But Callahan's motion that they respond by citing the Sept. 15 meeting won the day. "It reduces this library to nothing more than a political tool, which is not what I signed up for when I accepted my position. Home; Products. No member of the administration attended either event. Library staff members and supporters have rallied against proposed layoffs or furloughs, while the city has said cuts are necessary because of the pandemic, which is hitting city revenues and has required libraries to be closed. Yes, we have free wifi. The views expressed in this post are the author's own. We urge you to listen to your constituents and put a stop to this plan to lay off the library's staff. Email. This is how people are spending their time. Workshops hosted by one their Red Vest exper . My philosophy is that if change isnt uncomfortable, then you arent really changing. Dedham, Massachusetts Search Background Check Dedham Public Library Business Data 43 Church St, Dedham, MA 02026 (781) 751-9284 mtricarico@dedham-ma.gov library.dedham-ma.gov AllBiz Business Profile Search Professional Contact Details Bonnie Roalsen Coworkers at Dedham Public Library (3) Bonnie Roalsen, Director Margaret Connolly, Chair Dedham Public Library Sarah Santos, Vice Chair 43 Church Street Tracy Driscoll Dedham, MA 02026 Mary Ann Sliwa 781.751.9281 Monika Wilkinson DPL TRUSTEES MEETING MINUTES MARCH 29, 2019, MAIN LIBRARY, 9:00 AM MEETING CALLED BY Board of . Bonnie Roalsen, Hulafrog Wellesley-Framinham, MA, & mom of two. It is not just about knowledge made available by the library. Greatly expanded library hours providing equitable access to public services for working individuals and families. The views expressed here are the author's own. The Endicott branch library has also been renovated, removing the old shelving which blocked the windows and beautiful views out over the Endicott Estate grounds. 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. Build highly targeted prospect lists. Its what Woburnites should expect of their library. Little did anyone know that, three weeks later, Gov. They also note that City Council passed the library's budget in full in late June, with no salary cuts. Your email address will not be published. The majority of our programming for the benefit of Woburn residents comes from private individual donations, as well as the generous endowment of the librarys trust funds, separate from taxpayer money. The board had three meetings Thursday: the Personnel Committee, the Annual Meeting of the Corporation and a regular full Board meeting. Libraries across the country have realized that they need to think more about how they communicate: to patrons, funding sources, electronically, new and old media, social platforms, and visually. But this saga started back in the spring, and though Roalsen and Meehan attempt to paint a very different picture in their resignation letters (available at the end of this article), we didnt arrive at this moment because of the political takeoverthat goes against our core values as Americans, or because of an expectation to only serve middle-class white mothers of seven-year-olds. Were here because even though the librarys FY21 budget was increased, Roalsen allegedly attempted to eliminate 17 of 25 jobs in the library during a pandemic and over 7,000 people said NO. Were here because Roalsen and Meehan insisted there was no work for staff members to do while the volunteer organization that was called in to help provide book pickup services figured out they were supplanting union jobs and refused to continue. Should you have any questions, please reach out to woburnplfriends@gmail.com. Internet Archive logo "The pandemic has accelerated that timeline and forced us to do things in new ways.". Scott Peirce. Put another way, were here because Woburn residents did not want what Roalsen & Co. were selling. WOBURN, MA Woburn Public Library Director Bonnie Roalsen submitted her resignation Tuesday amid a battle for control of the library between the Board of Trustees and Mayor Scott Galvin. She was honored by the Library Journal as a 'Mover and Shaker' in 2007 as an emerging leader and changemaker in libraries for her work transforming libraries and helping them move forward, and is now a nationally recognized speaker, innovator and educator in the library science field. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. Before coming to Woburn, Bonnie Roalsen, a 2007 LibraryJournal Mover & Shaker, was director at another Boston-area library, Dedham. The proposed legislation would likely take months to come into effect it requires state approval but the council showed support the first time they discussed it, Feb. 2. Rabbitt called her removal illegal and a lawyer for the trustees sent Galvin a letter saying the mayor lacked the authority to remove her and she remains on the board. Your mini-DIYer will love this Valentine's workshop as they build their own Swan Love Note Holder. He attended our meeting to ask us to stop the hate and to take a break for a little while. Given her former staff members say this anti-staff behavior was well underway before she came to Woburn, it is unfortunate that she is now in a position to engage in what looks like transparent union-busting. They became a team and put even more effort into achieving the next goal because it would be an even bigger gift to the community: