Chairman, Pro Tem, Helen Boyle called the meeting of the Springfield Library Board of Commissioners to order at 5:30 p.m.

Library Commissioners Present:

• Helen Boyle
• Bettye Webb
• Barbara Garvey
• Janet Denney
• Janet Edwards
• Rudy Ruggeri

Library Staff Present:

• Emily Bader, Library Director
• Lee Fogarty, Assistant Library Director
• Carol Leaders, Administrative Assistant

All Commissioners present introduced themselves.

Chairman Pro Tem, Helen Boyle entertained a motion to approve the minutes of the January 6, 2004 meeting. Minutes were approved.

The next meeting of the Commissioners is scheduled for February 17, 2004 at 5:30 p.m. The meeting will be held in the Community Room of the Central Library at 220 State St.

Election of Officers -

A motion by Janet Edwards and seconded by Rudy Ruggeri to nominate Barbara Garvey as the new Chair was accepted and passed unanimously.

A motion by Bettye Webb and seconded by Janet Edwards to nominate Helen Boyle as the new Vice Chair was accepted and passed unanimously.

A motion by Barbara Garvey and seconded by Janet Edwards to nominate Rudy Ruggeri as the Secretary was accepted and passed unanimously.

Commissioner Garvey thanked Helen Boyle for acting as Pro Tem and welcomed everyone.

Commissioner Garvey postponed appointment of standing committees until the next the meeting so that the new Commissioners have time to review and determine which committees to serve on.

The appointment of Ad Hoc Policy Committee was also delayed. Director Bader will forward a list of all library policies in priority order to all Commissioners. Commission will review and/or revise as a Committee-of-the-whole.

Commissioner Garvey expressed Mayor Ryan's urgency in the use of volunteers in light of the current financial concerns the City is facing as well as addressing the Community's interest to be involved.

Director Bader reported that she asked in writing that the Springfield Newspapers from 1900-1950 be returned to the Central Library. The materials were transferred to the Connecticut Valley Historical Museum (CVHM) prior to the renovation of the Central Library. Director Bader stressed that the public needs more than limited access to these important materials. Guy McLain, Director of CVHM, indicated that there may be an increase in hours at CVHM to accommodate the needs of public.

Director Bader asked that the Commission issue a formal request to return the above mentioned materials to the Central Library.

The Springfield Library Commission moves to formally request that the following microfilm reels be returned to the Springfield Central Library from their current location in the Local History & Genealogy Library at the Connecticut Valley Historical Museum (CVHM).

• Springfield Weekly Republican, 1900-1946 43 reels
• Springfield Daily Republican, 1900-1946 787 reels
• Springfield Daily Union/Springfield Morning Union, 1900-1949 555 reels
• Springfield Evening Union, 1900-1946 468 reels
• Springfield Daily News, 1905-1949 524 reels

Motion was seconded by Commissioner Edwards and was unanimously passed.

At this time, the public requested to be allowed to introduce themselves and state why they were attending the meeting.

Commissioner Garvey expressed her thanks to all in attendance.

Library Volunteer Update - Director Bader reported that policies and procedure were approved at the January 6th meeting; activities and opportunities are in place; four volunteer information sessions have been held; at this time all volunteer applications received have been submitted to the state to be CORI checked. As soon as they are returned, interviews will begin. Commissioner Garvey requested to be informed on the progress the CORI checks.

Commissioner Ruggeri suggested area Golden Age Clubs be contacted for volunteer recruitment.

Commissioner Denney asked about the criteria regarding moving violation offenses showing up on CORI checks. Director Bader reported that CORI records are reviewed and evaluated on an individual basis that take into consideration the nature of the offense and how long ago the offense occurred. All final decisions are made by the City Personnel Dept.

Director Bader met with George Castellano of the Elder Affairs Department to discuss a program that pays unemployed workers over 55 to work in non-profit agencies for up to one year. Some library jobs would meet the criteria for this program. Anyone hired would be assigned to a branch manager or department supervisor and would be directly accountable to the Dept. of Elder Affairs. Volunteer Coordinator, Sharyn Holstead will check with the program regarding potential volunteers.

Friends of the Springfield Library Report - On behalf of the Mary Ann Maloney, President of the FOL, Director Bader reported on the re-activation of the FOL group. An information session was held with about 20 people attending; existing board met a few days later to review recruitment sheets from which additional board members were nominated. New board members met and elected a new slate of officers: Mary Ann Maloney, President, Connie Bradway, Treasurer and Jennifer Markey, Secretary. Fundraising will be the main focus of the FOL group this fiscal year. Letters are being developed that will be geared to businesses and individuals.

Commissioner Edwards stressed the need to have FOL group do a press release to inform the public of the independent status of the Friends of the Springfield Library. It was also recommended that a liaison be appointed between the Commission and the FOL.

Telephone System - Director Bader announced that the phone system split will take place on Friday, Feb. 6th. The Central Library's new main phone number will be 263-6828. Branch numbers will not change; and all department extensions will remain the same. A press release has been sent; bookmarks with the new phone number will be given out at the circulation desks.

Transfer of Library Staff to City - Director Bader reported that she has been working with the City Personnel Department to update position descriptions and pay scales according to the City's payroll schedules. Upon completion of this process, a presentation will be made to the Mayor, the Library Commission, and the Personnel Policy Board for approval after which it will then go before the City Council for acceptance which should be completed in early March.

Professional employees are in the bargaining unit of AFSCME; clerical staff are in the process of choosing between either AFSCME or SOLE for representation.

Commissioner Denney commended both Director Bader and Deputy Director Fogarty for their hard work throughout this transition.

Judy Carpenter presented a report from the East Forest Park Advisory Committee.

On behalf of the Forest Park Branch Advisory committee, Director Bader requested clarification on what role the Advisory Groups will take and welcomed guidelines from the Commission.

Commissioner Garvey suggested that the Advisory Groups experiment for awhile with guidance from the Library Director and Library Managers; work together; and report back to the Commission when necessary and appropriate.

The next Library Commission Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, February 17, 2004 at 5:30 pm in the Community Room at the Central Library.

Meeting adjourned at 7:05 pm.

Respectfully submitted by:

Rudy Ruggeri

Approved as corrected February 17, 2004