At the recent annual meeting of the Providence Public Library, Mary B. Olenn, outgoing chair of the board of trustees, reviewed the actions the trustees have taken over the past year to redefine the PPL’s relationship with its patrons and the city.
Olenn thanked the trustees for what she called their courageous, thoughtful efforts during her term and spoke of the difficulty of embracing change, even when change is absolutely necessary.
“During these past months, we’ve challenged ourselves and the status quo,” she said, “and in doing so, made decisions to honor the priceless legacy of our forebears and the past, to serve the community in the present, and to position PPL to best move into the future as the robust institution essential to the vibrant life of the Rhode Island community for generations to come.
“In addition,” Olenn said, “our work through this past year’s strategic planning process has helped the City of Providence come to grips with the dilemma of how to best meet the demands for providing modern municipal library service in the face of limited tax dollars. Resolving these important issues is an ongoing process.”
Dale Thompson, the library director, emphasized the PPL’s commitment to its learning communities, to providing quality services despite ongoing challenges, and to balancing the preservation of the past with new services and new technology. “Maintaining the Library’s core mission of providing access to information and opportunities for learning to all continued to be a high priority during the year,” she said.
In her report, Thompson pointed to the library’s ongoing pursuit of community partnerships and other opportunities to expand service, and its completion of a strategic planning process, adding: “We also made significant progress in discussions with the City of Providence as to how municipal library services could be a vital part of the City’s long-term planning.”
The meeting Oct. 20 at the PPL’s Central Library, 150 Empire St., also featured the election of officers.
The board of trustees’ new chair is Providence resident Lisa Churchill, a trustee since 2002 and the board’s vice chair since 2004. Also elected were: Vice Chair William S. Simmons of Providence; Secretary James Vincent of Cranston; Assistant Secretary Robert K. Taylor of Providence; and Treasurer James Nagle of Providence.
“I can think of no more appropriate person than Lisa Churchville to steer the ship on the next leg of our journey,” Olenn said in passing the gavel. The president and general manager of NBC10 WJAR, Churchill joined the PPL Corporation in 1997 and has served on the PPL’s Comprehensive Campaign Committee and the recently formed PPL Foundation. She also serves on the boards of the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce, Women & Infants’ Hospital, and the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra.
Churchville, in turn recognized Olenn’s tireless work and thanked the entire board for its outstanding service during the ongoing funding crisis. “We are already into the second quarter of a transitional year,” she said. “It will be another challenging year…we know that there is no returning to ‘business as usual.’ We know that change is necessary….that the old model does not make sense into the 21st Century.
“A private, not-for-profit board cannot make decisions on how or where to spend taxpayer dollars,” Churchville added. “That authority does and must reside with the City.” But, she said, “I am optimistic that the history of tension between the City and PPL can be resolved, and that the ongoing discussions will result in solutions that will be beneficial to the communities we serve.”
Commenting on the PPL’s services, she added: “Even while we seek new and innovative service opportunities, we remain committed to the wide range of services we currently deliver through a free, central library; a statewide reference resource center; numerous literacy programs, including a multitude during after-school hours; computer literacy and education; book and author programs; and the Center for the Book … including the Reading Across Rhode Island project.”
Also at the meeting, the library announced the addition of one new member to the board of trustees member and four new members to the PPL Corporation.
Joining the trustees is Robert K. Taylor of Providence, a partner in Partridge Snow and Hahn, who has been active on the PPL Corporation since 2002 and also serves on the PPL Human Resources Committee. A 1983 graduate of Yale, and a 1988 graduate of Georgetown University Law Center, Taylor is also president of the Yale Association of Rhode Island.
The new PPL Corporation members include: Timothy Bigelow, director of human resources at Butler Hospital; Mark Cataudella, technical services and project manager, ARAMARK-Higher Education Facility Services; Elizabeth Debs, special projects consultant, Housing Network of Rhode Island; and Linda S. Lulli, associate vice president for human resources, Bryant University.
