Last week a letter written by Mrs. Carol Vogeley was published in the Keene Sentinel in regards to the Thayer Library and her feelings towards certain staff members and recent events. Below is a reply to her letter from the Chairman of the Thayer Library Committee.
I am saddened that Carol Vogeley from a nearby town has had to resort to misquoting members of the Thayer Library. No one ever referred to the Ashuelot Christmas and holiday event as a “grab and go” except for Mrs. Vogeley herself. The meeting tapes can prove that. We were discussing bringing the event inside, into the meeting room at the library. It was also discussed that music did not happen at the one first event, even though a musician was there for the event, and that therefore it had potential to be even more of a community event, were the community engaged more.
We are all glad that this holiday event has been happening, and hope it becomes better and better.
Mrs. Vogeley, unfortunately also is misinformed about her details on expenditures of library finances regarding electricity. We hope that in the future she is able to attend those meetings in person before writing letters that are pebbled with hearsay and criticism, when we are all working together for the good of the community.
I would like to thank the active, current Thayer Public Library Trustees, and especially Harriet Charland, for obtaining a Children’s Literacy Foundation grant, and bringing in $2,000 worth of books into the community and into our village library, to benefit our children.
Working for the positive, even if that means changes that are uncomfortable, is a goal that we aspire to, and you cannot please everyone, especially when it involves major change and renewal which the Library needed.
JULIA FERRARI
Chairman
Thayer Public Library
P.O. Box 111
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13 comments:
Why have the hours been cut down? I have been at meetings when certain trustees wanted more hours and more days because they felt it would bring people in. Now that these trustees are totally running the place they cut the hours and its very hard to spend time looking for a book when the place is freezing. 55 degrees? Julia has realy shot herself in the foot this time all the facts in Mrs. Vogelys letter can be backed up with meeting minutes, E-mails and tapes of the trustees meetings.
Julia is just one member of the committee, she does not speak for all of the members, so stop blaming her for decisions the "members" make and I find your comments are an absolute folly. The library is not freezing, everyone is welcome to come and we'll have a "real" librarian on the premises, not some leach who doesn't work, pay his bills or even open the doors on time or when the place was scheduled to be open. Mrs. Vogeley wrote her letter with anger that her "little boy" now had to go find a place to live and stop leaching off of the library trust fund and grow up. Want to tell them about all of the damage done to the upstairs apartment or the unpaid bills? I didn't see any of that mentioned in Mrs. Vogeley's letter to the editor, how come?
There will be someone at the library today from 1:00pm - 4:30pm, doesn't sound like the hours have been cut to me.
The hours have been cut they used to be 1am to 6pm. Linda Crowell Thayer Library Trustee
Sorry I made a mistake on my coment it should have been 1pm to 6pm Linda Crowell
Perhaps it has something to do with the former librarian throwing a hissy fit and resigning without giving anyone notice and until a new full time librarian is appointed volunteers are staffing the building. There seems to be quite an effort to smear the efforts of the people attempting to make Thayer Library a better and more enjoyable experience for all and it's coming from one certain family in this town. Enough already !
Word on the street is Ed and his mother and aunt are campaigning against Julia and Kim and doing their best to smear them because of their personal feeling towards them. The Thayer Library Committee voted to remove having a live in librarian because of damage to the building and non payment of bills and asked Ed to find another place to live. He's now running around telling everyone how badly he was treated and how he got thrown out. Question for his mother and aunt; if you're so concerned about poor Ed how come you didn't offer the freeloaded a place to stay? Why isn't he living with his wife? Why is it always someone else's fault for the things we do, Ed?
Here is a cut and paste from the Thayer library trustees when they discusses getting rid of the tenant and why.
Informer you claim to always post the truth so here you go nothing about unpaid bills or damage so i think you need to post this.
The chairman brings up the issue of the lack of a key to the Trustees. There was a
discussion on changing the locks, since the tenant refuses to supply the trustees with
a key to the building. There is a locksmith who can change out the front lock. Donna
Howland comments that she does not have a key to the building. L. Crowell asked if
the locks were going to change every time the Chairperson changed. She feels that it is
important to not have a lot of keys kicking around. H. Charland states that it has been
explained by the tenant that it is a privacy issue for not issuing a key to the trustees.
D. Skawski-Pride suggested that the front lock be changed and another lock put on the
library door to insure the privacy. She stated that it allows the trustees the option of
being able to volunteer during the week. L. Crowell states that H. Crowell’s key could be
used to open the building. She, as a Chairman, did not have a key to the library, but her
household had one. Others stated that if there is an emergency and the tenant was not
available, it would be essential to have access.
