Shutesbury Library Trustees Approve Holiday Closings and Expanded Kayak Access

SHUTESBURY -- May 18, 2026, Shutesbury Library Trustees unanimously approved two new policies at their May 18 meeting, establishing permanent holiday closings and expanding the library's kayak loan program. On a five-to-zero roll-call vote, trustees agreed the library will close the day after Thanksgiving and the day after Christmas each year, formalizing a practice that had been applied inconsistently and bringing the library in line with neighboring institutions. In a separate unanimous vote, trustees approved an amended kayak policy that extends borrowing privileges to holders of CWMARS regional library network cards and to out-of-town guests of Shutesbury residents, a provision that had existed before the COVID-19 pandemic but was absent from the current written policy. Library Director Marianne told the board the kayaks will not launch until at least June 24 because a dam repair has drawn down the adjacent lake, leaving mud flats at the water's edge. The director also presented a wide-ranging punch-list report on the new building's first winter, covering failed bird-deterrent window film covered under warranty, an HVAC system that does not hold programmed settings, incomplete lighting controls in multiple rooms, and a new informal snow removal agreement under which she will manage winter clearing directly and process spending through the highway department's deficit-capable budget line.