Skip to main content Due to a planned power outage on Friday, 1/14, between 8am-1pm PST, some services may be impacted. Callan, Read More . 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. For that reason, I regretfully tender my resignation, effective at the end of business on February 19th. 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. I know there are things that I can do better, and Im committed to doing that. 12. Sharen Ballard, (d.2022) Paul Battersby Helen Blair "The pandemic has accelerated that timeline and forced us to do things in new ways.". But a modern look and feel does not guarantee a future. As Roalsen departs, an Interim Director will be appointed by the Library Board of Trustees for the transition. It will hit. Still looking for the correct Gail Labuda? Click here to review the details. 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. That changed everything, opened our doors and brought people back to work. The views expressed are the author's own. "The city predicts it could take two years to return to pre-pandemic levels of revenue generation. 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. 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 is a union position, Local 4928 Mass Library Staff Association. Internet Librarian Connect 2020 Wednesday, October 21, 2020 I raised the possibility of layoffs because I was aware of the mayors fiscal conservancy. 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. Politics have no place in a library. 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. We have kept our services flowing to patrons of all ages, from infants to seniors. "We're all in this together," Roalsen said. 0 patients voted for the doctor, average rating 0.00 out of 5. Radaris does not verify orevaluate each piece ofdata, and makes nowarranties orguarantees about any ofthe information offered. And I thank the Trustees for the opportunity to share my vision and our upcoming strategic planning process with you. Roalsen has argued that her critics are taking a short-sighted view and that she is trying to adapt the library to a changing world. Born July 1, 2013 Carli died peacefully. 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. The views expressed are the author's own. Im not trying to tell you a meteorite might hit. . 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. This is an amazing and accurate, in my opinion, summary of events. Were here because 2,000 concerned citizens have aired nine months of complaints about everything from ADA non-compliance to substandard services for children to lacking acknowledgments of cultural heritage months to the dissolution of fundraising bodies like the Friends of the Woburn Public Library. Thomas Crary. About 150 runners/strollers participated, local dignitaries attended (Selectman Jim MacDonald, State Rep Paul McMurtry), lots of DPL staff were there to meet and greet - including the new DPL Director Bonnie Roalsen & out-going Interim Director Chuck Flaherty. That director, Bonnie Roalsen, announced her resignation today, claiming the library had been "reduce [d] to a political tool." It is true that Woburn mayor Scott Galvin has begun to seize an awful lot of power over the library in the last month, but it may have been his best option for cleaning the mess up there. In July, Bonnie said the room would not be made available to us and that we should hold the sale offsite. x]mo8^ACoz[kz${>M\3CILRef4pIn\}Q1 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.. StickStoff GmbH. 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.. Mehr erfahren. Professional Job Listings in New England Public Positions What follows is a list of the most-read stories on Woburn Patch sites in 2021. They wanted the qualified staff their trusted neighbors and community members to be able to do the jobs they were hired for. Enjoy the show! John Sarnowski Director ResCarta Foundation. DEDHAM, MA - Earlier this week it was announced that the Dedham Public Librarys Director Bonnie Roalsen has been wooed away to become Director at another public library in Massachusetts, details of which will be revealed in coming days. Its painfully clear that neither the mayor nor the city council understand the role of a modern library and how the world is changing. Meehan calls this defiant ignorance of the future, coupled with naked political agendas and cronyism. Roalsen says its a modern building without modern ideas [thats] just four walls and rooms full of shelves. Both appear to rely on an undercurrent of technochauvinism, invoking the spectre of automation and the challenges and opportunities of post-pandemic America as justification for their attempts to disempower (and dismiss) their staff. Thank you. It is not just about knowledge made available by the library. There were no vaccines. . The views expressed here are the author's own. This process will start in March and conclude in April. Since she joined the library as its director, Bonnie Roalsen has used the hashtag #teamhuman to promote the library's mission to meet the needs of everyone in the community, a sentiment that has. 2016 - 20193 years. resisting crisis surveillance capitalism in academic libraries. Theres a saying: A truly great library has something in it to offend everyone. Well, Im all for free speech and the exchange of ideas. A library must help its users constantly see around the corner to whats coming, to provide opportunities, to surprise them, to prepare them. The ongoing dissolution of the Friends of the Woburn Public Library is a cruel attack on the city's residents, particularly its children. Once you see that vision for the library, you cant unsee it. My goal has been to make libraries accessible to everyone and to improve the library experience for all. Performance & security by Cloudflare. Any community who thinks otherwise wont have a library in the future. We have not renewed any memberships since late last year. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. Attorney General Maura Healey said that the library trustees had one of just five intentional violations she found last year. "It's not just sending . why does everyone think they know more about libraries than the people who work in them do? There are reports of public inquiries into her ability to spend municipal funds and questions of relying on favoritism for her hiring. Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com. 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. Bonnie Roalsen Library Director, Woburn Public Library, USA Arthur Robbins Library & Information Centre Manager, Roche Products Ltd, UK Iain Robertson Digital & Information Services Officer, South Lanarkshire Leisure & Culture, UK Brian Rogers Director of Library IT, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (USA) I welcome all ideas. 