Minutes of Meeting In Board of Trustees
Corporation Tuesday, January 21, 2003

A Regular Meeting of the Trustees of the Public Library of the City of Boston as a Corporation was held in the Trustees Room of the Johnson Building at 8:00 a.m.

Present at the meeting were: Trustees V. Paul Deare, Angelo M. Scaccia, Pamela Seigle, and William O. Taylor.

Also present at the meeting were: Library President Bernard A. Margolis; Alice Hennessey, Special Assistant to Mayor Menino; Mark Sweeney, First Assistant, Corporation Counsel, City of Boston; Vivian K. Spiro, Chairman, Associates of the Boston Public Library; Susan Clarke, Director of Development, the Boston Public Library Foundation; and members of the Library administration and staff.

Chairman William O. Taylor presiding.

The first item on the order of business was a meeting of the Board in Executive Session. On a motion duly made and seconded, the Trustees voted to go into a meeting of the Board in Executive Session at 8:05 a.m. and returned to the meeting of the Corporation at 8:30 a.m.

The next item on the order of business was the approval of Minutes for the Regular Meeting of November 19, 2002. On a motion duly made and seconded, the Minutes for the Regular Meeting of November 19, 2002 were approved.

Mr. William O. Taylor, Chairman of the Trustees’ Finance Committee, provided background information on the proposed award of contract for the Boston Public Library’s designated food services vendor for the McKim Map Room Café and Tea Room which is projected to be fully operational by April 2003.

The Chairman noted that there was an intensive search process to find a designated food services vendor for the Library which included site visits to the prospective vendor’s kitchens and retail operations along with thorough reference checks and customer interviews.

The President reported that the Vendor Search Committee was extremely impressed with Sebastians as the food services vendor of choice for the Library and they would also serve as the Library’s preferred caterer for special functions and events. The President also noted that the final award of contract would reflect a three year agreement. Following further discussion, on a motion duly made and seconded, and on the recommendation of the Trustees’ Finance Committee, it was

Chairman William O. Taylor reviewed background information on the proposed revised Agreement between the Trustees of the Public Library of the City of Boston and the Boston Public Library Foundation. The Chairman noted that the most significant changes in the revised agreement primarily pertain to enhancing reporting mechanisms by the Library to the Foundation on the use of grants and money received and reporting by the Foundation to the Library on its fundraising activities and use of funds.

Additionally, the Chairman stated that the revised agreement also addresses improvements for liaison activities in order to maintain communication and mutual assistance between the Library and the Foundation. Of particular note, the agreement would stipulate that the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Trustees, or their designees, shall be ex-officio members of the Executive Committee of the Foundation.

To further those ends, Trustee James Carroll has been representing the Board at the Foundation meetings while similarly the Chairman of the Foundation, or his/her designee, shall be welcomed to observe and encouraged to participate at the meetings of the Trustees.

The Chairman also noted that there is a separate side agreement in effect between the Boston Public Library and the Boston Public Library Foundation on the use of Library space for the Foundation’s offices in the Central Library which remains in place until such time as the business needs of either party change.

Following further discussion among the Board, on a motion duly made and seconded, and on the recommendation of the Trustees’ Finance Committee, it was

“VOTED: to accept the “Agreement between the Trustees of the Public Library of the City of Boston and the Boston Public Library Foundation.”

Chairman William O. Taylor reported that the Finance Committee met with the representatives from Brown & Brown, L.L.P. on December 10, 2002 for a presentation and review of the completed audit results of the overall General Purpose Financial Statements of the Trustees of the Public Library of the City of Boston for the year ended June 30, 2002.

The Chairman stated, that in the auditors’ independent judgment, the General Purpose Financial Statements of the Trustees of the Public Library of the City of Boston present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Trustees of the Public Library of the City of Boston, as of June 30, 2002, and the results of its operations for the year then ended, are in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

Mr. Taylor noted also that the auditors were very complimentary of the support and assistance received from Chief Financial Officer Kathleen Kirleis and the staff of the Accounting Office for their input and help with the audit. The Chairman requested that copies of the FY 2002 Audit Report submitted by Brown & Brown, L.L.P. be distributed to all of the members of the Board of Trustees.

