The evening of 2025-12-01 was a meeting of the Mendon Public Library Board of Trustees.
This group selected their new officers for next year. Assuming I heard correctly, Alicia Zysman-Cromwell is new President, Tom Dooley is new Vice-President, Mary McCabe is new Treasurer, and Katie Corey remains Corresponding Secretary. Felt mostly like shuffling, as everyone seems to work together here.
There was discussion about the impacts of a recent change with the Town’s insurance. At their last meeting, the Town Board added a requirement for a ‘Hold Harmless’ clause and ‘Certificate of Insurance’ from any organization using a Town facility. The concern here was how exactly that would impact the Library. Does every patron using a study room need insurance? Speakers brought in as part of a Library program? Or only necessary when a non-Library group wants to hold a birthday party in the Library? The back and forth included some text messages, and it sounds like the Town Board will be adopting a formal policy making this clearer.
A budget surplus is expected. While I didn’t hear a dollar amount, budget surpluses are good to have. And we are close enough to the end of the year that sort of thing is easier to estimate.
Along those lines, next years staff salaries and wages were approved. Also covered as part of the budget process, so more a formality then anything else. The names were blacked out in the document, which I think is as it should be here. But at the same time, looking down the list I think I could fill in a fair sized number of the names. Which is one of the side effects of living in a small community and interacting with neighbors. While none of us know everything about anyone, redacting loses much of it’s effectiveness.
And this was Cindy’s last meeting in her role as Town Liaison. It was clear the Board will miss her. But as ever, life is change.
And those are my Observations From Audience Land for the December 01, 2025 meeting of the Mendon Public Library Board of Trustees.
Link to agenda on Library website until they update it, losing the past.