um I would like to call to order the um for the very loud clock the February meeting of the Kingston Public Library Board of Trustees um in attendance this evening we have trustees Lee Lewis Ralph C Matthew Donahue Jenna ker Carolyn
bromage and myself Emily curtain we also have Library director Donald cologne um we are starting off this evening's meetings with minutes approval from last month they were sent out to uh trustees to look over are there any edits or
additions not seeing any I'll take a motion to um accept the minutes as presented I move to accept the minutes from the January 27 meeting as as presented second all in favor
hi excellent thank you um the first thing we're going to look at this evening and I actually have hard copies of it but it's the budget update that Donald provided for us I don't know if anyone needs the hard copy but I'll send it around um it's it's attached to the
building use policy so thank you um the reason that Donald and I decided to bring this to the meeting is because in conversations with groups in town it was revealed that um individuals maybe didn't fully understand um the
budget of the library and so Donald had made almost like this cheat sheet of sorts for people that were serving on fincom and I thought it would be great to bring it here to the library so you could have a copy of it as well just in case anyone ever asked you about the
particulars of the budget or if you were curious about them yourself so I didn't know if anyone had any questions or just wanted Donald to walk through it briefly um so that we would have it in our back pocket if someone ever approach us about the budget would you like to talk about it
sure I will talk about it all right um so listed above with the um 01610 number those are all the individual accounts that's voted for at town meeting so when you see the libraries line item um as part of the
Town budget these are the individual accounts that make up that um that total number um the two top accounts refer to salaries um basically it's the professional non-union salary is W wage
and personnel and then the clerical Union salaries is the next one and then the next couple of lines are payouts as part of benefits longevity so folks who have been here over a certain period of time receive a stien for that and then
we have sick leave buyback which isn't um what that is is for union members can acrew a certain amount of time for this sick time and if they ACW more than that annually the town
buys back that time at a fraction of the cost um and at this point I think we only have three employees out of you know the 10 Library employees that actually are eligible for that um and then we just have basic um you know office equipment repairs and
maintenance um you know printing for example with the you know we lease machines but we over a certain amount we have to pay for you know Tona usage um off of the you know the actual copy the printers that we have um the property
repairs is um you know that was actually a couple of years ago that was the account that had the money for the um putting up and taking down of the tent that we used and the um lawn however since we haven't been using that for a
couple of years we attempted to um zero it out in order to balance the budget last year um but the town accountant had left some funds in there it was $200 to cover the water bills that the um library is now responsible for it
basically is water and sewer that were now responsible so there it was an increase so it went from two 200 to 2,000 um basically the first bill that we got for Adams and the library for the water bill ate up the
$200 um and at this point we haven't gotten a sewer bill so we're not sure where that will um you know lie and then we have postage for um you know overdue notices reminder notices um which is you know that is I think at like $350 that
is very minimal with you know all the email notices that we have as well as the automatic renewals you know that cost has drastically um decreased then we have the program budget which was which is 2500 that was
um you know added to the library budget just a couple of years ago then the office supplies it's general office supplies for eight internal departments the big one which is the books and periodicals um which funds you know both physical
and digital like ebooks as well as some databases so for example you know the um Consumer Report database you know basically that's the online version of the print um you know version so we're able to you you know utilize that funds
for that as well as a portion of the funds which is actually 10% of the overall books and materials budget can be used for um direct use technology for patrons meaning that um you know if we
needed to buy new computers you know software subscriptions anything like that we can actually use that um as you know the the funding source for that other supplies refers to processing materials um as it relates to you know
print books and things you know labels book covers you know non general office supplies things Beyond on Post-it notes and paper clips and stuff um software subscription is for services like our online um calendar
events the you know assabet you know for the Museum passes as well um and other various um software subscriptions that we have um annual du dues and memberships that specifically um refers to the ocln annual
assessment and then the copio lease is the um contracted amount that we have for the lease of the staff copier the public copier is provided um To Us by this by the vendor um with the agreement that they keep the funds that are
generated from that did anybody have any questions concerning the general fund accounts okay um so then the next thing I did was I added the requirements pertaining to um state aid um you know
for you know get being certified for um you know receiving of state aid meeting the M um how the m is calculated as well as um meeting the minimum standards of free public library service um you know
as the number of hours were open the education level of the director the materials expenditure um you know completing an Aris report annually um and other you know compliance um factors
there um then what I did was because at the finance committee that I attended recently um there was a comment made about having um you know funding you know this cut that is