Following further discussion, on a motion duly made and seconded, and on the recommendation of the Trustees’ Finance Committee, it was

“VOTED: to accept the audit report of the overall General Purpose Financial Statements of the Trustees of the Public Library of the City of Boston for the year ended June 30, 2002 as presented by Brown & Brown, L.L.P.”

Mr. William O. Taylor, Chairman of the Trustees’ Collections Committee, reported on the continuing work of the Committee members noting that a meeting was held on December 10, 2002 to review potential sites under consideration for the acquisition of property earmarked for the construction of a new state-of-the-art Boston Heritage Center.

Completion of the storage center would provide appropriate storage conditions for the Boston Public Library and City Archives’ archival and retrospective collections as well as providing convenient public access within the City to these vast collections.

On a parallel course, in anticipation of the Library’s move from the Charlestown Service building, Mr. Taylor reported that the Boston Public Library has undertaken significant work at the storage facility by relocating the staff to the Central Library and paring down and relocating the collections housed at the facility to the Library’s remote storage facility in Norwood, MA. Efforts are also underway to relocate the historic Jordan Collection of Children’s Literature presently housed in Charlestown to Norwood.

The Honorable Angelo M. Scaccia, Chairman of the Trustees’ Capital Projects Committee, reported that the Committee last met on January 7, 2003 and provided an overview of the highlights of the various capital projects ongoing throughout the Boston Public Library system.

Reporting that the McKim Restoration project, Phase IIB (Courtyard/McKim Roof) is 100% complete, the Chairman stated that construction has commenced for McKim Phase IIC, which will include the restoration of several significant public spaces, including the original Trustees’ Room, the Cheverus Room, the Abbey Room and the Sargent Gallery. The McKim Phase IIC project is slated for completion by May 2004.

Chairman Scaccia reported that McKim Phase IIC construction cost is estimated at $14.3 million with a total project budget estimated at $20.4 million, which is in place at the City Treasury, including the transfer of the $7.5 million from the State-funded match as a result of the City’s advance of $1.2 million that has been fully reimbursed to the City.

The architectural services for McKim Phase IIC are being provided by Shepley, Bulfinch, Richardson & Abbott, Inc. The contractor for the project is Lee Kennedy Company and the Straus Center for Conservation at Harvard University Art Museums is overseeing the ongoing restoration of the priceless murals by Edwin Austin Abbey and John Singer Sargent, which the Committee members toured at its last meeting while also visiting the restoration of the Cheverus Room.

On the financial front, the Boston Public Library has been awarded a $470,000 Save America’s Treasures grant through the National Parks Service which will be applied to the McKim Restoration project, Phase IIC.

Meanwhile, the Chairman reported that preliminary planning efforts have begun for the McKim Restoration project, Phase IID with a focus on the project scope, which will include the renovation of several significant public spaces, including the Print Gallery, Music and Fine Arts Departments, and the Rare Books and Map Center on McKim third floor. The Committee members also toured these spaces in anticipation of embarking on the next phase of the project.

Additionally, the project schedule and financing for McKim Phase IID will be driven in part by fundraising efforts and by Phase IIC’s anticipated completion date of May 2004. Funding for Phase IID will have a heavy reliance on potential individual donors and federal sources estimated at a total project budget of $25 million.

Chairman Scaccia reported that significant progress has been achieved on the development of the McKim Map Room Café and Tea Room project. The architectural designer will work in collaboration with Sebastians as the designated café and tea room food services vendor to design and develop the spaces in preparation for the café to be fully operational by early spring 2003. In addition, the Boston Landmarks Commission has granted approval of the proposed recommendations for acoustics improvements in both McKim spaces.

