The Board of Boston Public Library Trustees, which is the official governing body of the BPL, will hold ia historic first ZOOMED Annual Meeting on Tuesday, May 26, at 8:30 AM. The public is cordially invited to participate by clicking on the link at the bottom of the page. Meeting materials, including the agenda, draft minutes from the last (pre-pandemic) meeting on January 30, and details about the City Council Library Budget hearing earlier this month are linked here. Items of interest are: the President’s Report by David Leonard; goals and accomplishments for the 2020-21 fiscal year; an update on capital projects, including a discussion about a possible name change for the soon-to-be-opened Dudley branch now that Dudley Square itself was changed to Nubian Square; and a discussion about the recently adopted policy of fine forgiveness.
The ZOOM-facilitated public access to BPL meetings is another welcome additional step in a much-improved process to fully engage the public in how the BPL can provide the help it seeks. Not too long ago it used to be that BPL Trustees Meetings were near-secret events where very few members of the public ever ventured. Public comment was sometimes allowed, often not. Even when allowed, no notes of it were recorded in the minutes. Yet, momentous decisions would be made, such as the unceremonious closing of the beloved Kirstein Business Library, a branch ostensibly protected by trusts that paid for its maintenance and upkeep. The closing was approved with barely a quorum of the trustees in attendance, several of whom protested they had received no information about the closure plans whatsoever.
BPL Trustees Evelyn Arana-Ortiz, vice-chair; Bob Gallery, chair; and David leonard, President of the BPL.
All of this has changed dramatically for the better, a turn-around that began in 2008 when many branches were threatened with library closures and a furious public demanded explanations in overflow meetings. A much-improved and diverse group of library trustees has been appointed in the last six years. and become passionately engaged in, and perhaps inspired by, the commitment to a thriving public-library system promoted by the Walsh Administration. All that is needed now is for you, the public, to watch over it all and make your concerns and questions known.
NOTE: The public can also submit written comments in advance to pcarver@bpl.org with subject: Trustees Meeting Public Comment” by 5.25.20 at 12:00 p.m. All submissions will be read into the public record.
To access the ZOOM meeting, Click on this link:
https://boston-public-library.zoom.us/j/82844556151 Webinar ID: 828 4455 6151
Or iPhone one-tap:
US: +16465588656, 82844556151# or +13017158592, 82844556151#
Or Telephone:
Dial (for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):
US: +1 646 558 8656 or +1 301 715 8592 or +1 312 626 6799 or +1 669 900 9128 or +1 253 215 8782 or +1 346 248 7799
Webinar ID: 828 4455 6151
International numbers available: https://boston-public-library.zoom.us/u/kbQhru0u5y
