02/14/2024 BOARD OF LIBRARY TRUSTEES Minutes

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BOARD OF LIBRARY TRUSTEES MEETING TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2024 6:00PM MASHPEE PUBLIC LIBRARY CONFERENCE ROOM 64 STEEPLE ST. MASHPEE, MA 02649 APPROVED: 03/12/2024 Present: Ann Macdonald, Kate Milde, Mary LeClair, Ruth Nickerson, Sandi Lahart, Bethany Geatrakas Absent: Joan Lyons Also Present: Kathy Mahoney- Library Director CALL TO ORDER Co- Chair Ann MacDonald called the meeting of the Library Trustees to order at 6:03PM. PUBLIC COMMENT None APPROVAL OF MINUTES - January 10, 2023 Postponed until next meeting. LIBRARY DIRECTORS REPORT The Library Director recapped the CLAMS Legislative event recently held via Zoom. State Senators Julian Cyr and Susan Moran were invited along with the delegation of State Representatives. Guest speakers included a Commissioner from the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) who reviewed their legislative agenda. The agenda outlines a number of items the MBLC is focusing on when they approach the Legislators to support their request for state funding. A primary focus this year is freedom from censorship and the book challenges that have been increasing in the last few years. The number of book challenges in Massachusetts has quadrupled this year, going from 22 to 78. The Commissioners are promoting initiatives to increase digital equity to the Internet by providing Wi-Fi access to patrons. The MBLC sponsors an initiative that funds libraries providing Wi-Fi “hot spots” to Libraries that can be borrowed by patrons for at home internet access. The Mashpee Library currently offers 15 hot spots for patrons and they are very popular. There is also an emphasis on cyber security for the state’s library networks and preventing attacks and malware issues among the networks. 1