On the Branch libraries capital projects front, eighteen branch libraries are in various phases of capital work, including exterior renovations to the Codman Square, Grove Hall, and Lower Mills branches; renovations to the South Boston and Roslindale branches; and the installation of iron gates for the two exterior Courtyards at the Allston Branch. In addition, capital improvements are slated for the Faneuil and Jamaica Plain branches funded, in part, from a grant received from the Massachusetts Historic Commission.

On the collaborative front, the Boston Public Library and the Boston Parks Commission have been working together to address ADA accessibility improvements at the Parker Hill Branch by having the entrance to an unobtrusive handicapped access ramp start in the park adjacent to the Library.

The Chairman also reported on the successful implementation of the ongoing Critical Repair Fund projects for FY 2003, in which a total of $206,625 in smaller capital projects not exceeding $25,000 have been committed this fiscal year, including the installation of sound attenuators in the Johnson building; a HVAC unit replacement for the Charlestown Branch Library; and a fire alarm electrical circuitry unit at the Dartmouth Street entrance of the McKim building.

Ms. Pamela Seigle, Chair of the Trustees’ Education Committee, reported on the excellent progress being achieved on the development of a new youth initiative entitled BPL-CyberCITY Library Initiative. The collaborative effort is designed to integrate and augment existing youth programs, such as the Homework Assistance program and the Harvard Online Tutoring program, and is aimed at revitalizing Library youth spaces, technology and programming for Boston’s youth.

The mission of the BPL-CyberCITY Library Initiative is for young people, library and CyberCITY staff, adult mentors, community-based organizations, and business community partners to work cooperatively to maximize the unique potential of libraries to become engaging neighborhood youth spaces. To further that end, this collaboration will focus on developing young people’s communication literacy, interpersonal connection, technological fluency, and career-building strategies during out-of-school time.

Ms. Seigle further reported that the Boston Public Library Foundation would be funding a planning process for the initiative, which would culminate in September 2003, with the opening of a cutting-edge designed teen space at the Copley Square Library with substantial input from Boston teens.

President Bernard A. Margolis, in his report to the Trustees, announced that all of the public facilities of the Boston Public Library are now wireless through the efforts of Ms. Carolyn Coulter, Systems Officer, and the staff of the Systems Office. This initiative allows the public to connect to the Internet and to Library resources, without a wire via a laptop or pda (personal digital assistant), at all Boston Public Library facilities. As a result, it appears that the BPL is the first urban public Library in the country to have this full scope technological capability.

On the collections front, the President reported that discussions are ongoing with the Boston law firm of Hill and Barlow, P.C., which recently announced its closing and which owns a substantial archival collection of Sacco and Vanzetti materials, to transfer those archives that would be added to the BPL’s Sacco and Vanzetti special collections.

On the human resources front, the President was pleased to report that the City of Boston has agreed to assign Ms. Jennifer Latchford to the Boston Public Library. Ms. Latchford formerly served as the Assistant Chief Information Officer for the City and will be assuming responsibility for online electronic entrepreneurial initiatives at the Library.

The President shared with the Board samples of the types of products that will be made available to the public to purchase online and made from Library images owned by the BPL including: tee shirts, greeting cards, coffee mugs, and postcards. In addition, all images will be made available online for all www.bpl.org users through the digital library in various versions, including historic buildings of Boston, lithographs of Boston scenes, and images of both the Abbey Room and Sargent Gallery murals.

On the public relations front, the President referred to a recent article in The Boston Globe Magazine entitled “Urban Scrawl” by Robert Campbell which cites the new Allston Branch Library as a good example of the new way to build community architecture as a collaborative approach. According to Mr. Campbell, the new Allston Branch Library “manages to satisfy the desires of both architects and the larger population by combining conventional and modern elements”.

