Bill Library  
718 Colonel Ledyard Highway  
Ledyard, Connecticut 06339  
TOWN OF LEDYARD  
Library Commission  
Meeting Minutes  
Gales Ferry Library  
18 Hurlbutt Road  
Gales Ferry, Connecticut 06335  
Chair  
John Bolduc  
Regular Meeting  
7:00 PM  
Monday, October 21, 2024  
Gales Ferry Library  
Gales Ferry Library  
I.  
CALL TO ORDER  
Chair Bolduc called the meeting to order at 7:09 p.m. at the Gales Ferry Library.  
II.  
ROLL CALL  
Chair John Bolduc  
Present  
Commissioner Barbara Candler  
Commissioner Ralph Hightower  
Commissioner Rebecca Nash  
Commissioner Rolf Racich  
Commissioner Peter Diette  
Chair Cynthia Wright  
Commissioner Elizabeth Rumery  
Excused  
Late  
Commissioner Ellin Grenger  
In addition, the following were present:  
Jennifer Smith - Library Director  
Carmen Garcia-Irizarry - Town Council Liaison  
III.  
RESIDENTS & PROPERTY OWNERS COMMENTS  
None.  
IV.  
1.  
PRESENTATIONS / INFORMATIONAL ITEMS  
Welcome Cynthia Wright  
Commission members welcomed Ms. Wright who filled Mr. Cronin's position. Ms. Wright is a  
Gales Ferry resident and a retired librarian who worked in Groton for many years.  
Ledyard Public Library FY2024 Annual Report  
2.  
Chair Bolduc commented about all the progress the library has made in the past few years. He  
was very impressed with the accomplishments made this past year.  
V.  
MEMBER COMMENTS  
Mr. Bolduc thanked Ms. Nash for her 20 years of service as a Library Commissioner. Ms. Nash  
was a passionate and dedicated member who also took on the role as Chair for several years. She  
meaningfully contributed to discussions, strengthening the group as a whole, and will definitely  
be missed. Luckily, she is a regular library patron so we will continue to see her regularly.  
VI.  
1.  
REPORTS  
Treasurer's Report  
Mr. Hightower reviewed the September Treasurer's Report. He sought Commissioners input  
with regard to the information provided about donors and donations. The consensus was the  
footnotes provided in the report are sufficient. There were no additional questions.  
Director's Report  
2.  
Ms. Smith presented the October Director's Report.  
Budget News:  
·
I will be starting to crunch numbers for the FY26 Town budget in the coming weeks.  
Library News:  
·
·
The Assistant Librarian I - Adult Services position has been filled by Lyndsey Robinson  
who will start on November 12.  
The Ledyard Public Library is thrilled to announce the unveiling of our new Toy Library  
on the morning of October 30, 2024! We are so grateful to bring this new circulating  
collection to our community as we realize the importance of play during the early years  
of childhood development. Not only are we positive this new collection will attract  
families, children, and teens, to the library, but it will also help ease the economic burden  
by offering equitable resources. In addition, we believe in the importance of building  
early literacy skills such as talking, reading, singing, playing, and writing every day.  
Children experience the world through play while also developing fine motor skills,  
cognitive concepts, language, and social skills. Teens use play to interact and socialize  
with their peers, thus strengthening their mental and physical health. This toy collection  
will enrich the library experience for children, teens, families, and our community as a  
whole. This Toy Library collection has been created in collaboration with Traveling  
Toys, Inc. with generous funding from the Community Foundation of Eastern  
Connecticut. Thank you!  
·
·
Bill Library Association trustees held their annual pot luck meeting at the Bill Library on  
Thursday, October 17.  
Laura Norcia, Seed Library Coordinator, just closed the Seed Library for the season. We  
are grateful for all the hours our volunteers spend counting, sorting, and preparing seeds  
for the Seed Library. At Bill Library, over 3,200 seed packets were handed out for free  
and Gales Ferry Library tallied over 800 bringing our total to over 4,000 for the year!  
