Former Woburn Public Library Director Bonnie Roalsen said her team wrote the grant application in 2020. They became a team and put even more effort into achieving the next goal because it would be an even bigger gift to the community: A library that would help prepare Woburnites for a rapidly changing future. Businesses were shut. Prepare patrons for a future no matter how scary or foreign that it may be: cryptocurrencies, artificial intelligence, climate change, etc. Books now arrive at library facilities shelf ready to get them more quickly into the hands of users. 2023 pure unhinged ideology, on woburned part 2: people dont actually want the neoliberal library, review: Resolving Liberal vs. Conservative Conflict in the Workplace webinar, 1/14/21. The library not only updated its book collections, but also added objects that can be checked out to expand opportunities for experiential learning across a wide variety of topic areas - including a telescope, sewing machine, robots, and more. The staff and their supporters, in an online petition as well as a letter-writing and signage campaign, say that there is plenty for staff to do, but they are not being allowed to. Access to the facility was also improved with the addition of an accessible walkway along the back of the facility. The Dedham Public Librarys makerspace is now recognized as one of the finest in the region with its virtual reality systems, 3D printers and 3D scanner, interactive coding station, digitization area, and immersive learning stations. Members of the library's staff said they have offered to provide many services, including both virtual programming and curbside pickup, but have been told not to. ", Roalsen noted that due to the pandemic, "the library will not return to full, normal operation anytime soon. Bonnie Roalsen, Director Dedham Public Library 43 Church Street Dedham, MA 02026 781.751.9281 Margaret Connolly, Chair Sarah Santos, Study Resources Main Menu by School by Literature Title by Subject by Study Guides Textbook SolutionsExpert TutorsEarn Main Menu Earn Free Access Upload Documents Refer Your Friends Earn Money Become a Tutor Click here to review the details. A quick web search of Roalsen leads to a number of past presentations at Computers in Libraries and Internet Librarian in which she paints herself as a harbinger of the future of our profession. I hope people will listen to what I see as vital to the success of this library, and I am committed to hearing their vision as well. Without the ability to fundraise, we cannot sponsor the museum passes or programs like Woburn Reads or the Teddy Bear Picnic. To wit, Galvin wasnt exactly an ally to library supporters over the summer; he not only criticized the Support Woburn Librarians Facebook advocacy group for being hysterical but also chastised sympathetic administrators of nearby libraries for getting involved in the citys business. Before coming to Woburn, Bonnie Roalsen, a 2007 LibraryJournal Mover & Shaker, was director at another Boston-area library, Dedham. "The pandemic has accelerated that timeline and forced us to do things in new ways.". We have also been so blessed by our amazing community who have also been unwavering in their support and without whom we would not be here today! Without bold new ideas melding with the best of the old, without new ways to explore knowledge, new ways to provide more equitable access, new ways to capture and share the diverse voices and histories of the city, new ways of developing the library as a platform to truly serve all of the city, a public library is merely a static warehouse for books. why does everyone think they know more about libraries than the people who work in them do? Director Bonnie Roalsen has a developed a reputation for making decisions that have harmed her staff, including the alleged unexpected removal or alteration of the circulation (front) desks at both Dedham and Woburn Public Library. <>/Metadata 199 0 R/ViewerPreferences 200 0 R>> Radaris does not possess orhave access tosecure orprivate financial information. William Peirce. There is no community benefit from these decisions; in fact, they are actively harmful to the city. endobj Our library also must serve marginalized residentsnew Americans, people who dont speak English as their native language, children left behind because of the pandemics educational challenges, the elderly who live alone, and others. The librarys entire IT infrastructure has been overhauled, resulting in increased utilization of the entire system from computers to WIFI, increasing digital content access and digital utilization of facilities by 717%. With the new building came the opportunity to do great things, to bring library services into the 21st Ce along the way, serve every part of the Woburn community. Some people inside and outside of Woburn have made it clear they prefer attacking administrative staff personally rather than engaging in substantive debate. And a battle for control of the Board of Trustees is already well underway. Finally, the trustees discussed an Open Meeting Law complaint which cited the discussion at the Jan. 19 meeting, where trustees Mahoney and Joanne McNamee said they had not been part of a decision to hire an attorney. Bonnie Roalsen, Hulafrog Wellesley-Framinham, MA, & mom of two. He attended our meeting to ask us to stop the hate and to take a break for a little while. The staff must support programming and services that meet the needs of a wide variety of patrons. I truly love this library. This was three months into the pandemic. First, Ill give a brief directors report: We