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Board May Hire Firm: Library Marketing

The library operating budget this year is $289,000, a 25 percent cut from the previous year. Library trustees say they heard from those attending a meeting between Wong and union representatives in March that Wong planned to cut the library further. "There's some really positive things going on in town," says marketing company president.

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Wan Ahmad Fadir
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74 views2 pages

Board May Hire Firm: Library Marketing

The library operating budget this year is $289,000, a 25 percent cut from the previous year. Library trustees say they heard from those attending a meeting between Wong and union representatives in March that Wong planned to cut the library further. "There's some really positive things going on in town," says marketing company president.

Uploaded by

Wan Ahmad Fadir
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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30 of 999 DOCUMENTS Sentinel & Enterprise (Fitchburg, Massachusetts) April 8, 2010 Thursday

Library board may hire marketing firm


BYLINE: Sentinel & Enterprise SECTION: NEWS; Local LENGTH: 618 words By Emily Devlin [email protected] FITCHBURG -- The Fitchburg Public Library Board of Trustees on Wednesday discussed the possibility of hiring marketing professionals to bolster the operating budget, but decided to hold off on a decision until discussing the prospect with Mayor Lisa Wong next week. "The mayor has a large control over our future, and we want to make sure we're all on the same page," said Robert O'Connell, the board's chairman. He directed his comments to Fern Nissim, president of Round Pond Group LLC, a Shrewsbury marketing company. Nissim was joined by Debra Page Mooney, development specialist for Round Pond, in presenting a proposal for marketing and fundraising to help the library continue running -- amid fears that Wong won't fund the library in fiscal 2011. Nissim recognized that the library, which now runs only three days a week with seven employees, is in a difficult situation, but she offered marketing and fundraising prospects. "There's some really positive things going on in town," Nissim said. "I know it might be hard to see from where you're sitting right now." The library operating budget this year is $289,000, a 25 percent cut from the previous year. Library trustees said they heard from those attending a meeting between Wong and union representatives in March that Wong planned to cut the library further. Wong has denied that she discussed closing the library, but O'Connell said he still takes the information seriously. He called an emergency meeting March 25 to discuss the news, and said the library cannot continue operating next year if there are more cuts. Mooney said the prospect of closing the library could get the attention of the community and serve as a rallying cry. "Yes, the economy is tough, and yes, things are bad, but there's still money to be raised, especially for something as precious as a library," Mooney said. Nissim briefly went over the marketing strategy she and Mooney would employee in their first several weeks on the job, if they are hired. Focus groups, surveys, and looking at ways to use library programs to reach people who frequent the library would help

Page 2 Library board may hire marketing firm Sentinel & Enterprise (Fitchburg, Massachusetts) April 8, 2010 Thursday her reach a good "cross-section" of the community for input on how to proceed over the next six months. At the same time, Mooney said she will review past library fundraisers and supporters, and build on that. "We simply have to ask," Mooney said. "Many people will give, and that will snowball." The two talked about similar work they continue to do for the Shrewsbury Public Library, which was also up for cuts last year. Mooney said they were able to get enough people to talk at public meetings about how important the library is, and selectmen reconsidered. Though all library trustees present Wednesday said they favored the idea of hiring Nissim and Mooney, and paying them $2,900 a month using money from the library trust fund, Trustee Joseph Addante cautioned other members against moving forward without Wong, saying that she may be offended if she's not consulted. "I can understand why she'd shut down on you. I'm talking from a human-nature standpoint," Addante said. Other members seemed to want to get moving on the hire, saying they had waited too long already. Ultimately, they voted to wait until the April 14 meeting. Wong did not return phone calls for comment by press time Wednesday, but trustees said she assured them she'll attend. Nissim mentioned during the meeting that she worked with Wong in the past on the Riverfront Park project, and that she's chatted with her about the possibility of working for the library. The Library Board of Trustees will meet next Wednesday at 4:15 p.m. in the Fitchburg Public Library Ethnic Heritage Room. LOAD-DATE: April 8, 2010 LANGUAGE: ENGLISH GRAPHIC: PUBLICATION-TYPE: Newspaper Copyright 2010 MediaNews Group, Inc. and Mid-States Newspapers, Inc. All Rights Reserved

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