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Video-1: youtube.com/watch?v=OftLan0yVtM

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Okay, good evening. This is the meeting for the Board of Trustees of the Southwick Public Library. It is July 14th, 2026. And in attendance, we have Heather Dunfee. >> Michael McMahon. >> Andrea Dunfee. >> Tracy Meswarb.

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>> Tammy Sack. >> Phalen. >> Okay, that's great. Do we have any public comments? It doesn't look like we have anyone here online. There are no public comments. I move to go on to the next section on

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our agenda, communications. Um I think this was slightly mixed up with the director's report, so um you have a paper in front of you that says monthly report for Southwick Public Library, June 2026. And that has all the information on it. I don't know if you

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want to do that first or minutes. >> Attendance looks good at the various programs. >> Yes, we have um we have been meeting just as much as the numbers that we had last year and a bit more. Um it

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seems like there's there's I don't know, there's sort of a vibe, a little bit more energy here, and there's a lot more uptake on things. Um certainly people have been coming and using the library for sure. So, we have a little bit higher circulations. Um

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higher uh reference numbers. A lot of people asking questions, which is great. That's what we want. We want to be able to provide services for folks. >> What kind of questions did people ask? >> All kinds of things. Um we've had people come in and ask like, you know, I need to pay my taxes, but I'm really late. How do I get a hold of um

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you know, we bring things up on computer for them. Um People have read reviews or they see maybe Oprah's book chat on online and they want the book. So, we track it down for them. Um All kinds of random things. Sometimes

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people will stop in and say, "I heard about, you know, there's an activity happening in such and such a town, but I'm not sure when it starts." So, we can look that up for them. That kind of thing. So, yeah. Um Overall, circulations have gone up by 161

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compared to this time last year. Um average circulation is higher by 21. Um 253 more reference questions. We had one more new person registering for a card than last year. Um computers are roughly about the same,

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a little bit more. Door count is 117 more people coming through the doors than last year. Um We have had uh comparable gifts um and deposits to last year at this time. And we have had a little bit more ILLs

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going out and a little bit less ILLs coming in, interlibrary loans coming in. Hoopla and Libby are slightly down. I think that's due to the fact that it's been pretty good weather. It's the end of the school year. People are out and about doing things and they're less likely to be on their computers downloading, you know, movies to watch

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or whatever. So, I think that's just a feature of the season, really. Um we've had, as far as programs go, we've had six adult programs with 63 in attendance. Teens, we've had about three with 36. Um children's programs were

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seven with 145 in attendance for a total attendance of 237. The children's passive and ongoing programs are continuing and we still have the maker space, um which is bringing in 45 people or little people trying that. Um

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no welcome baby bags this this month, but we have had 1,000 books, a few few kids taking up on that. Scavenger hunts have been really popular, and 34 children doing that. And dramatic play is the most popular thing in the children's room, and that's fantastic.

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Um 93 kids taking up on Discovery Zone had 58. And coding zone is is nobody for this week for this month. Um we've had a suspension with the book boxes over the summer just to make it easier for everything to progress, um but we'll take that back up

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again in September, I believe. So. And then on that side of that paper, in addition to the day-to-day, here's a couple of other notes. We've had programs in June that included talk by Randy LeBar on her pianist mother Elaine, which was music and memory, um

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the accidental creation of a 92-year-old social media sensation. We've had an adult craft with Zenful Spaces making indoor water gardens, a presentation by Sarah Hodge Weatherbee on the various New England spooky stories from all over New England. Um those programs were absolutely

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wonderful, and I wished that I had time to have kind of would drop in on them a little bit more, but >> Um and I was at the Neferia. >> Yeah, I I think a couple of you were you you you all participated, and so I'm really glad to see that cuz it some of these are just like Sarah Hodge Weatherbee was such a good presenter.

