CLINTON-ESSEX-FRANKLIN LIBRARY SYSTEM

January 28, 2008
November 26, 2007
October 22, 2007
August 20, 2007
July 23, 2007
June 25, 2007
May 29, 2007
March 26, 2007
February 26, 2007
January 22, 2007
November 27, 2006
October 23, 2006
September 25, 2006
August 28, 2006
July 24, 2006
June 26, 2006
May 22, 2006
April 24, 2006
March 27, 2006
February 27, 2006
January 23, 2006



 


CLINTON-ESSEX-FRANKLIN LIBRARY SYSTEM
Board of Trustees Meeting held January 28, 2008


Call to Order

The Board of Trustees meeting was called to order at 4:03 on Monday, January 28th at the CEFLS, 33 Oak Street, Plattsburgh, NY, by Cerise Oberman, President.

Roll Call

Present: Lauren Choate, Nancy Church (4:04); Chris deGrandpre; Lynn Dufort, Nancy Howard; Richard Kibben; Virginia LaPointe, Cerise Oberman; Barbara Stowe(4:06); Neil Surprenant (4:19); Maria Tirone

Staff Present: Ewa Jankowska, Director; Michael Spofford; Julie Wever, and Sue Cotter

Others present: Stanley Ransom, Director of the Plattsburgh Public Library; Francie Fairchild, CEFDA; and Fred Smith.

Agenda

Cerise Oberman stated that she would like entertain a motion to amend the agenda. Richard Kibben made the motion. It was seconded by Chris de Grandpre. Motion passed unanimously.

The following amendments were recommended by Cerise Oberman: Swear in the 2008 CEFLS officers following approval of the agenda, move number eleven, “Survey results”, to New Business, add CEF Bylaws to New Business, add Check Signing Resolution to New Business, add Summer Reading Grant to New Business, add Central Library Contract wording change to New Business, and wording change for Member Library Contracts. The Finance Manager/Account Clerk discussion is to be moved to Executive Session

Nancy Howard moved approval of the amended agenda. The motion was seconded by Barbara Stowe. Motion passed unanimously.

Excused Absences

Nancy Howard moved that Charles Racette and David Reuther be excused from this meeting. The motion was seconded by Virginia LaPointe. Motion passed unanimously.

Swearing in of Officers and Trustee

Cerise Oberman swore in Barbara Stowe as Vice President for 2008. Barbara Stowe then swore in Cerise Oberman as President for 2008.

Cerise Oberman swore in Chris deGrandpre as Treasurer for 2008, Nancy Church as Secretary for 2008, and Richard Kibben to renew his term as Trustee and as Member-at-Large for 2008.

Approval of Minutes

Richard Kibben moved approval of the November 26, 2007 Minutes. The motion was seconded by Lynn Dufort. The motion passed unanimously

Financial Report

Lauren Choate moved approval of Abstract dated November 26, 2007. The motion was seconded by Virginia LaPointe. Motion carried unanimously.

Nancy Howard moved approval of Abstract dated December 10, 2007. The motion was seconded by Lynn Dufort. Motion carried unanimously.

Lynn Dufort moved approval of Manual Check dated December 18, 2007. The motion was seconded by Richard Kibben. Motion passed unanimously.

Lynn Dufort moved approval of Abstract dated December 26, 2007. The motion was seconded by Chris de Grandpre. Motion carried unanimously.

Nancy Howard moved approval of Abstract dated January 8, 2008. The motion was seconded by Chris de Grandpre. Motion passed unanimously.

Public Comment Period:

None

President’s Remarks:

Cerise Oberman reported:
 The request for donations from the trustees at the end of the year has resulted in some very generous donations. We are close to one hundred percent participation, and have taken in $1,450.00 to date. It is a wonderful goal to have met and she hopes it will continue in subsequent years.
 Cerise asked for the Executive Committee to stay after the meeting to set meeting dates 2008.
 Contributions of $10.00 towards the “Sunshine Fund” were requested from the board members. The money is to be given to Michael Spofford until it is needed.

Director’s Report

Ewa Jankowska reported:
 Ewa urged the board members to take a look at the CEFLS website http://www.cefls.org/. The first page has been changed and there are many more to come. The original site originally contained mostly graphics, making it very difficult to make any changes. It also incorporates a “style sheet”, allowing the font, color, etc. to be the same on every page.
 Later in the meeting when discussing new business we will look at the Central Library Contract for 2008. She would like to report that she attended the last PPL board meeting to inquire as to their thoughts about having one of their trustees attend each CEFLS board meeting and one of the CEFLS trustees attend each PPL board meeting. It was agreed that this section should be omitted since they are open meetings, anyone can attend if they would like to, and both Stan and Ewa try to attend them.
 There are two items included on Governor Spitzer’s budget that are of interest to us. The first is $3,000,000 for the systems. The lobby efforts will be for an additional $5,000,000. The other item included in the budget, which affects member libraries, is $14,000,000 in construction money.
 She has spent hours with the Clinton County Civil Service regarding the vacancy created by Kathie LaBombard’s retirement. She had asked if the job description for the position could be updated because the way it could be advertised was very generic, and Civil Service requested that she update all four positions, i.e., Librarian I, Librarian II, Librarian III, and Librarian IV. She is hoping the job description will be edited by the end of the week so that we can begin advertising. The position must be advertised with the Civil Service title, not as a Youth Services Librarian. She tried to include everything we could possibly want in the revised job descriptions.
 The Summer Reading Grant is something we apply for every year and will be brought up under New Business. It is a pass through grant that gives each member library $100. In Kathie’s absence, Julie has taken over filing for this particular grant.
 She is not ready to give the board the statistics for the Annual Report. There is a survey for the Member Libraries posted on-line until February 8th. When we submit the Annual Report to the State Library it is both qualitative and quantitative.
 She has had a very productive meeting with the bookmobile staff. They would really like to go back to a three week schedule. An analysis has been prepared for the Executive Board to review. It has been determined that it would cost about $2,700 per year to institute the three week schedule. She asked the board to consider this request. It was suggested that the question be brought up in regular session, but Cerise felt that there was not yet enough information and that the Executive Committee could raise questions to be answered prior to it being presented to the full board.
 Legislative Day is on March 11th. Ewa will be going the day before for PULISDO. Elizabeth Rogers and Stan Ransom will be going in the Equinox. There is room for three more passengers.
 Ewa is hoping to set up appointments with Assemblywoman Teresa Skyward, Assemblywoman Janet Dupery, and Senator Elizabeth O’C. Little prior to Lobby Day. She asked if any of the board members would be interested in joining her. Nancy Church expressed an interest depending on when the meeting was scheduled.
 Facebook is an on-line social group. The only thing that is required to sign up is an email address. Jesse Feiler has set up a closed group for trustees. The idea is that after the trustee’s training, participants will have a forum to exchange ideas and ask questions. There is another closed group set up library directors. Currently Ewa is still on it, but once it gets going she plans to withdraw. A third open group has been set up for CEFLS. She is trying to put some on interesting links for members of the group to look at. An official invitation has been sent to library directors and trustees to join Facebook.

Plattsburgh Public Library (PPL) Report

Stanley Ransom reported:
 Stan re-iterated that it is very important to visit our local legislators.
 PPL has had some changes in staff. Carol, the Adult Services Librarian, has moved back to her home town of Rochester. Caleb Moshier from the Buffalo Graduate Library School has been appointed to the position and will be starting on February 4th.
 Circulation was up 4,510 in 2007 to a total of 134,077. People seem to be reading more, as well as taking out more audio books.
 PPL is starting a newsletter that will be mailed out with the city electric bills in order to save postage.
 One of Stan’s goals this year is to renovate the second floor of the library. He would like to see more groups using the room as a meeting space.

CEFDA Report
 A summary of the January 14th meeting held at CEF can be found in the board member folders.
 The next meeting will be held on April 14th at the Ausable Forks Library.

Committee Reports

Executive Committee:
Cerise Oberman reported:
 The Executive Committee met in December. Discussion items will come up later in this meeting.
Finance
Chris deGrandpre reported:
 The CEF Library System Finance Committee met at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday January 15, 2008. Members of the Finance Committee present were Cerise Oberman, Lauren Choate, Maria Tyrone and Chris de Grandpré along with Library System Director, Ewa Jankowska, and Principal Account Clerk, Michael Spofford. The meeting lasted one hour and thirty minutes. Two Agenda Items were discussed: The 2008 Budget and a possible change in the Library System’s banking designation.

 The Finance Committee reviewed the final version of the proposed 2008 budget to be presented to the Trustees at today’s meeting. The Trustees approved a preliminary 2008 budget August 20, 2007 in order for the Library System to submit a tentative Fiscal Plan to the Clinton, Essex & Franklin County Legislatures in early September of 2007 to meet the Counties’ various budget deadlines. Four months have passed since approval of the Preliminary Budget and we still do not know how much state aid will be available in support of the 2008 Library System’s fiscal plan. This is not unexpected. During the interim, a few budget items have been clarified and dollar amounts changed as needed and without significant impact on the overall budget. The Finance Committee recommends the use of some unexpended funds from the 2007 year to be used as revenue to balance the budget for 2008. Further, we recommend funding be included in the 2008 budget for contingencies or emergencies. Should additional state aid be forthcoming it is possible that the Library System may want to consider amending the 2008 Budget allowing for more services. The reverse could be the case if state funding were scaled back. The recommendation to be made today is our best estimate for the needs of the Library System at this point in time. Motion was made by Chris de Grandpre and seconded by Lynn Dufort. Motion passed unanimously.

 Recommend a Funded Reserve-Contingency be established and incorporated as a line item in the 2008 budget effective January 28, 2008. The motion was made by Chris de Grandpre to accept, and seconded by Nancy Church. Motion passed unanimously.

 Recommend the sum of $93,769.52, available after the close of the 2007 fiscal year ending December 31, 2007, be moved from the Undesignated Unrestricted Fund Balance to the newly established Designated Unrestricted Board Reserve-Contingency to balance the 2008 budget. Motion was made by Chris de Grandpre, and seconded by Lynn Dufort. Motion passed unanimously.

 It is unknown at this time how much State Aid may be forthcoming in support of the revenue side of the 2008 budget. The recommended budget for 2008 reflects a decrease in state aid in the amount of $145,656.72. With adoption of a State Budget hopefully some or all of this aid will be restored.

 Recommend approval of the 2008 Budget in the amount of $1,103,059.17. The anticipated 2008 CEF Budget including Grants for 2008 is estimated to be $1,258,054.11. Motion made by Chris de Grandpre and seconded by Lynn Dufort. Motion passed unanimously.

 Ewa and Michael are in conversation with a number of local banks to discern which banking institution CEFLS plans to do business with in the future. Among the issues associated with this review are: The sweep on funds over a specified amount on deposit in various CEFLS accounts, bank fees, interest rates available on funds deposited in money market accounts, CD Rates, etc. Hopefully we will have a recommendation for the Trustees at the February Meeting.

 I would like to thank Ewa and Michael, the membership of the Finance Committee along with the CEFLS Staff for their hard work in preparing the 2008 Budget Plan.

Nominating Committee
Nancy Howard reported:
 Nancy made a motion to recommend Lisa M. Newton as a candidate for a trustee to represent Clinton County. The motion was seconded by Lynn Dufort. Motion passed unanimously. Her name and resume will be forwarded to the Clinton County Legislature for appointment.
 There is still a vacancy for a representative from Essex County.

Personnel Committee
Barbara Stowe reported:
 The committee is working on formalizing the Director’s evaluation process.

