Celebrating the Contributions of Marleen Nienhuis to the South End Library
Marleen with Brianna Miller, Boston’s Chief of Community Engagement
On July 10th, South End community members gathered with FOSEL’s Board of Directors to celebrate FOSEL founder Marleen Nienhuis and her many contributions to the Library and the neighborhood. The long-overdue celebration was intended to formally recognize the naming of the South End Branch’s Community Room for Marleen, which was finalized in early 2020. One pandemic and two floods worth of delay later, the event finally took place and was fully enjoyed by all in attendance, which included FOSEL Board members, BPL staff, South End residents and Library patrons, Marleen’s friends and family, and several public officials.
Marleen receiving a copy of the naming Resolution from City Council President Ed Flynn
City Council President Ed Flynn presented Marleen with a framed copy of the Resolution in support of the naming, and expressed his and the City’s gratitude for her tireless work, since 2008, to clean up Library Park, renovate the Library’s interior, bring children’s programming to the Branch, establish the popular South End Writes author series, and advocate for the survival of Branch libraries throughout Boston.
State Rep John Moran presenting Marleen with a citation praising her civic contributions
State Representative John Moran, presenting Marleen with a citation on behalf of himself, Speaker Mariano, and the entire Massachusetts House of Representatives, echoed Flynn’s praise for Marleen’s stalwart efforts and civic contributions over the years.
Marleen thanking former Head Librarian Anne Smart for her contributions to the community
Many others spoke at the event as well, expressing appreciation for Marleen’s dedication and service, including FOSEL President Yvette Jarreau, FOSEL Treasurer Barbara Sommerfeld, long-time South End resident and former municipal judge Herb Hershfang, and former South End Head Librarian Anne Smart. The speakers shared stories about the early days of FOSEL when Marleen wore all the hats at the nascent entity; building a membership, initiating a newsletter, setting up a website, planning programming. They highlighted the neighborhood-enriching programs implemented under Marleen’s leadership, such as the Local Focus Window (featuring exhibits about activities of interest in the community), Book Award displays, Easter egg hunts for neighborhood children, and jazz and blues summer concerts in the Park. Jarreau assured the group that, although the architectural plans for the South End Branch renovation are not yet finalized, the new building will feature a Marleen Nienhuis Community Room.
Even a few who were not present weighed in through written comments read by Jarreau. BPL President David Leonard sent his congratulations and well wishes, and acclaimed author, journalist, and academic Stephen Kinzer nicely summed up the evening’s sentiment stating, “We will never walk past the South End Library without thinking of Marleen Nienhuis.”
Marleen delivering a thank-you bouquet to long-time FOSEL treasurer Barbara Sommerfeld
Marleen herself addressed the crowd with characteristic aplomb and modesty, reminding the guests that her successes were achieved in collaboration with others, many of whom were in the room. She presented bouquets to Smart, Sommerfeld, and Jarreau in recognition of their invaluable help, emphasizing the indispensability of their involvement. She graciously thanked the FOSEL Board members and neighbors who assisted in projects over the years, from filling hundreds of Easter eggs with treats to planting bulbs in the Park. And she reminded the crowd that there is still work to be done.
Overall it was an uplifting evening filled with positive energy, and a fitting tribute to a dynamic local hero.
For more about Marleen’s contributions to the South End, see: Tribute to Marleen Nienhuis
Photos accompanying this article were contributed by Kim Crucioli, South End and Bay Village Liaison for the City of Boston.
The South End Branch Gets a New Librarian as Renovation Plans Proceed
New Librarian for the South End Branch
The South End Library is delighted to welcome Christina Jones as our new Librarian. Christina has been with BPL for about five years as a floating librarian, doing stints in every department at Copley and at all but two BPL branches. Just prior to starting at the South End on May 25th, she was overseeing the interlibrary loan process. Before joining BPL, Christina worked in retail. She holds a degree in Library Sciences from Simmons University, where she worked in the campus library.
Christina is excited about serving our community. She is investigating the bike bookmobile possibilities and preparing to implement interim services such as story times, author talks, and other valuable programming. She can be reached at cjones@bpl.org.
Architectural Firm Selection
The Roxbury Branch redesign by Utile, Inc.
Four architectural firms made the short list for the Library renovation. These include, in ranked order:
1) Utile, Inc
2) Oudens Ello Architecture, LLC
3) Annum Architects, Inc
4) Schwartz/Silver Architects, Inc
The top choice, Utile, has significant experience with other branch libraries (such as Roxbury and Jamaica Plain), a strong community engagement process, and a design inclination toward transparency/natural light.
Fee negotiation with Utile has begun. The project will likely be presented for formal approval to the Public Facilities Commission (PFC) at its mid-July meeting. (Information re how to join this public meeting can be found on the PFC section of the boston.gov website.)
Following approval, the City Hall contracting process will begin. As the contracting process is expected to take 1-2 months, work on the study and design phases will likely begin in late summer/early fall. The design process usually lasts a year, and construction about two years.
Community Engagement Process
As part of the study and design phases, the architects will reach out to the community for input on the project. They will host four meetings for this purpose, which will also be attended by BPL staff, Public Facilities staff, and all interested community members. It is expected that the first meeting will be virtual and subsequent ones will be hybrid.
In addition to these architect-led meetings, BPL staff will reach out to engage with the community, perhaps with specific groups, such as seniors, students, etc.
As they begin their work, the architects will develop a project timeline, which will be published on the South End Branch page of the BPL website, as well as on FOSEL’s website and via links and through other social media.
Interim Library Services
An example of a bike bookmobile
Because the South End Branch will be closed for a significant period of time during renovation, it is critical that BPL offers enhanced interim library services. BPL staff are optimistic that the space offered by United South End Settlements may be usable as a fixed location to house temporary operations and programs such as story time, book clubs, and workforce development, as well as book drop-off. As noted above, BPL is also looking into using a bike bookmobile.
BPL Trustees Hold May Meeting
The BPL Trustees held a meeting on May 23, 2023.
Staff Updates
BPL Central
President David Leonard began the meeting by announcing that Eileen Donaghey, BPL’s esteemed and beloved Chief Financial Officer, will be retiring in June. Donaghey also oversees the Library’s Special Events and Human Resources Departments. Her replacement has not yet been named.
Leonard also introduced Joshua Rosenthal as the new BPL Director of Operations, noting Rosenthal’s extensive experience in operations, tech, and customer relations.
Guest Speaker
Leonard welcomed special guest Roosevelt Weeks, Director of Libraries for the Austin Public Library, who recently received the Texas Library Association’s “Librarian of the Year Award” for extraordinary leadership and service. Weeks was invited to speak at the meeting as part of the Trustees’ strategic planning initiative, which includes consultation with key library professionals from around the country.
Weeks began his career at a small library in Houston providing computer training, and came to see the role of public sector library service as helping people improve their lives in various ways.
Roosevelt Weeks, Director of Libraries, Austin Public Library
The Austin Public Library has 20 branches and 22 locations and has just completed a 5-year strategic plan, with the mission “to inspire all to discover, learn, and create.” Weeks outlined the plan’s goals as follows:
· Offering community-centered programs;
· Providing spaces for all;
· Fostering stakeholder engagement;
· Expanding library access including photo IDs for those that need them; and
· Engaging all library staff.
In creating its strategic plan, the Austin Public Library engaged more than 77,000 community members over the course of a year. Because their branches are too small to provide sufficient space for their communities to convene (about 8K sq. ft. on average), they decided to create larger regional libraries of about 40K sq. ft. until they can expand the branches.
In response to questions from Leonard and the Trustees about how best to ensure that library facilities are designed and deployed equitably, Weeks emphasized the importance of creating customer service competency of library staff, offering a variety of programs that appeal to the whole community, and structuring the physical space to feel welcoming.
Asked about current efforts in Texas and elsewhere to remove books dealing with certain subjects from library shelves, Weeks opined that bans are inconsistent with our country’s founding. When confronted, he has told patrons, “If we don’t have material you object to, we’re not doing our job.” Notwithstanding incidents of harassment (including one physical assault) and filming of library staff and “objectionable” books, the Austin Public Library has not succumbed to calls to pull books from its collection. Weeks emphasized the importance of keeping staff safe through de-escalation training and a prohibition on cameras in certain areas and filming in general.
