Boston Public Library (BPL) Board of Trustees Meeting

I.    Chair’s Report

Priscilla H. Douglas, Chair

A.    Call to Order

1.    EDI statement

2.    Roll Call of Board 

B.    Review and Approval of Minutes for the Trustees Meetings held on October 11, 2022.

C.    Updates to Trustees’ Committee Structure

1.    Strategic Planning Sub-Committee

2.    McKim Capital Projects Committee

II.    President’s Report

David Leonard, President 

A.    Recent highlights

B.    Current challenges 

C.    Guest Speaker

John Szabo, Los Angeles Public Library, City Librarian

D.    Proposed topics for FY23 board meetings:

1.    Collections Usage: patterns & metrics

2.    Library Services initiatives & metrics

3.    Equity & Outreach metrics

4.    Technology, Digital Services, & Engagement with metrics

III.    Trustees Finance and Audit Committee

Evelyn Arana-Ortiz, Committee Chair / Ellen Donaghey, Chief Financial Officer 

A.    Review of the FY24 Maintenance Budget 

Ellen Donaghey, Chief Financial Officer 

B.    Recommendation Vote to Board for Increasing Contract Approval Thresholds

Ellen Donaghey, Chief Financial Officer

    

VOTED: “that, the Trustees Finance and Audit Committee of the Public Library of the City of Boston recommend the Board of Trustees approve an update to the contract limit thresholds requiring a review and vote by the Trustees Finance & Audit Committee and full Board of Trustees, with the new limits set as follows:

•    $0 to $50,000 – no votes needed

•    $51,000 to $200,000 - Finance & Audit Committee votes to approve 

•    $201,000 and up - Finance & Audit Committee reviews and recommends a vote to the full board; Full Board of Trustees votes to approve.

IV.    New Business

V.    Public Comment

“Please sign up for public comment the first 30 minutes of the meeting to support effective time management. On occasion, additional public comments on matters formally on the agenda may be allowed at the discretion of the Chair, and time allowing. Members of the public are also reminded that comments may alternatively be submitted in writing to the Clerk of the Board for distribution to the Trustees.”

VI.    Adjournment

Priscilla H. Douglas, Chair

*Next meeting scheduled for Tuesday, March 21, 2023, at 8:30 a.m. in Central Library 

Trustees of the Public Library of the City of Boston

Priscilla H. Douglas, Chair; Evelyn Arana-Ortiz, Vice Chair,

Jabari Asim, Navjeet Bal, Joe Berman, Ben Bradlee Jr, Cheryl Cronin, 

Linda Dorcena Forry, John Hailer, Jeff Hawkins, Jose C. Masso III, 

Senator Mike Rush, Representative Chynah Tyler, Christian Westra, and Lynn Perry Wooten

President, David Leonard

Clerk of the Board, Pamela R. Carver