Report to the Board of Sherman Free Library
August, 2025
Prepared by Kris Jarrett, Library Director
Social Numbers Snapshot
Facebook Reach, Last 28 days:
Views: 5,825 (The number of times your content was played or displayed. Content includes videos, posts, stories and ads.)
Content Interactions: 104 (The number of likes or reactions, saves, comments, shares and replies on your content, including ads. Content can include formats such as posts, stories, reels, videos and more.)
Total Followers: 555
New Page Followers: 5
Facilities
The stone steps need to be repointed. I have someone in mind; will ask for a quote.
We have picked up a laminator; useful for our own stuff, but I was planning to do the math on the cost of the sheets and make it available for patrons as well.
Collections
DVDs, DVDs, everywhere… As our collection of DVDs continues to be a large portion of our circulation, we have taken in a few large donations. These will need to be processed into the collection which will take some time. We are working with CEFLS to come up with a system to make this more streamlined.
Shannon has been entering new books into the collection during quiet Saturday time. We are slowly catching up on that backlog thanks to her work.
We have added about a dozen graphic novels to that new category and they have been circulating rapidly.
Weeding continues with new homes having been found for most of the books culled in the last round of cleaning; only a small box of old “Who’s Who” went to the dump.
For consideration: we have a large collection of classical CDs that have gone untouched for years. Should they be weeded?
Events & Programs
Champ Day: We did our coloring contest again this year with a handful of entries. We should select a winner today.
Basket Raffle: August 28-August 31
Sherman Free Library Labor Day Basket Raffle & Book Sale
Celebrate Labor Day, win great prizes, and help support our library!
BASKET RAFFLE
Buy tickets at the Library:
Thursday, August 28, 1-7pm
Friday, August 29, Noon – 5pm
Saturday, August, 30, 10am – 2pm
Sunday, August 31, Noon– 3pm
Tickets are only $10 for a sheet of 25!
Drawings will be held at 3pm on Sunday.
Baskets contain gift cards and items generously donated by local businesses and community members.
Please email shermanfree@yahoo.com if you would like to donate a basket or items for a basket.
BOOK SALE
Saturday, August 30, 10 AM – 2 PM
If you have books you would like to donate, please first check our donations page for items we are able to accept: https://www.shermanfreelibrary.com/donations and then drop your books off during normal library hours.
Fall Garden Program: Thursday, Sept 11 2025, 5 pm: Join us for a hands-on gardening workshop by
Mina Waymouth-Little of the Cornell Cooperative Extension Service on Thursday, September 11th, at 5 pm. This workshop is free and open to all experience levels; it will cover gardening basics with a focus on preparing your garden for fall and winter.
“A Cozy Fall Library Crawl”, October 1-31, 2025: CEFLS program, see poster.
Fraud Prevention Talk: October 10, 1 pm with Kim Maercklein, Consumer Education Community Liaison, NYS Division of Consumer Protection: It’s not all in your head. Fraud has increased exponentially over the past few years. Fraudsters are getting better at their jobs, have better technology, and are taking more money than ever. Join the NYS Division of Consumer Protection to learn how to detect the signs of fraud, what the latest trends are, and how best to avoid becoming a victim of fraud.
Halloween: October 31st: We are becoming a destination for Halloween, along with a few other Main Street businesses and the firehouse. I could use a few extra hands this year for crafts. I am considering adding a food drive element this year, something along the lines of “trade veggies for candy”...
Upcoming TBD: Talk and Movie Night: History of Moving Pictures in Port Henry & Moriah
Upcoming TBD: Launch event, talk, signing of new edition Arcadia book Port Henry and Moriah?
Staffing
Redacted
Financial
990EZ: Our 990EZ form was completed by Dulac Bookkeeping in Lewis for a small fee (they work mainly with non-profits and were wonderful to collaborate with), mailed to the IRS, and returned to us a few days ago. Apparently though they did not give us an option to E-File, they would not accept paper. The bookkeeper was able to revisit the software and find a way to submit electronically. They are going to see about having the fines for a late filing ($25 a day for just a couple days since the letter with the returned return arrived well after their deadline to correct) She is confident we will not need to pay those fines and that the return will be accepted this time around. Next year, now that we are all set up within her system, should be simple.
Miscellanea
Steve, Director of CEFLS, will be visiting on August 28th at 1:30. As that is the first day of the Basket Raffle, you may
have a chance to meet and chat with Steve.
Board Members: It’s that time of year again when I remind all trustees that “each member, elected or appointed, of a board of trustees shall be required to complete a minimum of two hours of trustee education annually. (Education Law §260-d).”
Applicable classes may be found at the link below. After watching a video, please complete a Self-Declaration Form which I can provide via email.
https://cefls.org/stafftrustees/continuing-education-2/cefls-webinar-archive/
In addition, each trustee, volunteer, and staff member must complete annual Sexual Harassment Prevention Training, available as a ~40 minute online class. Please email me the certificate from this course or a certificate from any other state approved Sexual Harassment Prevention Training you may have completed this calendar year for another organization. This training does NOT count towards board member’s required annual training. To make this process more “fun” I will once again plan a group training at the library.
https://www.nyc.gov/site/cchr/law/sexual-harassment-training.page