2023 Minutes

Library Board of Trustees Meeting
Meeting Date: November 20, 2023

Those in attendance:
Joan Johnson, President
Joyce Greenidge, Vice President
Kawana Smith, Library Director
Greta Heilman, Treasurer
Sara Mullins, Trustee and Secretary
Bob Olson, Representative from the Town

Joan opened the meeting at 9:30 a.m.

The minutes for the October meeting were read and corrected as needed. Joan moved to accept the revised minutes and Greta seconded.
Approved.

Old Business: Bob reported that an update of the Disaster Relief Plan was approved and that the issue of handicap-access compliance would be addressed next Spring as part of sidewalk improvement. Joan will follow up.
Approved.

Treasurer’s Report: Greta distributed the treasurer’s report. Vouchers 81-100 and 109-122 were signed and approved. We discussed another book vendor, Ingram, which currently bills per unity but will soon bill per shipment. Kawana noted that this company ships promptly. So long, Baker and Taylor.
Approved.

Director’s Report:
After some discussion of a fireproof, locking file cabinet, Joan suggested we hold off until we answer the following questions: What should we keep and for how long? How does the Town protect documents? We need to keep documents but can we managed with smaller storage? The treasurer’s report and minutes are posted online on the library’s website. We are required to back up seven year’s worth of data. We discussed putting the minutes, treasurer’s reports and agendas on a separate drive or a couple of thumb drives. Greta suggested placing this information as a PDF on Google Drive. Joyce suggested that Lou Ann could handle this task and moved that we follow through to improve access and save space.
Approved.

New Business:
Beginning in 2024, the Town of Horicon Library Board will undertake chapter reviews of the recently issued 2023 “Handbook for Library Trustees of New York State.”
The Library received a $500 donation from a local senior’s group that recently disbanded. Another $500 donation came from Ross Lambert. Kawana will deposit money from fines and donations. The maximum amount of petty cash allowed is $75. We would like to receive $1,000 from the town toward the purchase of a laptop computer. SALS pays for our WIFI. In 2024, we will have a $3,500 available for continuing education and can print out training verification certificates. We can show the town the AUD report.
A Christmas Celebration will be held at the Library on December 10th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
We discussed hosting the Dancing Turtles group next Spring.
We discussed asking a local author to do a presentation at the library.
Spectrum is upgrading the Town phone system to cordless devices. T-Mobile now offers hotspots in our area. We discussed whether this might be a good option for the library. Monthly charges are about $20/month for a tablet and about $30/month for a hot spot, with a one-year minimum commitment. Devices are covered at replacement value. Joyce noted that different seasons present different needs in our community given the number of part-time residents in Horicon. We discussed doing a survey and presenting the results to ISPs.

News from the Town: Bob Olson reported that the Town is projecting a reduced income in 2025 due to increased expenses and funding issues.

Next Meeting Date: December 18 at 9:30 a.m.
Officers will be elected at the next meeting.

A motion to adjourn was made by Joan and seconded by Joyce.

Respectfully submitted,
Sara Mullins