By Vivian Conan, Librarian, Bronxville Public Library

May 10, 2017:  The Bronxville Public Library Board of Trustees recently bid farewell to three board members after six years of dedicated service to the library: Sarah Underhill, who served as board president and spearheaded many successful projects, including development of the library's website and its recent furniture restoration project; Joe Peddy, who, as chair of the facilities committee, oversaw upkeep of our beautiful library building and grounds; and Mary Macintosh, who provided invaluable guidance as a member of the personnel committee.

In their place, the board welcomed three new members:

Pippa Colvin has been a Bronxville resident for twelve years. Before that, she lived in New York City, and before that, London, where she worked as an editor of science, art, and architecture books before switching to Dorling Kindersley (DK), publisher of visual children's books. An amateur cellist and a member of the Friends of the Bronxville Public Library (FOBPL) board for the past six years, she was in charge of music programming at the library, arranging many wonderful concerts.

Catherine Bird moved to Bronxville thirteen years ago from New Canaan, when her husband became rector of Christ Church. As an architect, she was immediately impressed with the library. "It was clear to me that in Bronxville, people were incredibly proud of the building itself and its stewardship," she said. She brings her past experience with facilities management at General Theological Seminary and Christ Church to the library, which she praises as being "well-purposed and well-used."

Katy Barrett came to Bronxville via Washington, D.C., Boston, New York City, and Mount Vernon. Passionate about books, she had a long career in publishing, including fifteen years with Random House as vice president of publicity, working on the Vintage and Knopf imprints. During her stint on the board of the FOBPL, she arranged for numerous author talks at the library. After serving as chair of the Reformed Church of Bronxville Nursery School and on the board of the Bereavement Center, Katy and her family recently spent four years away from the village while living in London. 

According to the Handbook for Library Trustees of New York State (http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/libdev/trustees/handbook/handbook.pdf), "Trustees must make policy, personnel and fiscal decisions crucial to a positive direction for the library." The Bronxville Library's trustees have been doing that since 1906, when the library received its charter from the New York State Board of Regents. The first board consisted of five members, one of whom was Amie Dusenberry, whose portrait hangs on the first floor of the library near the copy machine.

Bronxville's current trustees are:

Sarah Normand, President
Susan Finch Moore, Vice President
Pippa Colvin, Secretary
Ruth Walter, Treasurer
Darcy Kaye
Julia Ann Murphy
Peter Thorp
Catherine Bird
Katy Barrett

Library board meetings, which are held at 7:00 pm monthly except in August, are open to the public. Minutes are posted on the library's website (http://bronxvillelibrary.org/us-2/#who). The schedule of board meetings for the coming year is:

May 11, 2017
June 8, 2017
July 13, 2017
September 14, 2017
October 12, 2017
November 16, 2017
December 14, 2017
January 11, 2018
February 8, 2018
March 8, 2018
April 12, 2018 (Annual Meeting)

Pictured here:  Bronxville Public Library.

Photo by A. Warner