Development Committee:
Nancy Church reported:
 She reported that donations to CEFLS cannot be made via credit card. Richard Kibben suggested the possibility of using Paypal.

Communications
 Sue Cotter read a thank you letter from Fred Smith thanking the board for their retirement gift.

Old Business
Nancy Church distributed a summary of the survey project administered by her students. The topic of the survey was the Bookmobile, and the member libraries were asked a series of questions to determine accessibility, service, role of the Bookmobile, programs offered, etc. The summary discusses the results and then makes recommendations. The advertising class may follow up on this and create an ad campaign.

New Business
 A copy of the Board of Trustees Bylaws with changes highlighted can be found in the trustee folders. Cerise asked that the trustees review this document prior to the meeting in February, at which time the changes will be voted on.
 Barbara Stowe read aloud a resolution listing the approved check signers on both the general and payroll accounts at Key Bank. They are Cerise Oberman, Barbara Stowe, Chris de Grandpre, Richard Kibben, and Ewa Jankowska. Manual checks over one thousand dollars require two signatures. Neil Surprenant moved to accept the resolution. The motion was seconded by Nancy Church. Motion passed unanimously.
 There is a summary of the Summer Reading grant in the trustee folders. Virginia LaPointe made a motion to accept the application. The motion was seconded by Neil Surprenant. Motion passed unanimously.

Executive Session
Richard Kibben moved for adjournment to Executive Session at 6:05. The motion was seconded by Virginia LaPointe. Motion passed unanimously. Purpose of the session was negotiations.

Maria Tirone made a motion to come out Executive Session at 6:15. The motion was seconded by Nancy Howard.

Barbara Stowe made a motion to increase the salary of the Senior Account Clerk by $3,000 each year for the next three years, beginning in 2008 and continuing through 2010, for a total increase of $9,000. The motion was seconded by Lynn Dufort. Motion passed unanimously.

Next Meeting
The next meeting will be Monday, February 25th at 4:00 at the CEFLS.

Adjournment
The meeting adjourned at 6:20.

Respectfully submitted,


Nancy Church
Secretary

CLINTON-ESSEX-FRANKLIN LIBRARY SYSTEM
Board of Trustees Meeting held November 26, 2007


Call to Order

The Board of Trustees meeting was called to order at 4:01 on Monday, November 26th at the CEFLS, 33 Oak Street, Plattsburgh, NY, by Cerise Oberman, President.

Roll Call

Present: Lauren Choate, Nancy Church (4:10); Chris deGrandpre; Lynn Dufort, Nancy Howard; Richard Kibben; Cerise Oberman; Charles Racette (4:04); David Reuther (4:13); Fred Smith; Neil Surprenant (4:12);

Staff Present: Ewa Jankowska, Director; Michael Spofford; Betsy Brooks; Elizabeth Rogers; and Sue Cotter

Others present: Stanley Ransom, Director of the Plattsburgh Public Library; Francie Fairchild, CEFDA; and Judy Rose, PPL trustee.

Excused Absences

Lynn Dufort moved that Virginia LaPointe, Patsy McCaughin, Barbara Stowe, and Maria Tirone be excused from this meeting. The motion was seconded by Chris de Grandpre. Motion passed unanimously.

Agenda

Lauren Choate moved to accept the agenda. The motion was seconded by Fred Smith and passed unanimously.

Approval of Minutes

Lynn Dufort moved approval of the October 22, 2007 Minutes. The motion was seconded by Nancy Howard. The motion passed unanimously

Financial Report

Richard Kibben moved approval of Abstract dated October 16, 2007. The motion was seconded by Lynn Dufort. Motion carried unanimously.

Lynn Dufort moved approval of Abstract dated October 29, 20077. The motion was seconded by Charles Racette. Motion carried unanimously.

Chris de Grandpre moved approval of Abstract dated November 13, 2007. The motion was seconded by Lynn Dufort. Motion carried unanimously.

Public Comment Period

None

President’s Remarks

Cerise Oberman reported:
 A warm welcome was extended to Stanley Ransom, the new director of the Plattsburgh Public Library.
 Since the Executive Committee will be meeting in two weeks she asked that if a member or committee of the board had any agenda items to please let her know. They will be looking at the current by-laws as recommended by Patsy McCaughin.
 Franklin County has voted in the 5% increase in 2008 funding for CEFLS.
 Clinton County has included a 5% increase in the proposed budget. The public budget hearing is to held on December 5th at 7:00pm. Nancy Church and Ewa Jankowska will attend the hearing, and Chris de Grandpre will try to attend.
 Essex County did not include the 5% funding increase in their budget for 2008. Fred Smith, Ewa Jankowska, and Michael Spofford attended the hearing held on November 26th. Attendance seemed necessary to build recognition of the CEFLS for future requests.

Director’s Report

Ewa Jankowska reported:
 Thanks to the board members for their help and their editorial input in the compilation of the letters sent to the legislators concerning CEF funding in each of the county annual budgets.
 The CEF staff has begun to work on the compilation of data for the 2007 Service Priorities. In January she will report the results to the board.
 We now have twenty-one libraries automated, and four more are working on it.
 Bar-coding is going full speed in Rouses Point.
 Julie Wever and her staff have begun work on the evaluation of the bookmobile stops and service. With this and the results of the survey being done by Nancy Church’s students we hope to present the board with an updated policy for adding and deleting stops. The bookmobile staff would like very much to return to a three week schedule, as opposed to the four week schedule currently in place.
 She has worked with Nancy Church on the development of the survey. Nancy’s students will call each of the member library directors to learn their perception of the current bookmobile stops and service. We need to make sure that the bookmobile is serving the population that the member libraries do not serve.
 Kathie LaBombard has submitted a letter of announcing her retirement, effective December 28th of this year.
 The premium for the health insurance offered by NYSHIP will have approximately a 10% increase in 2008. The increase for Community Blue, our HMO, is 25%. We are meeting with our insurance broker on November 27th to discuss other options that may be available.

Plattsburgh Public Library (PPL) Report


Stanley Ransom reported:
 He and the PPL Board of Trustees have presented the PPL budget to the city council.
 He feels very privileged to be working at PPL, and is looking forward to a good relationship with CEF.

Clinton-Essex-Franklin Directors Association (CEFDA) Report
 A summary of the October 29th meeting held at the Paine Library in Willsboro can be found in the board member folders.
 The next meeting will be held on December 3rd at CEF.

Committee Reports

Executive Committee
Cerise Oberman reported:
 The Executive Committee will meet on the second Monday in December.

Finance Committee
Chris deGrandpre reported:
 The Finance Committee met on November 14th. They looked at the 2008 budget and Michael discussed proposals he has been working on with several banks. He will have more information for the committee in January. They had intended to present the budget to the board at this meeting, but are waiting for clarification on county funding, health insurance costs, fuel costs, and the capital replacement schedule. The goal is to have enough funds so as not to have to borrow as we wait for anticipated state aid so as to eliminate the associated costs of borrowing.
 Also talked about was the need to provide more training for local libraries, trustees, and CEF staff.
 They are looking at the possibility of reinstating the annual meeting.
 The plan is to get the proposed budget out to the trustees in early January so that you will have ample time to review it before the January meeting.

Nominating Committee
Nancy Howard reported:
 A motion was made by Nancy Howard for Nominations for the officers of the CEF Board of Trustees in 2008 as follows: Cerise Oberman for President, Barbara Stowe for Vice President, Chris de Grandpre for Treasurer, Nancy Church for Secretary, and Richard Kibben for Member at Large. The motion was seconded by Fred Smith. Motion carried unanimously.
 No motions for other nominations were made from the floor.
 Charles Racette made a motion to close the nominations. The motion was seconded by Nancy Church. Motion passed unanimously.
 There will be two openings on the board for 2008, one in Essex County and one in Clinton County. Jerry McGovern was suggested as a possibility for Clinton County.

Development Committee
Nancy Church reported:
 In the individual board folders the trustees will find a letter asking for support of CEF in the form of a donation. We are looking for 100% board participation this year.

Old Business
 Nancy Church reported that the students are doing a pre-test with friends and will start calling the library directors next week. It was decided that when the data is being put together the directors will be kept anonymous, except in specific requests for their service area.

New Business
 Ewa Jankowska announced that the Service Priorities for 2008 were included in the board packet and that she would like the board to make a motion to accept them. Neil Surprenant made the motion, which was seconded by Lynn Dufort. Motion passed unanimously.
 Ewa also announced that the variance requests for the Dannemora Free Library and the Belden-Noble Library in Essex for a variance from the required hours were included in the board packet and needed to be voted on. Fred Smith made a motion to accept the requests. The motion was seconded by Richard Kibben. Motion passed unanimously.

PPL Board Meeting
 Nancy Church will attend the meeting on November 27th.


Executive Session
Fred Smith moved for adjournment to Executive Session at 5:05. The motion was seconded by Charles Racette. Motion passed unanimously. Purpose of the session was negotiations.

Next Meeting

The next meeting will be Monday, January 28th at 4:00 at the CEFLS.

Adjournment
The meeting adjourned at 5:20.

Respectfully submitted,


Nancy Church
Secretary

CLINTON-ESSEX-FRANKLIN LIBRARY SYSTEM
Board of Trustees Meeting held October 22, 2007


Call to Order

The Board of Trustees meeting was called to order at 4:01 on Monday, October 22nd at the CEFLS, 33 Oak Street, Plattsburgh, NY, by Cerise Oberman, President.

New Trustee

David Reuther was affirmed by Cerise Oberman as a new trustee representing Essex County.

Roll Call

Present: Nancy Church(4:07); Chris deGrandpre; Lynn Dufort, Nancy Howard; Richard Kibben; Virginia LaPointe, Patsy McCaughin; Cerise Oberman; Charles Racette(4:04);David Reuther; Fred Smith; Barbara Stowe(4:04), Maria Tirone(4:07)

Staff Present: Ewa Jankowska, Director; Michael Spofford, Betsy Brooks, Elizabeth Rogers, and Sue Cotter

Others present: Sonia Long, Director of the Plattsburgh Public Library, Francie Fairchild, CEFDA, Virginia Brady, PPL trustee, and Judy Rose, PPL trustee.

Excused Absences

Lynn Dufort moved that Lauren Choate and Neil Suprenant be excused from this meeting. The motion was seconded by Patsy McCaughin. Motion passed unanimously.

Agenda

Nancy Howard moved to accept the agenda. The motion was seconded by Virginia LaPointe and passed unanimously .

Approval of Minutes

Fred Smith moved approval of the August 20, 2007 Minutes. The motion was seconded by Richard Kibben. The motion passed unanimously

Financial Report

Fred Smith moved approval of Abstract dated August 20, 2007. The motion was seconded by Richard Kibben Motion carried (13-0-0).

Barbara Stowe moved approval of Abstract dated September 4, 2007. The motion was seconded by Virginia LaPointe Motion carried (13-0-0).

Charles Racette moved approval of Manual Check dated September 11, 2007. The motion was seconded by Chris deGrandpre. Motion carried (13-0-0).

Lynn Dufort moved approval of Abstract dated September 17, 2007. The motion was seconded by Patsy McCaughin. Motion carried (13-0-0).

Virginia LaPointe moved approval of Abstract dated October 1, 2007. The motion was seconded by Richard Kibben. Motion carried (13-0-0).

New Trustee

Maria Tirone was affirmed by Cerise Oberman as a new trustee representing Franklin County.

