Recording in progress. Calling to order the what is what's the date today? November 12th, 2025 meeting the board of library trustees. Uh do we have any public comment? Anybody online or any emails to read?
>> Hi. Um yes. So, someone approached me at a coffee shop about 10 days ago and they're a member of the community preservation act committee and they're looking to get in front of all the various boards around town. are
wondering if we might put them on for 15 minutes on our speak about >> Thank you. >> Okay, I'll reach back out to that. >> Yeah, we'll put it on future agenda. Nobody online. No other emails. All
right, great. Next item on the agenda, RMHS DECA scholarship program charitable collection >> recording stopped. recording in progress. We did have a Reading Memorial High School student reach out and they were interested in potentially hosting a
table or a stand at the library to raise money for their scholarship program for DECA. Um, but we followed up several times about more information about proposed dates or times or locations within the library and we never heard back from them. So hopefully they found
another in the community to hold their fundraiser. Um, and it's also a little crowded in the lobby right now with the festival of trees collections ongoing. Um, so I don't think it's necessary for us to vote.
>> Okay. Should we table it or just wait for them to reach back out? >> I think we can just wait and see if they have to reach back out again. >> We shall do so. Um, next item, discussion and vote. Updates to the policy on distribution, posting and
collection of materials. Uh I have no I personally have no questions. So I'll move to uh accept the policy on distribution, posting and collection of materials as revised in the packet. >> Okay. Do we have a vote or can we have a
vote? Everybody here? Yeah. Where? All in favor? Excellent. Next item on the agenda is a review updates to the gift policy. is the um on the friends of the reading
public library, Inc. section, the red line, the red section that's added that says to the friends. Is that clear enough? Do we have to use a formal name there? Do people know what the friends are with capital F? Yeah, it says I assume it's clear enough.
Oh, it's Friends of the Right. >> No, we we pay for it through the U materials budget. We've done that for several years now. Um, yeah, >> I mean other library services kind of falls in there as well. Any other comments?
I move to accept the Oh, >> next month. This is a review. Any questions? Um, I just >> Well, then I >> questionable that motion.
All right. We will we'll hold the vote for you. I don't have any questions. Does anybody else have any questions as written? If not, we can move on. Financial report.
>> Okay. Um the FY26 budget is on track. Uh there's nothing to report. Uh the FY27 uh draft level one budget is going to be presented at the December 8th meeting. Um the FY27 budget includes any changes
or recommendations that are discussed and they'll be presented to the select board on December 9th. Um we have some October gifts from Marielle and Downey who is wonderful and always does that. Um
and that's all I have. Can I ask two questions? Going back to the charts, um the as far as budgeted uh licensing and software is pretty high as percentage-wise, but that's the town
rolls that out on a regular basis, I believe. Is that typical? I believe that line item is so high because it includes our um Noble subscription for the year which often occurs in the summer and beginning of the fiscal year.
>> And then everything is kind of line at or above a little bit of basic I believe that's mostly cyclical and and perhaps due in part to that software expense being so high in the beginning of the fiscal year. Um, a lot of our
renewals do occur at the same time every year and perhaps more of them are occurring part of year should all balance out at the end. Does anyone have any other questions about the financial report?
>> Not seeing any, we can move on to the director's. >> All right. I um as you have noticed if it wasn't dark outside you could see that the outdoor library terrace um in construction has
already begun. It began on Monday. They were really quick in coming in and with their a loaders and getting everything done. Um, and we want to thank again the Writing Public Library Foundation for the generous support in enhancing the
library's outdoor space. Um, we've gotten a lot of good feedback from patrons coming in and and I think it's going to be pretty awesome. And what else? Okay, we have our museum pass report. And you can see we offer over 18 free and
discounted passes to local and regional cultural attractions. And you can see the top four passes and usage by year. Uh it definitely increases from the 2021 to 2022 to 2024,
2025 when um a lot of the um museums were limiting how many people could come in and we dropped Battleship Cove and we added Boston by Foot, the Conquered Museum, the A Paddle Boston, and
Plymouth Pucket museums. Uh we've also begun tracking interl loans sent and received on a map. So there's a big map in tech services with little pins where um the different um
interl loans are located. We had our connected reading um fair a few weeks ago. We had over 200 attendees from both organizations and residents. Unfortunately, it was on the same day as
the downtown trickor treat, so we had a little less people than we thought we would, but we also got a lot of kids coming in with their costumes. So, that was really cool. And I had heard a lot from organizations themselves who were talking amongst each other. So, that was
great. And then the previous Saturday, we had our the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival. Um, this was a joint effort with OESJ, the Reading Public Schools, the Reading North Reading Chamber of Commerce, uh,
and Must Eats Travel. Uh, it was a really wonderful event and it went, I think it went from like 12 to 4, so people will go upstairs if they weren't interested in a program and come back downstairs. It was um, a really great
way to learn about a different culture. Um we had a flu shots here and we had over 62 people get flu shots in one week. Um we had Liv um Bartholomew. She's a town health nurse. She's wonderful. has been connecting a lot
with the library and she did the um the flu clinic up in the health nook and that was really visible and a lot more people came through and got their shots. And we also just started up with one-on-one technology help appointments.
