Board of Trustees

About

The Board of Library Trustees is a group of nine Bridgewater citizens who are elected individually in the annual town election for three-year terms. The Board is one of three elected town Boards and each Trustee is a representative of the Bridgewater citizens, collectively. The Board volunteers to provide oversight and advisement to the Bridgewater Public Library and Library Director in the pursuit of their mission to educate, inform, enrich, and inspire.

The Board is active in supporting Library and Town events and outreach, in providing recommendations on Town Charter and other policies that govern the Library, and in advocating for resources to support the Library as it supports our community. Public attendance at the Trustees' meetings is both welcome and encouraged.

A Statement from the Bridgewater Public Library Board of Trustees

Statement on Freedom to Read

Images from the Fall 2023 Library Book Sale

Trustee Tidbits

Danielle Oliari

“I’ve always imagined that paradise will be a kind of library.”

– Jorge Luis Borges

The magic of the library is that it can be a paradise for each of us. So much more than a collection of words on pages neatly lining shelves, a library, our library, is a place to come and discover yourself. While I could wax poetical about our collection, carefully curated to include not only the classics, but topical content, to our programming, or our Library of Things, or our access to museum tickets or the fact that you can come in just to use the internet, one thing our library does is create a space for our young people come and discover themselves.

You might find them in the Children’s Room looking for their favorite book or playing on the rug as the sun pours in from the wall of windows. They are with their caregivers at Story Hour or perhaps working on a craft or, if the weather is warm, perhaps enjoying programming outside checking out the DeLorean or the Ecto-1. They are in programs, drumming, creating, reading, moving, learning about a world so much bigger than the one just outside their doorstep. You might find them in our teen space on the first floor, reading, talking amongst each other, finishing
one of the ‘in progress’ drawings you might find on the table. Perhaps they are in a class on Anime or Sketching with Shane. They may have checked out the Nintendo Switch from the Library of Things. You might catch a group that meets at the library to do homework and talk about whatever is on their mind
in a space that allows them the liberty to do so.

So, when you visit our library and notice the young people, let it make you smile. They are using our
library for its most important purpose, to be a kind of paradise. A welcoming place where one can come
to learn, to grow, to share ideas, and find their own peace in a world where peace is a rare commodity.

Board Members

	Constance Franciosi BA Ohio Wesleyan University, MA Ohio State University, MAR Yale Divinity School, EdD Boston College Retired Special Education Department Head with Brockton Public Schools When not at the library: I like to travel the country and world vicariously through the magic of amateur radio.

	Danielle Oliari BA Boston College, MAT Boston College, MA New York University COO, Prinicipal CNT at CNT DEP, Director Little Brick Schoolhouse When not at the library: I enjoy (almost) anything with my family, reading, and dancing.

	Janet Dye BA Michigan State University, MS Northern Illinois University Retired teacher of children with Learning Differences, current tutor of elementary aged children, mother and grandmother. When not at the library: I can be found reading, gardening, quilting, enjoying physical activity, and volunteering for my community and church.

	Jennifer Anderson BA UMASS Lowell, MA Endicott College Special Education Teacher for Brockton Public Schools When not at the library: I like to go hiking and exploring new places with my son.

	Joan Carson BA UMASS Amherst, M. Ed. Fitchburg State University Retired Kindergarten Teacher When not at the library: I enjoy reading, knitting, sewing, traveling, fitness classes, and most of all, time with my children and grandchildren.

	Matthew Gerritsen BA University of Connecticut, Juris Doctor Suffolk University Attorney When not at the library: I can be found watching soccer games, loiter over coffee, and work on our old house.

	Nancy Donnelly BS Psychology M.A.T. BSU Semi-retired piano teacher When not at the library: I can be found playing as a church musician, literacy tutoring, choral singing, and playing piano for a group of singers at the Raynham Senior Center.

	Nancy Sarno BS Ed BSU, Graduate work at BSU and UMASS Boston Retired physical education teacher When not at the library: Retirement has meant more time for reading, gardening, traveling, community service and the grandchildren.

	Stacey DeCotis BA Ed Stonehill College, MA Special Education Lesley University Middle School English Teacher When not at the library: I am spending time with my family, especially outdoors, volunteering for community events, and writing.