Public Comment Period:

None

President’s Remarks:

Cerise Oberman reported:
 Thanks were extended to Neil Suprenant for his invitation to host the board meeting at Paul Smith’s on two separate occasions. We failed to make a quorum, but a thank you is in order.
 It is getting to be legislative budget time. This is a very important time for the trustees to weigh in with their legislators and to attend the public budget hearings.
 Several years ago the board began a tradition on the board to make personal contributions and donations to CEF so to set a model for others out in the community. It is getting to be the time of the year when members of the board should start thinking about what they would like to give.

Director’s Report

Ewa Jankowska reported
 Trustee forums conducted by Jesse Feiler were held on both Saturday October 13th and October 20th. The evaluations completed at the end of each forum indicate that his presentation was well received. More in-depth training has been requested.
 On Friday, October 19th, Stan Ransom held a book repair workshop
 During the week Ewa attended the 2007 NYLA Convention in Buffalo. She took part in the PULISDO group meeting.
 While there she learned that the $8,000,000 “special” funding for library systems in New York State, which includes school library systems, is in the budget of the Education Department for next year.
 Also, NYLA is going to introduce new legislation for the Family Literacy Grant that would increase the amount of the grant from $300,000 to $1,200,000. “Take A Bite Out Of Books” is one of the programs recently funded by this grant. We currently do not have the funds do continue the program, although the noon Plattsburgh Rotary Club has donated $300 towards it, and the breakfast Rotary has donated an additional $200. To keep it going we need a total of $6000.
 The Kiwanis Club, thanks to Dr. Nancy Church, donated $500 for the “playaway” program. These are one unit audio books that allow the user to plug in the earphones included and listen to a book, which is an advantage for those who cannot afford an MP3 player for downloadable audio books or are technologically challenged. Additionally, we received $500 from the Kiwanis at an earlier date for very early childhood materials.
 Plattsburgh Chamber of Commerce had an interesting program on identity theft and computer security that might be of interest to CEF and those member libraries which had been automated. Ewa will try to invite Jerome Miner, an investigator working in the Computer Crime Unity for the New York State Police to give a presentation at CEFLS.
 Ewa spoke to the SIRSI/DYNIX representative in Buffalo about the future of Horizon. One of the possibilities will be moving data to a remote server supported by the company.
 She spoke to a representative from Encyclopedia Brittanica who offers a data base that would be very useful to the public. It might be beneficial, funds permitting, to offer this service in the future. The cost for the service is only $5,000.
 In-house payroll is running smoothly. We now have a separate bank account for payroll.

Plattsburgh Public Library (PPL) Report

Sonia Long reported:
 The PPL board has offered the position of Director to Stanley Ransom, former Director of CEF.
 TABOB (Take a Bite Out of Books) was a two year grant provided by the State. Plattsburgh Public Library was the lead agency for the grant. Money not used for consultants was spent buying materials for the ten participating libraries such as “Hooked on Phonics” to help children who are learning to read
 The driveway is now one way with the entry on Brinkerhoff Street and the exit going onto Oak Street.
 The mayor’s budget came out on Friday, October 19th, and does not look as bad as was anticipated.
 Sonia expressed a goodbye to everyone and spoke about how wonderful it had been to work with CEF. She plans to continue lobbying for the libraries in her retirement. A special thanks was extended to Ewa.
Virginia Brady reported:
 Judy Rose, another member of the PPL board, was introduced. She and Virginia will be sharing the responsibility of attending the CEF board meetings.

Clinton-Essex-Franklin Directors Association (CEFDA) Report
 The next meeting will be held on October 29th at the Paine Memorial Library in Willsboro. There will be a luncheon following the meeting to say good bye to Sonia Long, Niki Kourofsky, and Anne de la Chapelle.
 The trustees from the Chazy Library were very pleased with the trustee forum held at CEF.

Committee Reports

Executive Committee:
Cerise Oberman reported:
 The Executive Committee has agreed to look through the bylaws by the meeting in January to determine whether or not they should be revisited and, if so, how extensively.

Finance
Chris deGrandpre reported:
 A resolution was made by Chris that the Director of CEF and the following members of the Board of Trustees of the CEFLS: President, Vice-President, Treasurer, and Member-at-Large be named as authorized signers on the Payroll account #325210052206. Further resolved that the Director and Officers of the board will execute the “Depository Account Resolution” and “Signature Card” for Key Bank after the October 22, 2007 meeting. Resolution was seconded by Fred Smith. Motion carried (13-0-0).
 A motion was made by Patsy McCaughin to pass a resolution to accept the annual independent audit. Motion was seconded by Lynn Dufort. Motion carried (13-0-0).
 The preliminary budget approved at the August 20, 2007 meeting for the purpose of requesting funding from the three counties for 2008 needs be better defined and presented to the board for review and approval. The Finance Committee will meet during the first two weeks of November to refine the budget proposal and prepare it to present at the November 26th meeting.
 David Reuther has been asked to serve as a member of the Finance Committee.

Nominating Committee
Nancy Howard reported:
 Patsy McCaughin from Essex County and Fred Smith from Clinton County will be leaving the board at the end of this year.
 Patsy is already working on a possibility for her replacement.
 We need to find a replacement for the Clinton County representative.

Advocacy Committee:
Lynn Dufort reported:
 The Advocacy Committee has not met again. However, Lynn worked with Julie Wever to put together more materials for advocacy that were distributed to the board.

New Business
Dr. Nancy Church reported on the marketing research project being done by her students:
 The research will be focusing on the librarians within the CEF Library System.
 It will be mostly a structured survey, with some open ended types of questions.
 They would like to do a census of all of the libraries, rather than a sample as is done in most surveys.
 The survey will look at their perception of how we, including the bookmobile, serve the libraries and the whole region.
 The students will have to provide questions. By being multiple choice there will be response categories provided.
 Prior to today’s meeting Nancy had distributed the research objectives and question topics.
 Lynn Dufort suggested adding “how” to question #6. It originally said “Do you promote the bookmobile? Why or why not?”
 The primary customers of the System other than the bookmobile patrons are the libraries.
 The idea behind the survey is to strengthen our service.

PPL Board Meeting
Charles Racette will attend the PPL board meeting on October 23rd.
 Dr. Church will attend the meeting on November 27th.

Executive Session
Nancy Church moved for adjournment to Executive Session at 5:20. The motion was seconded by Charles Racette. Motion passed unanimously (13-0-0). Purpose of the session was personnel matters.

Regular Session

The board returned to regular session at 5:45. Fred Smith moved to adopt the resolution to approve Ewa Jankowska’s reappointment as System Director from October 1, 2007 through December 31, 2009. Chris deGrandpre seconded the motion. Motion carried unanimously (13-0-0).

Next Meeting
The next meeting will be Monday, November 26, 2007 at 4:00 at the CEFLS.

Adjournment
The meeting adjourned at 5:55.

Respectfully submitted,


Nancy Church
Secretary


CLINTON-ESSEX-FRANKLIN LIBRARY SYSTEM
Board of Trustees Meeting held August 20, 2007



Call to Order

The Board of Trustees meeting was called to order at 4:02 on Monday, August 20 at the CEFLS, 33 Oak Street, Plattsburgh, NY, by Cerise Oberman, President.

Roll Call

Present: Nancy Church(4:06); Chris deGrandpre; Lynn Dufort, Nancy Howard; Richard Kibben; Virginia LaPointe, Patsy McCaughin; Cerise Oberman; Charles Racette; Fred Smith; Barbara Stowe(4:04), Neil Suprenant

Staff Present: Ewa Jankowska, Director; Michael Spofford, and Sue Cotter

Others present: Sonia Long, Director of the Plattsburgh Public Library, Francie Fairchild, CEFDA

Excused Absences

Nancy Howard moved that Lauren Choate and David Reuther be excused from this meeting. The motion was seconded by Virginia LaPointe. Motion passed unanimously (12-0-0).

Agenda

Neil Suprenant moved to accept the agenda. The motion was seconded by Virginia LaPointe and passed unanimously (12-0-0).

Approval of Minutes

Lynn Dufort moved approval of the July 23, 2007 Minutes. The motion was seconded by Fred Smith. . The motion passed unanimously (12-0-0). Cerise Oberman noted one correction in the Financial Committee report.

Financial Report

Richard Kibben moved approval of Abstract dated July 23, 2007. The motion was seconded by Fred Smith. Motion carried (12-0-0).

Lynn Dufort moved approval of Abstract dated August 6, 2007. The motion was seconded by Patsy McCaughin. Motion carried (12-0-0).

Public Comment Period:

Sonia Long, who has retired from the Plattsburgh Public Library, will be covering the director’s position on a part-time basis until her replacement is found.

President’s Remarks:

Thanks to the Nomination Committee for all the work they have done. Thanks also to Lynn Dufort for taking on the Advocacy Committee.

Director’s Report

Ewa Jankowska reported:
 The bookmobile is working reasonably well, with the exception of a continued problem with an air pressure hose. We are trying to get Matthews to replace the entire unit, rather than just the hose. They have assured us that the warranty on their work will last indefinitely.
 We have been working very hard on the construction grants. They will be reviewed under “New Business”.
 Michael attended the MIP training for the payroll module we are installing. Beginning in September he will run the payroll on the new system side by side with our current ADP payroll to ensure there are no problems. Assuming there are none, we will go live with in-house payroll for the fourth quarter.
 Michael is changing some of the accounting system set-up to provide better reporting.
 Ewa went to Potsdam on Monday, August 13th. She is now on the board of the Northern New York Library Network (NNYLN). At this meeting she and Steve Bolton of the North Country System continued discussion of joining forces. She also discussed the possibility of a shuttle van between Massena and Akwesasne with John Hammond, director of the NNYLN.
 One van delivery has been added to the 2008 preliminary budget.
 The board needs to approve the preliminary budget at this meeting because the three counties require submission of our budget requests by September 7th, and they must be accompanied by the 2008 budget.
 CEFLS is applying for a construction grant this year, for the first time ever, in order to purchase a new server and renovate the server room.
 The audit statement for 2005-2006 is included in the board member folders. The auditor gave us a very good report.
 Ewa has met with Jesse Feiler to arrange for trustee’s training on either October 13th or 20th. The training would consist of defining the roles of the library director and that of the board. He also plans to have open discussion regarding other concerns of the libraries to help plan for another session in the spring.
 We have received our first “Playaway” single unit audio book/player for those haven’t learned how to transfer books to an MP3 player. These players are possible due to a grant from the Kiwanis. This would be a good service for us to publicize.

Plattsburgh Public Library (PPL) Report

Sonia Long reported:
 The library board is doing a search for her replacement and she hopes that someone will be in place in another month or so.
 They are finishing up with TABOB and she has talked to the state about using the remainder of the funds from the grant. She has talked to Kathie LaBombard about possibilities and hopes to have it spent in the next couple of weeks.
 The library is currently in the midst of negotiations. Due to the financial condition of the city it is unknown what will happen to the library and to other city offices over the course of the next couple of months.
 Patty Perez, director of the Lake Placid Library, shadowed Sonia for an entire day.
 PPL is applying for a construction grant to cover expenses for the front steps and a new air conditioner.
 They are working on their Central Book Aid purchases. This money is available for adult non-fiction material. Last year CEFLS received the money “Septemberish”. She currently has to juggle finances because of the timing of the State’s payments.

Clinton-Essex-Franklin Directors Association (CEFDA) Report

o The next meeting will be held in September at the Paine Memorial Library in Willsboro.
 

Committee Reports

Executive Committee:

Cerise Oberman reported:
 Their focus is currently on the director’s contract.

