Morse Institute Library
Board of Trustees
November 18, 2008
Trustees Present: Joseph Keefe, Kathleen Donovan, Harriet Buckingham, Elliot Goodman
and Gerald Mazor
Administration Present: Jane Finlay, Acting Director
Marie Nardi, Community Relations Coordinator
Staff Present: Dale Smith
Dell Redington
Call to Order: 4:00 pm
1. The Board voted to accept the minutes of the meeting of October 14, 2008.
2. The Board voted to appoint Ms. Jane Finlay as Acting Director effective immediately.
3. The Board voted to approve the draft job description for the position of Library Director with minor modifications. The Trustees will send a copy of this document to the Town Administrator for her approval.
Following an extended discussion, the Board approved the following “time line” for the “search process” to replace the late Library Director Paula Polk:
a. Ms. Donovan will update the draft which we approved this afternoon for Dr. Keefe to use with the
Town Administrator.
b. Dr. Keefe will meet with the Town Administrator with this document and the time line that we have
created to date.
c. We hope to advertise in early December as follows: On the Town of Natick website; on the MIL
website; on the Minuteman website; on another Eastern Mass library network’s website; at Simmons
College and at URI School of Library Science. Ms. Donovan indicated that she would do this for the
Trustees.
d. We will receive letters of interest and resumes c/o President of Trustees at the MIL through
January 31, 2009.
e. In early February a Screening Committee composed of Ms. Donovan, Trustee, Ms. Smith,
Children’s Department Supervisor, Ms. Dell Redington, Circulation Department representative,
Ms. Nardi, Community Relations Coordinator and Dr. Keefe, Trustee, will review the applications
against the criteria laid out in the job description. The Screening Committee will create a group of five
(5) applicants designated “A” and three (3) applicants designated “B”. Group A will be considered
Finalists and Group B will be considered Alternates. The latter group provides the Trustees with
“backup” if we suffer “dropouts” from Group A.
f. Interviews of five (5) Finalists will take place in late February. These candidates should be
interviewed by a panel comprised of the Town Administrator, Trustees and staff representative(s).
g. It would be the Trustees’ hope that the new Library Director could assume the role no later than
April 15, 2009.
4. Ms. Finlay reported on the following:
- The Library’s Food for Fines Program will operate only in the month of December.
- To date, the Library has received pledges in the amount of $9,837 for the Stained Glass Window Project honoring the late Ms. Polk, Library Director. Ms. Finlay has paid the artist $3,500 for her preparatory work.
- The Library has hired a new Reference Supervisor, Demetri Kyriakis. He comes to the Morse Institute from the Northborough Public Library. Mr. Kyriakis has extensive experience in this field, as well as the field of technology.
- Ms. Finlay distributed materials she received while attending the MA Board of Library Commissioners’ Conference.
5. Ms. Nardi reported on the following:
- Veterans’ Breakfast 11/10/08 – Thirty-two veterans from WWII, Bay of Pigs and Vietnam attended the Fifth Annual Breakfast, as did Elliot Goodman, Senator Scott Brown and a representative from Senator Karen Spilka’s office. The MetroWest Daily News sent a photographer and ran two color photos on the front page of the Local section on Tuesday, November 11th.
- 135 Years @ Your Library Celebration Kick-off Event on Sunday, January 4th:
11:30 a.m. -12:45 p.m. Reception for invited guests to view historical exhibits and meet/mingle
with Trustees and library staff (archivist, local history librarian, etc.), tour library
12:45 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. Reenactment of a portion of the library dedication (from December 25, 1873), with costumed musician(s) and speakers, including the Honorable John W. Bacon and U. S. Vice President Henry Wilson. Bury time capsule.
1:00 p.m. Library doors open. Refreshments, exhibits, meet and mingle with Trustees and
library staff.
Time TBD Guided walk(s) commemorating the great fire of Natick of January 13, 1874.
- American Girl Doll Raffle:
American Girl of Middleton, WI donated a doll to the library and Rose Huling’s mother sewed a wardrobe for her. Tickets for doll and clothes are on sale in the library and on the bookmobile. The drawing is scheduled for Friday, December 19, 2008 and we hope to raise more than $500 for the bookmobile.
- American Library Association Gaming Day – Saturday 11/15/08:
Manni LaCount planned and managed a YA program for the Amerian Library Association’s National
Gaming Day. The event drew a crowd of twenty students who have not participated in other YA
“Games Day” programs held on early-release days. The Bulletin & Tab sent a photographer to cover
the event, and we are hoping to see a photo in the weekly edition on Friday, November 21, 2008.
Meeting Adjourned: 6:30 pm
The next meeting of the Board of Trustees will be held on Tuesday, December 9th at 4:00 p.m. in the Community Room of the Library.
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