Letters

LETTER: Library Employees Back Interim Director for Top Job

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This letter in support of Caitlin Browne as Library Director was written collaboratively and signed by over 30 staff members of the Watertown Free Public Library, across all departments of the library and including all department heads. It was read by library staff members at the Board of Library Trustees meeting on April 19, 2022. To our Board of Library Trustees:

As staff members of the Watertown Free Public Library, we would like to express our thanks for this opportunity to make our voices heard. We understand that the public forum is an avenue for commenting on “library business,” which we feel very much includes this director selection process. We appreciate the work of the screening committee that has narrowed the candidates to the current field.

Around Town

Watertown City Hall, Senior Center & Library Closings This Weekend

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Charlie BreitroseWatertown City Hall

Hours at some of Watertown’s municipal buildings will be impacted by Good Friday, Easter and Patriots Day. The City of Watertown sent out an announcement saying that City Hall and the Senior Center will close at 1 p.m. on April 15 in observance of Good Friday. Both buildings will be closed on Monday, April 18 for Patriots Day. The Watertown Free Public Library will be closed on Sunday, April 17 for Easter, and on Monday, April 18 for Patriots Day.

Around Town

Finalists Named in Watertown Library Director Search, Public Interviews Scheduled

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Watertown Free Public LibraryThe Watertown Free Public Library. The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Library:

The Board of Trustees of the Watertown Free Public Library (WFPL) began searching for a new library director earlier this year, following the retirement of Leone Cole, who had served in that role for 27 years. The Trustees initiated this search in January with the help of Bernard Lynch of Community Paradigm Associates. After receiving 15 applications, the Preliminary Screening Committee selected five candidates to interview last month. That pool was then narrowed down to three finalists who were recommended to the Trustees.

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Semifinalists Interviewed by Library Director Search Committee

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Watertown Free Public LibraryThe Watertown Free Public Library. The semifinalists for the Watertown library director were interviewed last week and finalists will be chosen by the Preliminary Screening Committee. The job posting closed on March 18, and 15 people submitted applications, said Leanne Hammonds, chair of the Board of Library Trustees. “We reviewed the applications in an executive session and narrowed down to five candidates,” Hammonds said. “At this point in the process, the candidates are not public knowledge and our interviews this week will be in executive session.

Around Town

Hatch Maker Space: YardArt Extended, April Workshops

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The following information was provided by Hatch Makerspace:

Hatch Makerspace is located at 20 Summer Street in Watertown, MA. An extension of the Watertown Free Public Library, we are a free public workshop with space, equipment, and materials available for your use. YardArt

YardArt is a citywide exhibit of whimsy and ingenuity on our front yards, open to anyone living or working in Watertown. Follow the map on foot, bike or car to view the installations: https://www.google.com/maps/d/embed?mid=1aAqn1TWJgVQqFAGvRdv4jx0aZwyoBUWS&ehbc=2E312F

Latecomer? No problem! There is still time to register to get a yard sign and appear on the YardArt 2022 map.

Around Town

Share Your Photos and Stories With as Part of the Watertown Library’s Local History Project

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The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Library:

The Watertown Free Public Library’s Local History Collection includes photographs and artifacts dating back to the city’s founding, but there is a problem — there exists very little record of what happened in Watertown during your lifetime. That’s why the Watertown Free Public Library (WFPL) is embarking on a mission to collect stories and images from Watertown’s recent history, from 1950 to the present day, to preserve them in the Local History Collection. “When people in the future try to figure out what happened in Watertown in the 1980s, 90s, or recently, what will they find?” asks Local History Librarian Caroline Littlewood. “That’s up to us. We are experts on our own experiences, and our own personal histories.

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Watertown Library Now Offering Pickup from Lockers 24/7

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Watertown LibraryWatertown Library staff show off the new lockers available to patrons. They can be accessed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The Watertown Library provided the following announcement:

Lockers at the Library? That’s right. The Watertown Free Public Library (WFPL) is launching a new outdoor pickup option which will make it easier for anyone to pick up materials twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.

Entertainment

Watertown Library Has Host of Activities Inspired by “One Book”

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The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Free Public Library:

In January, the Watertown Free Public Library announced Braiding Sweetgrass, as it’s pick for One Book, One Watertown 2022. Now, the Library is drawing on author Robin Wall Kimmerer’s themes of environmental stewardship and Indigenous wisdom to deliver a full month of workshops, artwork, and music — all designed to complement the book and bring the community together. You are invited! And don’t worry, you don’t have to read Braiding Sweetgrass to participate. (Though it is highly encouraged!) Whether you want to want to radically rethink your relationship to the land, green your energy footprint, or share Indigenous history with your kids – there are so many ways to participate in One Book, One Watertown this year.