A library that would help prepare Woburnites for a rapidly changing future. Communicate all of the above effectively. Its important to note that we only receive $6,000 per year for programming from the mayor, as part of the taxpayer-funded part of the operating budget. The resignations come hours before a City Council meeting with Roalsen's job at issue. And like all Woburnites, I appreciate the careful use of resources. On today's episode, join Samantha as she chats with Woburn Public Library Director Bonnie Roalsen as she gives an update to happenings at the library in. We have kept our services flowing to patrons of all ages, from infants to seniors. The Dedham Public Librarys makerspace is now recognized as one of the finest in the region with its virtual reality systems, 3D printers and 3D scanner, interactive coding station, digitization area, and immersive learning stations. "The pandemic has accelerated that timeline and forced us to do things in new ways.". Roalsen cited the "political takeover" of the library in her letter. The Main Library has undergone major renovations creating more open, flexible spaces that support increased community utilization, community connection, and has improved access to library materials and content. I love this job. ROALSEN, Carli Coco Treasured infant daughter of Bonnie and Ron Roalsen of Wellesley and beloved sister of Noele and Caleb. Bonnie Roalsen Library Director Woburn Public Library, USA. Mark Roquet Outreach and Programming Librarian Yolo County Library. This is also especially important considering that, for example, in 10 years, 800 million jobs on this planet thats 1 in 10 jobscould be made redundant because of automation, artificial intelligence, and the changing workforce. Los Angeles, CA. That's what happened when we recently met with Bonnie Roalsen and Rebecca Meehan, director and assistant director, respectively, of the Woburn Public Library. This post was contributed by a community member. Classifying the Home Rule Petition backed by the council last night as nothing short of a power grab, embattled Library Director Bonnie Roalsen reportedly tendered her resignation right before. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. Libraries are meant to be laboratories for all kinds of curious minds. The information here was based on conversations I had with multiple current and former staff members, members of the Support Woburn Librarians Facebook group, and articles in the Woburn Patch. This process will start in March and conclude in April. No member of the Friends Board was asked to participate in planning for the library gala that was scheduled for March of this year. He had books on the first floor and electricity experiments on the second. Bonnie Roalsen Follow Spatial computing, blockchain, platform design Advertisement Recommended BDW16 London - Jonny Voon, Innovate UK - Smart Cities and the Buzz Word Bingo Big Data Week 83 views 18 slides QR Codes - fad or fab - at Alt Becta Successful Deployment Workshop andyramsden 1.5k views 16 slides First, Ill give a brief directors report: We have kept this library open while libraries across Massachusetts have closed their doors. RFID tagging of all library materials is underway, which enhances the user experience, allowing for quicker delivery of items, and, when paired with the librarys new enhanced self-checkout machines, offer advisory services to patrons as well. I wish Dedham and the Library the best of success in the future.. Any community who thinks otherwise wont have a library in the future. 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. Sharen Ballard, (d.2022) Paul Battersby Helen Blair Community collaborations with multiple local organizations have extended library services to those who have been historically underserved by the library. "We're all in this together," Roalsen said. 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. net bngl@ldljtkis. The views expressed here are the author's own. . And a battle for control of the Board of Trustees is already well underway. 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. Encourage entrepreneurship. The City of Woburn is an EOE/AA Employer. Thats why, many will recall, last year I raised the possibility of staff cuts. I will reiterate what I said at the last trustees meeting: The world is changing at a rapid pace-a pace only accelerated by the pandemic. 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. Bonnie Roalsen's Phone Number and Email Last Update. 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. The gridlock of trustees who placed their loyalty to Roalsen above concerns from citizens and refused to comply with Galvins attempts to discontinue her contractnot to mention racked up countless open meeting law violations and acted with bald-faced hostility to fellow board members in multiple public meetingsmight have left him with few alternatives. the mayor lacked the authority to remove her and she remains on the board, special legislation to give him the authority to appoint and remove the library director. "In recent weeks, there has been a coordinated misinformation campaign about the Woburn Public Library," Roalsen wrote. USA People Search has millions of results. refused to comply with Galvins attempts to discontinue her contract, Support Woburn Librarians Facebook advocacy group, disastrous trustees meeting on January 19, we need to have a talk about censorship. 