Weeks stated that staff isolation was the biggest post-pandemic challenge his library confronted, which has been addressed by varying the types of work staff members engage in, increasing the number of development days they can take, and ensuring they are celebrated and appreciated.
President’s Report
Leonard introduced Jose Masso, Chief of the City’s Human Services Department, to which the Library now reports. Human Services is responsible for addressing mental health and social isolation concerns in Boston, problems the Library can help tackle by providing information, resources, and opportunities for connection. Masso is a current member of the BPL Board of Trustees.
Leonard also introduced Ashley Groffenberger, the City’s Chief Financial Officer. Groffenberger, who was formerly the Budget Director in the San Francisco Mayor’s office, has been in her BPL role for 10 months. Click for more info. Groffenberger gave a quick rundown of the City’s operating budget, noting that it is up 6.8% over last year, with an increase of $600 million in the capital plan for libraries across the City. She stated that investment in libraries is an important part of Mayor Wu’s focus on families. She also stated that the City remains financially strong, as indicated by the reaffirmation of its AAA bond rating.
FY 2023 Accomplishments
Leonard boasted of rebuilding after the pandemic, with 100 new hires and fewer than 50 remaining vacancies, keeping equity at the forefront, serving the community’s needs in workforce development and career counseling, filling demands for collections, and working to close digital divides with hot spots and connectivity packets.
FY 2024 Goals
Leonard reported that goals for the upcoming year will include:
· Improving services to enrich lives;
· Increasing access to special and research collections;
· Enhancing operations and technology;
· Advancing equity;
· Enhancing community connections;
· Improving stewardship of our collections; and
· Celebrating, continuing, and completing capital projects.
Capital Projects FY 2024
It is expected that the following new capital projects will kick off this year:
· Start of North End programming study;
· Continuation of accelerated South End programming/design study;
· Start/continue design process for Fields Corner, Chinatown, Uphams Corner, West End, and Eggleston;
· Determine strategy and timeline for McKim Master Plan; and
· Determine direction for work needed at Hyde Park and Connolly Branches.
Photography/Filming Policy
The Law Department is continuing to review input from the last meeting regarding the Photography and Filming Policy. The existing Policy will remain in place pending completion of the review.
Browse, Borrow & Board Pilot
Printed decals will appear on 20 bus routes in Boston offering riders the ability to download a book to read while commuting. Riders need not be BPL cardholders. If the program goes well, it could be expanded to more buses and possibly to the T.
Finance and Audit Committee Report
Evelyn Arana-Ortiz, Chair of the Finance and Audit Committee, thanked Mayor Wu for her support for BPL’s biggest budget increase in years. The increase will support two initiatives: (1) expanded hours at Central and several other branches, including staying open until 5pm on Saturdays, and (2) expanded ESL and bilingual social work capacity.
The Trustees approved the operating and capital budgets as well as proposed contracts as indicated in the meeting agenda.
New Business
The BPL, together with several partners, will sponsor the “Breaking Barriers” exhibit honoring players who broke the MLB color barrier. The exhibit will be hosted at Arts Emerson at 112 Boylston St. across from the Common from June 19th through August 4th. It will be a walk-through exhibit with QR code guidance and will highlight Jackie Robinson and Pumpsie Green.
Public Comments
Yvette Jarreau of FOSEL asked “When will the capital appropriation for construction costs for the South End Library Project be in the City budget?” She was told she would receive a response after the meeting.
A representative of the Friends of the Roslindale Library formally invited the Board to hold a Trustees Meeting at the branch so that the Friends can express their gratitude for the renovated branch in person.
Ellissa Cadillic, President of AFSCME1526 stated that in mid-April a union contract was agreed upon and ratified by members. In late April it was sent to the Director of Labor relations to send to the City. The contract has yet to be funded and union members are owed retroactive pay back to 2020. Cadillic asked when they can expect to be paid. She was told she would receive a response after the meeting.
The Trustees expressed appreciation to Ellen Donaghey for her guidance, transparency, and expertise during her tenure as BPL’s CFO.
Meeting dates for FY 23/24 were approved: 9/26/23, 11/7/23, 1/30/24, 3/26/24, and 5/21/24.
Branch Update May
MAY 2023 UPDATE
Architectural Firm Selection
The City’s Public Facilities Department (PFD) received Statements of Qualifications from 14 architectural firms seeking to be chosen to redesign the South End Branch Library. A list of the firms that responded is reproduced to the right of this text. A copy of the request can be seen here:
https://www.boston.gov/bid-listings/project-7289 (note the $20 million construction estimate).
A public meeting to review the 14 candidates was held in April. Present at the meeting were PDF Project Manager and personnel Rohn MacNulty, Alistair Lucks, and Carleton Jones, BPL Project Manager Alison Ford, and FOSEL’s Yvette Jarreau, as well as several representatives from the community and architectural firms.
The Selection Committee reviewed and ranked the firms based on several criteria including: community engagement, Boston location, experience with similar projects, the Chapter 149 development process, and urban projects, LEED certification, previous recent projects with PFD, and overall appropriateness for this project. Based on these rankings, PFD Contracts Administrator, Laura Junior, produced a final, short list of candidates:
Utile, Inc
Oudens Ello Architects LLC
Annum Architects, Inc
Schwartz/Silver Architects, Inc.
On the whole, the review committee found the quality of the candidates to be very high and the PDF has past experience with many of them, so the committee has decided not to draw out the process by conducting interviews, which could take another month.
Now that the top firm is identified, MacNulty will negotiate a fee and hopes to bring the selection before the Public Facilities Commission at their next meeting on June 14. You can watch this virtual meeting on Boston City TV at Xfinity channel 24, RCN channel 13, Fios channel 962, and livestreaming on the Boston City TV website.
After approval by the Commission, a contract will be drawn up, a process which ordinarily takes around two months. Accordingly, we hope by late August, we will have top-notch, experienced architectural firm ready to get to work!
Branch Librarian Search/Staffing
The new South End Branch librarian will begin on May 25th and will be available initially by email and phone. She will work on plans for additional interim services.
Library Services
South End Settlements (USES) CEO, Jerrell Cox, a great believer in the importance of libraries to their communities, has generously offered to potentially allow use of USES space for some of the Library’s interim services. BPL President David Leonard and some of his staff have visited the available space to gauge its suitability. The location would not house books or other library collections, but could serve as the base for programs such as Story Time, Book Clubs, workforce development, etc., and book drop-off. Arrangements for this are ongoing.
Summer Concerts
FOSEL has received approval from the Parks & Recreation Department for four concerts in Library Park this summer. Attendees will need to bring their own chairs as the Library will likely not have furniture at that point.
South End Branch Update
South End Branch Renovation Update
The process for developing a new Branch Library for the South End has begun! Public Facilities Department (PFD) Senior Project Manager, (Jay) Rohn McNulty reports that 14 architectural firms have submitted proposals for the redesign. Most of the proposals have come from Boston-based firms, including a few located in the South End. Notably, one submission came from Mitchell Giurgola, the NY architectural firm that designed the current building.
PFD and the Design Selection Committee are reviewing the full list based on criteria including professional experience, engineering and mechanical expertise, LEED experience (green buildings), previous urban projects, and experience with community meetings. The ranking process will yield a short list of three firms by the end of April followed by a final recommendation to the PFD Commission. After the selection, fees will be negotiated and a contract drafted and signed. It is hoped that this phase will be complete by the end of June. Once the contract is in place, the architects will begin community engagement to gain a full understanding of the South End and our residents’ needs.
We are pleased to report that FOSEL President Yvette Jarreau has been invited to participate in the Design Selection Committee, which will next meet on April 28th.
