Walpole Town Library

Board of Trustees Meeting

October 14, 2025

Present:  Amy Howard (Chair), Kathy Nerrie (Treasurer), Gail LaHaise, Susan Johnson, Jana Sellarole, Sarah Mann, Bill Ranauro, Jean Kobeski (Recording Secretary), Jane Malmberg (Library Director)

Absent:  Erin Bowen

Amy Howard called the meeting to order at 4:40 p.m. in the North Walpole branch.

Approval of Minutes: Gail made a motion to accept the September 2025 minutes as written.  Kathy seconded and all voted in favor.  Motion carried.

Treasurer’s Report: Kathy emailed the Treasurer’s Report to the board prior to the meeting. She reported that we are right on track with income and expenses.

Bills:  Jane sent a copy of the bills to the trustees prior to the meeting. There were no questions or comments.  Amy made a motion to accept the Treasurer’s Report and Bills.  Gail seconded and all voted to accept; motion carried.

Old Business

Long Range Planning:  Jane distributed copies of a draft of the new Strategic Plan. Trustees were asked to read it and be prepared for a discussion at the November meeting.

2026 Budget:  Jane made a few changes to the budget she presented last month.  She has taken some money out of magazines and moved it to technology, explaining that we need to replace some Chrome Books.  

Jane also suggested that we look into buying a Smart TV for the Community Room in an effort to upgrade equipment for presentations and movie viewing. Kathy said her husband did extensive research into smart televisions and will have him send Jane information that he gathered. 

Committee Assignments

New board committee assignments are as follows:

• Buildings and Grounds – Kathy, Amy
• Technology – Amy
• Personnel – Susan, Jana, Sarah
• Scholarship – Bill, Gail

New Business

Staff Appreciation:  The trustees have set a tentative date of January 16, 2026 for a cocktail party at the library to honor staff, volunteers, and Friends of the Library.  Each of the trustees will contribute appetizers and Kathy will purchase beverages and paper goods for the event. 

Operations:  Jane emailed her monthly report to the board prior to this meeting. At the meeting she explained that Baker and Taylor, the wholesale book vendor that our library uses, is shutting down operations.  Jane is now looking for a new vendor and has an appointment with Ingram, another company that offers similar services to Baker and Taylor. In the meantime she will order books from Amazon and wait to hear what will happen with backorders from Baker and Taylor.

Jane announced that on October 21, Julie Rios will present “North Walpole History in Pictures” at the North Walpole Library. This is an encore presentation of the popular program she presented at the Walpole Historical Society.

Jane attended a meeting led by the Asst. State Librarian, where they discussed the new law granting parents/guardians access to their children’s library records. State librarians were advised to have town attorneys sign off on any new policies pertaining to library cards.  Jane asked that we have a more detailed discussion on this topic to make sure we have all bases covered. It was agreed that we would discuss this at our November meeting.  We have until January to make changes.  

Buildings and Grounds:  Don Sellarole examined the column on the right corner of the library and felt that it looks stable and the foundation is okay.  He does not feel that anything needs to be done at this time.

Technology:  Jane and Julie tested Mango and determined that demand at our library does not justify the price of the program.  

Friends of the Library:  Jane reported that the Friends are getting ready for their book sale and have stated they no longer want any book donations at the reuse center.  They have as many as they can handle at this time.

Gail made a motion to adjourn;  Susan seconded the motion.  Amy adjourned the meeting at 5:31 p.m. 

Note that the next trustees meeting will be Wednesday, November 12, at 4:30 p.m. in the main branch of the library.

Respectfully Submitted,

Jean Kobeski, Recording Secretary

** These minutes are in draft form until approved at the November 12, 2025 meeting. 

Tagged: LIBRARY TRUSTEES, Meeting Minutes