Your email address will not be published. 11/21/2022 6:07 AM. The prevalence of volunteer work in United Kingdom libraries has led to devastating job loss throughout that country, and we should resist this happening wherever else we see it. The following letter was provided by Woburn Public Library Assistant Director Rebecca Meehan: For the past several years, the Woburn Public Library has worked toward your vision of what a library should be (this is in line with some of the great libraries of the world). <>/Font<>/XObject<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageB/ImageC/ImageI] >>/MediaBox[ 0 0 612 792] /Contents 4 0 R/Group<>/Tabs/S/StructParents 0>> It I therefore incumbent on all of us entrusted with taxpayer funds to adjust accordingly.". Roalsen listed services currently available from the library, including curbside pickup and delivery and online programming such as Hoopla, Kanopy, and the Digital Scrapbook Project. Part of the librarys strategic plan is to establish a solid foundation to support not only STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) technologies and literacies, but also to look to the future and support GRIN technologies (Genetics, Robotics, InfoTech, and NanoTechnology). Members of the Support Woburn Librarians group had begun asking questions about the librarys decision to hire a public relations firm in October, filing an Open Meeting Law complaint as it appeared this happened without a quorum. I serve 40,000 people of Woburn. Bonnie Roalsen, Hulafrog Wellesley-Framinham, MA, & mom of two. Contact. It is also why, last month, I asked the mayor to release funds from the existing operating budget for four new jobs--union jobs-- which reflect the needs of a post-pandemic society and libraries. I have a few things Id like to say, and I appreciate the opportunity. It is a vigorous discussion that I welcome. According to people close to the situation, Social Capital Inc., a well-regarded organization in Woburn that previously had a long-standing positive relationship with the library, retracted the volunteers they had sent to the library when they found out they were working in lieu of staff instead of in support of them. The trio of meetings dealt with the evaluation of Director Bonnie Roalsen, the election of officers and an Open Meeting Law complaint. I wish the library and those committed to its future as a vibrant place for growth and change all the best. Most, but not all, of the trustees understood that vision. There is no community benefit from these decisions; in fact, they are actively harmful to the city. Successful public libraries will be the ones that change to help people and communities meet the challenges and opportunities of post-pandemic America. "This is unhinged from reality.". And thats why Im excited to launch our new strategic planning process soon. DPL now offers expansive ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) programs - providing over 800 hours of tutoring over the past year with a dedicated team of 35 volunteer tutors. That's what happened when we recently met with Bonnie Roalsen and Rebecca Meehan, director and assistant director, respectively, of the Woburn Public Library. We have also been so blessed by our amazing community who have also been unwavering in their support and without whom we would not be here today! It will not be difficult for library workers to continue working and contributing to the community if they are given the opportunity to do so,but their jobs must stop being outsourced to volunteers and outside performers.Ms. 12. Thats why, many will recall, last year I raised the possibility of staff cuts. Finally, the trustees discussed an Open Meeting Law complaint which cited the discussion at the Jan. 19 meeting, where trustees Mahoney and Joanne McNamee said they had not been part of a decision to hire an attorney. She will be sorely missed, but we must now find a worthy successor to carry on the tremendous momentum Bonnie has set in motion., Library Trustee Chair, Margaret Connolly concurs, Under Bonnies leadership, our libraries have become vibrant centers for life-long learning with a relentless focus on making sure everyone in the community - young and old, regardless of income level - is welcomed and supported.Janet Holmes, Treasurer Friends of Dedham Library also offered her thoughts about Roalsens accomplishments while in Dedham, Bonnie did a wonderful job of expanding the scope of what a library can be. These successes have come despite our own library network improperly inserting itself in a labor dispute, in the mayors own words, the minuteman library network does not have any right to dictate bargaining or budgetary priorities to the City of Woburn, and the harassment of our Library Director is intolerable and must stop immediately. The mayor also pointed out in that letter to the Minuteman Network that Seeking to intrude on the collective bargaining prerogatives of the City of Woburn and the work of my office, which manages those negotiations, is outrageous and unethical.. ", Roalsen noted that due to the pandemic, "the library will not return to full, normal operation anytime soon. Sign this petition to Woburn Mayor Scott Galvin and the Board of Library Trustees and show your support. While Ms. Roalsen's technology-focused approach to library management has a glossy appeal, her apparent desire to automate library functions and seek funding from corporate sponsorships comes off as an unabashed attempt to eliminate municipal jobs, decouple the library from its community, and defy the ethics of librarianship. The trustees agreed to submit written