Branch Librarian Search
BPL is actively interviewing candidates and we hope to have our new Head Librarian on board before the end of May. He or she will be dedicated to the South End, accessible to the community, and have a mobile office. It is expected that the new Librarian will work with Priscilla Foley, BPL Director of Neighborhood Services, and BPL Community Learning staff to bring additional library services to the South End.
Summer Concerts
FOSEL is moving ahead with plans to hold concerts in Library Park again this summer. Attendees will need to bring their own chairs as the Library will not likely have furniture at that point. In the meantime, now that the weather is warmer, FOSEL has requested that the IT group bring back WIFI in the Park.
New Leader of Operations at BPL Introduced
Joshua Rosenthal has been appointed the new Chief of Operations for the BPL. His responsibilities will span multiple departments, including Facilities, Buildings and Trades, IT, and Security. He will also work on capital projects, including library renovations. Rosenthal is a former resident of the South End with a background in commercial real estate and tech start-ups.
BPL Trustees Meet, Discuss Whether to Allow Recording in the Library
The BPL Trustees held a meeting on March 21, 2023. A discussion with Roosevelt Weeks, Director of the Austin Public Library, had been on the agenda for this meeting but had to be rescheduled.
President’s Report
BPL President David Leonard opened the meeting informing the Trustees that he has submitted both operating and capital budgets to the City for approval, which he expects to receive by April 12th.
Leonard noted that the BPL’s biggest challenge remains staffing, both in terms of external hiring and internal movement. The number of open jobs stands at 50, representing all types and levels of positions. Many of the open jobs are in the interviewing and selection stages and it is hoped that the number can soon be reduced to 30 (a more typical level resulting from everyday moves, retirements, promotions, etc.).
Leonard reported that the Lowell Lecture Series has been announced, with four conversations related to the environment. Black History and Women’s History month celebrations are reflected in displays and events throughout the library.
Updated Photography, Filming, and Digital Recording Policy
Sarah Zaphiris, Chief of Staff and Strategy, shared a proposed change to the library’s policy on filming of staff and patrons. The current policy forbids filming inside any BPL library. After consulting with the City’s law department, a new policy has been drafted that follows case law (based primarily on policing cases) allowing filming of public employees, as long as it does not interfere with staff duties or patrons. It would remain impermissible to record Children under the age of 18. This change would align the BPL policy with those of national, Seattle, and Chicago libraries. Cambridge Library has decided to continue its no filming policy, pending further review.
A lively discussion ensued, with the Trustees expressing concern for patron privacy and safety. It was suggested that prior consent to be filmed should be sought.
Sarah reported that the subject had been discussed at library staff meetings and the consensus among staff is that filming should not be permitted. Both unions have asked for a formal discussion of the policy. Leonard reported that BPL has asked the City’s law department to conduct further review and to report back at the May Trustees meeting.
Current Capital Projects Status
The capital budget/project list is not expected to change significantly in the upcoming capital budget process.
The South End branch remains closed while BPL and the City seek an architectural firm for the redesign project.
There are capacity issues in both the BPL project management and City facilities departments. Usually a team of three, BPL’s project management department is down to one, but expecting a new person to start soon.
Leonard and Alison Ford, Major Projects Manager, reported on the following key projects:
Faneuil – A fall opening is anticipated.
Fields Corner – In mid-design phase, with two years of construction expected to follow (intended to be the first net zero building, producing more energy than it uses)
McKim Fire Alarm – In the design phase with construction expected later this year (some disruption anticipated as it affects the whole building)
Chinatown – A new 17K square foot library space within a building of 110 housing units is planned.
Uphams Corner – A new branch within a housing development is planned. The developer is about to be selected and notified.
West End – A new building within a housing development is planned. The Request for Proposal will go out in the next few weeks followed by a Programming Study with community meetings. It is expected to be a one to two-story library with housing above.
South End – Our branch continues to be closed. The Request for Proposal is out to architectural firms. It is hoped that a firm with library experience will be engaged and the project can enter an accelerated, combined Programming and Design Study phase.
Egleston – A stand-alone branch is planned, and it is about to go into the design phase.
McKim Master Plan and Collection Storage – An update can be expected at the May meeting.
Finance and Audit Committee Report
Last week the Finance and Audit Committee met with BPL’s investment advisor, NEPC, who recommended the addition of corporate grade investment bonds of about $2 million (3% of the portfolio) to diversify and manage the risk/return balance BPL wants to maintain.
Strategic Planning Committee
The Strategic Planning Committee held its first meeting, which was animated and robust. The Committee is focused on timing, content, stakeholders, and what is doable. A more detailed report will be provided at a future meeting. These meetings are public and can be accessed through the BPL’s website.
New Business
The BPL Fund report is out and describes many new initiatives.
A 1928 urban atlas from the current exhibit at the Leventhal Map Center. These atlases display property, street, utility, and building information—details which reflect their original purpose as maps for the fire insurance and real estate industries.
There is a great exhibit in the Leventhal Map Center. If you download the Atlas app, you can see what Boston looked like at different times and places in its history.
The Literary Lights Gala is coming up, invitations are out to Trustees and staff; Jill Lepore will be the keynote speaker.
Joe Masso and WBUR celebrated 48 years of !Con Salsa!
Public Comments
Several BPL staff/union members offered public comments as follows:
Six people expressed concerned that appropriate Diversity/Equity/Inclusion vocabulary was not being utilized in staff interviews and that interviewers were not recognizing candidates’ life skills and certificates in lieu of college degrees.
Eleven individuals expressed concern about the potential change to the filming policy and its safety impact.
A suggestion was made to extend the time for public comment in Trustees’ meetings beyond the 9AM deadline to allow comment on the meeting content.
The meeting was adjourned shortly after 10AM. The next meeting is scheduled for May 23rd.
BPL Trustees Hold First Meeting of 2023
On January 17th, the BPL Trustees held their first meeting of the year. After the call to order, roll call, a reading of the Equity, Diversity & Inclusion statement, and minutes approval, Trustees’ Chair Priscilla Douglas asked the chairs of the Community Engagement Committee, the McKim Building Capital Project Committee, and the Strategic Planning Committee to say a few words about their work.
Linda Dorcina Ferry acknowledged Jose Masso as her co-chair of the Community Engagement Committee and spoke about the draft charter for the Committee, which aims to elevate and amplify the work of BPL staff and the library branches.
Navjeet Bal, chair of the McKim Building Capital Project Committee, discussed enabling transformation of the existing designs/plans into reality by fundraising from the City, the State and private donors. The Committee’s first meeting will be held in early February.
Chair of the Strategic Planning Committee, Christian Westra, explained that the key question for the Committee will be, “What does it mean to be an urban library in the 21st century?” This will be the focus as the Committee works with the Trustees, BPL staff, and community members to develop the BPL’s next strategic plan. Their initial meeting will be in February.
President’s Report
To facilitate thinking about the next strategic plan, President David Leonard introduced invited guest, John Szabo, City Librarian for Los Angeles, which has 72 branches, to address the Trustees. Szabo has over 30 years’ experience in public libraries.
Guest speaker John Szabo, City Librarian for Los Angeles
Mr. Szabo began by acknowledging the Boston Public Library as an American treasure. He then made the following remarks, before taking questions:
I believe it’s possible that public libraries are more relevant today than ever. They are more dynamic and able to influence people’s lives. People seem to have a greater sense of the importance of the library and democracy. Libraries are still trusted institutions and good stewards of public and philanthropic money. They are throughout our communities, they serve all of us, whether poor or wealthy, housed or unhoused, youngest to oldest. They are important to leverage to do good; to have an impact on our cities’ issues. Libraries provide lifelong learning empowering people, and we have to communicate that. We are essential to education and all corners of our communities.
Communications, marketing, and public relations are critical. We have to be savvy, culturally competent, multi-lingual, have robust social media to drive traffic into our digital offerings. We must consider how we are putting our brand out there digitally, through a diversity, inclusion, equity lens that involves staff, collections, policies, and procurement.
Los Angeles Public Library is doing all the warm, fuzzy elements as well as all the other work, with “electeds” as cheerleaders. Serving immigrants is key, ensuring all immigrants know the library is for them. The library must be approachable in every neighborhood.