Finance
Chris deGrandpre reported:
 On August 7th the committee met and reviewed the 2008 preliminary budget. Some suggestions for changes were made at that time and are reflected in the report found in the trustee folders. It will be submitted to each of the three counties in September. We are asking for a 5% increase in funding from each.
 Ewa added that in order to balance it they had to put in the fund balance from this year, twelve percent was added to the health insurance expense, worker’s compensation insurance is paid through July of 2008, the DYNIX maintenance contract went up, revenue has increased because more libraries are on-line, we are still paying on the old server but since it’s the last year the interest is minimal, there is an increase in travel expense because she would like employees to be able to attend more training events, contractual expenses have gone up due to the lease on the new copier and the purchase of the payroll module, building expenses are expected to be lower. The preliminary budget includes expected State Aid without the supplemental monies we received this year.
 Fred Smith made a motion to adopt the preliminary budget for 2008. The motion was seconded by Lynn Dufort. Motion passed (12-0-0).
 Chris asked the board members to review the independent audit in the trustee folders to prepare for a discussion on it at the September meeting. The Finance Committee will try to meet with the auditor prior to the next board meeting.

Nominating Committee

 The nominating committee is ready to present their nomination, Maria Tirone, from Franklin County.
 The Franklin County Board of Legislators has already passed a resolution appointing Ms. Tirone to the board.
 Franklin County will now have a balanced representation of the county on the board.
 Nancy Howard made the motion to affirm the Franklin County Board’s appointment of Maria Tirone to the board. The motion was seconded by Neil Suprenant. Motion passed unanimously (12-0-0).
 Nancy asked that if anyone is thinking of resigning from the board to please also be thinking of possible replacements.

Advocacy Committee:
Lynn Dufort reported:
 The Advocacy Committee met on August 20th. The committee is going to ask Julie to join them and share her knowledge and skills.
 Advocacy should be from everyone on the board.
 We need to begin locally and with the state legislators, Election Day is only 62 days away.
 The committee would like to see the extra money in this year’s state aid become permanent. This is one area where meeting with or writing to our legislator’s is important.

New Business
 Some discussion arose regarding absenteeism. According to the by-laws, a trustee with three unexcused consecutive absences is deemed to have resigned. The Executive Committee will take a look at this issue.
 Patsy McCaughin suggested that a committee be formed to review the by-laws.
 The construction grant requests for the system and member libraries are in the trustee folders to be approved.
 Ewa reported that we are submitting the amounts requested by each library, with the exception of Ticonderoga. The amount requested put us over the $318,676 allowed, so their request was reduced by about $21,000. There is another annual grant for $18,000 that Ticonderoga can apply for to cover most of the difference.
 Neil Surprenant made a motion to approve the construction grant applications. The motion was seconded by Lynn Dufort. Motion passed unanimously (12-0-0).

Executive Session
Nancy Church moved for adjournment to Executive Session at 5:08. The motion was seconded by Charles Racette. Motion passed unanimously (12-0-0). Purpose of the session was personnel matters.

Next Meeting
The next meeting will be Monday, September 24, 2007 at 4:00 at Paul Smiths.

Adjournment
The meeting adjourned at 5:40 following the closure of executive session.

Respectfully submitted,


Nancy Church
Secretary
 

CLINTON-ESSEX-FRANKLIN LIBRARY SYSTEM
Board of Trustees Meeting held July 23, 2007



Call to Order

The Board of Trustees meeting was called to order at 4:04 on Monday, July 23 at the CEFLS, 33 Oak Street, Plattsburgh, NY, by Cerise Oberman, President.

Roll Call

Present: Lauren Choate; Nancy Church; Chris deGrandpre; Lynn Dufort, Nancy Howard; Richard Kibben; Patsy McCaughin; Cerise Oberman; Charles Racette; Fred Smith; Barbara Stowe

Staff Present: Ewa Jankowska, Director; Betsy Brooks (4:08); Michael Spofford, Elizabeth Rogers and Sue Cotter.

Others present: Sonia Long, Director of the Plattsburgh Public Library, Virginia Brady

Excused Absences


Nancy Howard moved that Virginia LaPointe, David Reuther, and Neil Surprenant be excused from this meeting. Motion passed unanimously (11-0-0).

Agenda

Nancy Church moved to accept the agenda. The motion was seconded by Patsy McCaughin and passed unanimously (11-0-0).

Approval of Minutes

Fred Smith moved approval of the June 25, 2007 Minutes. The motion was seconded by Richard Kibben. The motion passed unanimously (11-0-0). Cerise Oberman noted one typo to be corrected.

Financial Report

Fred Smith moved approval of Abstract dated June 21, 2007. The motion was seconded by Chris deGrandpre. Motion carried (11-0-0).

Lauren Choate moved approval of Abstract dated July 10, 2007. The motion was seconded by Nancy Church. Motion carried (11-0-0).

Public Comment Period:

Sonia Long, who is retiring from the Plattsburgh Public Library next month, said good-bye and spoke about how pleasant is has been to work with the CEF staff. She also reported that circulation at PPL has gone up 33% in the four and a half years she has been there.

President’s Remarks:


None

Director’s Report

Ewa Jankowska reported:
o Jim Dawson, Regent, asked the State Library to render an opinion as to whether or not CEFLS is a government entity. What he reported to us is that we are not eligible for a RAN. She and Fred Smith are going to put together a letter to send to the State Library stating our position on this matter.
o We have received our state aid, paid off the line of credit, and are doing a sweep again.
o Last week we had a very fruitful meeting with State Corrections. We will continue to work with them on book selection and programming.
o We have received the paperwork for member items from both Betty Little and Teresa Sayward. This year there is much more paperwork involved than in the past, but we are staying on top of it.
o Dick Panz held a very informative workshop at CEFLS on July 23rd. He is a library consultant for library funding and redistricting. Several CEFLS staff members attended and will be able to provide information to member libraries.
o Last week Ewa attended the Annual Meeting in Willsboro at the Paine Library. There was a wonderful presentation by Peter Schultz, the inventor of fiber optics. He is also a great advocate for broadband in our area.
o Advocacy kits were distributed at the last meeting. There are more in the conference room for those board members who did not receive one. Any suggestions for additions to the kit are welcome.
o Sue has prepared a “Trustee’s Guide”. It includes a list of board members, committee members, policies passed by the board, copies of annual reports, information about the system, and other information that that the board may require at some time.
o The auditor was here all last week. He spoke with Ewa Friday afternoon and told her that every year is better. Thanks were extended to Michael.
o As Betsy’s report indicates, there are now twenty libraries that are automated. There are four others working on automation, and Chateaugay should be going live next month. Wilmington started the process recently, but is moving quickly.
o Betsy and Julie are working on the construction grant for us. Julie is also assisting member libraries with theirs. The construction grants will need to be approved at the next board meeting.


Plattsburgh Public Library (PPL) Report

Virginia Brady reported:
o There will be a dinner to celebrate Sonia’s service at Anthony’s on September 4th at 6:30.
o There has been a search committee formed to find Sonia’s replacement. The position has been advertised in the “Press Republican” and on several websites, but to date there have been very few applicants. She asked that if anyone knows of a qualified applicant to encourage them to apply.
o The air conditioner at PPL has not been working for the last couple of weeks. A new one is being built in Montreal, and she hopes to have it delivered soon. When it is delivered it could cause some traffic flow problems on Brinkerhoff Street.
o The stairs to the library have been temporarily repaired and can again be used by the public to enter the library safely.
o Union negotiations continue.

Clinton-Essex-Franklin Directors Association (CEFDA) Report

o The next meeting will be held in September.

Committee Reports

Executive Committee:

Cerise Oberman reported:
o Legislative sessions are gearing up and we are probably looking at a tentative approval in August for the 2008 budget.
o Advocacy will begin in the fall. Lynn Dufort is pleased with the advocacy kits put together by Julie and Karen, and plans to definitely meet with the Advocacy Committee prior to next month’s board meeting.
o The work on the tunnel has been put on hold temporarily. We need to definitely determine where the property line is between CEFLS and PPL. Also, Sue will take pictures of the current damage and follow up with more pictures for comparison in October to determine if it is getting any worse.
o They need to get a list of possible lawyers to represent CEFLS, but will use Jackie Kelleher for the purpose of negotiations.
o The executive committee is working on getting Ewa’s new contract ready to sign. It will probably be presented to the board at the August meeting.

Development

Nancy Church reported:
o Julie prepared two grant proposals the Kiwanis Club. The Kiwanis gave $500 for the senior “Playaway” book project and $500 for children’s books.
o Nancy is going to get a list of Kiwanis and Rotary Clubs for Julie so that additional grant requests can be made.

Finance
Chris deGrandpre reported:
o Based on additional state aid in the amount of $121,214 the committee recommends that the budget be amended to include this amount. The amount of $58,962 goes to an increase in appropriations, leaving $71,027 that is unallocated. The committee also recommended using this money towards five items on the CEFLS wish list. These five items are a new car, two new chairs, software and training for Michael to do payroll in-house, training and meetings for the staff, and computer equipment.
o Fred Smith made a motion to approve the resolution to amend the budget. The motion was seconded by Charles Racette. Motion passed unanimously (11-0-0).
o Chris deGrandpre made a motion to accept the resolution to purchase a new car, not to exceed $25,000, two new chairs for $400, computer equipment for $21,912, accounting software and training to do payroll in house for $4,350, and $2,500 for training and meetings for CEFLS staff. The motion was seconded by Lynn Dufort. Motion passed unanimously (11-0-0).
o Some of the other items on the priority list have been referred to committees.
o We may have to expend some funds in order to determine what kind of entity CEFLS actually is.
o We borrowed about $134,000 on the line of credit. The interest on the line of credit was $757.67 compared to $5,800 last year on the RAN.

Nominating Committee
Nancy Howard reported:
o She has been talking to two possible candidates. Fred Smith let us know that he was recently told that one of them is not interested. He does have another name that can be discussed at the next meeting.
o She has also talked to two people who would be interested the next time a need arises.

Old Business
o The bookmobile is running! Ewa reported that Masters has guaranteed an unlimited warranty on anything that they repaired.

New Business
o Nancy Church will attend the PPL board meeting on August 28th.

Executive Session
o None held.

Next Meeting
The next meeting will be Monday, August 27, 2007 at 4:00 at the CEFLS .

Adjournment
The meeting adjourned at 4:55 following the closure of executive session. Fred Smith moved for adjournment.

Respectfully submitted,


Nancy Church
Secretary
 

CLINTON-ESSEX-FRANKLIN LIBRARY SYSTEM
Board of Trustees Meeting held June 25, 2007


Call to Order

The Board of Trustees meeting was called to order on Monday, June 25,, 2007 at the
Dodge Memorial Library, 144 Lake Street, Rouses Point, NY at 4:05 p.m., by Cerise
Oberman, President. Cerise thanked Andy Ewart, president of the Dodge Memorial Library Board of Trustees, for hosting the meeting.

Roll Call

Present: Nancy Church; Chris deGrandpre; Richard Kibben; Patsy McCaughin; Cerise Oberman; Charles Racette; Fred Smith; Barbara Stowe

Staff Present: Ewa Jankowska, Director; Betsy Brooks (4:08); Michael Spofford, and Sue Cotter.

Others present: Andy Ewart

Excused Absences

Barbara Stowe moved that Lauren Choate, Lynn Dufort, Nancy Howard, Virginia LaPointe, David Reuther, and Neil Surprenant be excused from this meeting. The motion was seconded by Patsy McCaughin and passed unanimously (8-0-0).

Agenda

Patsy McCaughin moved to accept the agenda. The motion was seconded by Nancy Church and passed unanimously (8-0-0).

Approval of Minutes

Fred Smith moved approval of the May 29, 2007 Minutes. The motion was seconded by Nancy Church. The motion passed unanimously (8-0-0).

