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By Al Owens
Meeting in regular session February 15, the Board of Trustees for the Helen H. Rayburn Public Library of Lewis County received and approved the four-year audit as presented by James Smith, CPA, PSC, Maysville. The audit was for the period ending June 30, 2004.
Smith told the board that the library is really in good financial condition.
He said that for each of the past four years the institution had more revenues than expenses. The cash balance has improved from $100,000 to $200,000.
Smith stated, "We found good records here, documents that back up the transactions."
He concluded by saying that the he has a clean opinion on the audit.
Michael Jones from the Kentucky Department of Libraries and Archives attended the meeting.
He informed the members that the Public Awareness Institute is held at a state park four times annually. The meetings are in the months of March, May, July and September and are overnight affairs. The meetings run from 1:00 to 8:00 p.m. the first day and from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. the next day. He encouraged some of the board members to attend the meetings. The goal of the institute is to raise public awareness about the libraries in the local communities. Jones asked if any of the current trustees had been through orientation. None had, so he suggested that they have an orientation session for about 30 minutes prior to one of the future board meetings.
He announced that in March the KDLA is conducting an online survey asking all the public libraries what it can do to help them locally. The survey will consist of five questions.
Jones told the board that due to the high drop out rate among the regional directors the KDLA currently has only a 50 percent rate of directors. Only six out of 12 regions have that position filled.
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He said that the KDLA has applied for a grant and, if it is approved, beginning in October of this year they will begin planning a series of teleconferences and hopefully that will be statewide by October 2006.
He also announced that the KDLA convention would be held in Bowling Green April 13-15.
The board elected new officers for the year. Carol Gilbert was re-elected President of the Board and Ron Mays as the Vice-President. Al Owens was elected Secretary and Sandy Rouse Board Treasurer. Helen Rayburn resigned as treasurer so she could spend more time promoting the library in the community.
Library Director Marilyn Conway informed the board that the state insurance inspector had come calling. The library has replaced all the batteries in the exit signs and the emergency lights. With that done the library is now back up to code.
She said that she is applying for a Bookmobile Repair Grant totaling $800. That would pay for the mechanical repairs recently made to the vehicle.
The board moved to permit library employee Kathy Hartley to take $25 per month out of the petty cash drawer to buy materials for the story hour she will conduct in some of the local schools.
The board approved the sale of some plastic book bags to library patrons. Many library users have requested book bags, and these are attractive but inexpensive costing only 25 cents.
Board member Ron Mays said that his cell phone has a defective battery system and is being repaired. The bookmobile plans to experiment with his cell phone in the mobile library, but that has been delayed until Mays' phone is repaired and the idea tested. Lewis County has several dead spots where cell phones don't work because not enough antennas are installed across the area. If the cell phone works well and the idea is feasible then the library will obtain its own cell phone.
Before adjourning, board president Carol Gilbert announced that the next regular meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 15 at 1:00 p.m. in the library.
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