that we have um you know for fiscal 26 um that it be um offset by the foundation so um after that comment was made the chair of the finance committee and my myself um jumped in real quick to explain that um you know this funding
wasn't meant for operations um you know it basically is above and beyond to supplement um you know um projects and things like that um so with that said um and with this with the comment being
made that um you know that there wasn't support to restore the budget um as I requested due to the fact that um they did not understand our accounts I felt the need to create this document and explain each of these other you know funding and you know and they really
like some of the folks that were talking about it was basically for transparency um which you know we have nothing to hide and and so forth um so I you know listed state aid funding and um how it was um you know calculated um we
recently received the first um payment for the year which was a little over $20,000 um and so we'll receive another payment um sometime within the fiscal year um the next is the for funding source is the Kingston Public Library
Foundation um that provides support to the library on an as-needed basis um they pay for special projects um you know some Capital things you know that um you know Assist in you know the library you
know from being a center activity for the community um neither the library director nor the library trustees have oversight over these funds um and support is not always guaranteed um you know we can make asks
at times and you know there may be um concerns of um you know with the certain Financial climate whether or not an expenditure of a certain amount might be too much or what have you um but it was important that you know for those that
were getting this outside of this group that they be aware that there isn't oversight internally here about that um they friends with the Kingston Public Library um they provide funds to for Library programming summer reading
prizes or in the past they have also um purchased Museum passes I also included gifts which are you know Financial donations or gifts are generally processed through the foundation however at times the library Le
receives donations and the donations many times come with um restrictions and guidelines and so I wanted folks to be aware of that as well so there isn't always an assumption of you know recently um you know the Board of Trustees I'm sorry the board of
selectman meeting that's going to be held you know that they'll be accepting the um you know funds from the foundation for example to do the Winter Rising of the LED sign and you know by putting in specifically that
that's what the money went for um you know that would be the same thing if somebody says I want to make this donation but it's for children's books children's DVDs or what have you um does anyone have any questions about the external funding
sources I just have one question on the financial donations currently are there are there any limitations or uh
terms about do we require any ex any special name limitations on donations or does
donor in fact have the right to make to apply limitations whatever so we can refuse donations that came that come in with certain with restrictions that we feel um you know
that we could not fulfill that request um obviously if somebody came and said here you know in somebody's will somebody left us $100,000 and you need to buy you know VH VHS tapes um you know or that it
specifically had to be on a specific topic but they need it for whatever financial reasons they need it to be spent within a period of time um you know we can you know refuse that generally if there is a donation that's
come with a you know restriction or an Ask um you know it is usually something that would work within our parameters for collection development so it wouldn't be a challenge okay um I'm
thinking about things like a a significant donation that is at um requires it for the children
books for the book does that say you you can do that but the limitation would say no no there there wouldn't be limitation like that because it would be a general
broad restriction or ask of them um but if it was I guess more specific on um you know if there was for example like I said with the VH VHS tapes my point with that was saying that if they
want to be an investment on something that was like outdated media that you know we were phasing out and you know um and folks there's still some folks that like VHS that they would say Hey you know I want you to use it I mean somebody could have put it in their
will 20 years ago or whatever it was that VHS tapes were still around M machine oh exactly exactly anything like that so you know we've kind of played it with that um we can refuse donations that come with I guess
unrealistic restrictions but you know a don in which it um if someone said oh we want to make a donation to The you know children's department and if it's very broad obviously we could use it for materials we could use it for Capital if it's
specifically materials you know that is a benefit as well um and we would take that opportunity to invest in maybe higher end materials like w books which are much more expensive children's books because it has like a built-in audio
player and stuff like that and well that is in writing it is in our um gift policy okay I think people should be aware of that because it's extremely
important um like the the very $60,000 that was given to us by a donor and it was just given to the library there was no limitations so consequently it would be
important to for us to know that that kind of don donation is always going to be in writing because otherwise these idiots will try
to they will try to get rid of the money and I'm most concerned about that they look I live here for I know the people that what happens to
people that live in this state for in this city I'm sorry I didn't have my NE I'm not speaking as clear as I normally well I thought it was important we have this only because if someone
does approach us about how the budget is broken down because it seems there was some confusion about what responsib ities different entities have what responsibilities they can even have at all because I think the qu the suggestion that was made at fincom obviously Illustrated that they didn't