STEM/STEAM is highlighted in all programs and preserving collections. Children’s research and scholars’ research are equally important and exciting. Our librarians must be able to speak about the innovative work of the library with enthusiasm.
Public libraries are extremely adaptive to change; this is particularly visible in how we have made tech available quickly to all. We have high impact, serve everyone in our area, and deliver effective communications to all in our cities and neighborhoods.
Mr. Szabo then took questions from the Trustees (responses are paraphrased):
Q: What about libraries as gathering locations? What is the value of community space?
A: We need more space for gathering in civic engagement; programming that celebrates neighborhoods and people’s backgrounds is more important than ever. We experience a shift from traditional services to more social services and continue to navigate that tension. Currently we are engaging with twelve social service organizations for mental health. Nonprofits are lined up at our doors. We need to tie this to our mission of lifelong learning, areas we can ensure effectiveness, and alignment with our values.
Q: How have you developed your mission? Is there anything you say no to?
A: When we engage in a strategic planning process, we involve the public and all corners of the organization. Empowering people is key to our mission. Sometimes we have a capacity issue even though something might be within our mission. Maybe we don’t have the money or bandwidth. When we consider a new area, we are concerned that we do it well. We like to hear “I can’t believe the library is doing that.”
Q: We are all concerned about housing. What ideas regarding the housing crisis and the library are front of mind?
A: Our new mayor, Karen Bass, has made it her #1 priority. Our first approach to unhoused people is to treat them with dignity and respect; they are our patrons. Issues related to the homeless affect all our locations. They use our spaces to be warmer or cooler and our information services are important to them. We bring together at our staff trainings multiple social service agencies such as DMV for free ID badges, transitional housing services, Veterans Administration, and the Los Angeles Coordinated Entry System (the network that aligns homeless services to ensure that resources are efficiently and equitably distributed.) One size doesn’t fit all so we need various tools in our toolbox and more often than not, this is not law enforcement. We are hiring social workers and training staff as ambassadors who can help in de-escalating and providing information on housing services. Some of our staff are trained in Narcan administration. We make referrals to transitional housing and other assistance organizations.
Q: What about traditional library use such as books and reading? What is the impact of the digital revolution?
A: We see a decline in print circulation; however, we are still investing in it. Given the e-resource space it is challenging to balance major elements of the collection such as film, e-books, and audiobooks and make them available equitably. We have WIFI and computers in our libraries and provide WIFI hot spots and loaner computers. We have traditional literacy programs which are still very important and are aligned with school programs. All school kids have library cards through our partnership with schools. We offer a program called Read Baby Read which supplies a book and a sippy cup for early reading engagement.
Q: How important are exhibitions for driving involvement? We have been approached by the Negro Baseball Exhibition and are wondering about offering it.
A: Exhibitions are extremely important to us, and we are making more of them available throughout our system. Exhibitions must reflect the neighborhoods we serve. The Negro Baseball Exhibition is a traveling exhibit and we are delighted to have it in our Central Library right now. We have a large photo collection. It is an artifact-based exhibit, and we are getting media coverage as well.
Q: As President of Simmons University, I am interested in what we need to teach and how to attract students to library science.
A: The professional ranks of our staff are not representative of all our communities, and we need to bring in more people who are reflective of our patrons/communities. Students going into the field who at some point will become librarians will need to lead others, understand the impact of libraries, and speak with passion about their library’s mission.
Q: How do you decide what to highlight in your marketing communications to your communities?
A: We have professional library staff in our PR/Marketing group. They can pitch to and get earned media coverage. We used to be central library focused but we hired three communications staff to cover the wider community to be more effective with ethnically diverse media and other larger channels. We have over 1000 programs monthly (and sometimes I learn about them after the fact). We look at programs we haven’t promoted previously and try to see what will appeal to other channels in which we don’t usually have a presence.
The Trustees expressed their gratitude to Szabo and he signed off.
Leonard mentioned that the March meeting will feature a guest speaker from the Austin Public Library.
Leonard continued with his President’s update, referencing a written, end-of-year wrap up, the challenge of building back staff to capacity (still a ways to go), participating in the unveiling of “The Embrace” on January 13th, and BPL’s continuing partnership with King Boston. He also mentioned that the BPL was highlighted on CBS Sunday Morning for its research holdings, in particular the anti-slavery collection.
Finance & Audit Report
Finance Committee Chair Evelyn Arana-Ortiz stated that the Committee would be reporting on the FY24 Maintenance Budget Submission and on a request to increase thresholds for approvals.
Ellen Donaghey, CFO, stated that the Committee had a good initial meeting with the City’s Office of Budget Management and the Mayor’s staff to ensure the draft budget aligned with the Mayor’s priorities before making the formal budget request. Donaghey noted that union settlements are under way and that collections will be affected by price increases. More specifics will be provided at the March meeting, which the City CFO is expected to attend. BPL will present to the City Council in May.
Donaghey then presented the request for increasing approval thresholds as follows: $0-$50K – no trustees votes required; $51K-$200K – Finance & Audit Committee votes required; $201K+ -- Finance & Audit reviews and recommends a vote to the full board. The board approved this request subject to the approval of the BPL outside audit firm.
New Business
· The next meeting of the trustees will be on March 21st at 8:30am.
· It was noted that WBUR has a very good podcast about the unhoused population.
· The new Leventhal exhibit is great. BPL guided tours occur at 5:30pm on Wed or Fri and 11:30am on Sat.
There being no public comment, the meeting was adjourned.
South Enders Weigh In on Their Preferred Temporary Services During Library Shutdown
In late 2022, BPL and FOSEL circulated a survey to South Enders to determine which types of services the community would most like to have available during the closure of the Library for renovations. We received 349 responses. According to the survey results, the five services most in demand are the following:
Book pickup and return,
Meeting space,
Story time,
WiFi in the Park, and
Computer services with WiFi.
Survey respondents indicated a preference for the above-listed services to be made available at a temporary, staffed location, which could be visited on a daily basis. Their second choice was to have a modular unit in Library Park, and third was a mobile unit, such as a bookmobile.
BPL Central Branch
Now that it has heard from the community, BPL is working on finding ways to provide the prioritized services. It is attempting to establish a shuttle service to bring South End residents with mobility challenges to the Central Branch, where tax preparation will be offered. Tours will be offered for those who are new to the Central Branch. BPL is also exploring the possibility of hiring a Mobile Services Manager, who would oversee temporary services not only during the South End Branch closure but during temporary shutdowns at all branch libraries.
Taxi Vouchers Available For Purchase
Although the South End Branch Library will be closed for renovations for the foreseeable future, taxi vouchers for Boston residents aged 65 and over will be available for purchase:
WHERE: At IBA - 405 Shawmut Ave.
WHEN: The first Wednesday of every month from 11:00am to 11:50am.
HOW MUCH: Each coupon book will cost $5.00 (CASH ONLY).
HOW MANY: You can buy two coupon books per month.
Jean Desgrottes, Taxi Coupon Coordinator, will be selling the coupons. The coupons work in taxis licensed by the City of Boston.
Library Status Update; TAKE THE SURVEY!
THE SOUTH END LIBRARY WILL BE CLOSED FOR THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE AND BPL WANTS YOUR INPUT ON WHICH TEMPORARY PROGRAMS AND SERVICES TO PRIORITIZE
In late April, the Branch suffered a major flood in the basement that destroyed all the equipment that runs the branch. According to the engineering firm that evaluated the situation for Boston Public Library (BPL), the repairs are likely to cost about $1 million and take 18 to 20 months to complete.
The current South End Branch Library
Our South End Library has been in line for a major renovation / reconstruction for several years; the City’s capital budget already includes funding for a programming study as the initial phase of the process to create a state-of-the-art Branch Library.
In light of the importance of having library services restored as soon as possible in the South End, Mayor Michelle Wu, in collaboration with BPL, has decided to fast- track building a new South End Library, starting at the end of this year with the programming study, and completing the new library by the end of 2024.
The BPL has committed to offering temporary library services and programming in the community during the rebuilding process, where possible.