79183 Waldkirch. Ver ms ideas sobre manualidades, manualidades para nios, manualidades infantiles. To find who lives on your street, visit radaris.com and enter that street's address, city, state, or zip code. Getting the marble through the towers requires logic and reasoning skills. special legislation to give the mayor the power to appoint and remove the library director, replacements for two trustees serving expired three-year terms, meeting where it emerged that two trustees had been excluded from a recent meeting, public campaign in support of library staff. She cited other libraries that have laid off or furloughed staff, such as Brookline. stream According to interim Director Chuck Flaherty, the board ratified a contract to hire Bonnie Roalsen, the ch 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. The views expressed in this post are the author's own. With the new building came the opportunity to do great things, to bring library services into the 21st Ce along the way, serve every part of the Woburn community. READING OF THE MINUTES FROM PREVIOUS MEETINGS - Review on Cybo. We are supposed to offer something for everyone, from toddlers to seniors. The Friends Board, despite our best efforts, was unable to find common ground with her. The trustees agreed to submit written evaluations of Roalsen, although trustee Richard Mahoney said they should have done so six months earlier. Adeline Iseler. Try getting more specific and search using the city, state, or specific location. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. Our library also must serve marginalized residentsnew Americans, people who dont speak English as their native language, children left behind because of the pandemics educational challenges, the elderly who live alone, and others. A librarythis librarymust be a place where people gain the knowledge that propels them toward a better future. New carpet, paint, updated technology, and improved shelving units were added along with decorative painting. Director Bonnie Roalsen has a developed a reputation for making decisions that have harmed her staff, including the alleged unexpected removal or alteration of the circulation (front) desks at both Dedham and Woburn Public Library. ", "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. The City of Woburn is an EOE/AA Employer. Things escalated quickly; its been a little less than a month since that meeting went off the rails. Thats why, many will recall, last year I raised the possibility of staff cuts. Los Angeles, CA. Rather, the citizens should be encouraging a discussion about solutions that position Woburn for the future. In this email, the library administrators ask community members to volunteer to run small . This caught the mayors attention in a way we hadnt yet seen. All that is needed is the name, phone number, or email address of the lost person. Sen de bir konuda kampanya balatmak ister misin? This post was contributed by a community member. <> The staff must support programming and services that meet the needs of a wide variety of patrons. Libraries are sources of knowledge and information, the foundation for launching explorations of the unknown, for individuals and for entire communities. 11/21/2022 6:07 AM. Why? Youll never look at a library the same way. 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. DPL welcomed over 250,000 visitors in 2018 with a 2557% increase in program attendance. Library Director, Bonnie Roalsen Assistant Director for Innovation and Technology, John Walsh Members of the Community 1. Its time for other voices to be heard. In her editorial, Roalsen argued that cuts are in fact necessary and defended the library's offerings during the pandemic shutdown. 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. She opened up the building to the community as a place for learning, as well as a place for having fun.. 4.50 could buy nine packs of pasta. b***@oburnpubliclibrary.org. In the middle of a pandemic. Before coming to Dedham, she was working as Head of Youth Services at Dover Public Library, where her hard work over her 15-year tenure helped the library earn recognition by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation as one of the best small libraries in North America in 2012. We want Woburnites to knowwhether youve been here for five generations or five daysthat we have something that will enrich your life. Workshops hosted by one their Red Vest exper . But not in an atmosphere of misinformation, lack of civility and threats. Required fields are marked *, Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. Roalsen has been a target of criticism going back to a summer labor battle when she raised the possibility of layoffs. No member of the Friends Board was asked to participate in planning for the library gala that was scheduled for March of this year. While the recent action around the library was sparked by a Jan. 19 meeting where it emerged that two trustees had been excluded from a recent meeting, it traces back to a conflict over the summer over potential layoffs. ), Back in July, I wrote a post on here called Woburned with the following tl;dr disclaimer: A library director with a questionable past is trying to union-bust and furlough 17 of her employees not for budgetary reasons but because, in her words, many skills of library staff do not translate to the digital world of the pandemic and an increasing number of people both in the city and in the wider library community are begging to differ.. 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. Your IP: Roalsen gave a lengthy statement defending her tenure at the library. Some are unwilling (or unable) to have a conversation about the merits in a forum that excludes personal attacks and agendas. ", Roalsen noted that due to the pandemic, "the library will not return to full, normal operation anytime soon. Chrome Extension. 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. 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. This is how people are spending their time. 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. There are reports of public inquiries into her ability to spend municipal funds and questions of relying on . But Callahan's motion that they respond by citing the Sept. 15 meeting won the day. Your email address will not be published. Get it from Amazon for $29.99 . Bonnie Lou Pine (1942-2006) Mary Ann Rodda Kawasoe (1942-2021) Jim Schmidling Roger Stevenson Melvin Storey Tracey Tarilton . We also have amassed nearly 8,000 signatures on apetitionadvocating for library workers' safety and continued employment. Google Maps immer entsperren . 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