Library Board of Trustees Meeting
Trustees approved an updated Borrower’s Rights and Responsibilities policy and voted to recall the policy on lending to residents of municipalities with decertified libraries; trustees also noted the library received state aid and that no capital requests were granted this year due to the planned sale of properties on School St.
The Amesbury Public Library Board of Trustees meeting covered routine reports on budgeting, facilities, staffing, and programming, with staff presenting monthly facilities and director reports. Facilities items highlighted included removal of a deteriorated chain-link fence and a plan to relocate an outdoor-supply shed (DPW to complete work by 4/18/25), the start of a new cleaning company, and progress on a window restoration project; staffing updates noted a part-time reference librarian resignation and about 20 resumes on file. The board discussed strategic-plan timing and a potential extension for the FY27–29 plan contract, and an FY26 budget update noted the cleaning contract cost shift to DPW and that no capital funding was granted this year because of the upcoming sale of properties on School St.
Two policy votes were taken: trustees unanimously approved the updated Borrower’s Rights and Responsibilities Policy, and unanimously voted to recall the Lending to Residents of Municipalities with Decertified Libraries policy. Trustees also reviewed concerns about potential federal IMLS funding cuts and the possible downstream effects on statewide services (for example, the Commonwealth catalog and OverDrive), and received an update from the Friends of the Library about strong membership and bookshop intake. No public comment was offered at the meeting.