SCARBOROUGH PUBLIC LIBRARY
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Minutes of the Meeting
March 21, 2024 (hybrid meeting)

Attendees: Bill Donovan (President and Chair), Jonathan Anderson, Kate Borduas, Kim Corthell, Ellen Detlefsen, Judy Johnson, Barbara Kapp, Susan Powell, Richard Schrader (Director, non-voting), Catherine Morrison (Assistant Director, non-voting)

Absent: J. David Dittmer, Peter Freilinger, Kathy Little

The meeting was called to order at 4:39 PM by Bill Donovan.

Consent Calendar: Motion to accept was made by Barbara Kapp, seconded by Susan Powell, and carried unanimously.

Treasurer’s Report: Dave Dittmer was unable to attend the meeting but had submitted a written report to the Board prior to the meeting. Motion to file for audit was made by Susan Powell, seconded by Judy Johnson, and carried unanimously.

Library Director’s Report: Chip Schrader had submitted a detailed report to the Board in advance of the meeting and had nothing to add, except to note that the library will soon be putting together a Little Free Library.
President’s Remarks: Bill Donovan commented that he and Susan Powell had lunch recently with Nancy Crowell, hoping to maintain her connection to the library. He also reported that the Community Center Committee is still meeting regularly, even though it’s doubtful the project will be on the ballot this year.

Unfinished Business:

Strategic plan update: Kim Corthell, chair of the SPG committee, said they have made good progress on identifying goals and priorities for the revised strategic plan. Apart from Board members, they are looking for some key leaders in the community to form a stakeholder group which will help provide direction as the committee creates the new plan. They would welcome suggestions of potential stakeholders from the Board. 

Note: Jon Anderson and Ellen Detlefsen joined the meeting at 4:47 PM, during the above discussion.

Town Councilor’s Remarks: Jon Anderson reported that the Council is making an effort to establish better connections with the community. The budget process has begun, and it is expected that the home revaluation will have a strong impact as far as getting any big projects on the ballot in November.

Unfinished Business (continued):

Director evaluation: Kim Corthell summarized the memo sent to the Board from the SPG committee, noting that their intention is to do a six-month performance review of Chip Schrader with input from the Board and staff, as well as Chip himself. To that end, they have drafted a condensed version of the annual evaluation form and a staff survey for the Board’s approval. These documents will be distributed by Susan Powell with a deadline of April 8 for completing and returning them to her. Kim noted that Board members should feel free to skip any questions about areas of Chip’s performance they don’t feel informed enough to answer.

Motion to approve the evaluation form and staff survey as submitted to the Board was made by Kim Corthell, seconded by Kate Borduas, and carried unanimously.

Space limitation challenges: As suggested at the last Board meeting, Chip is now keeping a list of requests that the library is unable to accommodate because of space limitations. He said that the staff is starting to reduce the number of available magazines and will find a more efficient use of the space where the magazine racks are currently displayed.

Staff Appreciation: Chip noted that a date in late May or early June will soon be confirmed for the library “Close and Clean Day”, which will be a team-building event for Board and staff.

New Business:

Budget results: Chip reported that Tom Hall has accepted the library’s proposed budget, and Chip will present it to the Town Council on either April 11 or 12. Board members are encouraged to attend that meeting.

Nominating Committee: Bill Donovan has appointed Kate Borduas, Peter Freilinger, and himself as members of this newly formed committee. Peter will be the chair. 

Items for Next Agenda:

Strategic planning update
Director’s evaluation
Budget results
Staff appreciation
 

Adjournment: Motion to adjourn was made by Susan Powell, seconded by Ellen Detlefsen, and carried unanimously. Meeting adjourned at 5:33 PM.

Respectfully submitted by Barbara Kapp, Secretary