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BOXFORD TOWN LIBRARY

2015 Annual Report

The Boxford Town Library offers a resource where patrons of all ages can access
materials for their diverse informational and personal enrichment needs. The
Library acts as a community space for residents to interact with and learn from
each other and as a bridge to cross the technology gap offering access to the Internet
and assistance with technology.

The Library Board of Trustees is a town agency, established by vote of a special
town meeting on December 17, 1965. It is governed by Massachusetts General Law
Chapter 78 and other pertinent statutes. Staff and Trustees are committed to
providing personal and professional attention to each person using library services.

Facilities and Operations
In December of 2014, insurmountable facilities issues (rotting wood, vermin, chronic
mold and failed mold remediation, unhealthy air quality) coupled with the failure to
achieve a favorable 2/3 majority vote for a new building (61% favorable) forced the
formal closure of the Boxford Town Library at 10 Elm Street. This action, along
with the complexity of relocating the library function, put the town’s library service
in limbo and at serious risk of losing vital State Certification (needed to maintain
reciprocal borrowing privileges with any other library in the Commonwealth).

With the leadership of Selectman Chuck Costello, the dedication of the Library
Trustees, and the hard work of Library staff, town staff, especially DPW Director,
John Dold; Town Administrator, Alan Benson; Assistant to Town Administrator,
Susan Inman; and every member of the Boxford Town Hall staff, the town’s library
service was moved into the east wing of the ground floor of Boxford Town Hall. The
library opened on March 4, 2015 with reduced hours, open hours four days per
week (M, T, W, & Th) a limited collection, and modified service offerings.

With the limited space available in the Town Hall location, two thirds of the
collection remained in storage unavailable for circulation. The Town authorized the
Library to use the former West Library, 188 Washington Street, as a storage facility
to house the remainder of the collection in storage. The remaining collection was
moved into the former West Library on October 3 and was made available to the
public on October 15, 2015. Boxford residents and consortium patrons are able to
access the stored materials through the holds process.

In addition to losing its facility, Boxford Library also lost its Library Director and
half of its 10 person staff. An Interim Director, Jeanette Glesmann, was hired while
a Search Committee conducted a search for a new permanent director. The Library
began filling its vacant staff positions in March with the search for a full-time

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