Trustees hold off appointing interim director
By Caitlyn Kelleher

The Forbush Board of Library Trustees did not decide on an interim director in a special meeting on Aug. 15, but plan to meet this week.

The trustees seriously considered three options for an interim director including hiring a person without a library background but with management background.

"This would be a change," Trustee Cynthia HastingsBrutvan said.

The other two choices were to consider promoting the adult research librarian on an interim basis or hiring a temporary director through a service - BiblioTemps.

"Rachael (Seale), though very new to us, would be willing to take on acting director," Trustee Chairman Walter Haney said.

Seale started at Forbush Memorial Library about three weeks ago.

Library Director Charlene Churchill's resignation takes effect on Thursday, Aug. 24.

Churchill was hired six months ago after an extensive search process, which included one failed search.

Churchill is the fourth director - including interim director Mary Jo Campbell - at the library since October 2003.

"We've clearly had some management and organizational issues," Haney said.

Jackie Prime, a Westminster resident, attended the trustee meeting and was outraged that the board was blaming the personnel for the changing management.

"I think it's to take the focus off them," Prime said after the meeting.

Prime volunteered in the children's department for five months and she applied for the director's position in 2003 but did not receive the position. She says she is not interested in applying for that position again.

"(The employees) are nice people," Prime said. "It's unfortunate that they are getting blamed."

She thinks the problem is the people that trustees have hired and the fact that the trustees are not involved enough.

"Because of the staff it has remained a great place," she said.

Prime think that they should have taken a look at other candidates within the staff to serve as interim director and should reconsider the requirement that the director hold a master's degree in library science.

The candidate from outside the library field is Alan McKittrick, a Fitchburg native that is now living Melden. He said he needs the remainder of the week to decide whether he was interested in the board's position.

"I have no clue why you've had so many directors," he said.

But, McKittrick said he has served as the "change agent" in a variety of companies in the manufacturing field. He said it is important to get the staff working together, involved in the operations and to have everyone work together.

He said he would rely on the employees to provide the technical knowledge of the library.

Resident Keith Harding asked the trustees if McKittrick, or a person like him, were to be successful in the management of the library then would they consider hiring that type of person for the directorship.

"It's an interesting question," Hastings-Brutvan said.

Haney said that would break from tradition and if the town's population reached 10,000 state law would mandate a director to have a master's in library science in order for the library to receive state aid.

Harding said this is because despite the changing directors that he "can't remember hearing any complaints about the service here."

-  - Caitlyn Kelleher can be reached at (978) 827-3386, ext. 15, or e-mail: caitlynkelleher@aol.com