Director’s Report

8/3/04 Trustees Meeting

(July 2004 activity)

• 7/1/04 - New Fy 05 begins. Books balanced for fy04.

• 7/2/04 - Firebox hit by lightning. Simplex came and repaired box. 3 of 5 panels blown out.

• 7/2/04 - Minuteman down all morning.

• July book order done. Ordering is about a month behind but is slowly being caught up.

• 7/8/04 - Steve Rudolph Magic show opens up the Summer Reading Program.

• 7/13/04 - Lantini Electric here to fix ballasts blown in men’s room and downstairs hall. Also looked at lights over the spiral stairs.

• 7/14/04 -1 interview for Children’s position.

• 7/15/04 - Rainforest Reptiles program. Very popular. (Director gets to hold the Alligator – big highlight for him)

• 7/15/04 - Proctor for student taking college entrance test.

• 7/15/04 - 1 interview for children’s librarian.

• 7/16/04 - 3 interviews for children’s position.

• 7/19/04 - 2 interviews for children’s position

• 7/20/04 - Garden craft conducted by Director. Found materials messier than glitter – dirt.

• 7/21/04 – Minuteman Membership meeting

• 7/22/04 – Library given level 3 sex offender posters to put up. Law requires posters placed where children are present. Nothing more needs to be done.

• 7/22/04 – Meet with Town Accountant regarding FY 05 budget. Items clarified for Director.

• 7/22/04 – 1 interview conducted.

• 7/23/04 – Rise Engineering starts project of replacing exit signs and other lights as part of electricity saving measures.

• 7/23/04 – 2 interviews conducted.

• 7/26/04 – Metro-west Budget Committee meeting – I have been asked to be on the budget committee for the region.

• 7/27/04 – Rise engineering finishes work

• 7/27/04 – Keyes North Atlantic here to fix heating/ cooling system. 1 Compressor is broken and 1 panel board is bad. Will have to be back to complete the job. Have called company to discuss recurring problem of zones not heating or cooling.

• 7/27/04 – Last interview conducted.

• 7/27/04 – Meet with Police Chief regarding sex offender posters and what library needs to do.

• 7/27/04 – Elaine Kessler program.

July has seen business increase dramatically at the library and the staff is feeling the pressure. The summer reading program has so far seen roughly 300 children take the challenge of reading and programs are pulling in over 100 people each. Being down a position has meant the staff has had to increase their output in an effort to provide the service that residents have come to expect from out library.

Numerous repairs listed above are also straining the budget so early in the year. The fire box repair was over $2,000 and the heating cooling repair guys were here from morning until evening which does not excite me with what that bill will look like.

Interviews for the children’s position have gone well. 11 Candidates have been interviewed with several promising prospects. It is hoped that an offer will be made and accepted by the first week of August.

Finally, a special thank you must go out to the staff of the library for all that they do. As mentioned earlier, business at the library is hopping requiring a lot more from each and every employee. They have also had to put up with a Director that may be considered a tad zealous in his planning for the Summer Reading Program bringing in more children at a time when we are without a Children’s librarian. Staff members seem to take all this in stride and continue to provide quality service to the community.

Respectfully submitted,

Patrick W Marshall