Financial Report

Nancy Church moved approval of Abstract dated May 29, 2007. The motion was seconded by Richard Kibben. Motion carried (8-0-0).

Richard Kibben moved approval of Abstract dated June 12, 2007. The motion was seconded by Barbara Stowe. Motion carried (8-0-0).

Public Comment Period:

Andy Ewart expressed pleasure that the board had decided to meet at the Dodge Memorial Library. He commented that it should be helpful for the CEF board to see what challenges the member libraries face with their programs and facilities. The Dodge Memorial Library is in need of roof repair and would like to expand to be able to provide space for readers and children’s programs.

President’s Remarks:

None


Director’s Report

Ewa Jankowska reported:
 Ewa presented the Advocacy Kit to the board members, noting that it had been prepared by Julie, Karen, and the rest of the staff. She hopes the board members will review the manuals and let us know if there is anything that should be added. Also, presentations at different locations or to different organizations may require specific information not already included.
 Ewa presented the board members with a summary of the State Aid received by CEF in 2006. State aid is our main source of income. She asked the board to review the material and be prepared to discuss it at the next meeting. The estimated aid for 2007 as compared to 2006 is a little over 4% higher, although there is no guarantee that the increased amount will continue in future years..
 Each of the board members was given a copy of the latest bookmobile newsletter. Ewa stated that so far the bookmobile is running fine, except that there was an air leak in the air pressure system that operates the door. The repairs would have taken another three weeks in Ballston Spa. MA Jerry looked at it and repaired the air leak by replacing an air hose. We are still waiting to hear from Matthews as to whether or not they will extend the warranty, at least for the amount of time (six weeks) that the bookmobile was inoperable. We are also waiting for a list of the repairs that were done, and if there will be any warranty provided on those.
 As mentioned in Ewa’s written report, she met with Regent Dawson and has asked Janet Duprey to amend the finance law to include CEF in the institutions able to issue a RAN. She asked Regent Dawson if the legal counsel for the NYS Department of Education could help us to determine if we are a government entity. She does not yet know the result of Regent Dawson’s inquiries, but he was meeting with the State Librarian, Janet Welch, today.
 The grant from Theresa Sayward is with the Ways and Means committee. We should hear something by the end of this month. We have received a confirmation letter for the $25,000 grant from Betty Little for the new servers and to refurbish the small conference room for a server room. We did receive the $3,000 from Clinton County Social Services for youth programs.
 On July 1, audiobooks will become available on the CEF website. There is a brochure and bookmark advertising it in the board member folders. The CEF staff will be trained on using this service on Wednesday, June 27. The company we chose to go with allows an unlimited number of people downloading a single book. They also add about thirty books each month. A book can be downloaded for twenty-one days, and can then be renewed. Ewa demonstrated that a book on CD’s can take up to ten or more CD’s. The MP3 player can hold up to three or four books. It is a very exciting program.
 The CEF audit will begin on July 16.
 We have received four quotes for filling in the tunnel. The cost ranges from $5,600 to almost $11,000. Reinforcement would cost $3,800. There are a few options: do nothing, reinforce it, or fill it in and be done with it. Cerise suggested the issue be put before the executive counsel.

Plattsburgh Public Library (PPL) Report

Ewa Jankowska reported:
 The circulation is climbing up.
 The Department of Public Works is working on fixing the front steps to the library.
 The “Take a Bite Out of Books” competition, with Kathie LaBombard’s help, was a success. Ten member libraries participated.
 Ewa attended the PPL Friends of the Library annual luncheon. The speaker, Margaret Barkley who wrote a book entitled Grisha, was very good.
 Sonia Long is still planning to retire in August.

Clinton-Essex-Franklin Directors Association (CEFDA) Report

Frances Fairchild submitted a CEFDA report that is in each board member’s folder. Betsy reported that it was a very good meeting and that they discussed the downloading of audiobooks and coordinated collection development.

Committee Reports

Advocacy Committee:
The Advocacy Committee was unable to meet today.

Finance Committee:
Chris DeGrandpre reported:
 Ewa and Michael revised the estimated budget for 2007. The board packed includes a copy of the new budget. This is generated after learning the amount of our state aid and reviewing other financial considerations for the year. Chris deGrandpre moved to accept the second amendment to the budget. The motion was seconded by Fred Smith and passed unanimously (8-0-0).
 There is still a “wish list” that needs to be prioritized and will be discussed at the July Finance Committee meeting.
 Chris made a motion for the implementation of a policy by which the director of CEF has the authority to approve up to $2,000 exceeding the budget for an individual line item. Chuck Racette moved to accept the motion. It was seconded by Nancy Church. Motion passed unanimously (8-0-0).
 At the last Finance Committee meeting, the committee members discussed the financial implications of negotiations.
 The Finance Committee also discussed whether or not the PPL grant being administered by CEF should be segregated, and came to the conclusion that it should not.
 The Finance Committee discussed the funding for the bookmobile assessment to be done by Nancy Church’s class. It was decided that more information is needed before moving forward. Nancy will provide a proposal for the project.

Nominating Committee:
Nancy Howard is still working diligently to find a candidate from the Malone area. Donna Hanus and Lynn Dufort are also involved in the project.

Personnel Committee
Barbara Stowe is still working on the first cut of a job description/evaluation form for the director. Once the first cut is complete it will be distributed to the Personnel Committee to be reviewed and commented upon. She will then take those comments and evaluate them, making necessary changes to the form. The committee has not tackled the question of who will do the evaluation.

Old Business
None discussed.

New Business
Chuck Racette will attend the PPL board meeting on July 24th.

Executive Session

Fred Smith moved that the board enter executive session at 4:45. The motion was seconded by Nancy Church. The Executive Session was held to discuss negotiations.

Next Meeting
The next meeting will be Monday, July 23, 2007 at 4:00 at the CEFLS .

Adjournment
The meeting reconvened at 4:55 following the closure of executive session. Patsy McCaughin moved for adjournment. The motion was seconded by Fred Smith and passed unanimously (8-0-0).

Respectfully submitted,


Nancy Church
Secretary

CLINTON-ESSEX-FRANKLIN LIBRARY SYSTEM
Board of Trustees Meeting held May 29, 2007


Call to Order

The Board of Trustees meeting was called to order on Tuesday, May 29, 2007 at the
Clinton-Essex-Franklin Library System, 33 Oak Street, Plattsburgh at 4:03 p.m., by Cerise
Oberman, President.

Roll Call

Present: Lauren Choate; Nancy Church(4:04); Chris deGrandpre; Lynn Dufort; Richard Kibben; Virginia LaPointe; Cerise Oberman; Charles Racette; Fred Smith

Staff Present: Ewa Jankowska, Director; Betsy Brooks; Michael Spofford, and Sue Cotter. Kathie LaBombard joined the meeting at 5:00

Others present: None

Excused Absences

Virginia LaPointe moved that Nancy Howard, Patsy McCaughin, David Reuther, Barbara Stowe, and Neil Surprenant be excused from this meeting. The motion was seconded by Lauren Choate and passed unanimously (9-0-0).

Agenda

A vote on the State Aid Budget Application was added to the agenda. Nancy Church moved to accept the revised agenda. The motion was seconded by Lynn Dufort and passed unanimously (9-0-0).

Approval of Minutes

Lynn Dufort moved approval of the March 26, 2007 Minutes. The motion was seconded by Richard Kibben. The motion passed unanimously (9-0-0).

Financial Report

Fred Smith moved approval of Abstract dated March 21, 2007. The motion was seconded by Lynn Dufort. Motion carried (8-0-0).

Lynn Dufort moved approval of Abstract dated April 2, 2007. The motion was seconded by Lauren Choate. Motion carried (9-0-0).

Nancy Church moved approval of Abstract dated April 19, 2007. The motion was seconded by Lynn Dufort. Motion carried (9-0-0). Nancy Church questioned the payment for cell phones, and it was made clear that the amount paid was for all four cell phones used by the CEF staff.

Nancy Church moved approval of Abstract dated May 1, 2007. The motion was seconded by Fred Smith. Motion carried (9-0-0).

Discussion arose concerning discarded books and the payment made to New England Waste Management Systems. Alternatives mentioned were book sales, donations to missions, and finding out if Ken Lucia, who bought the old bookmobile and has picked up books at PPL and in Chazy, would be interested in them.

Richard Kibben questioned payments made to Consultants. Ewa explained that the money for those payments come from grants and are for programs given at the correctional facilities.

Nancy Church moved approval of Abstract dated May 14, 2007. The motion was seconded by Fred Smith. Motion carried (9-0-0).

Public Comment Period:


No public comment.

President’s Remarks:

Cerise Oberman reported:
 The board’s newest member, David Reuther, has been ill and has been and is undergoing treatment. He plans to begin attending meetings when his treatment is complete.
 The meeting on June 25, 2007 will be held at the Dodge Memorial Library in Rouses Point.
 Please let Sue Cotter know by the Friday prior to the board meeting whether or not you will be able to attend.

Director’s Report

Ewa Jankowska reported:
 We would like to go ahead with Fuller Excavating to repair the tunnel that runs between CEFLS and PPL.
 We are having the area around the building raised, sealed, and landscaped so that water will run away from it instead of towards it.
 We would like to combine the work done by Fuller Excavating and renovation of the server room in a construction grant. We would be reimbursed by the grant for 50% of our expense.
 Horizon is not going to be further developed, though it will to provide support for at least a couple of years. At the NNYLN Annual Meeting, Ewa spoke to Steve Bolton of the North Country Library System about the possibility of joining forces.
 Congratulations to Betsy for organizing and completing computer trouble shooting workshops. They were very well received.
 Saturday there will be a Take a Bite Out of Books event held at the Champlain Centre Mall. There are ten libraries and fourteen teams. This is organized by the Plattsburgh Public Library, but thanks also go out to Kathie LaBombard for her efforts in making TABOB a success.
 Dannemora Free Library goes live on May 30, 2007. Wadhams will go live in June.
 We understood that we are to receive a $5,000 grant from Theresa Sayward, but it has not yet been received. We will be following up on that this week.
 Ewa and Betsy both went to Utica for training on “Outcome Based Evaluations” needed when applying for a state grant. They also had the opportunity to see their server room, which is set up so that the servers can be easily worked on from all sides.

Plattsburgh Public Library (PPL) Report

Ewa Jankowska reported:

 Sonia Long is retiring from PPL in August. A search committee is being formed to look for her replacement. A salary survey will be done to find out how much librarians in similar positions are making. The State Library is going to provide salary information from the Annual Reports. Sonia is to reclassify two positions at PPL.
 PPL is in receipt of a $31,000 donation from an anonymous donor. The funds will be administered by CEFLS.

Clinton-Essex-Franklin Directors Association (CEFDA) Report


Frances Fairchild submitted a CEFDA report that was in each board member’s folder.

Committee Reports


Finance Committee:
Chris DeGrandpre reported:
 The finance committee will meet on June 13th at 8:00.
 The interest rate on the line of credit at 7.07% is twice that of a RAN. One advantage is that we only borrow and pay interest on the amount we borrow against it.
 Chris asked about the timing of the arrival of state aid. Michael said three things need to happen first. There are financial forms, our Annual Report, the member libraries’ Annual Reports, and the State Aid Budget Application that all need to be submitted. This has been done and we will receive the funds when they are released by the government.

Personnel Committee
Barbara Stowe is working on a first cut of an evaluation form.

Advocacy Committee
Lynn Dufort reported:
 Lynn would like to hold a meeting on June 25th prior to the board meeting in Rouses Point. Sue will contact Andy Ewart to see if this is acceptable to them.

