Board of Library Trustees

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The Board of Library Trustees is the governing authority of the Public Library in Canton. The Board's authority derives from Chapter 78 Sections 10 and 11 of the Mass. General Laws. The Board's responsibilities are carried out according to established by-laws.

Board Meetings are held at the Library generally on the fourth Tuesday of each month, September through June and are open to the public. Notice of special meetings are posted at the Town Clerk's office, Memorial Hall.

Current Officers and Appointments

Betty Chelmow, Chairperson
George Chelmow, Vice Chairperson
Lauren Geraghty, Board Secretary
George Comeau, Building Committee Chairman
Vin Shea, Development Coordinator 
Nancy Mark, Liaison to the Friends of the Library
 

Present Members

Currently Board Chairperson, Betty was a Consultant Teacher for the Department of Special Education in the Town of Holbrook until her retirement in 1999. She holds a state appointment as an Education Surrogate Parent providing advocacy services for children in DSS custody and in foster care. She is our most tenured Trustee, having served since 1977, and the only present Trustee to have also sat on the 1979 Library Building Committee.   Elected Chair of the Board on numerous occasions including throughout the Construction Project, Betty also served as Board Liaison to the Building Renovations Committee 1992-1994.   Betty has fostered associate partnerships with the Mass. Audubon Society in Canton and the Blue Hills Adult Basic Education Program.

Susan E. Cogliano

Sue has served on the Board in various capacities since her election in 1989. Together with her husband, Sue has provided delightfully catered refreshments at a number of Friends and Trustee programs. Sue has been a teacher in the Stoughton public school system for twenty-eight years.  She also develops puppies into becoming seeing-eye dogs, patiently exposing them to various environments - including Trustee meetings.

George Comeau

George received a Juris Doctorate from Suffolk University Law School in 1999. He also holds a Masters Degree in Public Administration (MPA) from the Sawyer School of Management and Bachelor's Degree in Communication from the College of Sciences at Suffolk University.  George is the Managing Associate Director of University Media Services at Suffolk University and an adjunct professor at Suffolk University, where he teaches courses in Distance Learning, Television Production, Nonprofit Law and Media Writing. George also consults on High Technology issues in education. George was a member of the Town of Canton Planning Board for eleven years and is a member of the Canton Historical Commission.  George earned the Trustee of the Year Award in Massachusetts for 2002.

Marcia Connors

Marcia was elected in 1985, and has intermittently served as Chairperson. An interior designer, Marcia has graciously contributed her expertise in interior decoration to reappointing Library furnishings. Marcia is currently the Past-President of the Mass. Library Trustees Association. Marcia has also served as Program Chair for the Association, has been a presenter at its Conferences, and published in its newsletter. Marcia also served many years on the Canton Beautification Committee.

Lauren was elected in 2004.  She an alumnae of Suffolk University Law School and holds a Masters Degree in Library and Information Sciences from Simmons College.  Prior to establishing Geraghty & Geraghty, LLP, Ms. Geraghty served  in a law firm as the Director of Library Services.  She has had several book reviews published in the Law Library Journal and has made presentations on behalf of the Association of Boston Law Librarians.  Ms. Geraghty's professional associations include the Massachusetts Bar Association, New England Women's Business Owners and the Neponset Valley Chamber of Commerce. Ms. Geraghty pursues a general practice of law with an emphasis on probate administration, estate planning, real estate conveyancing and business counseling.

Nancy Mark

Elected in 1986, Nancy  previously served as Chair a number of years. Nancy was a founding member of the Friends of the Library and is currently serving as Trustee Liaison to the Friends.  Nancy helped to organize "Friends with Books" a monthly reading group held at the Library.  Nancy has been a Librarian for a number of years at the Kennedy and Dean S. Luce Elementary Schools and has also been a frequent volunteer at the Canton Public Library. She holds a degree in Education from University of Michigan. 

Margaret E. Mead

Peg's earliest association with the Library was as a volunteer during the electronic data conversion of our catalog. She was elected in 1995 and has served as Secretary to the Board and Chair of the Library Building Committee. Peg's background is in public relations, and she has written many press releases for the Board.  Peg co-chaired major events at the Library including the Auction in 2002 and the Library Opening Gala and Family Day Dedication in 2003.  Peg has been active in updating the Library policy manual. Peg has taken several courses in Library Science.

