Library Board Ends Children's Chromebook Checkouts Under New Laptop Loan Policy
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The board unanimously approved a revised laptop loan policy whose main change bars children from borrowing the library's Chromebooks, replacing a previous process that required a cumbersome parental permission procedure; children can still use the library's in-building computers. Trustee David Lefkovits was absent for the meeting; all votes among the eight members present were unanimous.
In personnel news, Linda Rovalino, a Glen Ridge resident, started as the library's new Office Manager on March 20, 2023, succeeding outgoing Office Manager Judy Bagdon. The board also discussed a local Eagle Scout project to make the opioid-overdose reversal drug Narcan accessible in the library building; the library will take part in a virtual training session presented by Robert Wood Johnson in June and will make Narcan available on-site to anyone who needs it.
A new filming policy -- aimed primarily at preventing patrons or staff from being filmed without permission -- was drafted and handed to trustee Tina Payne for review ahead of a vote expected at the board's May meeting. The board also noted a congratulatory letter from U.S. Senator Cory Booker on the library's new pickup lockers, and that the Friends of the Library received a $3,000 donation in memory of Judy Hartop.
The quarterly financial statement attached to the minutes showed a net operating deficit of roughly $47,135 for the year through March, including the library's regional consortium (BCCLS) budget line running about $22,169 over budget for the quarter; the Director's report characterized overall March expenses as normal, citing the library's $1,260 Wall Street Journal digital subscription as one notable but well-used expense. Planning for the library's state-funded construction project continued, with architectural drawings nearly complete but the project on hold pending a final grant agreement.
What to watch
- The board's new filming policy is expected to come up for a vote at the May meeting.