Although it appeared at one point during the library board meeting on Feb. 26 that the committee assignments would be tabled until the March meeting, president David Kahn announced board member committee assignments after a recess. Trustee Martin Sokol's insistence on the urgency of making the appointments, especially to reactivate the building committee, proved to be prescient.

Because board meetings usually run later than the library's closing time, attendees exit through the ground level back door that faces the lower parking lot. One attendee, upon leaving, noticed an object on the sidewalk under the building's overhang which she first thought was a block of ice left over from the recent ice storm, but on closer inspection, found it to be a piece of concrete which had fallen from the fascia of the building. A visual inspection of the building indicates that other pieces are missing also. The area where these chunks have fallen has been cordoned off. A structural engineer is being sought to determine the extent and condition of the peripheral areas of the building.

President David Kahn announced that the search for a new director has been halted and will resume at an unspecified time in the spring. The search committee only received six applications for the position. The board voted unanimously to designate the responsibility of the hiring of an assistant director to the director rather than to the board. A policy under consideration is one that governs the adoption of a policy. This policy would require that there be three public readings of a proposed policy before it comes to a vote. Board president David Kahn wants to confer with other special districts, such as the Water Pollution Control District, before bringing this policy to a vote.

There was a lengthy discussion about the perceived need to have written reports/minutes from the committees. The original suggestion was that each committee should have a designated note taker to write up basic information about the meetings such as the date, attendance and any recommendations from the committee. Some board members felt that it is too distracting to try to participate in a meeting and take notes as well and that a third party would write a more "objective" report. There was a discussion to advertise for such a person. An objection was raised that such an approach would make committee scheduling even more complicated and that it would be less than prudent to carry out such an action without analyzing the cost involved. Another suggestion was to tape the proceedings so that they could be typed up at a later time. Board member Janet Eshaghoff volunteered to take on the responsibility for some of the committees rather than hire someone to do the work.

In the end, the interim director, Laura Weir, stated that she would write up the minutes of each meeting for the time being.

Martin Sokol will chair the Main Building Committee and its members are Linda Cohen, Andrew Greene and David Kahn.

Norman Rutta will chair the Finance Committee and its members are Marietta DiCamillo, Janet Eshaghoff, and David Kahn.

Linda Cohen will chair the Policy and Bylaws Committee and its members will be Marietta DiCamillo, Andrew Greene and David Kahn.

Marietta DiCamillo will chair the Personnel Committee and its members are Linda Cohen, Norman Rutta, and David Kahn.

Andrew Greene will chair the Branch Committee and its members are Janet Eshaghoff, Martin Sokol and David Kahn.

Trustee Marietta DiCamillo praised the initiative shown by Levels director Ethan Mann in reaching out to the public schools to promote the Junior Levels program. The number of youngsters signing up for the program increased due to the publicity that came through the schools. Ms. DiCamillo also publicly thanked school district superintendent Dr. Ron Friedman for "his support, his accessibility and his hands-on approach."

The library has received a bequest from the estate of Louise Carter for $309,731 to be used for the purpose of promoting the study of archeology, anthropology and art history.