H. Charland states that the Trustees are responsible for the library. The copy of the
Deed that Julia B. Thayer created, “…Provided never the less, and this conveyance is
made upon the express condition that said premises shall be used forever as a free public
library, reading rooms and the assembly room there in for meetings having a general
literary or religious purpose, except the apartments above the first floor and the cellar
and out buildings, which may be used for residential purposes as they are now used, and
that said premises shall be in charge and control of the following named persons and
their successors forever…” It is important as trustees to meet our mission as trustees
and as a public library. The trustees need to be able to access the building and are being
denied access by the tenant. It is important to move ahead with improving the library and
getting the community involved again. H. Charland asks whether it is feasible to have a
tenant? L. Crowell & H. Crowell feels that it would be more expensive to hire a librarian
then supporting a tenant.
K. Gordon volunteered to open the library and expressed the need to have Friends of
the Library as volunteers. L. Crowell abruptly departed. H. Charland discussed the
sewer/water bill and the heating fuel. She is looking for the trustees to move forward as
a community entity that is welcoming. Funds have been devoted to the exterior or the
building and not the interior. The Chairman asked the board if it should be considered
that the trustees eliminate the tenancy. She stated, “We need to think first and foremost,
what best helps the community.” I. Clark states that we need to do something aboutit. H. Charland made a motion that the library board of trustees vote that it is in the
best interest of the library to not have a tenant. K. Gordon seconded. Discussion:
Continued
D. Skawski-Pride brings up things that need to be considered, issues as income taxes,
maintenance, and sustainability. It should be considered that if the upstairs were rented
out, could the library make money. How appealing would it be to a potential librarian
without the tenant?
The budget and monies going out and coming in, such as the new expenses of the town
audit. Aggressive fundraising. H. Charland reiterates that it is important that the trustees
focus on the library and not the tenacy. The trustees have become landlords and are
derelict in their duties as a functioning library. It has been noted that no one has been in
the library for over a year. The privacy issue has become prevalent for the tenancy and
the library is no longer accessible to the trustees.
The upstairs could be utilized for the library and the suggestion of having local artist
showings. A multitude of ideas to get the community involved. The chairman clarified
the motion. Then a discussion on how much time to give the tenant to move out.
Typically 30-days notice from the date of notification is given in writing. D. Skawski-
Pride asked clarification on the tenancy and renting it out as potential income. H.
Charland reiterates that it is the trustee’s responsibility to improve the library and it’s
potential.The Chairman informs the board that the town hall does not allow meetings in the
basement. If two committees need to meet on the same night, this will no longer be an
option. She suggested that the library could be opened to committees. The handicap
ramp was discussed. K. Gordon informed the board that drawings need to me made and
then submitted to the Land Use office and it would be required to go before the HDC for
approval before bids could be submitted. H. Crowell asked on charging for the meeting
room and the board agreed to this as income (for outside private groups). The Chairman
called the vote: 4 ayes, 1 no (HC) and 1 abstained (IC). Motion passes.
Let it be known that the above and all minutes of the Thayer Library Trustees have been removed from the town's website and we have no verification that the above is an accurate account or that it may have been edited before being submitted to the blog.
The minutes of the Thayer Public Library have never been posted on the Town's website. According to the Town's Executive Assistant, there is not enough space on the server to allow them.
Those minutes were published long ago when Bob Gray was our town administrator and before him. This new woman down there now has removed not only library minutes but years of planning, zoning and selectman minutes and started a new policy of censorship. Don't you believe for one minute anything she says in regards to not enough room on the server, it's censorship plain and simple, control the information and you control the population. This is an evil policy and those of us who remember won't be fooled by the lies she and others are attempting to spread to cover their covert actions. Just another of the growing problems that have escalated since her hiring. Is it any wonder she was fired over in Hinsdale after dozens of citizens complaints? She fits right in here with the rest of the bozos we have running this town.
The minutes of meetings that are posted and now kept are not accurate accounts of what was said and much of the key information is missing. Recordings are not being kept any longer so there is no accurate record. Margaret Sharra and this Joan Morel have teamed up to censor and control all information coming out of town hall. However, many of us that attend meetings now tape them ourselves for an accurate account and to keep them for posterity and anyone who may need them in a court case. Do they foolishly think they can hide what's really going on?
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