Director's Report February, 2024
Report To The Board of Sherman Free Library
February, 2024
Prepared by Kris Jarrett, Director
As I write this report we are in the middle of the State Report and drafting our 2024 budget, so I will keep things brief.
Social Numbers Snapshot:
Facebook Reach, Last 28 days:
Post reach: 2,908
Post engagement: 1,086
New Page likes:12
New Page Followers: 12
Instagram Followers to Date: 76
Reports:
The State Report for 2023 is due to CEF tomorrow, Friday, February 23rd. I expect to make that deadline while suspecting that we will have some adjustments to make next week as CEF reviews the report prior to it being submitted to the State of NY.
Over the following week or so I will draft our Community Report for 2023 using the data generated for the State Report which will include our budget for 2024.
Policy Documents:
Tonight I am seeking adoption of our Ethics and Conflict of Interest policy document.
In addition, the following documents are in the process of being written and/or updated and will be presented for board approval at subsequent meetings:
General Policy Document: We have a working approved document which needs moderate updating. I expect to have this ready for mid-year.
Long-range Plan: We have an old one, time to start the process for an update. I would like to work on 5 and 10 year plans, perhaps shooting for final drafts in 2026; “Looking Ahead to the Next 140 Years”.
Disaster Response Plan: We have a working approved document which needs intense updating. I expect to have this ready for mid-year.
Collections:
Mill/Mineville #7 Report is here! We have two sets for the library (one to read in-house and a second for the archives) and I have permission to distribute PDF copies to any who ask. We are also showing the short film (silent, with captions) produced by ERM as part of the documentation process. We are not permitted to show the film anywhere outside the library or to distribute it.
With wonderful help from Nicky Bryant we have finished photographing the five Woodbridge Scrapbooks, “Pepsi Scrapbook”, Mehan Scrapbook, and a mine survey book. Once we are past report/budget season the editing will commence.
I would also like to draw your attention to the article The Musicians of the Sailing Canal Boat O.J. Walker by Patricia Reed, Lake Champlain Maritime Museum. While photographing Scrapbook A I noticed a long-form article about music and dinner cruises on the O.J. Walker, a vessel always thought of only as a cargo carrier. Patricia was able to make a very elegant connection between our scrapbook article and artifacts found on the wreck of the O.J Walker in Burlington harbor. https://www.lcmm.org/the-musicians-of-the-sailing-canalboat-o-j-walker/
Finance:
I want to welcome Melissa Collins to the team and thank her for stepping into the open Treasurer role! She has very big shoes to fill, but we are learning the details together.
Starting January 1, 2024, we have migrated our payroll services to Payroll Matters in NH. They will provide direct deposits for payroll and file our state and federal payroll taxes. We have shifted payroll to a monthly basis. Due to retirement Pat Ida will no longer provide services to the library as of January 1.
We have received our payment from the school taxes and have signed this year’s MOU with the town for their contribution.
Going forward I plan to shift us to a 4th quarter budget approval schedule so we can start the first of a new year with an approved budget. Some information may still need to be plugged in after the new year as information arrives, but we can be close to a final draft during the 4th quarter of the prior year.
Melissa and I have developed a draft 2024 budget based on Janelle’s prior budget worksheets and 2023 actuals.
Our big question at this point is how to appropriately store funds for future needs and we are seeking guidance from CEF on this topic.
With the loss of Pat Ida’s office, it may be prudent for us to hire a bookkeeper a few hours a week or month to keep us on track. I would foresee more time from them early on to get our system up to date and then less as staff learns and can take on more of the books. We are currently in between classic and modern methods of bookkeeping and could use some help setting things on the right path.
Events & Programming:
Eclipse Programming: Open to ideas for Monday, April 8th and events we could hold ahead. We have a decent number of glasses to hand out prior to the date and I plan to keep a few for that day. My plan is to be at CPSHS, unknown if I will be there on my own or with an agency as an interpreter/educator. I hope to book an astronomer for a program here at the library ahead of the event but as you can imagine space scientists are in high demand right now.
Spring Volunteer Day: Close to Earth Day which is April 22.
Open House: A friend-raiser event to thank the community for supporting our library.
Rummage Sale: First weekend in June? I will be out of town that Saturday for a memorial service.
Champ Day: First weekend in August? Table at the lake? Book sale, sign up for a library card on-site? Activity for kids? Contest? Open to ideas! Last year’s coloring sheets were rather popular and there was the idea of turning that into a contest with prizes.
Basket Raffle: First weekend in September?
Chess Club continues to be well attended with 8-12 players each Tuesday afternoon from 3-5.
Evenings at the Library will return in the spring; please help direct possible speakers/topics to me. Last year’s four talks created approximately 80 additional visits to the library!
Physical Infrastructure:
Front Door & Keys: The front door lock/handle has been replaced and rekeyed. If you have need of a key, please see me. There is still some cosmetic work to be done on the door, but it now works, is more secure, and meets ADA requirements. We can also open both doors!
Staffing & Personnel:
redacted
For Trustees:
Please be sure to submit your proof of completion for Sexual Harassment Prevention Training. If you did not complete this training last year, you must do so before the end of the 1st quarter this year. This is a requirement before taking part in any Library event in 2024.
“Each member, elected or appointed, of a board of trustees shall be required to complete a minimum of two hours of trustee education annually. This pertains to all boards of trustees of chartered (incorporated) and registered (licensed) public libraries, association libraries and Indian Libraries.” We will comply with this requirement in 2024. Throughout the year I will disseminate training opportunities and they arise and provide information on how to track hours.
There is a brand-new Handbook for Library Trustees; a print copy is available in the library and a PDF has been emailed to all Trustees.
Miscellanea:
An opiate overdose rescue kit box has been added to our public space and can be refilled as needed by the providing agency. We will inventory monthly.
Moriah Historical Society calendars continue to sell well, please let me know if you would like one before they are gone.
I would like to explore options we may have for buying into a group health insurance policy. With thirty libraries just in our local system there must be something we can do to improve buying power and help library staff who are buying insurance individually on the market. I will explore this idea through CEFDA and CEF.
The Adirondack circulating collection has been moved to an open space on the back wall where it has room to be displayed and utilized more efficiently. I would like to see what new titles we should add to update and prioritize expansion of this section.