At 7:03PM on Wednesday evening, Library Trustees (LT) Chair Karla Alfred (above L) opened the April 6 meeting.  With a few corrections and edits, the March minutes were approved, and the group turned the floor to Library Director Leslie McDonnell for the Director’s Report.

In her brief COVID update, McDonnell (above) said many of the staff continue to wear face masks, and patrons are making choices—some with and some without masks. 

Progress made toward hiring a new Library Director was reviewed.  McDonnell said the advertised posting, available on the Town’s and the MA Board of Library Commissioners’ (MBLC) websites, was extended by two weeks, ending on April 11. The job description now contains the full salary range. Four candidates have submitted applications, and McDonnell said all have the qualifications necessary.  She anticipates the hiring committee will convene toward the end of next week.

The next order of business provided by McDonnell was a progress report toward updating the Collection Development Policy.  When the policy was developed almost 20 years ago, it contained no form for an individual to make a formal complaint concerning a selection.  McDonnell said the Policy needs a clear procedure for filing a complaint.  Additionally, the library now has many electronic sources including some electronic collection services like Hoopla and Kanopy.  Each collection service provides “canned” or set collections not selected by the subscribing librarian. A particular title included in an electronic collection may be of concern to a patron, who would need a form for voicing this concern.  When the update of the policy is completed, LT member Bob Ostrow suggested it be vetted by the town’s legal counsel.  McDonnell said she would bring answers back to the LT from the Town Counsel.

The Trustees voted to close the library on Saturday, July 2, prior to July 4, 2022, a Monday.

Providing an update of the Friends of the Library group, McDonnell noted that although the Friends group is not actively involved in fundraising, they do participate in TD Bank’s Affinity Program.  The Bank will donate to the Friends when a resident associates a new or existing account with them.  No account information is shared with anyone and this association costs nothing.  You may associate your account in person at the bank or by emailing terry.smith@TD.com. The meeting was adjourned at 8:20PM.  The next meeting is May 4, 2022, at 7 PM.