understand that um Municipal responsibilities are municipal responsibilities absolutely um so if there are no questions on this the digital copy that you all have is not cut off the way the printed copy is so you can have the full
sentence uh next on the agenda that is the Adam Center use policy for those of us who have been around for years welcome back to the Adam Center building use policy I know Ralph de myself Carolyn we've looked at it many times
and here we are again who can [Laughter] believe if the hard copy is attached in your pocket if you need it um is there a specific specific area of this policy Dono that you want us to
zero in on so the reason why I asked was that as you know basically when I first came in in you know 2021 um you know the trustees was
working on this policy and then 2022 it was finalized and after living with the policy for a couple of years and then you know revisiting it um there are just some contradictions within the policy um for example there's one line
that says that um the space is available during Library hours of operations but then they go on to saying in another area which is the chart that shows the fees 8 AM which we're not here at 8 AM um nor are we here on
Sundays um and things like that but also what has been a big challenge is basically is that we have one acist and the requests for space you know it's kind of one of those things about that it's either feast or famine with
asks and um you know overall there haven't been a lot of ask per se but they tend to be on evenings that either the library isn't open the library um
the acist isn't working that day um or there's some type of other scheduling conflict I.E you know he's needed over here to cover reference because someone's out that day um so
what I did was I did go through the policy and I spoke to him I spoke to Nick about um you know just some of the things um so what I wanted to do was basically go over some of the big General things just some things to just
clarify if um for example that if you look at the purpose and it talks about the you know the preference for um you know reserving the space um on the on page one under two purchase purpose um the question I have is you know is there
General is there actually bumping rights so say a member of the general public requests space at the atam center on a certain day but then a um Kingston Town activity is scheduled the same day and
they want to reserve the space do they have bumping rights or is it done on a first come first serve basis um so for me that was a clarification Point um and then as far
as for example you know the reservations so on page two number three it's actually the last paragraph reservations will be accepted for only two events at a time when an exception is granted the library director will notify the applicant exceptions are granted for a
period of 12 months after which time a new request must be submitted in writing so generally the library programs are reserved four to five months out so I am concerned about that part of it um you know because recently we did have a
group ask about getting the atom Center every month and I just don't know if that is actually something that is sustainable um so where it says exceptions are granted for a period of 12 months so that they could say they want it Monday nights for a year the first Monday for
the year for the year but since we only do our programming about four months out correct we just have to make that exception period I would much so what I would like to do is I would actually like to say that for 60 days because things will come up okay um you know so
so so go from 12 months to 60 days correct holy smokes well that's the thing it you know I mean there's um I mean there's there are quite a few little things you know as I have everything highlighted just a point of clarification in case people
were unaware um the archist office and the archives are housed in the atom Center so when director cologne is saying we only have one archist and when the archist is not there that means the space is unattended um or if has to come here for coverage here that leaves the
space space unattended which is why even though yes we've been lucky enough since this was developed to high an amazing archist and have him in house he isn't 247 in the available to correct
correct um and then the uh then fees on page three um you know weekday 8 to closure Saturdays and Sundays obviously we not so the copy I
have just says Saturdays no Sundays okay um so I think that was already taken care of what so for you would say weekday 10 right to closure [Music] cor M we were
ambitious yes early birds and then on page four so like I said there's a there's a lot of little things but for example on page four under number two and number seven um they basically all they refer to picking up
the keys and returning of the keys which we don't pass out the keys um um so they're let in on the keypad right or they're physically l in by an individual in the atom Center correct so they do no accessing no except of the space that's this is
outdated at this correct [Music] so so they still have to schedule access but the access no longer involves picking up the key from the staff Conta correct what was that when when it
wasn't when if people were using it outside of typical hours there was a time when people had keys to the library and the Adam Center for their monthly nighttime meetings so now at least for the Adam Center we only offering that
space when a library that's what I thought but I correct so the authorized representatives will schedule access to the building for the event is really just all you have to say in terms of because they're just gonna have to and while we're add it going back to
that front page under purpose when you was talking about bumping rights the way that it's worded finally preference and scheduling is given to Kingston based groups and individuals then to the general public I don't foresee I mean if something was already
scheduled by a Kingston based group then even if it was another Kingston based group you would still say that the space is taking for that time so it's unavailable so I don't think the general public would ever bump a Kingston base group and on the flip I think it would be weird if someone from the general public had it reserved and then we for