While the BPL would like to offer a range of temporary services during the South End Library's closure, staffing and space limitations will determine what is possible in the immediate future, which can be adjusted when more favorable circumstances evolve.
We need to know your thoughts about which services are most urgent to you and which locations make the most sense.
Please take a few moments to complete this survey so that the BPL can take your opinions into account. (The survey usually takes less than 6 minutes to complete.)
Here is a link to the survey: www.surveymonkey.com/r/9QQLDDV
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New Little Free Library in Library Park!
Like all our South End neighbors, we at FOSEL are anxiously awaiting the re-opening of our Library. The timeline for that remains unclear, but in the meantime, thanks to the generosity of FOSEL founder Marleen Nienhuis, we can all enjoy sharing books through a new Little Free Library box that has been installed in Library Park.
To start off, the box has been filled with books by South End authors, each with a bookplate designed by South Ender Reinhold Mahler, featuring FOSEL’s logo and an invitation to “take a book or leave a book.”
The door to the box is equipped with a counter, so we can track how many times it is opened.
Come on by and grab a book or leave one of your favorites for all to enjoy!
FOSEL President Yvette Jarreau in front of the new Little Free Library in Library Park
South Ender Walter Newman installed the new Little Free Library.
Special Meeting Held to Discuss Status of the South End Library
A FOSEL-initiated meeting was held on October 17, 2022 to engage BPL and City leaders in a discussion about the short and long term plans for the South End Library.
Among those present were Boston City Council President Ed Flynn, BPL President David Leonard, BPL Director of Neighborhood Services Priscilla Foley, Ben and Jane Siegel from South End Seniors, South End Forum leader Steve Fox, Chief of Boston City Operations Dion Irish, State Representative Jon Santiago, FOSEL board members Yvette Jarreau and Joe Rondinelli, and FOSEL founder Marleen Nienhuis.
Leonard provided an update on the current state of the Library, which requires a complete systems redesign, following last April’s flooding , according to the engineering firm that evaluated the situation. It is estimated that the repairs are likely to cost roughly $1 million and take 18 to 20 months to complete.
Leonard pointed out that the South End Library has been in line for a major renovation for several years and that the City’s capital budget already includes funding for a programming study as the initial phase of the renovation. Given this context and the cost and complexity of making the short-term repairs, Leonard recommended skipping the repairs and instead accelerating the renovation process.
The FOSEL representatives presented their concerns about losses suffered by the South End community as a result of the Library’s closure (whether for repairs or renovation). They requested implementation of well-publicized and reliable temporary services and programs for the South End Branch specifically, and recommended more generally that the BPL implement a system-wide policy of providing temporary services and programs during all significant branch closures. In addition, FOSEL requested regular monthly meetings with BPL and City leaders to keep the community up to date on the Library’s status until it reopens, as well as the posting of regular and visible communications/notifications on the street-facing side of the Library and online about the status of repairs.
Siegel shared key points from the South End Seniors’ meeting with Mayor Wu, indicating that this group also favors moving forward with a full renovation while offering temporary services. He put forth a variety of suggestions for operating during the closure, such as utilizing space at the Mel King technical center, deploying a bookmobile, providing transportation for seniors to the Central Library, and partnering with the community in other ways.
Leonard stated that although it would be impossible to provide a full panoply of temporary services, the BPL might be able to locate alternative spaces to make up for some of what has been lost. He is interested in a detailed accounting of which programs and services are most urgently needed by various South End cohorts. Flynn stated that the needs of residents of Castle Square, Villa Victoria, children in general, and immigrant families, should be examined, for a start. Additional insight may be gained through regularly scheduled community meetings.
Leonard acknowledged that although online programs and one-off events in Library Park have been occurring, there is a need for consistent, scheduled services and ongoing engagement.
Fox raised the need to establish a process to move forward, highlighting the importance of keeping the community informed and engaged in the decision on whether to make the short-term repairs or skip to the full-scale renovation. He suggested an Article 80 process for an impact advisory group that includes all neighborhoods, South End Seniors, and Library users, with public meetings to be held on a short timetable. Leonard suggested that the BPL Community Advisory Process can be faster than Article 80.
Speaking on behalf of the City, Irish indicated that the South End Library is a priority for the Mayor, State Reps, City Councilors, and the South End. He stated that the City will assign a project manager to the South End renovation by year-end, start community engagement in early 2023, move into design within 2023, and proceed to construction in 2024 -a two-to-three-year timeline. Leonard concurred with this approach and Flynn expressed his support for the funding. Santiago noted that he too supports an accelerated renovation process.
Leonard proposed that Jarreau, Nienhuis, and Fox head up a Working Group to recommend temporary services ideas and to coordinate with Kim Crucioli of the City Office of Neighborhood Services to set up a broader public meeting and identify candidates for the BPL Community Advisory Committee (the group that would engage in the Programming Study process). The City Office of Neighborhood Services has the final word on Community Advisory Committee participation and would welcome the input.
BPL Trustees Meet In-Person for the First Time in Nearly Three Years
On October 11, for the first time in nearly three years, the BPL Trustees held an in-person meeting.
BPL Copley Square
Board Chair Priscilla Douglas began the meeting by introducing two new Trustees: Jose C Masso, III and Lynn Perry Wooten. Masso is currently Chief of Human Services for the City of Boston and was formerly Co-Executive Director of United South End Settlements. Wooten is President of Simmons University, and earlier served as the David J. Nolan Dean and Professor of Management and Organizations at Cornell University.
New Trustee, Jose Masso III
Douglas identified three imperatives for the 2022/2023 Trustees: Engage, Amplify, and Partner. She reminded the Trustees of their role as agents of public trust, stewards of the BPL’s resources, and day-to-day ambassadors for the Library.
The committee on Engagement, which exists to ensure that communities feel connected to the Library, is chaired by Linda Dorcena Forry, with Masso as Vice Chair. In discussing the committee’s mandate, Masso highlighted the goal of making the branches “preferred destinations.” Others expressed the need for better public communication and promotion of the Library’s offering.
An update about the Trustees’ Committee Structure was presented. Information about the specific committees can be found on the BPL website at https://www.bpl.org/about-the-bpl/board-of-trustees/board-of-trustees-committees/.
BPL President, David Leonard, began his President’s Report with recent highlights, beginning with the September 13th opening of the Special Collections Department following a significant renovation. More details can be found here. Other highlights included the Passport Program, Adult Summer Reading, Book Lists of Native American lives and stories, an All-Staff Professional Development Day on September 23rd (with Library closure), and an offering of 30 different workshops for staff.
In the Challenges portion of his Report, Mr. Leonard gave top priority to vacancy management, indicating there are currently 50-60 active, full-time vacancies at the Library (a 20% shortage). This problem is not unique to City departments or libraries. Although BPL has been hiring and promoting from within, efforts are complicated by the requirement that employees be City residents and the challenge of providing compensation commensurate with the high cost of living.
The South End Branch has been closed since April due to flooding that damaged systems.
Next on Leonard’s agenda was the need to repair systems at the South End Branch, which were destroyed as the result of a burst pipe last April. BPL is reviewing new information on the cost and timing of the repairs, both of which will exceed initial estimates. A meeting with leaders of the South End community is set for the week of October 17th to discuss whether to proceed with repairs or move directly to the the programming study phase of the planned renovation.
Next Mr. Leonard talked about the need for a new Strategic Plan to replace the shorter-term Roadmap of current priorities, which covers 2019 – 2024, as well as the last full Plan which was completed in 2012. The Trustees’ Strategic Plan Sub-Committee, headed by Trustee Christian Westra, will work toward a creating a new plan for 2024.
The Trustees next voted to approve (i) a lease extension for the North End Branch and Il Panino, (ii) collaboration with the Mayor’s Office of Housing on the redevelopment of the West End Branch to include housing, (iii) a three-year contract with The Catered Affair, and (iv) BPL’s audited financial statements for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2022.
Jabari Asim
Jabari Asim was recognized by Douglas for being appointed Distinguished Professor of Multidisciplinary Letters at Emerson College.
