Bloomfield library director resigning. (Bloomfield Life, 4/10/2013)
Not that this news is related to what follows, but personally, I'm not satisfied with her explanation. "I have enjoyed the almost three years that I have been here and appreciate your guidance and support, but there has been a change in my personal life that necessitates me pursuing other opportunities," she continues. "This was an incredibly difficult decision for me, and I wish circumstances were such that I could stay." (2 years and 4 months, to be exact.)
Judge: Bloomfield library violated records law. (Bloomfield Life, 1/30/2014)
The background. In July 2013, Bloomfield Life requested documents specifically regarding the library board’s 11 trustees at the time. They included Board President Sharon McIver, Jeremiah Larkin Jr., Louis Acocella, Mary Todaro, Susan Carter, Kathleen Hughes, Rosemary Vetrano, Patricia Pelikan, Raymond McCarthy, Ted Ehrenburg and Nicholas Dotoli. Pelikan, McCarthy and Dotoli are no longer on the board.
"The disclosure of such information would clearly be in the public interest since it could disclose any misuse by the trustee of library materials or any accommodations made by the library to its trustees when fines were incurred," Payne writes in her opinion.
Bloomfield library doesn't disclose name of fined trustee. (Bloomfield Life, 2/3/2014)
OK, folks, what's the real story behind this silliness? Payback? Petty animosities? The document indicated $66.50 in fines levied against one of the 11 members. The fines break down into $60 for "replacement cost" and $6.50 for two overdue items. It is unclear if the fines have been paid.
Letter to the editor from Library Director Adele Puccio. (Bloomfield Life, 2/20/2014)
What's been done during her first 4 months on the job. I have been director since the beginning of October. Since that time, I’ve worked with the staff to collect older, overdue items; we’ve consolidated parts of the database that contained duplicate fines and cards; we’ve replaced items that were lost or damaged, many through donations. We’re working on improving the physical space and our services to the public. We’ve called many people who have not returned large numbers of items and advised them to return them before we take more action. We’re doing all of this on a budget that’s been cut yearly for the past seven years. No one is exempt from library fines and return policies, no matter who they are.
No comments:
Post a Comment