Personnel and capital improvement issues were discussed extensively at the December 19 Library Board of Trustees meeting.
The board has recently maintained library services with only part-time staff and now is trying to get through the fiscal year in the wake of longtime custodian Raymond Rose retiring, according to Susan Pizzolatto, an interim library director who is stepping in after library director Colleen Tierney resigned in November. Tierney moved to Texas but Pizzolatto, a long-time librarian, has filled in. She gave an extensive report last week to the trustees.
During her report, trustee board members commented on how the library’s lack of full-time staff could potentially impact services.
The board ended the meeting by agreeing to begin searching for the next library director and assembled a search committee. The item was not on the agenda, so the board conditionally approved starting the process next month and naming a committee at its next meeting.
Pizzolatto said right now, there are no full-time staff members and many capital improvement issues, including – among other issues – roof problems, a need for carpeting and an elevator issue.
She mentioned that Rose has agreed to advise the board and library members, as it is making do with a cleaning service but no maintenance member who can identify, fix and offer other maintenance services.
“Ray will come in on an hourly abscess and lives nearby,” Pizzolatto said, noting a silver lining.
Board members agreed that his replacement should be a retired school custodian with a skillset similar to Rose.
Pizzolatto reported that the library department appointed a new full-time children’s librarian, Kevin Thompson, who will begin his tenure in the last week of December. She mentioned that filling this position is crucial, especially with library reading programs and school visitations. She said having Thompson, who unequivocally impressed board members during the interview and has worked in schools, will help spread the word about the library from school children to families and stimulate library programming.
Pizzolatto said that the children’s librarian computer took more than 10 minutes to turn in recently so a new computer will be needed before Pizzolatto begins his tenure in Mattapoisett.
Pizzolatto relayed some good news in that the library has received a state grant of just under $9,500. She noted that this year’s grant was higher due to the overall affluence of the community and the volume of materials borrowed by a respective library is more than other community libraries within the SAILS network.
Pizzolatto indicated that the volume of borrowing within the network helped Mattapoisett’s funding numbers for this year.
“It is very important to us for certification,” she said. “We look at every little pot to get what we can get.”
The Board is scheduled to meet again at the town’s Library History Room at 4:00 pm on January 16.
Mattapoisett Library Board of Trustees
By Jeffrey D. Wagner