In the Public Comments* portion of the meeting, Pamela Miles and Jamada Smith of Roxbury expressed the desire to reopen the decision on the naming of the “Roxbury Branch of the BPL at Nubian Square,” wishing it to be called the “Nubian Branch.”
The next meeting of the BPL Trustees is scheduled for Tuesday, November 15, 2022, at 8:30 am in the Central Library.
*The following public comment was submitted in writing to the Trustees by FOSEL president, Yvette Jarreau.
FOSEL Statement for BPL Trustees about the South End Branch
o SEL has been closed almost 2 of the past 3 years due to cosmetic update in 2019, Covid, and now almost 6 months and counting due to basement flood
o Quantity of lost services from first quarter 2019: 94 programs; 20,600 visitors, 22,300 items in circulation, 738 wireless sessions, and 2845 computer sessions
o Parents, children, and day care groups have lost most of their Branch services; staff is assigned elsewhere
o No gathering place; no meeting space; no taxi voucher pick-up – a key pillar of BPL strategic plan
o Seniors are not all able to get to Central Library easily
o No WIFI in Library Park
o SEL Programming Study has been planned/budgeted for 3-4 years. There is an opportunity to engage the community in the future of SEL
This is an important operational issue for the Library and a significant disruption for the community. BPL could shift its approach to branch closures/service interruptions by implementing solutions for providing temporary services when branches are closed.
After almost 6 months of closure, we do not have a scheduled reopening timetable.
Why doesn’t the City Facilities Department assign a project manager for the SEL programming study? What is holding this up and how can you advocate for this to happen?
FREE GRUBSTREET WORKSHOP: SOUTH END MEMOIR PROJECT
Everyone has a story!
Get started on your memoir in this free 6-week workshop, offered by GrubStreet in partnership with the Boston Public Library. Writers of all ages and experience levels are welcome to participate. Simply register to secure your spot. This class will take place via Zoom. Participants are asked to register for the entire series, and registrants will receive a Zoom link via email prior to the session start time. To learn more and register, visit tinyurl.com/SEmemoir.
In this course, you will:
• Get inspired by other writers in your neighborhood
• Explore ways to uncover personal and family narratives
• Learn ways of using local, regional, and national history as a backdrop
• Share your writing and exchange feedback with your classmates
• Read and discuss excerpts of works written by new and established authors
Presented in Partnership with GrubStreet
Wednesdays July 6, 13, 20, and August 3, 10, and 17 at 3pm - 5pm
3:00 PM – 5:00 PM
For more information contact dklein@bpl.org
Central Library in Copley Square
700 Boylston St, Boston, MA 02116
BPL Trustees Hold May Meeting
On May 24, 2022, the BPL Board of Trustees held its annual meeting to welcome new Trustees appointed by the Mayor and to thank those leaving the role. Welcomed in were Jose C. Masso III and Lynn Perry Wooten, PhD. Departing Trustees Joyce Linehan and Zamawa Arenas were thanked for their great service. Three Trustees were reappointed; Evelyn Arana-Ortiz, John Hailer, and Priscilla Douglas. Later in the meeting the Board voted on its slate of officers, with Priscilla Douglas as Chairperson, Evelyn Arana-Ortiz as Vice Chair, and Pamela Carter as Clerk.
Chairperson Douglas announced that under Mayor Wu’s reorganized cabinet, BPL is now housed in the Department of Human Services, which also includes Youth Engagement, Age Strong, Veterans, and the Office of Returning Citizens.
BPL President David Leonard
BPL President David Leonard echoed the thanks to the outgoing Trustees and offered congratulations to Priscilla Douglas on being the Speaker at Northeastern’s recent commencement ceremony and to Michael Colford for being named to the Massachusetts Library Organization.
Library Operations. Leonard announced that BPL has hired 40 new staff members this year, 43% of whom are people of color. He stated that the Libraries will return to fuller in-person hours, including Saturday hours for all branches and Sunday hours for the Central Branch, and will gradually return to in-person programming with masks strongly recommended for all.
Leonard spoke about BPL’s resistance to the book banning movement taking place around the country, and indicated that although BPL does have a process for evaluating suggestions for censorship, it has seldom needed to use it.
Leonard referred to a multi-page document enumerating past year accomplishments, which is available at: https://www.bpl.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2022/05/Meeting-Materials-for-5.24.22.pdf (see Executive Summary on pages 9-11).
He expressed excitement about great summer programs and work in the Equity/Diversity/Inclusion area, work force development, youth services and reopening of the Rare Books area. He also expressed dismay at the closure of the South End Branch due to water damage and indicated that the damage is still being assessed.
Faneuil Branch Library
Anna Mazzola, President of the Friends of the Faneuil Branch Library, presented a proposal to dedicate and rename the Children’s Room at the Faneuil Branch Library as JaiJai’s Room after Jairam Miguel Rodriges Rao, who was a frequent and active patron and supporter and passed away recently at the young age of 17. The Trustees voted in favor of bestowing this honor.
Angela Veizaga, Director of Strategic Partnerships, then presented the BPL 2022 Action Plan for the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, which the Trustees approved. It can be accessed here: https://www.bpl.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2022/05/Meeting-Materials-for-5.24.22.pdf (see pages 12-16).
The Equity/Diversity/Inclusion Update was presented by Roudnie Celestin, Equity Programs Officer, who joined BPL in February. Celestin talked about initiating digital equity through the long-term lending of Internet service and Chromebook laptops, and equitable procurement through a new contract with Sweet Teez, a small business owned by a woman of color. For Women’s History Month, Celestin created a Women’s History Tea, in which she connected with all the branches about inspiring women in history.
BPL holds many special collections of non-circulating materials, which are available to patrons, and their rarity requires that access be balanced with security. After three years, a Collections Security Policy has been created, reviewed and approved by the Trustees. It provides for Library-wide responsibility for collection security, including digital security, and an institutional commitment of resources to the purpose, and it addresses security breach response measures. The Policy is available on the BPL website and will be audited and reviewed biannually. You can access it here: https://www.bpl.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2022/05/Meeting-Materials-for-5.24.22.pdf (see pages 17-19).
The Finance and Audit Committee, represented by John Hailer and Ellen Donaghey, presented a summary of Mayor Wu’s recommended operating and capital budgets for FY ’23, and the Board voted to accept it. Votes were also taken on several large contracts: Emcor for mechanical, electrical, and plumbing services throughout the Library system at over $7.5M, United Elevator at almost $450K, and Marcum LLP for audit review services at $106.5K. Other votes were taken to delegate approval of upcoming contracts to the committee. (https://www.bpl.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2022/05/Meeting-Materials-for-5.24.22.pdf (see pages 5-8 for the budget documents).
The Next meetings of the Trustees are scheduled for Oct. 11, 2022, Nov. 15, 2022, Jan. 17, 2023, Mar. 21, 2023, and May 23, 2023 from 8:30am to10:00am. They are slated to take place in-person at the Central Branch but may end up virtual.
New Business. A documentary called Latino Pioneers in Boston will be presented in Rabb Hall on Thursday, May 26 from 5:30pm to 8:00pm. The documentary can be found here: https://bpl.bibliocommons.com/events/61e1e6572236a03600833da7
John Hailer raised a question about social media censorship and wondered whether it might be a future topic for Board discussion. Leonard indicated that BPL has a media literacy specialist who might be able to prepare a briefing related to that subject.
Public Comments. Alissa Cadillic, President of the AFSCME#1526, endorsed the renaming of the Children’s Room at the Faneuil Library Branch. She also raised air quality issues in existing buildings and suggested there should be an allocation in the capital budget for this purpose. She also mentioned the need for new employees to have two weeks’ onboarding when they join BPL.
David Vieira, President of Citywide Friends of the Library, requested that in-person Trustees’ meetings be held at various branches as they were before the pandemic. He expressed a desire to reschedule the Friends breakfast and to invite Board members to attend so they can get to know the Friends groups.