On the development front, the President reported that the Boston Public Library Foundation is functioning very well with an excellent staff while the search for a new Executive Director progresses. The BPL Foundation recently completed a very successful direct-mail fundraising campaign which resulted in a number of significant personal contributions from the Foundation’s Executive Board members.

On the staffing front, the President stated that overall the Library is facing a time of great challenge particularly in light of the recent early retirements of fifty-one staff members. As a result, the Library has been left short-staffed and has been experiencing brown-outs in which there are days when there is not enough staff to cover the branches or Central Library departments.

Also on the personnel front, the President reported that Ms. Madeline Amorosi, Allston Branch Librarian, has accepted the position of Deputy Director of the Cambridge Public Library which is a great loss to the BPL and will be assuming the position in February 2003.

The President reviewed the highlights of the draft Boston Public Library Organization Chart dated January 2003, which is designed to provide the Trustees with an overview of the organizational changes that have been implemented throughout the Library system.

Ms. Katherine Dibble, Director of Public Services, described in detail the changes in the public services area of the Library including a reconfiguration of direct reports: the Children’s Room and Young Adults’ Room staff at Copley Square will report directly to Ms. Susan Birkett who serves as the Coordinator of Children & Young Adults; the staff of Readers & Information Services and the Audio Visual Department will report directly to Ms. Jacqueline Hogan who serves as the Coordinator of Adult Services.

In addition, Ms. Dibble noted that Ms. Birkett will also assume supervisory and coordinating responsibilities for all of the Children’s and Young Adult Librarians in the Branches, while Ms. Hogan will continue to have responsibility for guiding the services to adults in the Branches. Further, Ms. Susan Godlewski, Coordinator of Reference Services, will have direct responsibility for the newly formed General Reference Department while Ms. Mary Frances O’Brien, Assistant to the Director of Public Services, will assume direct responsibility for Stacks and Book Delivery Services.

Trustee Pamela Seigle stated that she was pleased to hear about a number of the organizational changes for the Library and particularly the reduction of the astounding number of direct reports to Ms. Dibble, which previously included supervision for the twenty-six Branches as well as all of the Research Library departments.

In response to a further inquiry from Trustee Seigle, Ms. Dibble said that Ms. Birkett would have decision making authority and responsibility for children’s programming developed from Central Library initiatives and she would also provide guidance on routine Branch Library programs in collaboration with the Branch Librarian and the Children’s Librarian. Trustee Seigle also expressed how deeply appreciative she is of Ms. Dibble’s talent, skills and commitment to the Boston Public Library.

On the financial front, the President reported that the Library is in the midst of the process of preparing the FY 2004 budget in which the Library is facing a 15% budget reduction coupled with a hiring freeze imposed by the City. Consequently, any of the additional vacancies beyond the fifteen positions that were approved for back-filling resulting from the early retirement incentive program have been frozen as well as an additional thirty-four positions that are vacant.

Ms. Kathleen Kirleis, Chief Financial Officer, reported that the Library has convened a Financial Assessment Task Force to make recommendations on what the Library’s priorities should be in constructing the FY2004 budget in light of a possible 15% cost reduction. The Task Force consists of twenty-nine staff members including the Strategic Process Team and reflects a cross section of the Library.

To further that end, Ms. Kirleis said that the Task Force will review how the FY2004 budget would look with various decreases in funding scenarios based on how the budget is presently allocated. Additionally, the Task Force will examine various cost reduction strategies and options to be considered for recommendations in developing the FY2004 budget, including a furlough program, branch costs and operations, Sunday service, hours reductions, and staff costs. The proposed FY2003 Library budget is due for submission to the City’s Office of Budget Management by February 3, 2003.

Ms. Susan Clarke, Director of Development, provided an update on the activities of the Boston Public Library Foundation reporting that the Foundation raised $3 million in FY 2002, during a very difficult economic year, which is down from $3.5 million raised in FY 2001. As noted earlier, a special fundraising appeal to the Foundation’s Executive Board members was issued for personal contributions which resulted in a significant response yielding a total of $134,000.00 in personal contributions for FY 2002.

