Dear Board of Directors, After reviewing the materials from our last meeting, I would like to formally record my opposition to the following two proposals: 1. Any increase in spending related to the implementation of an OPDS server. 2. The administrative salary increase proposal to raise Eric’s monthly salary from $2,500 to $3,000. Please mark my vote as "No" regarding these items. I would also caution the board against any further consideration of increasing such spending. Best regards, John On Mon, May 18, 2026 at 3:03 PM Eric Hellman <eric@hellman.net> wrote:

On May 16, 2026, at 2:30 PM, 'Zoom' via eric and karen <ek@hellman.net> wrote:

<https://zoom.com/>

Meeting assets for PGLAF Board Meeting are ready! View meeting recap <https://us06web.zoom.us/launch/aic?mid=V%2F3s%2BaWmS121LtB0j1dZ5A%3D%3D&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fai.zoom.us%2F%23%2Faic%2Fmeetings%2Fdetail%3FmeetingId%3DV%252F3s%252BaWmS121LtB0j1dZ5A%253D%253D%26from%3Dassets_email>

Recording

<https://us06web.zoom.us/launch/hub?type=recording&mid=V%2F3s%2BaWmS121LtB0j1dZ5A%3D%3D&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fus06web.zoom.us%2Frecording%2Fdetail%3Fmeeting_id%3DV%252F3s%252BaWmS121LtB0j1dZ5A%253D%253D> Duration: 01:06:54 Shareable link: https://us06web.zoom.us/rec/share/obqX00QwnXz8GeA3rk-b-7WeqmaKVhdrvMoiex0Xbp... Passcode: u8cd^c9+ View in Zoom <https://us06web.zoom.us/launch/hub?type=recording&mid=V%2F3s%2BaWmS121LtB0j1dZ5A%3D%3D&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fus06web.zoom.us%2Frecording%2Fdetail%3Fmeeting_id%3DV%252F3s%252BaWmS121LtB0j1dZ5A%253D%253D>

Meeting summary

Quick recap

The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation board meeting focused on organizational updates and policy discussions. Eric provided a status report indicating the organization broke even in April and is tracking well with the budget, with expected revenue from the Manton Foundation expected to arrive soon. The board adopted a new code of conduct prepared by Linda, with modifications to include reporting mechanisms for inappropriate conduct by the executive director to individual board members rather than the entire board. Eric proposed increasing his administrative salary to $3,000 per month (approximately $36,000 annually) to support hiring a successor, which the board agreed to consider as part of the next budget discussion. The board deferred discussion of the MOU and investment policy changes to the next meeting, pending further review of conflict of interest provisions and completion of the Fidelity account setup requiring wet signatures from board members. Next stepsEric

- Follow up on the legal matter regarding the Irish book copyright issue, including coordinating with the lawyer and monitoring response from the publisher. <https://tasks.zoom.us/?meetingId=V%2F3s%2BaWmS121LtB0j1dZ5A%3D%3D&stepId=1061bfa2-5153-11f1-b5e4-a2f5496e1266> - Send the necessary paperwork and articles of incorporation to Fidelity to open the new account, and coordinate with Maitri for required wet signatures. <https://tasks.zoom.us/?meetingId=V%2F3s%2BaWmS121LtB0j1dZ5A%3D%3D&stepId=1061c31e-5153-11f1-b74d-a2f5496e1266> - Make progress on obtaining insurance for the organization before the next meeting. <https://tasks.zoom.us/?meetingId=V%2F3s%2BaWmS121LtB0j1dZ5A%3D%3D&stepId=1061c5f1-5153-11f1-ab8f-a2f5496e1266> - Offer and coordinate summer contracting hours for Zachary Rosario, including defining scope and budget for June. <https://tasks.zoom.us/?meetingId=V%2F3s%2BaWmS121LtB0j1dZ5A%3D%3D&stepId=1061c719-5153-11f1-9c80-a2f5496e1266> - Set up and/or delegate the creation of a reporting mechanism (e.g., web form) for code of conduct issues, ensuring board member contact information is accessible but not publicly exposed. <https://tasks.zoom.us/?meetingId=V%2F3s%2BaWmS121LtB0j1dZ5A%3D%3D&stepId=1061caaf-5153-11f1-8cff-a2f5496e1266> - Work on the proposed budget for next year and circulate a draft to the board at least a week before the next meeting. <https://tasks.zoom.us/?meetingId=V%2F3s%2BaWmS121LtB0j1dZ5A%3D%3D&stepId=1061cbc3-5153-11f1-a9db-a2f5496e1266> - Send out the video recording link of the meeting by Monday. <https://tasks.zoom.us/?meetingId=V%2F3s%2BaWmS121LtB0j1dZ5A%3D%3D&stepId=1061ccd4-5153-11f1-b414-a2f5496e1266> - Specify time zone (EDT/EST) clearly in future meeting invitations and reminder emails. <https://tasks.zoom.us/?meetingId=V%2F3s%2BaWmS121LtB0j1dZ5A%3D%3D&stepId=1061cee1-5153-11f1-b6d1-a2f5496e1266>

Linda

- Revise and send the finalized Code of Conduct (without highlighted/orange text) for sharing with the organization. <https://tasks.zoom.us/?meetingId=V%2F3s%2BaWmS121LtB0j1dZ5A%3D%3D&stepId=1061c832-5153-11f1-8d47-a2f5496e1266> - Consider and propose improved wording for conflict of interest disclosure in the MOU for the next meeting. <https://tasks.zoom.us/?meetingId=V%2F3s%2BaWmS121LtB0j1dZ5A%3D%3D&stepId=1061d102-5153-11f1-96f2-a2f5496e1266>

