State representative Kristine Perez was at the first December meeting of the Leach Library Board of Trustees to give a quick presentation on a bill she was co-sponsoring that could impact the governance of local libraries. Despite some concern over the bill’s details, she claimed such changes were requested by “over 15 different libraries” in the Southern New Hampshire region, arguing that current regulations needed an update.
“Libraries in New Hampshire began being run by trustees in the late nineteenth century. The NH Library Association was founded in 1889, and the library trustees first met on Sept. 12, 1890. Additionally, the NH state legislature passed a law in 1849 that allowed towns to established and maintain their own libraries,” she explained, arguing that some of these laws were out of date, especially for small facilities that could not always get enough people to fill a local board of trustees. “This just adding to an amendment to RSA 202-A:2.”
According to Perez, that amendment would allow municipalities to have their “governing body assume control of the governance of the library” under certain circumstances where a city or town needed to assume direct control through a public vote. The bill is set for a hearing next January.
“We wouldn’t be able to do a warrant on this until next fiscal year, am I correct on that?” asked Library Director Erin Matlin.
Perez confirmed that if that law passes, it would not come into effect in time to impact Londonderry in the immediate future. She wanted to bring the bill to the attention of Leach Library following concerns that some of the larger libraries in Southern New Hampshire were becoming “big business,” a term one resident wanted clarification on.
“Can you explain what you mean by ‘big business’ for an entity that’s a non-profit?” asked the resident. “I would love to know what your understanding of ‘big business’ is.”
The state representative clarified that she was referring to the amount of money involved in the day-to-day operation of some of the state’s larger libraries.
“What I mean is that it’s become a big organization. It’s not like you have a library in the corner of town hall. A lot of money is being put out, a lot of money is being requested, and a lot of money is needed,” said Perez, who eventually conceded that ‘big business’ was “probably the wrong term.”
“My question is, what is your end goal to this in terms of overall results for the towns and libraries?” asked Trustee Nancy Hendricks.
Perez stated that the intention of the bill was to give towns greater flexibility when it comes to library governance, reiterating that only a public vote would allow a local board of selectmen or town council to take control of a municipal library.
“This is a ‘may,’ there’s the big difference. This is not saying ‘a town shall,’ this is saying ‘a town may.’ It’s a big difference,” she said. “I think towns should have an option; it doesn’t work having a board of trustees running every single town.”
Several Leach Library Trustees and the Library Director focused on possible ramifications that could come from the loss of a trustee board.
“If I understand the bill correctly, if the trustees fall to the town, we would no longer have a trustee account,” said Matlin. “I think that’s something to think about.”
While the bill was scheduled for a hearing, it was unclear what level of support it would attract from the state legislature or Governor Ayotte.
Trustee Chair Liz Thomas stated that the bill was “something to keep on the horizon and watch out for.”