Altamont Library Notes for Wednesday, January 12, 2022
Next week, the Altamont Free Library will have a bit of turnover on its board of trustees, as one important member of the board leaves and two new members join us.
The AFL Board of Trustees is a group of dedicated volunteers who generously give their time, energy, knowledge, and creativity to craft policies and provide oversight of the library’s operation. As a small library with a small budget and a small staff, we rely on our trustees more than larger libraries do.
A recent instance of how much we rely on our trustees is a good example: A few weeks ago on a Friday evening, Paul Scilipoti helped with the reading of the names of our honorees at our annual Library Lights gazebo-lighting ceremony. The next day, Paul built and installed a new set of stairs down to the library’s basement.
He took Sunday off from library service, but on Monday, he spent about an hour preparing a deposit, and then later that day participated in a meeting of our Finance Committee. This was an exceptionally busy four days for any of our trustees, but all of those tasks needed to be done, and we needed trustees to do them.
Next week, board President Dan Capuano will chair his last meeting for us. Dan has been president since 2019 and has led the board through some of the most difficult times that the library has faced in its 105 years of existence.
Despite the difficult decisions the board had to make about closing the library for longer than it had ever been closed before, and how we would keep our staff and patrons safe when we reopened, Dan has been a wise and steady leader throughout.
This was Dan’s second turn as board president. And, in his first term, he helped steer the library through the long and difficult process of renovating the Altamont train station.
Either Dan or his wife, Christine, have been board members for the better part of two decades, a demonstration of commitment and service that is simply astonishing. We here at the library and the entire Altamont community owe Dan and Christine our profound thanks for all that they have done for us. Thank you, Capuano Family!
We are very pleased to welcome first-time trustee Tracy Mayer to the board, as well as returning trustee Christine Carpenter. Tracy and Christine join a crackerjack squad of seasoned trustees who join us from not only the village, but also from the broader Altamont community and the town of Knox as well.
In addition to our new members, our board consists of incoming board President Deborah Marion-Katz; Vice President Shannon Duerr; Treasurer Melanie Shatynski; Secretary Rachel Lane; and trustees Katie Barker, Amanda Beedle, Katherine Nelson, and Paul Scilipoti.
We all owe them a debt of gratitude for all that they do for our library and our community. Thank you trustees!
The annual meeting of the AFL Board of Trustees will take place on Monday, Jan. 17, at 6:30 p.m., to be immediately followed by the regular January board meeting. Both meetings will be held virtually via Zoom, due to the ongoing pandemic.
The public is welcome to attend. For connection details, please contact me at 518-861-7239 or by email at .
Story time
on pause
In sadder news, given the recent increase in the spread of new COVID strains, we have decided to put a pause on in-person story times at the Altamont Reformed Church for the time being. We will continue to review public health conditions over the coming weeks, and will be very happy to bring them back as soon as we safely can.
In the meantime, please get vaccinated if you are able; get a booster if you haven’t yet; keep wearing those masks; and keep making safe, healthy choices to help stop the spread.