evaluations of Roalsen, although trustee Richard Mahoney said they should have done so six months earlier. Now we look ahead to further updating this strategic plan. Meanwhile, another veteran trustee has stepped down under protest two other members on the nine-person body are also being replaced all while Library Director Bonnie Roalsen and other. The volley of Open Meeting Law complaints kept coming one after the other through the summer and the fall, but it seems like the final straw was the disastrous trustees meeting on January 19. StickStoff GmbH. The Main Library offered free breakfast and lunch for any child in need under the age of 18 for the entire summer of 2018, serving close to 4000. Sen de bir konuda kampanya balatmak ister misin? DEDHAM, MA - Earlier this week it was announced that the Dedham Public Library's Director Bonnie Roalsen has been wooed away to become Director at another public library in Massachusetts, details. On Thursday, the Minuteman Library Network's directors said they would reconsider Woburn's membership if the city went forward with cuts. "This is unhinged from reality.". We are supposed to serve new Americans. The library added a piano to the Main Library, circulating musical instruments, digital resources like ArtistWorks which give the public access to free music lessons, and a beautiful brass art hanging system to allow rotating art exhibits at the Main Library. Today, we cant lose that momentum, which is why, incidentally, I wrote Governor Baker a letter last month imploring him not to close libraries again. We asked for clarification on several logistical points and invited her to our August meeting to discuss our concerns. stream Register for a user account. Workshops hosted by one their Red Vest exper . Galvin's bill would also end the Board's unusual lifetime trustee structure. b$A1{o>a P,Kb JOoMp|Tqvqt\=mvt?z\|^K?3me`Vd1|x X "F*P3@=I'Q?&loo=em`W%{Y" +h+ qXy,BiTNM$!&94=l&aFwy1nD Cy&C8%"a^[J.[ F "8&slH0. 2 Men Shot; 1 Dies In Early Morning Shooting In Woburn: Police, Woburn Teachers Ratify, Staff Ratify Contracts To Strike, MA Has Another Mega Millions Winner After $31M Ticket Sold In Woburn, Dive In Commonwealth Virtual Information Session, Free Online Mindfulness Session: Taming the Overactive Mind, Author Event with Sociologist Amanda Freeman, Taxes in Retirement Seminar at Woburn Public Library, Free MA Community College Outlined In Gov's Budget, Woburn Area Pet Adoption: Little, Roland, Hootie & More, Woburn Area Prospective Homeowners: Look Through 3 New Properties For Sale. Before coming to Woburn, Bonnie Roalsen, a 2007 LibraryJournal Mover & Shaker, was director at another Boston-area library, Dedham. accelerating innovative collaborations with Disney. Upload Home Explore Login Signup Home Explore Submit Search Upload Login Signup We've updated our privacy policy. He called it unconscionable and unacceptable and within two weeks, he had begun working on preventing lifetime appointments for Woburn trustees and forced Rabbitts resignation. All of these will affect and influence programming and services of a modern library, from toddlers who will one day join a vastly different workforce, to the elderly navigating a digital world, and everybody in between. It was the first time we'd heard of One City, One Library (OCOL), a real gem of a program from the Worcester Public Library. Scott Peirce. Bonnie Lou Pine (1942-2006) Mary Ann Rodda Kawasoe (1942-2021) Jim Schmidling Roger Stevenson Melvin Storey Tracey Tarilton . This is shameful for those who committed these acts, and an embarrassment to Woburn. "When I took this job less than two years ago, that modernization had already been in the works for years," Roalsen wrote. Closing Date: Wednesday, January 22, 2020 @ 5:30PM. I raised the possibility of layoffs because I was aware of the mayors fiscal conservancy. The following statement was provided by Library Director Bonnie Roalsen: Thank you. What follows is a list of the most-read stories on Woburn Patch sites in 2021. Library Director Bonnie Roalsen stepped down in Feb. hours before Woburn City Council was due to discuss legislation to give the mayor the power to remove her. Last year, Bonnie Roalsen was installed as director of the library. The Friends of the Dedham Public Library generously donated the beautiful furnishings for the Main Library Reading Rooms which really make these new spaces shine. Radaris empowers you to look up people's places of work so long as you have their specific details. Ex-chair Jan Rabbitt told them she didnt ask them to vote on certain decisions because she just knew theyd say no. Bulks. The Friends page was removed from the library website without our knowledge. Be a cultural beacon that respects and reflects the diversity of the world today. Without bold new ideas melding with the best of the old, without new ways to explore knowledge, new ways to provide more equitable access, new ways to capture and share the diverse voices and histories of the city, new ways of developing the library as a platform to truly serve all of the city, a public library is merely a static warehouse for books. Upload Login Signup Home Explore Login Signup Home Explore Login Signup we & # x27 ; ve updated our policy! And invited her to our August Meeting to discuss our concerns agreed submit. Committed to its future as a vibrant place for growth and change all best... Committed these acts, and an Open Meeting Law complaint be the ones that change to help people communities... From these decisions ; in fact, they are actively harmful to the city & amp mom... 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