Old Business

 Bookmobile Physical Checkup: Diagnosis and Status - The bookmobile is expected to be ready on Thursday, May 31st. One of the biggest problems with it was that the front wheels were rubbing against the floor of the bookmobile when it turned, which could have caused a serious accident. This was due to there being no stops installed to prevent the wheels from turning too far. That problem, as well as many others, has been fixed. Bob is very hopeful and believes the man who worked on the bookmobile in Ballston Spa has been very thorough. We have asked Matthews proper to extend the warranty at least one more month since the bookmobile has been out of service for that period of time. At this point we have not heard back from them. Ewa is also going to ask Matthews in Ballston Spa for a one year warranty on the work they have just completed.
 Assessment of Bookmobile Services - Nancy Church has offered to have her fall semester class do a project on the assessment of bookmobile services. After doing background research the class would design a survey concerning the services offered, and the location of the bookmobile stops. They would then collect the data and compile a report. Since only two people are allowed to ride on the bus, Nancy asked if there would be a small amount of money ($200-$300) to reimburse the students for gas. She will provide a detailed estimate of what it would cost to Chris for review by the Finance Committee. Lynn Dufort made a motion to accept Nancy’s offer. The motion was seconded by Charles Racette. Motion passed (9-0-0).
 CEF as Governmental Entity: Update – Ewa received another call from Mike Borges, the director of the NYLA. He had been contacted by a legislative body asking his opinion, and needed new copies of the documentation she had sent him last month. We still have no real clear idea of what we are. Chris deGrandpre will talk to Jim Dawson, who may be able to apply some pressure to get an answer. Cerise Oberman will also follow up on it.
 Alcohol and Drug Policy – Ewa reported that there were some minor changes to the policy, the most significant one being that we agreed to pay for a taxi home if an employee came to work impaired. Currently, the policy approved by the board last year is in place. The new policy has been given to Betsy for review, and Ewa will email a copy to each of the board members.
.
New Business
 The CEFLS State Aid Budget Application – The application was filed on time on May 25,2007.
 Nancy Church volunteered to attend the PPL board meeting on June 26th.
 Nancy Church would like to ask Julie to write a proposal to receive funds from the Kiwanis Club. Fred Smith also mentioned the Annual Stewarts Grant.
 Fred Smith moved to renew Ewa Jankowska’s contract through December 31, 2009. The motion was seconded by Lynn Dufort. Motion passed (9-0-0)

Executive Session

Fred Smith moved that the board enter executive session at 5:14. The motion was seconded by Nancy Church. The Executive Session was held to discuss contract negotiations.

The meeting reconvened at 5:45 following the closure of executive session.

Next Meeting

The next meeting will be Monday, June 25, 2007 at 4:00 at the Dodge Memorial Library in Rouses Point.

Adjournment

Lauren Choate moved to adjourn the meeting at 5:55. The motion was seconded by Lynn Dufort. Motion carried (9-0-0).

Respectfully submitted,


Nancy Church
Secretary

CLINTON-ESSEX-FRANKLIN LIBRARY SYSTEM
Board of Trustees Meeting held March 26, 2007



Call to Order

The Board of Trustees meeting was called to order on Monday, March 26th, at the
Clinton-Essex-Franklin Library System, 33 Oak Street, Plattsburgh at 4:02 p.m., by Cerise
Oberman, President.

Roll Call

Present: Lauren Choate; Nancy Church(4:04); Chris deGrandpre; Lynn Dufort; Nancy Howard; Richard Kibben; Cerise Oberman; Fred Smith; Barbara Stowe.

Staff Present: Ewa Jankowska, Director; Betsy Brooks; Michael Spofford, and Sue Cotter.

Others present: Frances Fairchild, Clinton-Essex-Franklin Directors Association (CEFDA)
Representative and Sonia Long, Plattsburgh Public Library Director.

Excused Absences

Nancy Howard moved that Virginia LaPointe, Patsy McCaughin, Charles Racette, David Reuther, and Neil Surprenant be excused from this meeting. The motion was seconded by Lauren Choate and passed unanimously (8-0-0).

Agenda

The swearing in of David Reuther was removed from the agenda since he was unable to attend the meeting. Barbara Stowe moved approval of the Agenda. The motion was seconded by Lauren Choate and passed unanimously. Motion carried (8-0-0).

Approval of Minutes


Fred Smith moved approval of the February 26, 2007 Minutes. The motion was seconded by Lynn Dufort. The motion passed unanimously (8-0-0).

Financial Report


Nancy Howard questioned our paying meals for the bookmobile drivers. It was said that we have always done this and that it is part of the union contract. Nancy Church questioned the “slush fund”, which is employee donations towards coffee and other kitchen supplies. It was suggested the name be changed to “staff fund” and that the credit card not be used for those purchases. Nancy Howard noted that we are a member of the Plattsburgh North Country Chamber of Commerce and that possibly Ewa could meet with Garry Douglas, the director. Fred Smith moved approval of Abstract dated February 22nd. The motion was seconded by Lynn Dufort and passed unanimously. Motion carried (8-0-0).

Fred Smith moved approval of Abstract dated March 6th. The motion was seconded by Lauren Choate. Motion carried (8-0-0).

Public Comment Period:


No public comment.

President’s Remarks:


Cerise Oberman reported:
o The board is going to try a new approach to verifying a quorum for scheduled meetings. Board Members will notify Sue Cotter by the Friday before the meeting whether or not they will be able to attend.
o The April meeting is scheduled for April 23rd at 4:00 at the library in Rouses Point. Sue Cotter will provide directions to the library prior to the meeting. There was some concern that a quorum would not be met for this meeting since several members in attendance said they would not be there. Sue Cotter will try to find out if there will be a quorum prior to the meeting.
o Cerise thanked Ewa Jankowska, Sonia Long, Eileen Clar, Larissa Bigelow, and Dick and Jan Kibben for attending Legislative Day in Albany.
o Governor Spitzer’s Executive Order #3 requires that government meetings be broadcast via the web as of July 1st. Ewa will find out how that affects us.
o NYSALB has invited CEFLS to reconsider membership. It was determined to hold for now.

Director’s Report

Ewa Jankowska reported:
o Michael Spofford applied to three banks for a RAN, something we have been getting for at least ten years. One bank (NBT) called Tom Murnane, our lawyer, and questioned whether or not our type of organization is eligible for a RAN. Ewa has spoken with the State Comptroller and has an appointment with Janet Duprey, our assembly person, in an attempt to obtain a definition of what we are.
o Due to time constraints we have applied for a line of credit in place of the RAN. Citizen’s Bank offered an interest rate of 7.07% on $500,000 for six months. They would require us to move all of our accounts to their bank. Key Bank has said they will either match that rate or give us a lower one.
o Ewa suggested that the board members could send letters to their senators and assembly representatives supporting the legislative proposals for libraries. Sue will resend the proposals to the board members for review.
o Twenty-two of our thirty member libraries were originally approved for the Gates Foundation Grant. We appealed, and Dannemora was added to the list, bringing the total libraries eligible for the grant to twenty-three.
o We are receiving a $6,000 summer reading grant from the State Library that Kathie LaBombard would like to combine with the Science Grant for the “What’s the Big Idea” project currently in progress.
o The summer program is entitled “Get a Clue at Your Library”. Each participating member library can apply for $100 to supplement this program.
o Horizon was a Dynix company product. It is now owned by SIRSI/Dynix and will be discontinued. We still have two years to pay on it, and they will continue support for Horizon until 2009. We currently have the latest version, which Betsy Brooks maintains very well.

Plattsburgh Public Library (PPL) Report

Sonia Long reported:
o Virginia Brady was unable to attend the meeting because she was not aware of it until after she had made other commitments.
o It’s Spring, and the front steps to the library are falling apart again. The broken areas are marked with orange paint.
o The city has applied for a grant for a new phone system that would connect all city offices, including PPL. This means that PPL would no longer be “extensions” for CEFLS, but rather we would have to dial their phone number to reach them.

Clinton-Essex-Franklin Directors Association (CEFDA) Report


Frances Fairchild reported:
o There will be a CEFDA meeting in the CEFLS boardroom on April 2nd.

Committee Reports


Finance Committee:

Chris DeGrandpre reported:
o The board members have the latest version of a resolution for a line of credit in their folders. The resolution is for a $500,000 line of credit for six months with an interest rate of 7.07% or less from Key Bank. This is a much higher rate of interest than a RAN would have been. Chris deGrandpre moved to accept the resolution. Lynn Dufort seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously (8-0-0).
o Richard Kibben noted that the line of credit should be drawn down only as needed. Also that some prepayments could be eliminated, unless we would save more by prepaying.
o Chris deGrandpre and Cerise Oberman will sign off on the paperwork for the line of credit. They will determine who can authorize borrowing against the line.
o It is understood that any minor changes to the resolution can be approved by an agreement between Chris deGrandpre, Ewa Jankowska, and Michael Spofford.
o Chris congratulated Ewa, Betsy, and the rest of the staff for all the work done in Rouses Point.

Nominations Committee:

Nancy Howard reported:
o She is having difficulty identifying candidates for the CEFLS Board in Franklin County. She has two good candidates but neither is from Malone. She will email their names to Lynn Dufort and continue to pursue them to fill the empty spot.

Development Committee:

Nancy Church reported:
o Donation acknowledgement letters need to indicate the date the donation was made and that no services were provided for the donation.
o Last year Julie wrote a wonderful letter to the local Kiwanis Clubs. Nancy suggested doing the same every year, It was also suggested we send letters to the Rotary Clubs. Lynn Dufort has a list of area Rotary Clubs and will send it to Nancy Church and Sue Cotter.
o Barbara Stowe mentioned that the letter we sent out to attorneys, etc. was received by a member of her Rotary Club. She was asked to make a presentation and in doing so was impressed by the interest shown in CEFLS. We need to let organizations know we are available to make presentations.

Advocacy Committee


Lynn Dufort reported:
o There will be a meeting on May 29th at 3:00, prior to the board meeting.

Old Business
o Matthews Buses in Ballston Spa will be working on the bookmobile on April 20th. They will install an inverter, build protective box panels to protect circuits, and do a tip to tail inspection, all at no charge. We are hoping to also get reimbursement for Bob’s meals and for having to bring an extra vehicle for transportation. It is possible this will take a few days and that bookmobile runs will have to be rescheduled.
o The bookmobile is currently working fine. The oil sensor is also working well.

.
New Business

o Ewa reported that they are working with the old plan of service when doing the Annual Report. All of the questions were answered, but the report does not reflect all of the accomplishments made by CEFLS during the year. Nancy Howard mentioned saying that in the “suggested improvements” section.
o Cerise commented that the statistics show a lot of what has been accomplished.
o Michael is working with member libraries to insure that everything is reported.
o The Plan of Service and Annual Report will have similar formats in the future.
o Chris deGrandpre moved to accept the Annual Report. Lynn Dufort seconded. Motion passed unanimously (8-0-0).

Executive Session

Fred Smith moved that the board enter executive session at 5:14. The motion was seconded by Nancy Church. The Executive Session was held to discuss contract negotiations and the contract status of a current employee.

The meeting reconvened at 5:45 following the closure of executive session.

Next Meeting

The next meeting will be Monday, April 23, 2007 at 4:00 at the Dodge Memorial Library in Rouses Point.

Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned by the President at 5:45.

Respectfully submitted,


Nancy Church
Secretary

CLINTON-ESSEX-FRANKLIN LIBRARY SYSTEM
Board of Trustees Meeting held February 26, 2007



Call to Order

The Board of Trustees meeting was called to order on Monday, February 26th, at the
Clinton-Essex-Franklin Library System, 33 Oak Street, Plattsburgh at 4:00 p.m., by Cerise
Oberman, President. Following the call to order Cerise congratulated Richard Kibbin on his recent honor of being selected as the King of the Saranac Lake Winter Carnival.

