Library Trustees elect O'Reilly as Chair, appoint subcommittees for year ahead
Library Trustees, Board of · Meeting of February 24, 2026
Beverly Library Trustees reorganize leadership and chart course through budget constraints. The board unanimously elected Kevin O'Reilly as Chair and Joanne Panunzio as Secretary, then appointed four standing subcommittees including an eight-member Long Range Planning committee. Director Allison Babin reported that the city has imposed a discretionary spending freeze for FY26; materials needed for state certification can continue.
The bookmobile remains offline pending $19,000 replacement of a garage door, budgeted as a capital request, while an aging vehicle nearing 15 years will need replacement funded by state aid. A Massachusetts Broadband Institute grant is funding 10 hotspots, translation devices, and a study pod reservation system that has already generated 147 patron bookings.
In the full story:
- The complete report — 499 words
Source: the Library Trustees, Board of meeting of February 24, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
Keep reading with a 14-day free trial
Subscribe to Beverly News to keep reading this post and get 14 days of free access to the full post archives.
A subscription gets you:
- Subscriber-only posts and full archive
- Post comments and join the community
- 24x7 access to local news