Um our head of adult services, Sarah Kelso, is running those. And um this was this is a new or a renewed program and people are really getting a lot of help with that. Our sixth grade tours
happened and they did a really fun thing in here with a book fair. So the sixth graders gather here and then they had books all set up kind of like the Scholastic book fairs and so they could choose what books they wanted and it was it's just a really cute new um addition
to the sixth grade tours. We also had goats visit us. There were so cute. Uh there were 146 attendees and four very friendly goats. Uh it was outside here and it was wonderful. And
as you can see in the packet, staff loved them, too. Um we had Halloween trivia here. Um it was I'm going to say I came into the room and about 30 people came in. It was great.
See, um, personnel, the big thing is, and I'm sure you have heard and you got the invite, that Andrea Fillo has accepted the position of branch manager for the O'Neal branch of the Cambridge Public Library. Uh, I know that this was a really hard decision for her, but she
can walk to work, so this is going to be a really great opportunity for her. she will miss us a lot and we will miss her so much. Uh so next Wednesday night in this room we're going to be celebrating
her. Um so please come if you can and just wish her well. Uh we've also hired our substitute librarian Ashley Cristiano. She has accepted the position of librarian one for reference and adult
services and she started on Monday. um in that position, but you've probably seen her around. Um she's taken up a lot of the substitute shifts. She's helped out with the book bike, so she's already been very engaged in what we've been doing.
Um the 2025 NILA, so it's the New England Library Association conference was held in Newport, Rhode Island. Um several people attended it from the library. Um I think both Andrea Fel and Megan White presented. Um there's a
picture here of uh Megan White presenting about Jane Goodall's roots, shoots, and leaves, the citizen kids program that she runs. Uh apparently it was really wellreceived and um just kudos to her. Andrea presented sessions
on intellectual freedom throughout New England. Um and then free speech, the rights of minors and law enforcement, public libraries. um and she fielded a lot of questions about public libraries and legal issues. We had an October all staff meeting that focused on customer
service skills. And I'll just add and it's not on here that Andrea um also presented to staff on um libraries and the law uh just last week. And then you'll also see uh other things
that people staff members have uh taken part in. customer service crash course, uh, digital resources for readers and listeners, uh, managing the talent, a holistic approach to library personnel management, navigating change with
empathy, inclusion, and a whole bunch of other great programs that we've taken part in. And that's all I've got. >> I had a quick question on the October snapshot. under the October 2025 column
for overdrive, there's an asterisk next to 5624. And I don't know why >> it's on page >> Oh. Oh, I know why. Uh, so when I grabbed this information, it only includes
um what? It's only the over it's only the lended items from within Noble. It doesn't include anything that we that um was borrowed from other networks, other
consortiums. Uh so when I got that data, that's why I didn't. Um and I should have added a star there. I'm sorry. Or an explanation for that star. Um but that's what that was. >> Excellent. Thank you. Appreciate that.
Anybody have any questions about the director's report? >> Absolutely. >> Just wondering what Andrea's last day is uh next Saturday. So, next Saturday. So, and
she's um she won't be in the building tomorrow or Friday and but then she'll be in again on she told me I think Monday. U moving on to the approval of the
October 14th, 2025 meeting minutes. Does anyone have any questions or concerns? If not, can we get a motion? Move to accept the minutes of the October 14th 25 meeting.
>> All in favor? >> Oh, I was just like must not have been here. Motion carries five with one upstate. Right. Moving on to future agenda items. >> Oh, do I say that? >> I generally Amy explains what they are,
but I think we can explain it what they are. Um so in December we have the uh draft level one fiscal year 27 budget to discuss the winter programming update
uh the rooted and reading final report and then um just put this on your calendar. The RPL budget presentation will be presented to the select board on December 9th. Uh and then in January, look out for the
community outreach and engagement update and an update on supplemental spending. >> And then we also have Kelly, you're getting that. >> Yes, I'll reach out right away, too. >> Okay. And we can just add that to the
next. I think we're good. Does anybody else have any questions, concerns, thoughts, ideas, warm feelings? She's abstaining from participation. >> Um, just on the not on future items, but under the director's report, there's a
project plan for the terrace that's being done. And at the bottom of it, it says that the project is called the Father Maguire Park. I saw that, too. I think it they just copied it from some other project. >> Okay, that's what I thought. I just
wanted to make sure we hadn't named it. >> No, no, I I I'm pretty sure. >> Just checking what happened in October when I wasn't here. So, just uh >> Yeah, that's from the um the company, the activist that's putting it.
>> It's a nice park. Father McGuire Park. >> Uh, do we have a motion to do I give a motion to adjurnn? I always wonder that. Or do you guys have to There you go. >> Second. >> All right. All in favor? Look at that.
21.