Flemington Free Public Library Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes
October 18, 2024
The Flemington Free Public Library (FFPL) Board of Trustees Zoom meeting was called to order at 9:33 am by Board President Jane DeHaven. Also in attendance were Library Director Shawn Armington, Grace Fuoti, Steve Rogow, and James Rossetti. Dr. Kari McGann joined later.
MEETING NOTICE STATEMENT
This meeting was called in accordance with the provisions of the Open Public Meetings Act. Notice was sent to the newspapers of record, The Courier News and The Hunterdon Democrat, and posted on the library’s website and bulletin board.
REVIEW OF PREVIOUS MEETING MINUTES
The minutes of the last meeting were reviewed. There were some minor changes: Jane was not in attendance at the April meeting. Under New Business—Resolutions: Change titles to FFPL 2024: 01, 02, 03 and 04. Jane moved to accept, and Steve seconded.
TREASURER’S REPORT
The treasurer’s report was reviewed by Shawn. Highlights: Shawn noted that $3,390 was withdrawn from the Lambelet account to issue a check to SSP Architects. Jim had a question about 2 checks being issued to Liberty Elevator Corporation. The check issued to Liberty Elevator Corporation in April was never cashed back in April and had to be re-issued. Jim moved to accept, and Grace seconded.
CONTINUING BUSINESS
–Basement Remediation
There is no progress to report. The contractor is ready to start work, but the permits are still at the Flemington borough office and the contract has already been extended. Frustration was voiced that the library gave the borough money 6 months ago and nothing has happened with the basement remediation project. A suggestion was made to contact the construction official or permit office. Jane offered to email Marcia Karrow and Adrienne Fusaro. It was added that Shawn could reach out to Adam Finkle (SSP project manager) to request help.
–Fine-Free status
Shawn reported that the move towards a fine-free policy has not had an appreciable impact on library procedures or finances.
NEW BUSINESS
–Staffing/Job Descriptions/Resolution
Kathy Schuster’s last day will be November 18th.She was employed at the library for 18 years but will be moving out of the state. She will be missed by many!
Jane mentioned that she had met with Adrienne Fusaro and Marcia Karrow to update job descriptions. The borough saw many changes in new personnel and wanted to set job descriptions in place. It was important to implement a review process for new employees and set a probationary period of six months. Without this protocol in place, it was difficult to dismiss problematic employees.
The new job description for Library Assistant Technical Services was reviewed. Jane moved to accept; Steve seconded.
FFPL Resolution 2024-05 Appointment of Jorge Sanchez as Full-Time Library Assistant Technical Services was presented. Shawn advertised the opening and would like to hire Jorge Sanchez as a full-time Library Assistant. He has worked at the library since 2015 and is familiar with most aspects of the library. Jane moved to accept; Grace seconded. Jane and Shawn will sign, and Shawn will forward the resolution to the borough.
Jane created a draft of the Library Director job posting and would like to send it out as soon as possible. It was reviewed by the Library Board of Trustees and the only change was to add the contact information. Kari McGann offered to post the job opening in the FRSD Virtual Backpack (school district electronic mail). It was mentioned that the job opening position could be posted on Library Link NJ, New Jersey Library Association (NJLA) and International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA). Pro Library Associates in Summit, NJ was also mentioned, but their website seems to be down. Shawn offered to forward the responses to the Library Board of Trustees group. Jane reviewed the process: After the job opening is posted and responses come in, a list of potential candidates will be developed for in-person interviews. The Library Board of Trustees will narrow the list down to less than 5 candidates that they feel could be a good fit for the library. Schedule interviews with candidates and hope to have as many board members as possible take part in the interviews.
Kari announced congratulations to Warren for filling an open seat on the Flemington-Raritan School District Board of Education.
The meeting was adjourned at 10:02am.
The next meeting will be on December 13th.
–Grace Fuoti