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She was very relaxed, and she had a lot of knowledge about things. She was so easy to work with. It was wonderful. And you know, Zenful Spaces they've been here should um Patricia Bassett's been here many many times, and she's very very settled and consistent, so that's very reliable. Um We had two kindergarten classes visiting

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on the on the 8th, which was wild and crazy and fun. Um and we had a balloon lady come in and do that. And we continue offering the pre-K pal story time and the mix it up event, um including stories and song this month. And we had a program on making a seed collage or it's all something like

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a mosaic, which was great. Teen events this month, uh pizza party, a meet and greet with Bella the dog, and the teen splatter painting during summer reading opening day. We also hosted teens from the high school um with the high school librarian on June 17th for a kind of an orientation visit, um which was great.

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It's hard to get teens in here, and it's an age group which is always challenging because the last thing they want to do is kind of hang around the library, but you know, we're trying. >> [laughter] >> Summer reading opening day was a massive success. Um we To be honest, we did not expect to have even half of the amount

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of people that showed up. I do not know why A lot of A lot of speculation on why we had I stopped counting the numbers at 275, and a bunch of the staff we all got together and discussed it, and people thought it might have gone as high as 325 people. I don't know. I don't know

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if any of you were I know some of you may have been here, but >> Ap- Apparently, it was Yeah. A lot of Asian cream. >> Yeah, I I forget how many he said he had done, but yeah. He put it on the South Bay Forum. I was like 300 and something, and I was like

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>> It was the rain brother. It was outdoors. It was a weeknight, so fam- parents brought, you know, the younger children and stuff, and >> That That's what a couple of parents said. Well, it's held during the week instead of on a Saturday when we're all busy. >> Mhm. I think that was just a change.

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>> I think in the weather >> period is really good, you know. And also someone mentioned that we captured it right before families went off on vacation. You know how there's that window of a couple of days. Nobody really knows when school's going to end because of snow days, and and so people plan their vacations way ahead of time,

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but sometimes there's a little window, and I think we just got it in right in there before people had left. So, so perhaps we should try doing that again next year. >> Yeah. >> Yeah, and good for you cuz it's scary to do something completely different, you know. >> Well, >> And they have that many people, and then

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yeah. And I heard you it was a great job. >> Oh, yeah. Well, it wasn't me. It was the staff. >> Yeah, but what I'm saying, for the staff >> Yeah, and and the performers. >> I mean, I think um at one point I remember thinking, "Gosh, health and safety, if there's an emergency here, like, you know, you think about these

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things." Like, how do you control people to to get, you know, help in safely and all that. But So, that's that's something we can talk about. But um but overall, I mean, I think it was it was great because it was in a condensed kind of controlled area. Um little kids could run around within that

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area in the trees in the grass, and parents enough enough grown-ups were around, so it wasn't didn't feel unsafe. And um parking was an issue, but you know, >> It wasn't bad. People were parked along the road. >> we do for town meeting? If you're just saying that, same type of thing. >> I'd rather see people parked up and down

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the street and up at the schools and and everything than, you know, when people park here for to watch the baseball games. >> Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Yeah, you know you're >> Like I said, I didn't mind chucking up and down the street [laughter] to come sign the bills. >> So, overall, I think we we came away very, very happy with that. And um yeah,

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we had the mini zoo with Firefly Fields, glitter tattoos with Aubrey Fournier, Malicious, Vinnie the Bubble Guy. Uh-huh. And I can't stop laughing because I have this image of Vinnie going, you know, with this massive bubble wand and shouting, "Okay, all you kids who are

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January birth January, come on out." You know, and it was just crazy, but it was so much fun. Um so, the program we're we're about halfway through the summer reading program now. It runs officially from June 24th to August 7th. Um mobile mini golf will return by popular demand this year for the culminating

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event on August 7th to create a indoor mini golf course at the library. That has been really popular in previous years that we've done that, so I'm looking forward to that, too. Okay, a couple other points. We had our new summer page mayor uh started on June 22nd, just in time to help with summer reading opening day, and that was great.

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She was out there just monitoring traffic. Um and in July we have a full slate of activity at the library, more programs than last month that it that include 14 programs ranging from food to arts and crafts creations, an adult craft, two presentations on stories of history and art adventure.

