Minutes of February 7, 2012

The monthly meeting of the Haverhill Library Association was held at the library and called to order by Board of Trustees Chairman John Landrigan at 7:00 P.M. on February 7, 2012. Present were Trustees John Landrigan, Mike Marshall and Susan Lewis.

We took a tour of the vault room to see how many books needed to be moved and see the work that was done on the boiler.

Minutes of the January 2, 2012 and January 16, 2012 meetings were reviewed. As there wasn’t a quorum a vote could not take place.

NH Library Trustee Association: We currently have memberships for 2 of our trustees. Each membership costs $10.00 per year. In the past we have utilized the NHLTA to help find a lawyer for our lawsuit. More recently we have utilized the NHLTA for guidance in responding the ILL van issue. Currently John is one of the members. Mike Marshall will be the second member.

Alumni Hall and Parking Issues: The issue of storing the “Library Parking” signs was discussed. John has spoken to Keisha about making the group using Alumni Hall for an event during library hours responsible for putting out the signs. It was decided to leave the signs folded in the library and become more aware of upcoming events at Alumni Hall. Keisha also brought up the idea of a small parking lot that could be shared by Alumni Hall and the library; the idea was shelved due to concerns about location and cost.

Boiler Switch Problem: Mike will look into getting a cover for the emergency shut off for the boiler. It was noted that it is next to a light switch so it might accidentally get shut off. There are covers that can be placed over the switch so this doesn’t happen.

Building: Ken met with Gerand A Leone Slate Roofing Company. They looked at the library roof.

Financial Report: The month of January has no income only expenses. The propane bill was paid so the issue of the emergency switch being triggered due to lack of propane was dismissed. The idea of prebuying propane was discussed as an option for next year in an effort to save money. John will check on that this fall. The town of Haverhill budget advisory committee met and it will recommend that the libraries receive level funding.

Hood’s Bill: Hoods Plumbing and Heating are pressing for payment of the outstanding bill. It was decided that we would pay the bill and enclose a letter explaining that we were disappointed with the service we received.

Chicken and Biscuit Supper: Ted Shiffman is unable to cook for us. He recommended that the trustees do it themselves. After discussion it was decided that we could indeed do this. We will be looking for help from former trustees and other community members. John will look at the numbers from last year to see how much we need to purchase. We can cook the main dish on site and bring salads, drinks and desserts. We will plan this event via email. There will also be a book sale during the supper.

Winter Book Discussion Series: The day of the meeting was noted to be the 200th anniversary of Charles Dickens’ birth. The remaining books and dates are David Copperfield 2/20 Bleak House 3/19 Great Expectations 4/16

Removal of Books from Vault Room: There was a discussion about the best way to go about moving books from their current location with the boiler and water pipes to the other vault room. The trustees will clean and prep the west vault room for the incoming books and begin moving them.

Fire Alarm: The HLA currently pays $500 per year to TASCO for the fire alarm service. It currently is not working properly. We need to fix this service.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:00 P.M. the next meeting will be March 5, 2012 at 7:30 P.M.