Maitri

- Sign and mail the required Fidelity account documents back to Eric. <https://tasks.zoom.us/?meetingId=V%2F3s%2BaWmS121LtB0j1dZ5A%3D%3D&stepId=1061c49d-5153-11f1-8850-a2f5496e1266>

Robert

- Prepare the minutes for this meeting. <https://tasks.zoom.us/?meetingId=V%2F3s%2BaWmS121LtB0j1dZ5A%3D%3D&stepId=1061cde6-5153-11f1-96b3-a2f5496e1266>

Collaboration

- Linda and Maitri: Review and strengthen the MOU, particularly the conflict of interest section, and consider explicit wording about financial and reputational gain; present revised version for next meeting. <https://tasks.zoom.us/?meetingId=V%2F3s%2BaWmS121LtB0j1dZ5A%3D%3D&stepId=1061c980-5153-11f1-905a-a2f5496e1266> - Eric and Maitri: Complete the setup of the Fidelity account and review investment policy options once the account is active. <https://tasks.zoom.us/?meetingId=V%2F3s%2BaWmS121LtB0j1dZ5A%3D%3D&stepId=1061cfe5-5153-11f1-840d-a2f5496e1266>

SummaryFinancial and Administrative Updates Meeting

The meeting began with a brief discussion about temperature preferences and email list administration issues, where Eric reported problems with the board mailing list that needed adjustment. Maitri updated the group about a recent Wells Fargo banking issue regarding proper documentation of Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation signatures that needed resolution. The meeting then formally started with Eric providing a financial status report, noting that the organization broke even in April and was on track with the budget, with expected revenue from the Manton Foundation expected to arrive that week. Legal and Project Updates Meeting

Eric discussed legal matters regarding an Irish book copyright issue, with their lawyer from Morrison Forster planning to send a response to the publisher requiring them to prove their rights. The team decided to charge for their services including developer time and GeoBlock database expenses, rather than using free options. Progress was reported on Project Gutenberg infrastructure improvements, including plans to shut down FTP and Gopher servers, and the team's Git repository was successfully accessed. Eric mentioned that opening a Fidelity account required wet signatures and articles of incorporation due to money laundering regulations, and noted that a student from Stevens Tech demonstrated an OPDS server at the Innovation Expo and may work with Casey over the summer. OPDS Server Implementation Plans

Eric discussed plans to implement an OPDS server to enable Project Gutenberg content to be accessed through reading applications on Mac and Android devices, with potential endorsement of apps like Palace Project and Thorium by the end of summer. He also outlined budget considerations for the next year, mentioning that the new endowment will provide $20,000-$25,000 annually in dividends and that work by Dan and Casey could result in significant cost reductions for data center expenses. Administrative Salary Increase Proposal

Eric proposed increasing his administrative salary from $2,500 to $3,000 per month, equivalent to New Jersey's minimum wage for full-time work, to support hiring a successor in the future. The board expressed support for the idea but wanted to review it as part of the overall budget discussion. Eric noted that Project Gutenberg's growth requires professional staff beyond volunteers, particularly given its increasing technical and legal complexities. Accessibility and Code of Conduct

The team discussed accessibility challenges in their publications, with Eric noting that different disabilities require different accommodation approaches and highlighting the need for more interactive data presentation methods. Linda praised Project Gutenberg's progress in accessibility while acknowledging their own work remains incomplete, with only hundreds of books updated out of 75,000 total. The group then reviewed a code of conduct document that Linda prepared for volunteers, paid staff, and board members, with Eric expressing approval of the customized version and emphasizing its importance as they expand their Slack community. Maitri raised a question about investigative procedures for abusive communications, which Linda acknowledged needed further discussion regarding whether reports should go to the executive director or board. Board Reporting Mechanism Implementation

The group discussed implementing a reporting mechanism for inappropriate conduct involving the executive director. They agreed to add language specifying that board members should be contacted for such reports, rather than the entire board. The discussion included considerations about how to make board contact information available without exposing members to spam, with suggestions for a form or contact system that would protect privacy while enabling appropriate reporting channels. They also discussed the need for Slack moderators to handle reports within the platform, with Eric and others considering designating trusted board members like Robert or Linda as secondary moderators. Board Code of Conduct Adoption

The board adopted a code of conduct with an added sentence about reporting inappropriate conduct by the executive director, though they did not specify how to contact board members directly. Linda agreed to fix the formatting and share a clean version without the orange text markers. The conversation ended with a brief discussion about reviewing an MOU, though the specific changes were not detailed in the transcript. Board MOU Revision Discussion

The board discussed revising a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for board members, with Linda having simplified the document by removing requirements about attending meetings. Maitri raised concerns about conflict of interest disclosure and enforcement, suggesting the need for clearer language around financial and reputational benefits. The group agreed to further refine the conflict of interest provisions while keeping the document simple, and decided to proceed with setting up a Fidelity account before addressing the investment policy changes. Meeting Scheduling and Budget Updates

The team discussed calendar invitation timing issues, with John arriving an hour late due to incorrect time zone settings on his iPhone. They confirmed the next meeting will be on June 20th, and Eric committed to sending out the meeting recording by Monday. Eric also agreed to prepare and share the draft budget at least a week before the next meeting on June 20th.

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