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Bella the dog's coming back for memory cafe and there will be programs children's programs on food, science, live owls down at town hall, and a martial martial art capoeira. I'm not sure if I'm saying that correctly, but yeah, so overall our statistics for June are higher than this time last year, demonstrating consistent strong library

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use by the community. Lots of people coming through the doors, attending programs, using the computers, asking questions, which is really what you want. So, so it's been good. Do you have any questions about numbers or anything? >> When is the owl? >> When? >> The 23rd.

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>> On my calendar. >> Yeah, that sounds actually kind of fun. >> 4:00, I believe, right? >> July? >> Yeah. >> Yeah, 23rd. >> They have I think they're bringing somewhere between seven and 10 owls and they're like real live owls and they're going to set them all up and you know, there'll be handlers who will be able to

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talk to you about them, their habitats, what they eat, you know, and sometimes kids at the schools they'll do like as a science project dissecting owl pellets, which is kind of gross, but interesting because you find out all about the different you know, things that they eat and places they go and all that. So, it's it's all it's all good.

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Yeah. >> So, the children's programs, the 145, um that was not that does not include summer reading. The summer >> That's yeah, these do not include all of these numbers here do not include summer summer reading um the moment. So, >> Right.

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Yeah. And the coding zone, um is that nobody did it or that's it's it's just not there? >> Yeah, there wasn't so much interest at the moment. I mean, it's kind of you know, it's it's like a passive thing. It sits there and people can kind of take up on it or not. Um sometimes kids they they walk into the

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children's room and the thing that catches their eye first it's usually that dramatic play cuz oh, toys, you know, costumes and stuff you can do, you know, so so they like that. That's a little and coding is more I don't know if it's more scientific or math-based, but it's a different type of activity. It's

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And there are different types of kids. >> Different types of kids, yeah, absolutely. Sometimes, you know, something will hit one the right way and Yeah, it just depends. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. >> Okay, let me go on to go on to the minutes. And

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um Andrea did so well, so quickly, so efficiently, and sometimes so long, amazingly fast. So, it was great. >> No, you do awesome. >> No, cuz Lynn fixes it. Yeah, you I would send it to Lynn and she would just fix it and everybody thinks I'm so smart.

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>> You are smart. >> Thank you. >> Any corrections to the minutes? Well, let's vote on them. In favor of approving the minutes, Michael, yes. >> Andrea, yes. >> Tracy, yes. >> Tammy, yes.

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>> Okay, it looks like we all approved on the minutes. Um so that takes us on to Well, we have director's report, we've kind of already gone through that, but um >> So, we ended up the fiscal year okay?

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>> So, yeah, I have a little information for you about that. Um with the financial year 2026 budget update, the end of the year closeout, um what ended up happening, it was actually very smooth, surprisingly. Um accounting transferred $5,000

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$5,000 from the staff salaries line that wasn't going to be used. This was right after they were able to determine roughly how [clears throat] much more they would need from that to cover a shortfall with um maintenance, and that worked out well, so that kind of

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balanced the maintenance line. Um the fuel line is is fine. They transferred 2,000 or sorry, um 200 from may uh accounting transferred $200 from the electricity line to the fuel line, um so that we could cover a little deficit there.

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The infill materials line target of 19% for materials expenditure, um to get the state aid was very narrowly and carefully achieved without going overbudget on that line. We had a window of about $250

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or so, $247, where we didn't want to overspend, but we wanted to ensure that we complied with the state aid requirements so that we could get that state aid. So, we did it. We did it. I was very happy the day that happened. I was full great, fantastic. >> So, what happened with maintenance?

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>> Maintenance So, maintenance it kind of has been running a deficit through the year of about I've watched it grow 2,000, 3,000, 4,000, and I don't have the records as to what they spent it on, but we've had a couple of things happen. During the winter, there was something with um

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the furnace. I know they've called in a couple of guys, um and I'm not entirely sure of of, you know, they they maintain the records on that. We don't see the >> Cuz I know a couple years ago, they took out some trees and close to the septic tank. >> Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. It seems like every year there's something. Um,

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when we had that crossover from cool weather into the warmer, humid weather, our HVAC didn't want to do it, so I had to call them up and say, "Hey, you know, it was it had gotten to be about 85° in the children's room, and that was really, really hot, and it was

