Shutesbury Library Trustees add insurance rule, fund librarian's Chicago award trip

SHUTESBURY — April 27, 2026 — Shutesbury Library Trustees narrowly approved a liability insurance requirement for private meeting room rentals and unanimously funded their librarian's trip to accept a national award. The board voted 2-1 on April 27 to insert language drafted by Town Counsel requiring individuals and organizations renting the meeting room for private events to carry their own liability coverage, after research found one-day event policies running between $175 and $350. One trustee voted no, saying the requirement undermines the library's accessibility goals, and the board agreed to revisit the question at full membership. Separately, trustees voted unanimously to release up to $1,200 from the library's expendable trust — which holds approximately $27,000 — to cover registration and travel costs for librarian Marianne to attend the 2026 American Library Association annual conference in Chicago, where she will receive the Lemony Snicket Prize for librarians who have faced adversity with dignity. Marianne also reported that library circulation has risen 75 percent since the building opened, from roughly 6,000 checkouts to 10,500 in comparable periods, and that 79 new library cards have been issued compared to 21 the prior year.