6a. Youll never look at a library the same way. Books now arrive at library facilities shelf ready to get them more quickly into the hands of users. Politics have no place in a library. All that is needed is the name, phone number, or email address of the lost person. Most, but not all, of the trustees understood that vision. Thank you and keep up the great work of advocating for library workers. Jonathon Kuberry started this petition to Library Director Ms. Bonnie Roalsen and 1 other. The trio of meetings dealt with the evaluation of Director Bonnie Roalsen, the election of officers and an Open Meeting Law complaint. : +49 (0) 7681 / 20 632 - 18. Implementation of live streaming of key library events has extended the reach of the library across the globe and time - providing more equitable and broader access to library programming. Collaborative outreach and partnerships with Dedham Library Innovation Team, the Dedham Youth Commission, Dedham Public Schools, the Council on Aging, the Food Pantry, Livable Dedham has dramatically increased high quality public library service to all. Tel. Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com. Trustee William Callahan said that the trustees had discussed hiring an attorney at their Sept. 15 meeting. 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. No response was given, but she contacted the President of the Trustees, Richard Mahoney, to complain that we had put her on our meeting agenda without asking her. Huge increase in number of library events offered to the public for free - with broad appeal across the community, resulting in a dramatic increase in community utilization and visits to the public library. Find contacts on the web. City officials said they had no authority to intervene in the conflict until the Jan. 19 meeting. 11/21/2022 6:07 AM. It is clear Mayor Galvin and the city council either did not understand that vision or choose not to believe it. At a time when this country is incredibly divided, that division is being sowed here at home. The election of new corporation officers was postponed, keeping Seitz and Clerk Kathryn Thifault in place. Moving away from being a book storage facility of many outdated and unused editions, the library now offers access to content across multiple formats, including more in-demand books, experiential learning opportunities, modern collections, and technology and digital literacy support beyond what most libraries are capable of offering. The librarys entire IT infrastructure has been overhauled, resulting in increased utilization of the entire system from computers to WIFI, increasing digital content access and digital utilization of facilities by 717%. : +49 (0) 7681 / 20 632 - 0. 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. If that is allowed to happen, you will see this library turned into a political instrument. There are more pages of results for Gail Labuda. Chrome Extension. Mahoney was not satisfied by Callahan's argument, noting that while the trustees voted to engage legal counsel at that meeting, they did not select a particular lawyer or appropriate funds at that meeting. Traditional skills among library staff dont always translate to the rapidly changing world. Read More . In the middle of a pandemic. Skip to main content Due to a planned power outage on Friday, 1/14, between 8am-1pm PST, some services may be impacted. To wit, Galvin wasnt exactly an ally to library supporters over the summer; he not only criticized the Support Woburn Librarians Facebook advocacy group for being hysterical but also chastised sympathetic administrators of nearby libraries for getting involved in the citys business. WOBURN, MA The Board of Trustees met without President Jan Rabbitt Thursday, as the three-decade trustee fights her removal from the board by Woburn Mayor Scott Galvin. ", "Unfortunately, a deliberate campaign of misinformation has been spreading online by a group that believes the status quo is the only course of action," she continued. Finally, let me say that a library is not a static museum that never changes. Now its being set back decades by local politics, during the most challenging time of the past hundred years. Still, its a solution that I and others are hoping is temporary. This is about ensuring an independent structure that withstands political whims--today, tomorrow and forever. Name: Don M Hallenbeck, Phone number: (603) 882-5999, State: NH, City: Nashua, Zip Code: 3062 and more information My criteria for the people who serve on that committee will be that they have a demonstrated background in being a force for change, and that they be compassionate, civil influences on their communities. Bulks. The Dedham Library Board of Trustees has ratified the contract for a new Library Director. Paracetamol capsule tablets, 16s: 0.35. 2.35 could buy seven cans of baked beans. It is with heavy hearts we write to you today to announce the Friends of the Woburn Public Library have begun the process of dissolution. All views expressed are the author's own. But a modern building without modern ideas is just four walls and rooms full of shelves. HG, Your email address will not be published. Dont always translate to the rapidly changing world is using a security service to protect itself from attacks. 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