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79, 78 out here." So, they came I have to say they have they are very responsive. Um, the person they have in charge now is wonderful. They've always been wonderful, but we seem to be getting um more attention when we need it, and I really appreciate that. So, you know, they come, they fix

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the problem, or they tell me what the what it's going to take to fix it, and things we can kind of carry on with our work at that point, so So, that's good. Um, and we weren't going to be using that money anyway, with the staff. So, you know how we always put back in a little bit of money to the town at the end of

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every year, so So, that was okay. Telephone line ran over about $41, but we had surpluses more than that in the conference and travel and the bindery line that we didn't even use this year, so it's fine. But, once the dust settles on the accounts a little bit more, more will be clear.

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Um, so far it looks like we've used at least 97% of our overall budget. Um, and the the we've been very, very careful not to go over this year because everything's very tight, and I know next year will be the same, probably more, so Um, the the only two overdrawn accounts were the utilities, fuel, and telephone,

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which we really couldn't control very much, especially the fuel. That was just kind of everyone's facing the same sub circumstances, so So, that was the old year. The new year, now we've started financial year 2027. The budget for that, um,

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we started the first warrant payables, which is due tomorrow for the new year. Um, that's just been signed off on, so the new purchase order requests have been submitted to accounting, and they I checked in today with them. They said they're working on them. They hope to have them back to us ASAP so we can start ordering new info

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materials. Ingram is great to >> back to your old vendors? >> Yes, we are going back to Ingram. We had been using Amazon since Ingram had some difficulties halfway through last year, but we're going to be going back to Ingram this year and we have some some good knowledge that they are really

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trying hard to establish and maintain those relationships that they had as a vendor. So, we have our fingers crossed. >> You mentioned Amazon. My wife and I took a tour of that five-story warehouse by Bradley. That is unbelievable.

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>> It's all automated, too. My son worked there for a little bit and yeah. >> All of a sudden, you see these little robots and all this stuff moving around. I said, "What? Why?" >> Well, that's the scary thing. I mean, it's it's because it's so efficient and if you like if we would put in an order

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for a book or, you know, something and it would it would arrive within a couple of days, which is great. But, um their their their platform for ordering is is slightly different and and a little harder to use than Ingram, so Ingram has the ability to search for

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things that or so you don't have as many duplicates. And on Amazon, that was harder to do, so it required more work. So, and you know, but it is it's absolutely fascinating. That facility, we drive past it, you know, on the the highway and it's it's just incredibly large.

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>> [laughter] >> Yeah, they employ over 3,000 people. >> [gasps and sighs] >> Oh my. Well, there you have it. That's the way things are going. >> [laughter] >> Wow. Um let's see, where are we at? So, yeah, so so as a result of waiting for

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the purchase orders, we have a little delay with the new ordering for this month, but that's typical. We've had that last year and the year before that as well. >> Yeah, that always seems to be a challenge when it comes to July 1st. >> Yeah. >> Something's not in place for two or three weeks. >> Yeah. >> Until people can start doing things.

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>> I think it it takes a long time to wrap up the accounts for the old year and it's not necessarily us, it's um there's a lot of back and forth, some of the utility bills you have to split payment on, you have to have part of the payment coming from the old budget fiscal year and part

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of the payment coming from the new budget for the new year. So, the paperwork involved in that can be kind of crazy. >> Well, sometimes if you're getting a bill and it >> Yeah. >> goes through the middle of the month. >> Yeah, exactly. >> is This we spent this in June, we spent

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this in July and >> Yeah. >> obviously they're trying to get it down to the penny, which is impossible. >> Yeah, yeah, yeah. >> Whose >> Yeah. >> pocket is it coming from? >> Yeah. Yeah, there's a lot of paperwork in in order to make all that work. So, but you know, I have confidence we will

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get there. I have a feeling those purchase orders have got to be ready soon. I put them in week and a half ago. Anyway, um but the fiscal year is July 31st to July 31st or June >> um >> July 1st

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>> to June 30th. Okay. So, we had we had to spend we had to get all of our invoices and everything spent >> [clears throat] >> to June 30th and anything that say we had ordered something from Amazon or wherever and we might have received the

