Town May Withhold Library Funding over Librarian’s Firing
Officials in Woolwich, Maine, voted 4–1 April 14 not to place a $43,700 contribution—its share of the operating budget—to Patten Free Library in Bath on the agenda for a town meeting, opting instead to set aside $20,000 to purchase for town residents individual library cards for up to $20 apiece at Patten or other libraries. Residents, however, have started a petition to put the contribution back on the agenda, the Brunswick Times Record reported April 17.
The move is part of the fallout from the library’s September 21, 2007, firing of children’s librarian Nyree Thomas, allegedly for her receiving an unsatisfactory review. Public outcry led to renegotiations with Thomas, which resulted in the library—which serves Bath, Woolwich, and four other communities—offering Thomas a public apology April 8, six months of pay, 18 months of health insurance, a fund to help her find a new job, and a guarantee of a positive letter of recommendation, the Times Record reported April 9.
Woolwich had also asked the library to disclose the number of town residents who had cards at the library, the newspaper reported April 15. “We wanted some figures, and the figures kept changing,” said Selectman Todd McPhee. “We felt they were giving us the run-around.”
Library Board Vice Chairman David Miller told the paper that Woolwich residents use the Patten library frequently, with as many as 1,300 cardholders checking out 10,000 items in a single year.
Posted on April 18, 2008. Discuss.