The statement above was produced by Woburn Public Library Director Bonnie Roalsen. 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. There were no vaccines. Dr Bonnie Johnsen is a Family Doctor, GP in Thunder Bay, ON and Thunder Bay, ON. I don't know all of the details, but staff report many issues with her managerial style, particularly around miscommunication. We asked for clarification on several logistical points and invited her to our August meeting to discuss our concerns. It is also why, last month, I asked the mayor to release funds from the existing operating budget for four new jobs--union jobs-- which reflect the needs of a post-pandemic society and libraries. The ongoing dissolution of the Friends of the Woburn Public Library is a cruel attack on the city's residents, particularly its children. And thats why Im excited to launch our new strategic planning process soon. It is presented here with my best faith attempt to describe things accurately and with appropriate context. Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com. This post was contributed by a community member. Bu web sitesi reCAPTCHA tarafndan korunmaktadr, Google. See Free Details & Reputation Profile for Ronald Roalsen (72) in Wellesley, MA. Of course, we will always keep traditional services available: yes, of course you can check out a physical book. Union negotiations are held between the mayors office and the union. There are reports of public inquiries into her ability to spend municipal funds and questions of relying on . 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. In August 2016, when the Dedham Library Board of Trustees made the decision to hire Bonnie Roalsen as Dedham Public Librarys new Library Director, they were confident that they were hiring someone who could bring Dedhams library into the future, but little did they realize just how much Roalsen would deliver - and in so short a time. 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. We need transparency from Mayor Galvin and the Board of Library Trustees regarding these numerous issues, but much more urgently, the city of Woburn should not allow this massive layoff and union-bust of its library workers. 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 recent weeks, there has been a coordinated misinformation campaign about the Woburn Public Library," Roalsen wrote. The mayor has introduced special legislation to give him the authority to appoint and remove the library director, and according to the trustees' lawyer, not removing Roalsen was the true reason for Galvin's removal of Rabbitt. "The city predicts it could take two years to return to pre-pandemic levels of revenue generation. 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. In the middle of a pandemic. All that is needed is the name, phone number, or email address of the lost person. Black Bonnie ist eine Marke der. Members of the library's staff said they have offered to provide many services, including both virtual programming and curbside pickup, but have been told not to. After several Trustees met with Bonnie over the issue, she suggested a Fall Harvest sale on the front lawn. There is no community benefit from these decisions; in fact, they are actively harmful to the city. Our success in remaining open has come despite enormous pressures: the COVID19 pandemic, social distancing, and moving programming online are the obvious ones. But heres what else the library of the future should have: And yet, in the dialogue surrounding how to make the Woburn library meet the challenges both of the pandemic and the world that is rapidly changing around us, admin staff have received threatening and harassing messages. It I therefore incumbent on all of us entrusted with taxpayer funds to adjust accordingly.". John Sarnowski Director ResCarta Foundation. Cloudflare Ray ID: 7a17c0ec0fbc0bff A library isnt just supposed to serve middle-class white mothers of seven-year-olds. To find who lives on your street, visit radaris.com and enter that street's address, city, state, or zip code. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. Per Governor Baker, so long as they follow the state's guidelines for safe reopening, library workers can also engage in curbside pickup of items, as many fellow Minuteman libraries are already doing--and it is an incredibly popular service. "As library director, I want to set the record straight. In her editorial, Roalsen argued that cuts are in fact necessary and defended the library's offerings during the pandemic shutdown. 05-ene-2021 - Explora el tablero de Perla Daz "Totem proyect" en Pinterest. While Roalsen prepares to move on to her next professional opportunity, she is hugely appreciative of the collaborations that have produced such dramatic and positive change in Dedhams public libraries. Businesses were shut. This process will start in March and conclude in April. To understand this, it is important that patrons and Woburnites understand that this a battle of ideas that will define the role of this library--either positively or negatively--for decades to come. Read More . Gravity Maze. Attorney General Maura Healey said that the library trustees had one of just five intentional violations she found last year. Galvin's bill would also end the Board's unusual lifetime trustee structure. net bngl@ldljtkis. Just visit radaris.com and key in the name of the lost family member in the search bar. Review on Cybo. 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. 2. That changed everything, opened our doors and brought people back to work. Tap here to review the details. A small group of vocal people, driven and encouraged by actors and agendas outside of Woburn. b***@oburnpubliclibrary.org. I know there are things that I can do better, and Im committed to doing that. CALL TO ORDER Trustee Seitz called to order the monthly meeting at 8:02 pm. My goal has been to make libraries accessible to everyone and to improve the library experience for all. I have a few things Id like to say, and I appreciate the opportunity. %PDF-1.7 Galvin already moved to remove the Board's president, Jan Rabbitt, in January, although she is fighting her removal. Woburn Library Leadership Resigns, Citing 'Political Takeover'. Meanwhile, another veteran trustee has stepped down under protest two other members on the nine-person body are also being replaced all while Library Director Bonnie Roalsen and other. Any community who thinks otherwise wont have a library in the future. Email. It is a vigorous discussion that I welcome. Americas first library was created by Ben Franklin. Libraries were ALWAYS meant to be places of knowledge, curiosity, pushing boundaries, and sometimes some really crazy experiments. Communicate all of the above effectively. 