Library Board of Trustees Meeting

The Amesbury Public Library Board of Trustees met on February 12, 2025. Major agenda items included policy reviews, facility and capital project updates, the library budget for FY26, and strategic planning. Trustees voted unanimously to recall both the Public Services Policy and the References Services Policy for revision after discussion about those documents being out of date and a lack of an internal HR policy; staff and trustees noted ALA standards, Massachusetts law, and internal procedures currently provide coverage while updates are prepared. The Board also accepted an updated Library Collection Development Policy following review by KP Law.

On facilities and capital matters, the director reported completed fire alarm work (replacement of outdated heat sensors) and ongoing issues including a recurring lower-level odor, ramp and stone wall repair quotes, and postponed window restoration work due to staffing capacity. The trustees approved allocating $5,200 from trustee trust funds toward project management for the window project to cover incidentals. The Board unanimously hired Paper Crane Associates to conduct the FY27–29 strategic planning process. In budget business, the Board accepted the FY26 budget as presented (a proposed $1,056,810 budget, noted to be $142,450 over the library's MAR of $914,360); trustees discussed capital threshold changes and IT cost reallocations. There were no public comments at the meeting. An applicant (Alyson Osgood) expressed interest in a trustee vacancy; her appointment was scheduled for consideration at a joint City Council/BOT meeting on February 25.