whatever reason wanted to use it I can't imagine that it would be it's once it's scheduled it's scheduled so I don't think I think that's I mean that's what we're hashing this out for right if someone does schedule it then it's not like we can be like oh but we want to have Mama set
there fair thing yeah so the first come first like once you've gone through the process and you've signed all the documents and you know you're going to meet there to have your thing I don't think you can suddenly say like oh Kingston bird watchers they need it so there in you're out
yeah so there so some language should be about first com first sir so fin pren well especially because now that they can only reserve two events at a time and any exception to that's only 60 days it's not like yeah I don't think this is gonna
devolve to aite [Laughter] over all right so beyond sorry I didn't mean to interrupt so authoriz just access to the building and then beyond that um
well it's funny like rereading this I see things that I don't you know didn't notice before but complete the attendance form I just crossed it out yeah um because I believe the attendance form it's a separate document it was a
separate document um when you were requesting use of space they used to have you write down like number of children number of adults um how many people are going to be in there and or or you anticipated being in there so for
instance like when my girls coat tro was in the what would used to be the kitchen off the children's room I had to say there's 15 girls two hagri leaders in there with them and then that was like our attendance form that we would turn
in so I don't even think that we have that sort of documentation anym no no well that's the thing too is I think some of the language I've seen definitely came from other sources that there like outdated practice they don't it doesn't exist any like if you were
giving the key and somebody was like letting in and letting out then maybe knowing who was in the building matter but now that it's only when there now there's like personel present A little yeah and on page
two seems like then on number five and six in that same before the event it has been like locking the door and competing attendance form and like all that go to yeah yeah projector training meeting yeah lock the
door also so on page two before the event telephone a visit staff at the library circulation desk um you don't do anything with the the space um reservation and check the library calendar available dates and
time an appropriate meeting room um those we don't put non- Library events on our calendar of events um so it would just be a basic um you know request to the library
director for um for reserving the space um because many times like with this this particular group that literally wanted it on a Monday night we couldn't do Monday night um you know
because obviously we're not open Monday nights and then they want to switch it to a Wednesday but there was actually a program scheduled for that Wednesday night so they're asking for another Wednesday night so I'm working I'm shifting my schedule to cover that so
that they can hold it this you know for that month um you know um so we even though somebody may come in with a request for a certain day you know we try to be flexible and you know try you know if that night doesn't work
maybe we can work this night out um so I wouldn't want so do you want a Struck from the document or and make ba and go from there where it says before the event telephone or visit the staff at the library circulation Des so I want that to be admitted yeah so that's struck and
then B become a b becomes a and so on well we don't put the events on the calendar but you don't but you put your own I I was reading it as you look at the library calendar see if there are Library events in the space so at least you'll know if there's already like
Kingston Public Library events over there like a speaker or something right right but if somebody's looking for a Tuesday evening at 6 the calendar May say that the library doesn't have something but they may not know that the Girl Scouts are already meeting there oh
yeah they'll still have to check you so as a one all yeah they can at least see for the um Library events that's why I was thinking before you even ask that's how I was reading it I feel like though be makes it sound like if you're checking the library
calendar for available dates but somehow you'd be able to figure it out like whereas you can't be available it's available like we could say maybe check the library calendar for libr Library
like already scheduled Library events Library specific events and then knowing that beyond that you're still going to have to make their request and find out oh and ni I notic saying on page three that the Sunday is listed underneath the chart even though the chart just said Saturdays Saturdays and
Sundays so just cross out in Sunday and I wasn't sure too that under that se under that same section um the last before building use the however the authorized May collect dues and all the
cost for Refreshments if we really wanted to have any type of money exchange there the last time that we had an event that had refreshment over there yeah maybe ago like an authorized
representative yeah I mean was an entity that if it was a group that had a Treasurer that would be the treasurer would designated coordinator for that exactly they they'd be the one who yeah away and say no admission fees can be
charged or money collected without something where they you know everyone's beening $10 pizza you just be like yeah fine so from however on yeah yeah because it feels like I mean especially I'm looking at the cost of renting this space it's so low that it doesn't seem like places should
generally be charging people to go a profit non profit are we sticking with our very Stern cancellation policy where they have to come before the board if it happens twice the disciplinarian
ending great idea I adults be kind of [Music] awkward so I think that was pretty much yeah so I was keeping track of the omissions and that edits so I can add
them to the document and bring it back we begin our cycle looking over policies week after week I'll bring it back and we can make sure all the edits are present and okay accept them for moving forward and do
