There was good news from the June 8 meeting of the Bedford Free Public Library Trustees.
About 1,000 Library users came into the building from reopening day, June 2 through Saturday, June 5, with 3,000 checkouts of materials.
Library Director Richard Callaghan reported that there were 21,000 curbside pickups from June 23, 2020, to now, and the service is continuing because patrons really like it. Of course, you can also come into the library and pick up the books on hold for you but for the time being, curbside service will be maintained.
The Library is following the Town’s guidelines for reopening of public buildings. Although mask restrictions have been lifted for vaccinated individuals, Library staff continue to wear masks and there are signs on every entrance encouraging patrons to wear masks. The Trustees grappled for some time with a proposal offered by one Trustee to mandate mask-wearing, although this is no longer required according to CDC and state guidelines. Both Callaghan and Assistant Director Noreen O’Gara reported that most patrons are continuing to wear masks and this is working well. No change was made.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, the Library has not charged fines and this policy will continue, as the Trustees voted unanimously to continue to waive fines for FY 2022 and then revisit the policy before FY 2023. O’Gara reported that many neighboring libraries have adopted the no-fines policy; some (Andover and Wakefield) have not imposed fines for years.) However, lost materials must be paid for.
The Director reported that monies from fines have declined sharply in recent years, attributed to the automatic renewal of most materials and the email reminders sent to patrons.
Interested in Bedford History of the 1950s and 60s?
With funds provided by the Library Corporation, the digitization of the Bedford Minuteman is continuing. The years 1957-1966 are now on the Library website in an easy-to-use, searchable format. Check it out! This is an important resource for anyone researching the “recent” (as opposed to Colonial) history of Bedford. The late fifties and early sixties were periods of unprecedented growth of the town, in terms of housing construction, school building, and jam-packed town meetings.
Searching the Bedford Minuteman Newspaper Archive
On the Library website, click on Resources, then on Special Collections. That’s where the Minuteman papers are found. If you were on a board or town committee during those years, try entering your own name in the search bar. When your name comes up, click on The Bedford Mi9nuteman at the top of the entry and you will be led to the exact page of the Minuteman issue where your name appears! You can also search by word to find articles of interest—say, ‘Town Meeting’ for a particular year.
Remember that before The Bedford Citizen was launched nearly 10 years ago, the Minuteman was a source of local news, with a local resident as editor. Those days are long gone as the newspaper has been acquired by a conglomerate and covers town and committee meetings only on an occasional basis.
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