Village of Red Hook Red Hook Public Library Monthly Report February 2024
The Red Hook Public Library (RHPL) held their regular board meeting on Thursday, February 15[th] at the Library in the third-floor conference room at 6:30pm.
Barry Ramage & Rick Swierat from the Mid-Hudson Library System and I were in attendance.
Library Board members in attendance: President Don O’Shea, Treasurer Amy Husten, Secretary Sarah DeVeer, Leigh Bahnatka, Gareth Davies, Anna Greig. Absent: Martha Tepepa.
Public Comment
Barry introduced himself as a representative from the Mid-Hudson Library System. He said they try to visit each library in the system once a year to observe and discern what the needs are and how they can better represent. Barry was the President of the RHPL many years ago – and Don O’Shea was on the board then. He noted a lot of board turnover. He invited all to Mid-Hudson for training and to remember that they are a resource for the board.
Rick spoke about board training from the MHLS. He said that MHLS is known throughout the State. Executive Director Rebecca is a strong advocate. He mentioned Advocacy Day last week where the need for better library funding was advocated for. Rick explained that it’s Library Boards that elect Mid-Hudson Representatives. There are 3 reps from each county (5 counties). And that they are here to help the Library Board understand how the system works. Call anytime. Rick’s home library is East Fishkill. The third Dutchess County rep is from Beacon.
Policy Committee
The Policy Committee met 1/30. They reviewed the mission statement and changing meeting attendance requirements to incorporate Family Leave. A discussion ensued about adding a total number of meetings required per year. The Committee will review and return with revisions.
A new Sustainability Policy and Sustainable Purchasing Policy were approved.
An ADA Policy was discussed. Linda Keeling attended the Policy Committee and shared her thoughts on this policy.
Public Policy Expression policy was approved.
Board Development Committee
The committee reviewed the on-boarding for new board members.
Buildings and Grounds Committee
Schedule for stucco and porch project is going out for bid in March with projects complete in Summer 2024
Facilities Plan needs updating which this committee will tackle in the future.
Strategic Plan Committee
Martha & Alex make up this committee. They are using the Community Needs Assessment. The Community Center is also doing a Strategic Plan. They are looking to develop a survey and do one-on-one interviews with key stakeholders.
Finance/Treasurer’s Report
The accountant is closing the books for 2023. MHLS report due 2/16. They are still transitioning from all cash basis to accrual. No reports this month.
Mortgage payments have now been doubled. Budget vs Actual report will be changing. There is some income ($6k interest, $3.5k trivia) that was not included in the budget.
Director’s Report
Alex reviewed the programming. He continues to adapt the report and comparisons to find the optimal reporting. Physical circulation was up 11% in January – this is inconsistent. E-circulation was up 44%.
Alex discussed the wireless access information. # of connections are going down. He’s asking why people are using the library? Who is and who isn’t using the library and why? And if people are not using the computer desks, the space could be repurposed.
Anna mentioned crossover programs/bridging generations. Alex said “for community social cohesion”. More to discuss.
Naturalist-in-Residence program to launch March 9. Vernal Equinox is March 19.
Friends of the Library group is being developed. It’s in early stages. Headed up by Sally McNulty.
$13.3k was raised for the annual appeal. Some grants applied for.
Discussion around applying for an increase in 259 (through the school) funding. Discussion around how much they could ask for and still be under the cap. Tivoli is also apparently exploring an increase in 259 funding.
Annual Report due tomorrow (2/16). It was noted that the programming numbers were off by 1000 vs prior year. And in the transition from Dawn to the Accountant, the numbers don’t match. They are looking to standardize definitions for better comparisons. Annual Report approved.
Board election was tabled to next month.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:37pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Karen Smythe
Board documents can be accessed on the Library Website: www.redhooklibrary.org/board-of-trustees/. The link to the board packet is imbedded in the text toward the bottom of the page.
Upcoming Meetings/Events
Next Board Meeting Thursday, March. 21, 2024 at 6:30pm
Committee meeting schedule is on the library calendar on the website.
Board members and Terms noted in the Annual Report:
Term Begins Term Expires Oath of Office Martha Tepepa September 2023 September 2028 September 11, 2023 Leigh Bahnatka September 2023 September 2028 September 11, 2023 Donald O’Shea May 2020 May 2025 May 11, 2020 Amy Husten January 2022 January 2027 February 9, 2022 Sarah deVeer January 2022 January 2027 January 14, 2022 Gareth Davies March 2023 March 2028 March 13, 2023 Anna Greig January 2023 January 2028 January 19, 2023