Liz Parker

Liz joined the Trustees in 1999.  Liz was part of the founding group of Friends of the Library and served as its President.  She has been active in the Library's Book Sale and the fundraising events surrounding the construction of the new library.  She has worked for the Canton Public Schools for fifteen years and is presently the librarian at the Dean S. Luce Elementary School. 

Vin Shea

Vin was appointed to the Board in 1998 shortly after moving to Canton. Vin responded to a request for volunteers to serve on the Library Building Committee.  Vin brings to the Board his experience as a development professional, and was a driving force on the Library's capital fund raising and development programs.  Vin made his debut performance as "Sparky" at the Library's Teddy Bear Picnic.

Trustee Representative to the Building Renovations Committee

Alfred F. Cronin

Al served as a Library Trustee from 1987- 2004, and held the positions of Chairman or Vice-Chair at various times.  Al held the position of Liaison to the Building Renovations Committee since 1994, and, although no longer a Trustee, graciously accepted reappointment to the position by the Board following the 2004 elections.

Past Members

1876-1955
 

William Bense	Bartholomew R. Doody	Dorothy D. Grover	James P. Lynch	John G. Simmons
Frank R. Bird	Paul L. Dowd	A.A. Harrington	Rev. Mark E. Madden	Kathrine Sullivan
Rev. R. Bodish	James Dowling	Augustus Hemenway	Abner Morse	Mary Sullivan
Henry F. Buswell	Charles N. Draper	Francis T. Hill	Elijah A. Morse	Harold W. Tate, D.M.D.
Samuel Cabot	James L. Draper	Thomas J. Hill	Thomas D. Mullin	Edward L. Underwood
Elwin A. Capen	Joseph P. Draper	Chester Horton	Cornelius X. O'Brien	Joseph W. Wattles
John P. Chase	Edward T. Duffy	D.T.V. Huntoon	Joseph W. Revere	Frank G. Webster
H. Helm Clayton	Charles Endicott	Rev. Henry Jenks	Mary E. Reynolds	Eugene Williams
Lee Winslow Court	Charles K. Endicott	James E. Kennedy	Hope H. Richardson	Roger Williams
Rev. John R. Dallinger	Frederick Endicott	Arthur C. Kollock	John B. Robinson	John D. Wilson, D.M.D.
Joseph Danahy	Rev. John J. Farrell	William H. Little	Joseph F. Ronayne
Kathleen Davenport	Matthew H. Galligan	Thomas Lonergan	Thomas D. Sheehan
James A. Dockray	John C. Gerald	Dean S. Luce, M.D.	Willis S. Sheppard

Responsibilities

• The role and purpose of the public library
• Library services and resources available
• Local government - structure, people and operation
• Information needs and interests of the community
• How to work effectively in a group
• The role of state and regional library development agencies
• National library trends, standards and developments

• Every board meeting and committee meetings
• Other library oriented regional and local meetings and workshops

• Policies of the Library
• Future growth and priorities of the Library
• Active community awareness programs
• Orientation for new board members

• Library Director and Staff
• The Community and citizens you represent
• Local, state and federal legislation for library development

• To articulate your library's needs
• To seek funding
• To promote your library
• To develop good personal relations with local and state representatives
• To make yourself, your board and your library visible in the community

• The library board acts only as a whole
• The library board must authorize you to act in behalf of the library
• To delegate responsibility for the operation of the library to the Director

Qualifications

Effective trustees are citizens who have:

• Readiness to learn about the library in addition to the duties, responsibilities and authority of trusteeship
• Recognition of the importance of the library as a center of information, culture, recreation and life-long learning
• Willingness to learn about areas of library service that includes standards, trends and new developments
• Rapport with the community, including a concerned awareness of diverse social and economic conditions, needs, and interests of all segments of the public
• An active interest in the community, government, business, education, finance, law or related fields
• Initiative and ability to plan creatively, to establish policies for effective operation of the library, and to withstand pressures and prejudices when providing impartial service to library users
• Skill in board management, an open mind, intellectual curiosity, respect for the opinions of others and the ability to work cooperatively with others
• Sound judgment, a sense of fiscal responsibility, legal understanding and political awareness
• Verbal and written communication skills, the ability to relate to the public and the availability to represent the library at public functions and meetings
• Willingness to participate with local, state or national library leaders to improve library service on all levels

Election and Appointment

Members of the Canton Public Library Board of Trustees are elected at municipal elections for a three-year term.

If a vacancy occurs prior to the expiration of a trustee's term, a new member may be nominated and elected by a composite vote of the Board of Trustees and Board of Selectmen to complete the unexpired term.