Samuel Pierce expressed continuing concern about the name of the Roxbury Branch, referencing the need to reckon with Boston’s history regarding slavery. Sadiki Kambon also spoke on the Roxbury Branch naming process, stating his belief that it was mishandled. Trustee Ben Bradlee responded to these concerns suggesting that the phrase “at Nubian Square,” currently used only administratively, could be made official by the Trustees. John Hailer pointed out that there was ample opportunity for all of the varying viewpoints on this issue to be expressed, and that many supported the name “Roxbury Branch” based on its historical importance. Priscilla Douglas reiterated that the Library Administration has fully briefed the Mayor on the name change and the issue is closed.
Project Oscar: Community Composting at the South End Library
Library Park’s composting bin provides the South End with both a splash of color and a civic service.
Since 2014, the City of Boston’s Project Oscar has distributed dumpster-sized bins into which residents can drop their food scraps for use in composting. As part of the recent expansion of the program, a bin has been placed in our own Library Park!
Instructions on the compost bin
The compost bins are as ornamental as they are functional. The City worked with local artists to customize the bins through its Public Space Invitational civic design competition. Library Park’s bin dons a semi-abstract explosion of floral imagery in a rainbow palette that brightens the area with colorful cheer.
The Library Park bin will be managed by the City’s Public Works Department (PWD) and serviced by Black Earth Compost. On the exterior of the bin is helpful signage with clear directions about what can and cannot be dropped in for composting.
Additional educational materials about composting provided by the PWD are available here.
Contact information for questions about Project Oscar and composting
In addition to Project Oscar, the City runs a number of other initiatives aimed at expanding community engagement around composting and Zero Waste. Its ambitious Zero Waste Plan strives to reach a recycling rate of 80% by 2035 and 90% by 2050. As of 2019, the rate was somewhere around 25%. By far the largest contributor to the waste stream is food waste, which makes up about one-third of the total. This represents a huge opportunity, as composting is a simple way to recycle food waste.
Library Park in Bloom
Over the course of several days leading up to Thanksgiving 2021, a small group of dedicated volunteers, including several FOSEL board members, braved the cold to plant nearly 1,000 daffodil bulbs and 100 hosta bulbs in Library Park. They raked leaves, removed fallen branches, dug holes and planted until the last bulb was covered. Now that spring is here, all that hard work is paying off, with the Park abloom in cheerful shades of yellow and white. Stroll by and have a look for yourself!
The relatively new tradition of planting thousands of spring bulbs in Library Park began in the fall of 2018, when FOSEL learned that City funding for the Park’s re-design would exclude plantings. Rather than leave the Park’s garden with nothing to show for the makeover, FOSEL brought in the first round of plantings that fall and watched them bloom profusely in the spring of 2019. During that 2019 summer, with the help of South End State Reps., Jon Santiago and Aaron Michlewitz, FOSEL secured $25,000 for soil improvement, perennials, an irrigation system and new low-level interior fencing as well as exterior fence repair.
Thousands more bulbs were planted in the fall of 2019 and 2020, which brought much appreciated beauty to the Park each following spring. Now, once again, as a result of the hard work last fall, the Park has come alive with color and cheer, a harbinger of hope after another difficult year.
BPL Trustees Hold First Meeting of 2022
On January 18th, the BPL Trustees held their first meeting of 2022.
Opening Affirmation
BPL Copley
BPL Board Chair, Priscilla Douglas, opened the meeting with an affirmation of the BPL principles taken from the Institutional Statement Ratified by the Board of Trustees for the Boston Public Library on September 29, 2020:
The BPL Trustees reaffirm their commitment to racial equity and to principles of diversity equity and inclusion, more broadly.
The Library is formally committed to becoming an anti-racist organization in response to systemic racism, inequality, and injustice prevalent in society.
The BPL Trustees acknowledge that the Central Library stands on land that was once a water-based ecosystem providing sustenance for the indigenous people of Massachusetts, and is a place which has long served as a site of meeting and exchange among nations. The BPL Trustees are committed to land acknowledgements for all locations on which it operates.
The BPL Trustees reaffirm this commitment to set the context for planning, deliberations, and public engagement, so that they take place in the spirit of welcome and respect, reflected in the Library’s motto ‘free to all.’
Douglas also framed the Library’s equity work as EDI, indicating that equity must lead the way into diversity and inclusion.
President David Leonard honored all staff as “Librarians of the Year” and acknowledged how well they handled adverse weather and Covid test kit distribution in December.
Covid
The BPL is in the middle of the current Omicron surge and about 30 staff members were out last week. As of 1/15 /22, the BPL will adhere to the City’s requirement that employees provide proof of vaccination, with first shots by 1/15/22 and second shots by 2/15/22, or undergo weekly testing. Staff will be given time off to get vaccinated and tested, and staff in certain larger buildings can work from home until 1/31/22. Vaccinations will also be required for patrons attending the café, restaurants, or private events. Masks are being made available for staff and patrons.
There will be a delay in returning to expanded hours due to the Omicron surge. The new date has not yet been set. There is also a temporary return to virtual programming, although school visits will be allowed under specific guidelines. Updated Covid signage is up, branches are revising the spacing of computers, and library card renewal dates will be extended.
Open Positions
The BPL currently employs 433 people. As of the end of 2021, the number of open positions fell from 96 to 66 (back up to 76 in early 2022 due to retirements and post-holiday changes).
Staffing Changes
Leonard shared some key staffing changes:
Laura Irmser, Director of Collections, has left BPL. Collections Department Interim appointments include Melissa Andrews, Head of Technical Services & Collection Development (reporting to Michael Colford); Eben English, Digital Services & Digital Repository Team (also reporting to Michael Colford); and Beth Prindle, Head of Special Collections (reporting to David Leonard). Priscilla Foley, Head of Neighborhood Services, will now report directly to David Leonard, with the addition of Maija Meadows Hasegawa as an added Area Neighborhood Services Manager. In the Statewide & MBLN Library Program Support team, Angela Veizaga has transferred to Director of Partnerships and Keith Gillette is a new management addition as Chief Technology Officer.
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
Leonard and Colford updated the Board on the BPL Equity Agenda, reiterating the goals of:
Being equity-led;
Becoming an anti-racist organization;
Building a healthier culture that promotes equity, respects diversity, and is inclusive;
Ensuring that Collections & Services work is informed by EDI Principles; and
Contributing to progress towards an equitable and equal, anti-racist society.
Leonard reviewed the following EDI timeline:
Began the new dialogue on Racial Justice, May 2020
Created the Statement on Racial Equity Commitment, August 2020
Began the Repairing America Series, 2020 and 2021
Started the YW Work Phase 1, July – December 2020
Continued with YW Cohort Work Phase 2, February to October 2021
Cohort Report Outs, November 2021
Team and Department conversations/planning, Ongoing
Cohort Working Group Recommendations, January 2022 Launch
Equity Coordinator Hiring, projecting February 2022 Start
Staff is very involved in this work. Over 400 employees participated in two different learning workshops offered in 2021. Currently there are several key BPL Inclusion Cohort/Equity Working Groups focusing on inclusive decision making and transparency in communications, recruiting, and hiring with a focus on people of color (POC), professional development (with POC focus), formation of a BIPOC Resource Group and an Indigenous Peoples Issues Group, creation of a Climate Change Response Team, and conducting a Collections Management Procedure Review, incorporating guiding EDI principles.
Demographic comparison: The proportion of Latino individuals employed by the Library lags behind the proportion of Latino individuals in the City of Boston as a whole by about 11%, and the shortfall for black employees is around 5%. Ideally, Leonard stated, BPL staffing diversity would mirror that of the City.
A 2021 snapshot of BPL POC Employees shows improvement is needed in various roles in the organization.
Leadership: 2 of 8 (25%)
Senior Managers: 5 of 20 (25%)
All Managers: 10 of 42 (24%)
Branch Librarians: 5 of 23 (22%)
Senior Librarian Assistant Roles: 3 of 6 (50%)
PSA: 28 of 169 (16%)
AFSCME: 131 of 213 (61%)
Plans for 2022 include updating and managing the timeline for Action Plan commitments, determining metrics, and seeking a new external organization for ongoing cultural competency work and development of EDI expertise.