Roll Call


Present: Nancy Church(4:04); Lynn Dufort; Richard Kibben; Patsy McCaughin; Cerise Oberman; Fred Smith; Barbara Stowe(4:02); Chris DeGrandpre; Virginia LaPointe; and Neil Surprenant.

Staff Present: Ewa Jankowska, Director; Betsy Brooks; Elizabeth Rogers; Michael Spofford, Kathie LaBombard, and Sue Cotter.

Others present: Frances Fairchild, Clinton-Essex-Franklin Directors Association (CEFDA)
Representative and Sonia Long, Plattsburgh Public Library Director.

Excused Absences


Fred Smith moved that Lauren Choate, Nancy Howard, and Charles Racette be excused from this meeting. The motion was seconded by Lynn Dufort and passed unanimously. Motion carried (9-0-0).

Agenda

Three additions were made to the Agenda by Cerise Oberman. Under Old Business, Construction State Aid was added. Under New Business, Ewa’s Personal Goals and a legislative item from Senator Betty Little’s office were added. Patsy McCaughin moved approval of the Agenda. The motion was seconded by Virginia LaPointe and passed unanimously. Motion carried (9-0-0).

Nomination Committee

Cerise Oberman affirmed Chris DeGrandpre as Treasurer of the Clinton-Essex-Franklin County Library System for 2007.

Approval of Minutes

Barbara Stowe moved approval of the January 22, 2007 Minutes. The motion was seconded by Neil Surprenant. Fred Smith noted that when the board goes into Executive Session the minutes need to include the purpose of the session. Cerise Oberman corrected her statement that board packets would be sent out two weeks prior to the meetings. She said that instead agenda items would be solicited two weeks prior to the meetings. The motion then passed unanimously. Motion carried (9-0-0).

Financial Report

Lynn Dufort moved approval of Abstract dated January 22nd. The motion was seconded by Fred Smith and passed unanimously. Motion carried (9-0-0).

Fred Smith moved approval of Abstract dated February 6th. The motion was seconded by Neil Surprenant. Motion carried (9-0-0).

Public Comment Period:


No public comment.

President’s Remarks:

Cerise Oberman reported:
 The appointment of David Reuther to the CEFLS Board of Trustees was approved by the Essex County Board of Supervisors.
 Congratulations to the CEF staff on the progress being made with the automation of the member libraries.
 The 2007 Trustee Institute will be on May 4th and 5th in Queens. Brochures are available for anyone interested in attending.

Director’s Report

Ewa Jankowska reported:
 We have received a $75,000 library patron grant from Senator Betty Little. There are no strings attached as to its usage, but Sharon Henderson from Senator Little’s office suggested that a good use might be automation. The member libraries in Keeseville and Dannemora have been waiting for some money in order to automate.
 Ewa and Betsy Brooks had a conference call with the State Library on February 23rd. There is a new Gates initiative coming around that can be used for hardware only. Another stipulation is that the libraries must participate in the Gates Foundation training. We are in receipt of a list of eligible libraries which includes twenty-two of our member libraries. Not included on the list are Dannemora, Willsboro, Upper Jay, Champlain, Wilmington, Essex, and Keene Valley. Eligibility is based on a minimum of 10% of the residents, or 3000 people, being below poverty level.
 Ewa will be attending Legislative Day in Albany on March 13th with Sonia Long, Eileen Clar who is the Director at the Chateaugay Memorial Library, and Larissa Bigelow, who is working with Eileen to automate the library. Richard Kibben may also attend. The first meeting is at 10:30 with Senator Betty Little.
 Betsy Brooks suggested that we present Senator Betty Little with a plaque that Becky Pace from the Peru Library will design for us. The plaque will have library cards of each of the fifteen automated libraries on it.
 We had received $318,686 from the Construction State Aid Program. The board had approved amounts for distribution to seven of the member libraries. Six of the libraries were able to use the full amount approved. However, due to timing issues, the Black Watch Memorial Library (Ticonderoga) was unable to spend the full amount of $124,000. Approximately $74,000 of the amount originally awarded to them is being reallocated to the North Country Library System, which has sixty libraries compared to our thirty. She reminded everyone that it is very difficult for our libraries to apply for these monies because a 50% match is required and the time frame is very short.
 Last week Ewa, Julie Wever, and an African American poet named Jackie Warren-Moore visited five correctional facilities: Upstate Correctional Facility, Adirondack Correctional Facility, Camp Gabriels, Lyon Mountain Correctional Facility, and Bare Hill Correctional Facility. At each they were able to see the libraries, meet the librarians and had the rare opportunity to meet the inmates. The inmates participated in the program and had been asked to write poems about themselves. She found the inmates to be very attentive and responsive, and learned a lot about the prison population from their poetry.
 We get approximately $100,000 for Correctional Facilities. Seventy percent of this is spent on overhead, so the remaining thirty percent must be spent very wisely to serve that population the best we can.

Plattsburgh Public Library (PPL) Report

Sonia Long reported:
 The $100,000 cut in funding from the City of Plattsburgh did not result in the loss of staff. They have had to cut back in other areas, one of which is books, and are depending on help from the Friends of the Library. One thing they will be doing is holding the Pretty Pot auction again this spring. Last year this event brought in $1,200. The book sale at the end of January brought in $1,700. PPL is lucky to have a very active and supportive group.
 Despite the cutback in hours of operation, circulation in January of 2007 was up from January of 2006.
 PPL is a lead agency for a grant called “Take a Bite Out of Books”. Last year an event for this grant was held at the Champlain Mall in August. This year is the second year of the grant and the event will be held in June. A third consultant, Molly Ferrington, has joined PPL and preparation is moving along.
 Sonia thanked Ewa for her assistance in keeping up to date with technology.
 Sonia thanked Michael for his help with the annual report.

Clinton-Essex-Franklin Directors Association (CEFDA) Report

Frances Fairchild reported:
 There will be a CEFDA meeting in the near future. It is tentatively set for April 2nd.

Committee Reports

Finance Committee:
Chris DeGrandpre reported:
 The committee met on February 7th. All members were present, as well as Ewa and Michael.
 There is a need for a RAN (revenue anticipation note) in anticipation of state aid. We will need $450,000 for up to six months. Four banks were contacted, two responded with quotes. Chris DeGrandpre moved approval of going with Key Bank at 3.97% interest by March 5th. Fred Smith seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously (9-0-0).
 Michael has prepared preliminary fiscal reports. We are in the black with $59,000 subject to adjustments by the auditors.
 A resolution was made to establish a funded reserve account. Out of the $59,000, $30,000 would be brought forward revenue in 2007. The remaining $29,000 would be used for the funded reserve account to cover unexpected expenses that have not been budgeted for. He emphasized that this reserve is made up of cash. Lynn Dufort questioned where the money would be kept. Michael answered that that had not been discussed, but it would be on the balance sheet in a separate account. Lynn Dufort also noted that we should maximize earnings on these monies. Barbara Stowe suggested that we should include an amount for the funded reserve in the budget for future years. Chris DeGrandpre moved for acceptance of the resolution. Fred Smith seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously (9-0-0).

Old Business

 The Executive Board reported that the problems with the bookmobile do not qualify for intervention from the Attorney General’s office, which means we would have to hire a lawyer to pursue the issue.
 The supplier has fixed almost all of the problems with the bookmobile, with the exception of the oil sensor. We received a kit from them to correct the trouble there, which is being installed at M.A. Jerry’s on March 5th.
 Ewa brought up taking the bookmobile to a bus place in Latham for an overall checkup. The Executive Board had asked that the supplier be responsible for the cost of the checkup, but the supplier refused. Ewa is confident that if problems were found the manufacturer would cover the expense of those repairs.
 A motion was made by Neil Surprenant for the approval of the reduction in the Construction State Aid Program. The motion was seconded by Barbara Stowe. Motion passed unanimously (9-0-0).
.
New Business
 Cerise Oberman moved for approval to create an Advocacy Committee. Fred Smith seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously (9-0-0).
 The former Future Financial Committee has been changed to the Development Committee.
 David Reuther will be added to some of the committees prior to the next board meeting.
 Nancy Church moved for acceptance of the 2007 committee assignments. Barbara Stowe seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously (9-0-0).
 The purpose of the Property Committee was questioned. The Executive Committee plans to examine that issue.
 Lynn Dufort scheduled the first Advocacy Committee meeting for March 26th at 3:00.
 Betsy Brooks was thanked for her effort in preparing the grant application sent to Senator Betty Little’s office for new servers. The amount requested was conservative and included $5,000 to reconfigure the small room across from Michael and Betsy’s offices as the new server room. A motion was made to accept the grant application by Neil Surprenant. Lynn Dufort seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously (9-0-0).

Executive Session

Fred Smith moved that the board enter executive session at 5:05. The motion was seconded by Lynn Dufort. The Executive Session was held to discuss contract negotiations and the contract status of a current employee.

The meeting reconvened following the closure of executive session.

Next Meeting

The next meeting will be Monday, March 26, 2007 at 4:00.

Adjournment

The meeting adjourned at 5:25. The motion for adjournment was made by Neil Surprenant, and seconded by Fred Smith. Motion passed unanimously (9-0-0).

Respectfully submitted,


Nancy Church
Secretary
 

CLINTON-ESSEX-FRANKLIN LIBRARY SYSTEM
Board of Trustees Meeting held January 22, 2007
MINUTES



Call to Order

The Board of Trustees meeting was called to order on Monday, January 22nd, at the
Clinton-Essex-Franklin Library System, 33 Oak Street, Plattsburgh at 4:00 p.m., by Cerise
Oberman, Vice President.

Roll Call


Present: Nancy Church(4:03); Lynn Dufort; Nancy Howard; Richard Kibben; Patsy McCaughin; Cerise Oberman; Charles Racette; Fred Smith; Barbara Stowe; and Neil Surprenant.

Staff Present: Ewa Jankowska, Director; Betsy Brooks; Elizabeth Rogers; Michael Spofford, Kathie LaBombard, and Sue Cotter.

Others present: Frances Fairchild, Clinton-Essex-Franklin Directors Association (CEFDA)
Representative; Sonia Long, Plattsburgh Public Library Director and Virginia Brady, Plattsburgh Public Library Trustee.

Excused Absences

Fred Smith moved that Lauren Choate, Chris De Grandpre, and Virginia LaPointe be excused from this meeting. The motion was seconded by Lynn Dufort and passed unanimously. Motion carried (9-0-0).

Agenda

Patsy McCaughin moved approval of the Agenda. The motion was seconded by Lynn Dufort and passed unanimously. Motion carried (9-0-0).

Nomination Committee


Nancy Howard presented the slate of nominations for officers of the board for 2007 as follows: Cerise Oberman, President; Barbara Stowe, Vice President; Nancy Church, Secretary; Chris de Grandpre, Treasurer; and Fred Smith, Member at Large.

Lynn Dufort moved to accept the nominations. The motion was seconded by Richard Kibben and passed unanimously. Motion carried (9-0-0).

Fred Smith affirmed Cerise Oberman as President of the Clinton-Essex-Franklin County Library System for 2007. Following her affirmation, Cerise Oberman affirmed Barbara Stowe as Vice-President, Nancy Church as trustee for Clinton County and as Secretary, and Fred Smith as Member of Large. Chris de Grandpre will be affirmed as Treasurer at the February 26, 2007 meeting.