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product but we hadn't received the invoice yet, that has to be carried over into the new financial year. So, there's paperwork involved in writing that out and you have to contact the vendor to find out how much you owe them and make sure it's right and >> do money >> Yeah. >> don't make it disappear cuz there's a bill

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somewhere in the pipeline. >> Yeah. So, there's always a little bit of a dance that we have to do with estimating how much money we will need to retain from the previous year and carry that over into the new year um and to be able to pay those invoices. Um but

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you know, we're starting to kind of move on, so which is good. Transition to financial year 27 payroll has been made with salary updates uh um with raises. Those will be reflected in the pay that staff will receive this Thursday. So, hopefully everybody will

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be happy with their situations. Um So, that is that. I had some more information about the summer reading program here. Well, we're about halfway through it as I was saying as of July 14th today. Um and we're doing pretty well. I have some

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quotes from from folks. The teen librarian, John, he says that it's basically correct that the teen summer reading participation numbers have met last year's and he says the rates of sign-ups have been much quicker than last year, probably because of the enormous opening day turnout. So,

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everything's speeded up. It's really good. Um our children's coordinator, Molly, has said that um she says, "I would say that the children's summer reading program has definitely seen a small increase in registered participants and a big increase in participation including

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hours read, events attended, and missions completed. We had almost 100 children complete the Bigfoot scavenger hunt at this point and it's only been a week and a half since I put it up. Wow. So, that's pretty impressive. Um and as far as the adults go, we are doing a very simplified um summer

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reading raffle this year for the adults and we've had already 80 entries in that adult summer reading raffle corresponding to 80 books read already by adults. So, that's humming right along as well. So, that's really good. Um

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All right. Next topic I had on the agenda moving on to new trustee. Don't know we had any movement with that. >> I I talked to Nancy to mention for one political party and I said

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you may want to talk to the selectmen of the other political party. >> Oh, that's good. >> And my wife has bumped into a couple of people who were thinking of She said, "Well, if you're interested, talk to the selectman's office." >> Okay. So, that's percolating then. That's good.

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Okay. Um the only other bit I need to contribute is just a little bit about the director's leave of absence. Um Lynn has been out for almost 8 weeks and she has agreed a return date with town hall of Monday, August 24th. Uh everything seems to be going well.

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Typical library activities continue like material shifting and updating in the shelves, display decoration creation, interlibrary loan management, the changeover of artists in the left board gallery, room bookings, programs in the community room, facilities maintenance

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and repair notifications, social media marketing and publicity, staff scheduling, etc. The staff has worked really well together to get things done. So, I just would like to thank all of them. Did you get your your pay adjustment? >> They're working on it. I've been told. Yeah. Yeah.

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That's good. Yeah. So, that's pretty much all from me, I think. >> Under new business, you've got heating and air conditioning. Did you have anything else to say there? >> Did I have that Oh, I put that there. Um I think it was only

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I'm not sure if I had Maybe I had it Yeah. Um heating and air conditioning Well, that was really just a blip when we had um the air conditioning was failing and they came in and they looked at it, but but they fixed it. I mean, whatever the

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problem was, it's working now and so sort of like day-to-day, week-to-week basis. Um we've had occasions where we've come in and it's been really humid, strangely, like we figure it's down to like a long weekend, you come back in on a Monday and it just feels kind of clammy in here, but

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I've been in touch with Steve at buildings maintenance and he said, "Well, let's wait until noon time and then check back in." And usually by that point, it will have fixed itself. So, I think just wrapping back up again, actually. >> Well, I can see again. >> It's such a big, yeah, building. It takes time to >> They moved the temperature up to 80, and

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then on Monday morning >> Honestly, I like it back though. No, I I'd be >> Yeah, I I thought I did. >> Yeah. We did have a problem where the children's room was much, much because it it was hotter in there, and it always has been a different climate zone based on

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whatever it's doing outside. Um, so we did have to reduce the temperature. And there was a little bit of touch and go about that because it was a budget issue. So, I worked with Steve, and we kind of negotiated a little bit, and he said, "Well, in the end"

