Dear Friends and Neighbors,
The Trustees present to you the Merrill Memorial Library 2023-2027 Strategic Plan.
These past few years have brought unprecedented challenges and the Library Director and Staff have risen masterfully to continue to provide the high quality service our community has grown to expect for more than 100 years. We owe a debt of gratitude to our librarians for their willingness to brave pandemic hazards so that we could continue to use our Library. The community was able to enjoy curbside pickup, Facebook shelf browsing, video trivia contests, story times, outdoor science experiments, and much more.
The Trustees’ primary mission is to maintain our historic building. In recent years, the board has addressed issues with drainage, flooding, and most recently, repairing the elevator. This Strategic Plan includes a goal for maintaining the building going forward. We have a strong sense of responsibility to the Library and a clear vision of how to achieve that goal.
The Trustees’ endowment remains fiscally healthy with an investment strategy that will keep it strong for years to come. Funds have been contributed to pay for major repair expenses, like the elevator, without significant risk to our bottom line, and we continue to contribute funds to enhance the programming offered at the Library.
As I finish my ninth and final year as a Trustee, I extend great thanks to those who have served along with me, especially Michael Shay who also joined the Board in 2014 and has been our Treasurer since then. I also want to express special thanks to Tim Kittredge who led our Strategic Plan committee and Nat Bessey who not only served on that committee, but also led the Trustee recruiting efforts this year and will take over as Board President in November.
I urge the community to take advantage of what the Library has to offer and continue to show your support for the outstanding work of our librarians!
Sincerely,
Joan Dollarhite, President
Library Trustees:
Joan Dollarhite, President
Tim Kittredge, Vice President
Michael Shay, Treasurer
Stephanie Small, Secretary
Nat Bessey
Emily Birchby
David Kitchen
Betsey Reinsborough
Andrew Tonks