Approval of Minutes

Neil Suprenant moved approval of the November 27, 2006 Minutes. The motion was seconded by Nancy Church and passed unanimously. Motion carried (9-0-0).

Financial Report

Cerise Oberman moved approval of Abstract dated November 14. The motion was seconded by Neil Suprenant and passed unanimously. Motion carried (9-0-0).

Cerise Oberman moved approval of Abstract dated November 27. The motion was seconded by Charles Racette. Motion carried (9-0-0).

Barbara Stowe moved approval of the Abstract dated December 8. The motion was seconded by Neil Suprenant. Motion carried (9-0-0).

Fred Smith moved approval of the Manual Check dated December 20. The motion was seconded by Richard Kibben. Motion carried (9-0-0).

Patsy McCaughin moved approval of the Abstract dated December 27. The motion was seconded by Lynn Dufort. Motion carried (9-0-0).

Neil Suprenant moved approval of the Abstract dated January 11. The motion was seconded by Nancy Church. Motion carried (9-0-0).

Public Comment Period:


Betsy Brooks requested a picture be taken of the new officers to be sent to the Press Republican as part of the press release.

President’s Remarks:

Cerise Oberman reported:
• An official congratulations was extended to the Ausable Forks Free Library and to Betsy Brooks for the completion of the automation process.
• The proposed list of board meeting dates for 2007 was brought up for approval. Charles Racette moved for approval, and was seconded by Fred Smith. Motion passed (10-0-0).
• Two of the meetings will be held at alternate sites, preferably two of the less visited member libraries.
• A more specific agenda and will be provided for future meetings. Board members will be solicited by email for items to put on the agenda. Materials for the meetings will be sent to the board members at least two weeks before the meeting.
• The Executive Committee presented Donna Hanus with a fifty dollar gift certificate to Borders and also took her out to dinner on behalf of the board.
• It is a tradition of the board to contribute ten dollars to a petty cash fund to be used for special occasions. Ten dollars was solicited from each of the trustees at this meeting.
• Committee appointments will be made soon. Members are invited to let the President know which committees they would like to serve on. All members are required to serve on two committees.

Director’s Report

Ewa Jankowska reported:
• The McDonald Grant, with the theme “Words of Comfort”, was used to provide DVD players and 10 DVD’s to the hospitals in Saranac Lake and Malone.
• The bookmobile is still having problems. A picture of the fan taken by Karen Batchelder and sent to Matthews showed them the wrong fan was installed, and so a new fan will probably be put in.
• The warranty on the bookmobile has been extended an additional six months.
• The chassis selected for the bookmobile is not suitable for rural travel.
• There is a problem with the oil sensor on the bookmobile. Matthews believes it is a faulty sensor. However, this is the fourth one we have had.
• There was discussion of exploring our legal options against Matthews. There is a need for someone with legal expertise in this kind of situation. It was suggested that we start with the Attorney General, and possibly find an attorney who would take the case pro bono.

Plattsburgh Public Library (PPL) Report

Virginia Brady reported:
• Circulation in 2006 was up 10% over 2005.
• The budget crisis in the City of Plattsburgh has resulted in a $100,000 cut in funding. To help with this decrease in funds, the library will now be closed on Sundays.
• Union negotiations continue.
• A request was made for a representative from the Board of Trustees to attend the PPL meeting on January 23. Charles Racette volunteered to attend.

Clinton-Essex-Franklin Directors Association (CEFDA) Report

Frances Fairchild reported:
• CEFDA met on December 11, 2006. They discussed ideas for how CEFDA members can support each other, ideas for programs done in a library that might benefit other libraries, and challenges that a library might have solved.
• Vendors of audio books were discussed. Julie Wever is writing a grant to try a new method of purchasing and circulating audio books. Several libraries are pledging support.
• The group discussed the role of treasurers. There is interest in training on financial matters. Betsy Brooks mentioned that there are some resources that CEF might be able to provide.
• The next meeting is set for April 2, 2007. The location is to be determined.

Committee Reports

Nominating Committee

Nancy Howard reported:
• Mr. David Reuther is recommended to fill the vacancy of Essex county trustee board member Lynn Bezio. The motion was passed unanimously (10-0-0). A letter has been sent to Chairman of the Essex County Board of Supervisors.

Finance Committee:

Fred Smith reported:
• Ewa Jankowska, Michael Spofford, and the entire CEF staff are complimented for the enormous amount of work put into the budget, as well as the “belt tightening” that has been done.
• If there is an increase in state funding, the budget will be revised.
• A $10,987 reduction in the books, videos, and serials line that is covered by a 2005 discretionary grant.
• The budget is subject to ongoing scrutiny and review.
• The budget that has been distributed is dated December 11, 2006. Fred Smith made the motion that the budget be approved. The motion was seconded by Lynn Dufort.
• The cost of the Horizon Library Management System currently used is going up almost $4,000 on April 1, 2007. It was recommended that the cost to the automated libraries be increased by $1,500, spread over all of the automated libraries. It was moved to be approved by Fred Smith. The motion was seconded by Charles Racette. Motion carried (10-0-0).
• It was suggested that upfront funding prior to the receipt of state funding for the Central Library be limited to $10,000 in 2007, and then totally eliminated in 2008 and thereafter. Fred Smith moved for approval. Charles Racette seconded the motion. Motion carried (10-0-0).

Future Financials:
Nancy Church reported:
• Ninety letters are being mailed out to financial advisors, lawyers, accountants, and funeral homes urging them to recommend donations to the CEF Library System when appropriate.

Old Business

Ewa Jankowska reported that problems with the new Bookmobile schedule change have been resolved. A letter has been sent to bookmobile patrons outlining the reasons for the changes. There has also been much effort put into clarifying that although there is no longer at stop at the school in St. Regis Falls, there is a stop in the town. Teachers are taking their students to this stop instead. Cerise Oberman received many letters from the St. Regis students and plans to respond to all of them. Also, the bookmobile staff is keeping statistic, both qualitative and quantitative, to evaluate the changes.


New Business

Executive Session

Fred Smith moved that the board enter executive session at 5:30. The motion was seconded by Lynn Dufort.

The meeting reconvened following the closure of executive session.


Next Meeting

The next meeting will be Monday, February 26, 2007.

Adjournment

The meeting adjourned at approximately 5:55 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,


Nancy Church
Secretary

 

CEF MINUTES – November 27, 2006

Call to Order

The Board of Trustees meeting was called to order on Monday, November 27, 2006 at the Clinton-Essex-Franklin Library System, 33 Oak Street in Plattsburgh, at 4:00 pm. by President Donna Hanus.

Board Member Oath of Office

Donna Hanus officially swore in new Board member Richard Kibben, who is filling a term that ends in December 2007, and Lauren Choate, appointed to a second five-year term that ends in December 2011.

Roll Call

Present: Lauren Choate, Nancy Church, Chris de Grandpre, Lynn Dufort, Donna Hanus, Nancy Howard, Richard Kibben, Virginia LaPointe, Cerise Oberman, Fred Smith, and Neil Surprenant.

Staff Present: Ewa Jankowska, Betsy Brooks, Elizabeth Rogers, Michael Spofford and Julie Wever.

Others Present: Frances Fairchild representing the Clinton-Essex-Franklin Directors Association.

Excused Absences

Nancy Howard moved that Patsy McCaughin, Charles Racette and Barbara Stowe be excused from the meeting. The motion was seconded by Lynn Dufort and passed unanimously. Motion carried (11-0-0).

Agenda

Cerise Oberman moved approval of the agenda. The motion was seconded by Neil Surprenant and carried unanimously. Motion carried (11-0-0).

Approval of Minutes


The following changes were made to the published minutes of the October 23, 2006 meeting:
The first sentence of the Finance Committee report was changed to read:
“On November 15, Chris de Grandpre will meet with Ewa, Michael and the Finance Committee to review the CEF budget.” (Page 4)

The 2006 Book Fair cited by the Director was changed to the Frankfurt 2006
Book Fair. (Page 3)

The spelling of the CEFDA representative's name was corrected to Frances.
(Page 4)

The minutes were revised to indicate that the action taken on Ewa Jankowska's
salary was taken after the Board came out of the Executive Session.

Richard Kibben moved that the minutes be approved as revised. The motion was seconded by Neil Surprenant and passed unanimously. Motion carried (11-0-0).

Financial Report


Fred Smith moved approval of the Abstract dated October 16. The motion was seconded by Lauren Choate and carried unanimously. Motion carried (11-0-0).

Nancy Church moved approval of the Abstract dated October 31. The motion was seconded by Chris de Grandpre and carried unanimously. Motion carried (11-0-0).

President's Report

Cerise Oberman was thanked for conducting the October meeting.

The following were named to the Negotiations Committee: Fred Smith (Chair),
Chris de Grandpre and Neil Surprenant. Cerise Oberman moved approval of the Committee appointments. The motion was seconded by Virginia LaPointe and carried unanimously. Motion carried (11-0-0).

A December meeting of the Board will take place on December 18; in the case of inclement weather, the meeting will occur on December 20.

Director's Report


Staff were commended for their work on the revised bookmobile schedule and their
work on grants.

Library construction grants have been completed and will be presented under New Business for approval.

CEFLS is applying for a Service Improvement Grant of $10,000 for a pilot project involving down loadable audio books.

The revised bookmobile schedule, generated with a goal of enhanced service, eliminates one stop at St. Regis Falls and adds a Santa Clara stop. The schedule eliminates the need for a staff overnight and the related cost thereof.

The proposed 2007 Essex County budget reflects no increase in the allocation for CEFLS. Franklin County has proposed a 5% increase and Clinton County is proposing a 3.5% increase. The Clinton County budget hearing will take place Wednesday evening, November 29; Nancy Church and Fred Smith agreed to attend the hearing.

Health insurance cost information for 2007 has been received. Blue Cross/Blue Shield insurance cost will increase by 11.48%; the NYSHIP cost increases 4.7%. Michael Spofford is arranging for a staff meeting with Tish Bisemeyer to review 2007 health insurance changes.

Plattsburgh Public Library (PPL) Report



Clinton-Essex-Franklin Directors Association (CEFDA) Report


Frances Fairchild, CEFDA representative, reported that the group would next meet on December 11 at the Keene Valley Library.

Committee Reports

Nominating Committee

The slate of officers for 2007 will be presented at the December 18 Board meeting. The Committee will also propose a new Essex County member at that time.

Finance Committee


The Committee met with Ewa Jankowska and Michael Spofford on November 15 to review the proposed 2007 budget. A revised proposal will be reviewed at the Committee's meeting during the week of December 11. The final 2007 budget proposal will be presented for Board action at the December 18 meeting.

The Committee is recommending a 3% salary increase for the Principal Account Clerk.

Future Finance Committee

Chairman Nancy Church thanked Board members for their input used in developing a list of ninety individuals that will receive a letter soliciting their support in recommending CEFLS to clients and other contacts in major gift planning. Copies of the proposed letter were distributed for suggested changes.

Nancy Church recommended that Board members give strong consideration to making a contribution to the Buy a Present for the Bookmobile campaign.

Old Business

Staff service priorities based on the Plan of Service will be presented for action at the December meeting.

New Business

Three grants were presented to the Board for action:

Lynn Dufort moved that the LSTA Service Improvement Invitational Grant
Program be approved as presented. The motion was seconded by Nancy
Howard and passed unanimously. Motion carried (11-0-0).

Lynn Dufort moved that the construction grant covered by the $14 Million
Public Library Construction State Aid Program be approved as presented.
The motion was seconded by Cerise Oberman and passed unanimously.
Motion carried (11-0-0