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he happened to have a technician in town hall working on a different prob- problem at that time later in the day. So, that person was able to fix the problem that we had here. It's all based on the system where we can't really control the thermostat here. It's It has to be in town hall. So, if there is a

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problem, they have to call in a technician if they can't fix it themselves. And so, >> There's usually this sitting desktop down in the basement, and they adjust the temperature. >> Right, right. So, I was asking for one or two degree lowering of the temperature so that the children's room

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could be operable and, you know, safe for people to work in. So, we managed that, but then that counteracts the problem with out here, and particularly for circulation, it it it's a little too cold. So, it's a juggling act. We haven't really got it quite right, but everyone seems

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okay. You can bring in an extra sweater. That's, you know, that's something that you can actually fix. But, if it's too hot, you can't really fix that without some >> And it was like 10 years ago before they insulated the building, the children's [clears throat] room was like 65, and everyone else was 72.

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>> Yeah, yeah. That's Yeah, that's that's a It's an ongoing thing. I mean, I think it probably comes back to however that building, that part of the building was made. There must be something in it that isn't isn't quite the same as the rest of the building. But we're managing. Everybody's okay. You know, someone complains, I try to deal with it as best

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I can and and and people are, you know, cut a little bit of slack. We're we're kind of balancing it out. So, yeah. So, that's good. All right. Should we move on to new business? >> Sure. >> Um upcoming meeting schedule. I was

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looking through my papers and I think you all had decided definitely not to meet in August, right? >> Right. >> Well, let's see. I mean, is there anything going on that you would like us to meet about in August? >> Oh. >> Not to be a party pooper. >> [laughter] >> Sorry. >> I I think that the last time we met in August

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was to interview candidates for library director. >> That's literally we've never met in August. >> Unless there's an emergency. >> Yeah, like that. With the Yeah, that was Yeah, that was the last time we met in August. >> Well, I don't have anything unless the building burns down or something.

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>> Oh, don't don't say that. >> Yeah. No, we're fine. Yeah. >> Okay, so we'll plan on meeting next in September? >> Right. >> The humidity in the HVAC, that doesn't cause any problems for your collections? It's just >> noticed any so far. Yeah. Yeah, we have more problems with people bringing books

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to the beach and coming back with sand or, you know, dropping it in the pool or whatever. Yeah. >> Before they put the new insulation project in, we borrowed equipment from the Mass Board of Library Commissioners in Boston, where they had, I don't know, four or

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five detectors in different parts of the building measuring moisture. >> Oh, good. >> Cuz Adam pretty much had to rebuild part >> Right, yeah. >> Oh, no. >> Suffield They had the same thing. >> Suffield, my god. >> What a mess. Yes, Suffield, it was bad.

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There was mold and oh my god, it was >> was closed >> to close both >> We have to a temporary space. >> Oh, I didn't know that was cuz of mold. Wow. >> Oh, yeah. >> Yeah, it was yeah, scary stuff. Cuz you know, with books, you got to be careful. So.

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>> Well, that was the comment that came back from the staff about the difference between the temperature and most of the library and then the children's room because it was so much more humid. It was it was just it was really kind of awful. So, but they fixed it. I mean, we're you know, we're a little more on the cooler side, but that's better for us and for the books and the materials than, you know, being on the hotter

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side. So, yeah. >> So, is there anything else we need to discuss? >> I know we set a date for a September. I don't have it in front of me, but uh if there the next meeting, I will find it. >> Well, it's usually it's the second >> Tuesday of the month.

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>> Yeah. So. >> Yeah, cuz the first one is Labor Day. >> Yeah. >> Well, then they have Tuesday, but >> You don't have every day now. >> Yeah, I don't have every day. >> So, the second Tuesday would be the uh 8th. >> There we go.

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Wow. That's really, huh? >> after Labor Day. >> Yeah. All right. So, I may not be able to make that meeting, but we only need three to make a >> quorum. >> Okay. >> Yeah, I'll be there.

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I'm going to church later in the morning, but >> All right. Well, I guess if that is all, we're wrapped up. Everybody good? Motion to adjourn. >> Tracy seconds it. Who was like last week, somebody was making a comment