have kept this library open while libraries across Massachusetts have closed their doors. The gridlock of trustees who placed their loyalty to Roalsen above concerns from citizens and refused to comply with Galvins attempts to discontinue her contractnot to mention racked up countless open meeting law violations and acted with bald-faced hostility to fellow board members in multiple public meetingsmight have left him with few alternatives. The Friends Board, despite our best efforts, was unable to find common ground with her. Assistant Director Rebecca Meehan also submitted her resignation Tuesday, effective Friday. Roalsen's leadership choices reflect poorly on the city's administration, the board of trustees, and the legacy of the library as a whole. This caught the mayors attention in a way we hadnt yet seen. Its time for other voices to be heard. Ive made a concerted effort to listen to community concerns over the past few months, and I want to continue that, starting with an inclusive strategic planning process. Libraries were ALWAYS meant to be places of knowledge, curiosity, pushing boundaries, and sometimes some really crazy experiments. Tel. The following letter was provided by Woburn Public Library Director Bonnie Roalsen: Woburn should be proud of its new $31.5 million addition. Enjoy the show! x]mo8^ACoz[kz${>M\3CILRef4pIn\}Q1 The trustees agreed to submit written evaluations of Roalsen, although trustee Richard Mahoney said they should have done so six months earlier. Cloudflare Ray ID: 7a17c0ec0fbc0bff I wish the library and those committed to its future as a vibrant place for growth and change all the best. Contact. This is especially important considering the US government expects unemployment to remain high until 2024. Mahoney was not satisfied by Callahan's argument, noting that while the trustees voted to engage legal counsel at that meeting, they did not select a particular lawyer or appropriate funds at that meeting. Finding lost family members has been made easy by Radaris. Roalsen integrated technology to expand the publics access to content and foster digital literacies needed in the modern world with a passionate focus on equitable access, no group went untouched or unhelped by the Directors new initiatives. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. Performance & security by Cloudflare. At a time when this country is incredibly divided, that division is being sowed here at home. online petition as well as a letter-writing and signage campaign, the Minuteman Library Network's directors said they would reconsider Woburn's membership, libraries that have laid off or furloughed staff. gov ekagrbtyw@fuunf. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. "In recent weeks, there has been a coordinated misinformation campaign about the Woburn Public Library," Roalsen wrote. For today's episode, Samantha is joined by Dorrie Karlin, Bonnie Roalsen, Mayor Scott Galvin and special guest Captain Jack Sparrow! Theres a saying: A truly great library has something in it to offend everyone. Well, Im all for free speech and the exchange of ideas. Log In or Sign Up Bonnie Rosen See Photos Bonnie Rosen See Photos Bonnie Rosen See Photos Bonnie Rossen See Photos Bonnie Rosen Rosen See Photos Bonnie J Rosen See Photos Bonnie Katz Rosen See Photos WOBURN, MA Woburn Public Library Director Bonnie Roalsen wrote an op-ed in the Daily Times Chronicle, Wednesday, presenting her version of events surrounding the library over recent weeks. They have also lived in Needham Heights, MA and Forestdale, MA. "As library director, I want to set the record straight. 4 0 obj No member of the administration attended either event. There are reports of public inquiries into her ability to spend municipal funds and questions of relying on favoritism for her hiring. Still looking for the correct Gail Labuda? Of course, we will always keep traditional services available: yes, of course you can check out a physical book. Home; Products. Thank you. But a modern look and feel does not guarantee a future. endobj Most, but not all, of the trustees understood that vision. In the middle of a pandemic. 05-ene-2021 - Explora el tablero de Perla Daz "Totem proyect" en Pinterest. The Endicott branch library has also been renovated, removing the old shelving which blocked the windows and beautiful views out over the Endicott Estate grounds. Black Bonnie ist eine Marke der. Dr Bonnie Lynn Johnsen has 1 views and no reviews. Bonnie Roalsen is the Library Director at Woburn Public Library based in United States. It is clear Mayor Galvin and the city council either did not understand that vision or choose not to believe it. My daughter loves a challenge, and this is a good one! He had books on the first floor and electricity experiments on the second. The views expressed are the author's own. FAQ: Learn more about our top result for Bonnie Roalsen. This is an area that has been accelerated by the pandemic, making this more possible than ever before thanks to technology. Libraries are sources of knowledge and information, the foundation for launching explorations of the unknown, for individuals and for entire communities. Adeline Iseler. DPL welcomed over 250,000 visitors in 2018 with a 2557% increase in program attendance. Upload Home Explore Login Signup Home Explore Submit Search Upload Login Signup We've updated our privacy policy. Closing Date: Wednesday, January 22, 2020 @ 5:30PM. Dr Bonnie Johnsen is a Family Doctor, GP in Thunder Bay, ON and Thunder Bay, ON. 11/21/2022 6:07 AM. Things escalated quickly; its been a little less than a month since that meeting went off the rails. Attorney General Maura Healey said that the library trustees had one of just five intentional violations she found last year. Carli Coco Roalsen treasured infant daughter of Bonnie and Ron Roalsen of Wellesley and beloved sister of Noele and Caleb. Its painfully clear that neither the mayor nor the city council understand the role of a modern library and how the world is changing. My goal has been to make libraries accessible to everyone and to improve the library experience for all. Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com. We are supposed to serve new Americans. Lowes. Marilyn Peirce. Its all about adapting. Director Bonnie Roalsen has a developed a reputation for making decisions that have harmed her staff, including the alleged unexpected removal or alteration of the circulation (front) desks at both Dedham and Woburn Public Library. With financial support from Dedham Library Innovation Team, the library added 5 Raspberry Pi 2 mini-computers, a Flight Lab wind tunnel, supplies to support STEM instruction for library patrons, chalk spinners, deskcycles and Starling literacy devices, as well as funding assistance for other library programs. Refusing that vision isnt defiant ignorance of the future its a rejection of one persons ill-advised neoliberal doctrine, which is itself defiant ignorance of what the community wants (and what lies at the core of librarianship, no matter how hard you namedrop Ben Franklin). It is presented here with my best faith attempt to describe things accurately and with appropriate context. City officials said they had no authority to intervene in the conflict until the Jan. 19 meeting. Register for a user account. The issues came to a head over our. Some are unwilling (or unable) to have a conversation about the merits in a forum that excludes personal attacks and agendas. ), Back in July, I wrote a post on here called Woburned with the following tl;dr disclaimer: A library director with a questionable past is trying to union-bust and furlough 17 of her employees not for budgetary reasons but because, in her words, many skills of library staff do not translate to the digital world of the pandemic and an increasing number of people both in the city and in the wider library community are begging to differ.. Covering topics such as mobile reference, eBooks, mobile websites, and QR codes, this book examines the effects of the global mobile revolution on libraries and library userscritical information all librarians need.The Handheld Library: Mobile Technology and the Librarian. Roalsen has been a target of criticism going back to a summer labor battle when she raised the possibility of layoffs. The volley of Open Meeting Law complaints kept coming one after the other through the summer and the fall, but it seems like the final straw was the disastrous trustees meeting on January 19. : +49 (0) 7681 / 20 632 - 0. the mayor lacked the authority to remove her and she remains on the board, special legislation to give him the authority to appoint and remove the library director. Bonnie Roalsen, Director Margaret Connolly, Chair Dedham Public Library Sarah Santos, Vice Chair 43 Church Street Tracy Driscoll Dedham, MA 02026 Mary Ann Sliwa 781.751.9281 Monika Wilkinson DPL TRUSTEES MEETING MINUTES MARCH 29, 2019, MAIN LIBRARY, 9:00 AM MEETING CALLED BY Board of . That director, Bonnie Roalsen, announced her resignation today, claiming the library had been "reduce [d] to a political tool." It is true that Woburn mayor Scott Galvin has begun to seize an awful lot of power over the library in the last month, but it may have been his best option for cleaning the mess up there. Includes free contact info & photos & court records. Library staff members and supporters have rallied against proposed layoffs or furloughs, while the city has said cuts are necessary because of the pandemic, which is hitting city revenues and has required libraries to be closed. Roalsen listed services currently available from the library, including curbside pickup and delivery and online programming such as Hoopla, Kanopy, and the Digital Scrapbook Project. Friends of the Woburn Public Library Board. Previously, Bonnie was a Children's Services Head at Dover Town Library. I am pleased to report that despite all of the obvious challenges, we are open. While Ms. Roalsen's technology-focused approach to library management has a glossy appeal, her apparent desire to automate library functions and seek funding from corporate sponsorships comes off as an unabashed attempt to eliminate municipal jobs, decouple the library from its community, and defy the ethics of librarianship. Rabbitt called her removal illegal and a lawyer for the trustees sent Galvin a letter saying the mayor lacked the authority to remove her and she remains on the board. The views expressed here are the author's own. Roalsen cited the "political takeover . Yes, we have free wifi. These successes have come despite an ugly attempt by politicians to remove our trustees, and then grant the mayor the power to hand-pick new trustees and a new library director. To find who lives on your street, visit radaris.com and enter that street's address, city, state, or zip code. If that is allowed to happen, you will see this library turned into a political instrument. We urge you to listen to your constituents and put a stop to this plan to lay off the library's staff. CARLI ROALSEN OBITUARY Carli Coco Roalsen treasured infant daughter of Bonnie and Ron Roalsen of Wellesley and beloved sister of Noele and Caleb. 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