Key programming themes for 2022 include Black Is… (February), Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage (May), Pride (June), Latinx Life (September), and Native Voices (November).
Through the Repairing America program, BPL pledges to continue helping Americans become more resilient and able to face and conquer the challenges of today by offering programs and services in the areas of economic recovery, civic engagement and discourse, COVID-19 recovery, racial equity, workforce development, and youth engagement.
Finance & Audit Committee Report
Evelyn Arana-Ortiz, in partnership with Beth Prindle, sought and received approval for a project by Hepzibah Rapoport Consulting to clean, inventory, catalog, store, and provide access to hundreds of thousands of items in the Library’s significant founding research collection. The project is funded by a private anonymous donor.
New Business
Trustee Jabari Asim was recognized for his newly published novel Yonder, set in the 1850 American South about risks enslaved peoples were willing to take for love.
Also mentioned was the January 31st author talk by Patrisse Cullers, co-founder of Black Lives Matter, about her latest book, An Abolitionist’s Handbook: 12 Steps to Change Yourself and the World. She will be interviewed by L'Merchie Frazier, a visual activist and artist, historian, and educator who is the Director of Education and Interpretation for the Museum of African American History, Boston and Nantucket.
Alyssa Cadillac, President of AFSCME, in addition to thanking staff and management for the recognition of all Library workers, asked about eliminating the requirement that all senior staff have Masters of Library Sciences degrees. She also questioned how decisions were made with respect to which Finance Committee contracts are brought to the Trustees.
The next trustees meeting is scheduled for March 15, 2022 at 8:30AM.
Library Park Planting
A big “thank you” to all who helped and supported the planting of Library Park in preparation for Spring. Despite the cold, volunteers came out over the course of several days before and after the Thanksgiving holiday to plant nearly 1,000 daffodil bulbs and 100 hosta bulbs!
Our volunteers included Tracey Bolotnick, Barbara Faires, Kelley Connors, Barbara Sommerfeld, Derek Lessing and his wife Kathy, Chris Fagg, Yvette Jarreau and Hermine Muskat (who took photos).
This year FOSEL chose a variety of daffodils, which are expected to return annually from early to late spring. We also experimented with planting two types of hosta – some edged with green and others with white.
The new tradition of planting thousands of Spring bulbs in Library Park began in the fall of 2018, when FOSEL learned that City funding for the Park’s re-design would exclude plantings.
Rather than leave the Park’s with nothing to for the makeover but a thin layer of brown mulch where plants used to be, FOSEL brought in the first load of 3,000 bulbs that fall and watched them bloom profusely in the spring of 2019. During that 2019 summer, with the help of South End State Reps., Jon Santiago and Aaron Michlewitz, FOSEL secured $25,000 for soil improvement, perennials, an irrigation system and new low-level interior fencing as well as exterior fence repair.
Green-edged hosta
With the current planting, FOSEL is looking forward to another season of delighting all passers by in the Spring of 2022!
BPL Trustees Hold November Meeting and Discuss Hiring Challenges and Plans for a Central Library Renovation
President’s Report.
The BPL Trustees met on November 16th, and kicked off with President David Leonard reporting that it has been a banner year for the library branches. There were ribbon cuttings at Adams Street and Roxbury, with Roslindale scheduled for December 12th. Both the Jamaica Plain and Roxbury Branches are recipients of One Percent for Art awards, and Utile Design, the architectural firm that designed the new Roxbury Branch at Nubian Square, received a 2021 AIA/ALA Library Building Award. Utile worked with the Boston Public Facilities Department and the BPL to complete the 27,000 square foot comprehensive renovation.
Next, Leonard introduced three new managers on the BPL team (two internal promotions and one new hire). Angelique Davis is a new Assistant Human Resources Manager and Jesse Snow is the new Assistant Manager of Youth Services. Sara Zaphiris has recently joined as Chief of Staff after many years of service with City and State government.
Addressing the collections ordering process issues that have been raised recently, Leonard stated that he shares the aim of improving current practices to ensure that good, relevant collections are available for all patrons. He commended those who have raised the issues as well as the staff who are working to assess and improve the process. He stated that there are no quick fixes and committed to having a more complete discussion of the subject at a future Trustees’ meeting.
Leonard noted that internal changes focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion at the BPL are ongoing and that while progress has been made on some fronts, much still needs to be done. “We have to do better valuing all of the voices. This is serious and urgent,” he said. This will be a key topic for the next Trustees meeting in January.
Segueing to what Leonard called “a staffing crisis,” he reported that although BPL has hired for some open positions, there remain 75 full-time slots to fill. As a result, the current limited central and branch library hours will continue into 2022. Leonard indicated that the staffing difficulties are a result of the 2020 pandemic hiring freeze, a larger number of retirements than usual, and staff “quality of life” choices about remote work and moving out of Boston.
In response to a question about diversity hiring, Leonard pointed out that the demographics of the library staff mirror the overall demographics of the City, but acknowledged that there is a dearth of diversity among library and technical professionals in general that causes pipeline challenges in meeting diversity hiring goals. He also noted that entry level positions can be difficult to fill because of a library requirement that people working for the City must live in the City, where the cost of living can be prohibitive. BPL is working with Simmons College to launch a program for 2022 to hire more people of color.
McKim Master Plan Presentation
BPL Central Library Dartmouth Street entrance
Janette Blackburn, Managing Principal of Shepley Bulfinch, the selected architectural firm for the renovation of the McKim Building Plaza, entrance, Johnson Building connections, and third floor patron access point, provided an overview of the Master Plan, with assistance from Kelly Brubaker, her colleague specializing in library planning. The project has four main phases: review and strategic direction, funding, design, and construction. The focus of the Plan is threefold: building improvement and sustainability, enhancing spaces for patrons to engage with collections, and renewal for modern library services. Input from the community focused on equitable access, improving wayfinding, and scholarship and stewardship that is open to all.
Challenges identified by Shepley Bulfinch include outdated building systems such as poor climate control, water incursion in some areas, level disparity between McKim and Johnson, lack of a public indoor route from McKim to Johnson, and an unwelcoming entrance/plaza not integrated with patrons’ needs.
Key elements of the Plan include transforming the third floor to be patron focused for reference, education, and collaboration; a new public elevator allowing access for people with disabilities; collaboration rooms; classroom space for learning from special collections; and significant updates to the infrastructure and systems. The Plan will allow patrons to utilize roughly 30% more of the McKim Building than under the current configuration.
On the second floor, the Plan contemplates an enclosed circulation path that allows patrons to move between rooms, as well as a multipurpose classroom.
BPL Central
The first floor will include a redesigned, open lobby, transparency into the orientation room, an additional opening between Johnson and McKim, and a skylight covering the courtyard. The skylight enclosure is deemed necessary to support preservation of the building, as facades are deteriorating from constant weather exposure. It will also allow for a significant increase in programming, as the courtyard will become usable year-round.
The Plan for the Dartmouth Street Plaza redesign celebrates the building, provides a better entrance with an integrated ramp, honors the historic architecture, and provides trees for shade and outdoor seating.
BPL Central courtyard
Renovations will be completed in phases, allowing for gradual funding and for keeping the library open during construction.
The Trustees expressed excitement about the Plan, particularly the skylight enclosure of the courtyard and voted to endorse this conceptual approach. Next steps involve engaging the new mayoral administration, addressing funding, which will include a combination of City, State, and private sources, and a feasibility study with presentations to the community for feedback.
New Business
Chairperson Pricilla Douglass announced the formation of the Special Collections Committee and the appointment of Trustee Ben Bradlee as the Committee’s Chair. Bradlee expressed excitement about the role.
Public Comments
Two individuals made public comments. One expressed the desire of the Roxbury community to have the name “Roxbury Branch at Nubian Square” changed to “Nubian Square Branch Library.” The other expressed concern about the possibility of storing collections in the basement, where they would be vulnerable to water damage. It was suggested that the collaborative spaces might be in the basement instead of the stored collections.