On the development front, Ms. Clarke noted that the Foundation has been migrating its direct-mail fundraising activities in-house which will ultimately provide the Foundation with a great deal of savings coupled with fundraising appeals that will be included in the Foundation’s Newsletter to be issued in the latter part of January 2003.

Additionally, the staff of the Foundation have been focusing their efforts on planning for the annual Boston Public Library Foundation Gala, which has been scheduled for Friday, May 9, 2003 at the Boston Public Library, and will include a new Gala format which is expected to result in significant cost savings.

Meanwhile, Ms. Clarke reported that the Foundation Search Committee is in the final stages of searching for an Executive Director for the BPL Foundation and is expected to complete its work by late February 2003.

Ms. Vivian K. Spiro, Chairman of the Associates of the Boston Public Library, reported on the upcoming events and activities sponsored by the Associates. Consistent with the Associates’ mission of expanding the role of the Library in the community and recruiting friends, Ms. Spiro announced the launching of the Friends of Art and Architecture at the BPL which will sponsor a series of programs featuring art historians and other scholars highlighting the resources of the Library.

The first program that will be launched by the Friends of Art and Architecture on February 11, 2003 is a lecture by Erica Hirshler, Croll Senior Curator of Paintings, MFA, Boston entitled The American Mural Tradition: Abbey, Sargent, Elliot and de Chavannes and on April 16, 2003 Stuart Walker, Book Conservator, BPL will present a lecture on The Art and Architecture of the Book. Meanwhile, the Associates’ signature program, “Literary Lights” now in its fifteenth year, has been scheduled for April 6, 2003 featuring keynote speaker Art Buchwald, and pays tribute to twelve outstanding New England writers in which the proceeds benefit the David McCullough Conservation Fund.

There being no further business, the meeting of the Corporation adjourned at
9:45 a.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Jamie McGlone
Clerk to the Trustees

Minutes of Meeting In Board of Trustees
Administrative Agency Tuesday, January 21, 2003

A Regular Meeting of the Trustees of the Public Library of the City of Boston as an Administrative Agency was held in the Trustees Room of the Johnson Building at 9:45 a.m.

Present at the meeting were: Trustees V. Paul Deare, Angelo M. Scaccia, Pamela Seigle, and William O. Taylor.

Also present at the meeting were: Library President Bernard A. Margolis; Alice Hennessey, Special Assistant to Mayor Menino; Mark Sweeney, First Assistant, Corporation Counsel, City of Boston; Vivian K. Spiro, Chairman, Associates of the Boston Public Library; Susan Clarke, Director of Development, the Boston Public Library Foundation; and members of the Library administration and staff.

Chairman William O. Taylor presiding.

The first item on the order of business was the approval of Minutes for the Regular Meeting of November 19, 2002. On a motion duly made and seconded, the Minutes for the Regular Meeting of November 19, 2002 were approved.

Mr. William O. Taylor, Chairman of the Trustees’ Finance Committee, provided background information on the proposed award of contract for the “Procurement of Library Books for Flood Replacement” which the Trustees’ Finance Committee had reviewed and recommended to the full Board for approval.

Following discussion among the Board, on a motion duly made and seconded, and on the recommendation of the Trustees’ Finance Committee, it was

“VOTED: that there be entered into a non-advertised contract, as authorized under G.L. c.30B, Section 7(a), referred to as “Procurement of Library Books”, between the Trustees of the Public Library of the City of Boston (a Corporation under Chapter 114 of the Acts of 1878), and Congressional Information Services, Inc., in an amount not to exceed Twenty Six Thousand Dollars ($26,000.00) for books and other related Library materials, during the period February 10, 2003 through June 30, 2003.

There being no other business, the meeting of the Administrative Agency adjourned at 9:50 a.m. Respectfully submitted,

Jamie McGlone
Clerk to the Trustees