you feel that there is a glor activity right now for people looking for the Adam center or is this just preemptive it's it's just in the moment there has been a lot of um I'd probably say like in the last month you know that's been a lot of inquiries um you know both in
appropriate and inappropriate I.E baby showers right um you know sort of thing request for the use of the space so that um you know has that has been a main um you know
kind of sticking point is that um a lot of locals knew that in the past you were able to do it but now you can't um so this that and as as well as you know trying to stay within the operating hours for some that you know that can
prove to be um a challenge if it's a later evening event so someone trying to you know have a meeting at seven o'clock you know they may not be able to get done by8 um and we need you know more time than that so but I think this is a
good step in um you know reworking the the policy so that it you know can work well both for us for sustainability of providing the space um but giving folks the opportunity to be able to utilize the
space like to know what kind of the baby shower check that's when before it came back to the lightning it was run by the selectman my friend sister got married and the
selectman really had no limitations on it however when the library was given to this state the building is done by the Adams
people they required a court issue on under the building by the language which reads groups and individuals of
educational Civ cultural philanthropic community and similar pures included in the information that went out to you this week was was director cologne's report did anyone have any questions or concerns about
that as presented about his report yes oh I just have two areas and they're obviously talking about the finances
um I noticed that the finance committee when they made the vote they voted down the U proposal for the budget on a three and three vote which meant to me that in
selectman there's a possibility that we could get that dist stct agent we could get another individual committee to vote in favor of it because that's all you need is for
right that is correct that is correct so when the vote there there discussion um to to restore the 25,000 to the budget and then a vote was taken um and it ended with the
33 and um it was after the vote was taken that it was shared that um the reason why one of them voted no was because they didn't understand um you the accounts um so
that is why that was part of why I created the um you know the handout that I had described um earlier um in hopes that it would bring up some dialogue um and better understanding um at this point with the budget um I did have a
you know brief um conversation with the Town Administrator and had um asked about the restoration of the account of the money in the account and at this point it would be an Ask um for the board to select um however they you know have made you
know the initial you know pass over the the budget as is um so I mean it is something that you know we can still you know um do I mean there are obviously other account other Town departments that are cut um you
know we just happen to be cut at the amount that we're cut at um so I don't believe that Finance would retake a vote um and all that would do would be you know it would just be their
presentation for the library budget um you know um well when you when you um if if one me one member as you
noted um that they didn't understand what the uh the operations are have you taken any attempt to take
them the individual even privately getting this to them so what I did was I sent this I sent it to the chair of the finance committee um because he that is the only
um communication I I only have his email address so had sent it I had seen him at a board of selectman meeting I explained to him that I had sent him that and I just wanted to make sure he had it which luckily turned out that he hadn't received it because he uses his full
name including middle initial which the middle initial was left out of the email that was sent to us to communicate with him so I was able to resend it um and after you know meeting with him and talking to him um I don't know um if
there was further discussion amongst the the committee about that handout it was brought up in a um department head meeting that for the L for the Departments that have more complicated
budgets as we do that something like this would probably be necessary to present every year versus a department that only has like a department head and a single admin in them and not have the nuances that we have um so I'm not sure
at this point because it was just the other day that I had seen him and sent it to him um so I haven't gotten any feedback back concerning it well I think it's worth contacting and and finding out and we've spoken as well about
moving forward if perhaps it be it would be best if director clone presented to the entire finance committee a more detailed rundown of the budget the way things had been done in the past rather than having a sing Point person come in and get the information and bring it
back to the finance committee because then things like this misunderstanding um would be less likely to occur absolutely absolutely you're meeting the board's the board of Selectmen is meeting tomorrow correct to go over
their their budget um has this been sent to them um it was sh with the Town Administrator so I don't have you sent it to the chairman
of the select I have not sent it to the chairman of the select please do it okay tonight so that tomorrow morning it is in his office by tomorrow morning he's a idiot
I swear to God he is well we're not going to comment on other leadership in town but I'm sure that director colone can send the information on to the rest of the S absolutely um in addition to Donald's report there were staff reports sent out I don't know if anyone had any
commentary or things that they want to mention about the staff reports not seeing any there's no update from the foundation or a friends this month and there's no bills thankfully um under old business does anyone have any old
business I will mention under old business that we have the date of the 24th of March for our next meeting um I'm sorry the 24th of March Monday um so as long as that's still okay with everyone that's what we're going to post
moving forward any new business no right the meeting at 6:59 second all in favored we are officially