successful. So
we're offering it again. And as of January 12th, we had 73 patrons already signed up. Winter reading started on Monday, December 22nd, and it'll finish on Monday, February 23rd. And I will
just point out that um the support staff member of the circulation department who runs the volunteers is having great success with her new way of doing it. And she's got, I think, 24 people signed up for the winter session.
So that's um quite impressive. >> Very good. >> And that's it. >> Okay. There is no president's report. And uh I want to thank January for keeping us informed with uh articles
pertinent to libraries. Um and this month is no exception. We have Would anyone like to uh comment on the uh well the Supreme Court's decision not to
hear an important case and um the expression by voters in the last election seems to have favored uh libraries and uh
I I find what you give us each month is helpful >> and I thank you for that. >> I liked the um I included the uh the last one of Follet and Mlin. >> Oh yeah. >> Because it's very interesting just on a business
um idea that Baker and Taylor Fos and then you see all these other smaller vendors moving in to take some of the take some of the load off. So that to me was interesting. That's why I included that one. >> And you had had an a relationship with
that with Flet. >> No, we don't. No, we don't. >> Oh, okay. I thought >> No, Ingram. We had Oh, >> these are two of the smaller ones. I don't want to misspe, but I think maybe um they were just just um distributing
to schools. So, now they're expanding to public libraries. So everybody wants a piece of the action now that Baker and Taylor is out of business. >> Uh do do very very large libraries
uh go alone and buy directly from the publishers? >> No. >> No. Okay. >> That would be very hard and very complicated. That would be very hard to keep track of all the different publishers.
>> Okay. So, Baker and Taylor or these others uh do do have a a real purpose. >> Yes, they have a purpose. Yes. >> Okay. >> We do buy from the smaller publishers. If there's no other way that Baker and T
Well, in the past, if Baker and Taylor didn't have the book, we would go directly to the publisher. >> Okay. So, that's a possibility. >> Oh, yeah. Okay. Thank you. >> Is there any old business?
I just want to report that in the 8th of um December the Louis had a program which I attended at party for J Austin. It was very fruitful and educational
and we had about I think 8 to 10 people in there. We had dish and coffee and tea. It was really impressive. >> Well, thank you for going, Agnes. I'm glad you liked it.
>> Yeah, I just going to do and um Mr. sister um invited me so I honor the invitation
and uh she lost her son as you know. >> Okay. Is there any other old business? >> Um should we discuss the Franklin Township Astronomy Club request? Um,
we are still gathering information. Um, I think there's some flexibility here for a very limited operation. Um,
before we make a decision on that, I think we should get a little more information. And I'm um I'd like to say I'm in the process of doing it, but I haven't done anything for the last couple of weeks on it. And
um one of the one of the issues is where would the micros the the telescopes be stored? And um another issue is who would buy the telescope or telescopes. And um
the way it's set up with that company, that organization that does it, they ask the library to buy them. And well, that's something we'd have to discuss. I'm afraid.
>> Well, I'll just add that I went to the site and they have many videos there about how to do it and um I learned that it's not as simple as we originally thought. Like when you it needs to be
checked before you check it out to somebody to make sure it's okay. Then when they bring it back, you need to make sure everything's all right with it. And then it's probably going to happen that the person taking it out is going to need a little bit of a tutorial how to use it.
So those are all things that um I've talked a little bit with Nick about. So we're working on it. >> Will they have somebody to be in charge of it >> who is not part of our library? >> That's what we want. That's what we
want. Uh, I think that one way it might work is if whenever somebody wants to uh take an the telescope out, they'd make an appointment with a member of the astronomy club and
leave our employees out of the technology of uh checking out the telescope because, you know, we have a lot of employees here. It would be a whole training thing and >> and I I I would I would be opposed to uh
>> oh yeah people being >> Ron when he gave his presentation was >> well yeah >> astronomy club would handle all this >> but uh then that would have to be somebody making an appointment with them and all we would do probably is house
the actual instrument >> and u and even that might be a little bit of Yeah, >> right now that looks like the best way to do it. >> Yeah, definitely. >> So, like do did that affect our insurance or anything that we're housing
this equipment and >> no kind of liable for it, right? >> These aren't thousands and thousands of dollar. >> They're $400. >> Okay. >> It would be actually the most expensive thing if if we were the ones loaning it.
probably the most expensive item we've had people check out. >> But uh the other expensive item we have are the museum passes which are pieces of paper. >> Okay. >> Is there any form of compensation or
liability or when it's taken out to the pay or what how does it work? How will it work? Well, >> you mean like if they if they break something on it, is that what you're talking about? >> Yeah. >> Yeah. That's that's something we have to
work on. Yeah. How would that be handled? >> Yeah. Okay. >> So, we're not ready with a decision. >> I don't think we're ready for that yet. >> Okay. >> But then that would be the astronomy
club then managing the repairs and stuff, right? Well, that's what that's the what we would have to that doesn't exactly match the program that um this organization does, but that's that would be one of our requirements,
>> right? >> Yeah, definitely. >> So, okay. >> And then we will have to find a room for that because I think it should be in a special room or something like that. Well, January and I have discussed a
couple of different possibilities of where we could build a uh a small cabinet that would house as many as two telescopes. So, um >> and it'd be locked and then the astronomy club member could come and unlock and person would take the
telescope. >> Okay, let's think about it and see how far we can go. >> Okay. Okay. Is there any other old business? Is there any new business? Okay. There is no executive session
needed for this today, but I would like to open again for any public comment. No, nothing. Okay. Um, our next meeting is scheduled for February 25th of this
year. And, uh, is there a motion to adjourn? >> Oh, before we adjourn, can I ask whether conditions are not conducive? What are the right what what is our next venture? What's
our next thought? I I didn't understand that. When what is not conducive? >> The weather. >> The weather. Oh, >> like today I'm not able to go out at all because I'm aching all over.
I I I counted you as a member here for a quarum. Um >> Okay. And that was necessary to have a quorum and um I would not like to see this as a you know a regular practice
but certainly in extreme conditions and as I have made this decision I don't know how legal it is but uh today we today you are part of our quarum And um
I recognize that there might be conditions that make it necessary. >> Thank you. >> Is there a motion to adjourn? >> I will make >> Deborah made it and Agnes seconded it.
Um so we are adjourned. Thank you for coming.