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. Roalsen has been a target of criticism going back to a summer labor battle when she raised the possibility of layoffs. . Encourage entrepreneurship. DPL welcomed over 250,000 visitors in 2018 with a 2557% increase in program attendance. But it also has come despite issues with library booster groups which have delayed issuing funding during the most challenging time for this city in 100 years- money that was raised in the name of the library. 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. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. Youll never look at a library the same way. The following letter was provided by Woburn Public Library Director Bonnie Roalsen: Woburn should be proud of its new $31.5 million addition. I truly love this library. "Unfortunately, many skills of library staff do not translate to the digital world of a pandemic," Roalsen said. This drives new ideas, new services, and new funding streams. The issues came to a head over our. "As library director, I want to set the record straight. Click to reveal I raised the possibility of layoffs because I was aware of the mayors fiscal conservancy. Lowes. The views expressed in this post are the author's own. The Friends page was removed from the library website without our knowledge. New offerings have been added to the library to promote and encourage scientific learning, including a beehive and a wind tunnel with increased programming and circulating objects to support it. 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. Ever since I arrived in Woburn, Ive been talking to as many people as possibleincluding staffabout new and technological ways in which to prepare Woburnites and themselves for a very different future. Before coming to Woburn, Bonnie Roalsen, a 2007 LibraryJournal Mover & Shaker, was director at another Boston-area library, Dedham. "We're all in this together," Roalsen said. First, Ill give a brief directors report: We have kept this library open while libraries across Massachusetts have closed their doors. 6a. Home; Products. Bonnie Roalsen Library DirectorWoburn Public Library, USA Library Director, Woburn Public Library. You cant be a company, a nonprofit, or a government without effective communications. Thank you and keep up the great work of advocating for library workers. That's what happened when we recently met with Bonnie Roalsen and Rebecca Meehan, director and assistant director, respectively, of the Woburn Public Library. The director has also made decisions that led to the dissolution of the Friends of the Library volunteer group. People named Bonnie Roalsen Find your friends on Facebook Log in or sign up for Facebook to connect with friends, family and people you know. 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. Finding lost family members has been made easy by Radaris. 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. Bulks. Teen Killed In Motor Vehicle Crash In Dedham, Why These Best Friends Are Boston Star Students, New England Disabled Sports 2023 Winter Challenge ends March 15, Free MA Community College Outlined In Gov's Budget, Adopt From Dedham Area Shelters: See The Latest Dogs, Cats & More, Local Jobs: Check Out Who's Hiring In The Dedham Area, 3 New Properties On The Market In The Dedham Area. ", "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. Closing Date: Wednesday, January 22, 2020 @ 5:30PM. My philosophy is that if change isnt uncomfortable, then you arent really changing. I wont engage with those people in such circumstances, and the citizens of Woburn shouldnt put up with it either. This is especially important considering the US government expects unemployment to remain high until 2024. Thats why, many will recall, last year I raised the possibility of staff cuts. The above letter was produced by Assistant Director Rebecca Meehan. Roalsen immediately went to work to modernize the libraries, taking the Dedham Library which didnt even offer consistent WIFI at its facilities and transforming it into a vibrant institution recognized by the library profession as an innovative, leading public library. Skip to main content Due to a planned power outage on Friday, 1/14, between 8am-1pm PST, some services may be impacted. Their plan for the future of the library looks more like 1950s America than the impending, radically different post-pandemic world. I serve 40,000 people of Woburn. The economy was in a tailspin. Woburn has a modern librarya beautiful $31.5 million library, better than just about anything else in Massachusetts in a community this size. Most, but not all, of the trustees understood that vision. 4 pack of pant briefs: 4.50. Performance & security by Cloudflare. Dr Bonnie Lynn Johnsen has 1 views and no reviews. The future had never been more uncertain. <> These successes have come despite an ugly attempt by politicians to remove our trustees, and then grant the mayor the power to hand-pick new trustees and a new library director. gov ekagrbtyw@fuunf. Includes free contact info & photos & court records. I love this job. Radaris does not possess orhave access tosecure orprivate financial information. Search or verify contact lists in minutes with bulk tasks. Mit dem Laden der Karte akzeptieren Sie die Datenschutzerklrung von Google. 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. Adeline Iseler. Jonathon Kuberry started this petition to Library Director Ms. Bonnie Roalsen and 1 other. The trustees agreed to submit written evaluations of Roalsen, although trustee Richard Mahoney said they should have done so six months earlier. 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. For this, and for the small-mindedness of the political takeover of the Woburn Public Library, I am deeply saddened. E-Mail: office@black-bonnie.de. "It reduces this library to nothing more than a political tool, which is not what I signed up for when I accepted my position.
April 2
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