Building News:  
·
The new ADA  
circulation/information desk has been installed at Bill Library. This project was fully  
funded by the American Library Association Libraries Transforming Communities -  
Round 2 grant.  
Investment Working Group  
The Investment Working Group met a few weeks ago and Mr. Bolduc reported that the  
3.  
investments continue to do well. No changes will be made to the William Holton funds at this  
time.  
Consortium Working Group  
4.  
5.  
The Consortium Working Group met to discuss next steps. Mr. Racich took on the Chair role for  
the group and reported that the next meeting will be on November 12. The MIS Director from  
the Town will be joining us at the meeting to answer questions and provide the group with  
information on what kind of IT support the town could cover for the library in the future.  
Friends of the Ledyard Library  
The Friends fiscal year runs from October 1 - September 30. The final budget was reviewed,  
expenditures have remained largely consistent year over year. The Friends also pay for museum  
passes, and the library and Friends share access to Constant Contact email service. Overall, the  
identified allocations are $18,000.00.  
Ms. Smith mentioned that Event Keeper is being discontinued and the library will be changing  
over to Engaged Patrons for event and program listings. The Friends also continue to support the  
town welcome packets given out at the library when someone signs up for a new library card.  
Hoopla digital service is the biggest Friends expense and usage is continuing to increase. The  
Friends generously continue to support up to $10,000/year, but the usage costs exceed that  
amount. The Town book budget covers the deficit for now.  
The Friends fund the digital resource Ancestry which is a popular genealogy resource with our  
patrons. Adult Librarians have also used this resource during library programs. Another digital  
resource supported by the Friends is Mango which is a language learning platform. Ms. Smith is  
recommending switching to Transparent Language which is a similar resource, but would save  
several hundred dollars for the annual subscription.  
The Bill Library Annual Book Sale and the "Snowflake Festival" formerly Books and More are  
the two big fundraising events put on by the Friends each year. The Friends are looking for  
donations for the Snowflake Festival as the date is fast approaching and scheduled for November  
23, 2024.  
The Friends are always accepting new members, volunteers, and fundraising ideas. If you are  
interested or need more information, please reach out to Sarah Desormier, Friends President, at  
FOLLPresident@gmail.com.  
VII. APPROVAL OF MINUTES  
Motion to approve the regular meeting minutes of the Library Commission meeting from  
September 16, 2024.  
1.  
APPROVED AND SO DECLARED  
Rebecca Nash  
RESULT:  
MOVER:  
Peter Diette  
SECONDER:  
6
1
Bolduc Candler Hightower Nash Racich Diette  
Rumery  
AYE  
EXCUSED  
1
Wright  
ABSTAIN  
VIII. OLD BUSINESS  
XI.  
1.  
NEW BUSINESS  
Motion to approve the 2025 Library Commission meeting schedule.  
APPROVED AND SO DECLARED  
Rebecca Nash  
RESULT:  
MOVER:  
Ralph Hightower  
SECONDER:  
7
1
Bolduc Candler Hightower Nash Racich Diette Wright  
Rumery  
AYE  
EXCUSED  
Motion to approve the 2025 Library Holiday closing schedule.  
2.  
APPROVED AND SO DECLARED  
Ellin Grenger  
RESULT:  
MOVER:  
Rebecca Nash  
SECONDER:  
7
1
Bolduc Candler Hightower Nash Racich Diette Wright  
Rumery  
AYE  
EXCUSED  
X.  
ADJOURNMENT  
Ms. Nash moved the meeting be adjourned, seconded by Mr. Hightower.  
The meeting adjourned at 7:48 p.m.  
VOTE: 8-0 Approved and so declared  
The next Library Commission meeting is scheduled for November 18, 2024 at Bill Library.  
Respectively Submitted,  
_______________________________  
John Bolduc  
Commission Chair  
DISCLAIMER: Although we try to be timely and accurate these are not official records of the  
Town.