Library Board of Trustees

By City Clerk at 1:00 pm, Sep 15, 2022 Amesbury Library Board of Trustees Preservation Subcommittee Meeting Minutes Date/Time/Location: Friday, Aug 12, 2022 / 12:07pm / Amesbury Public Library Attendees: Gail Browne, Laurie Cameron, Delia Rinaldi, and Meghan Fahey (APL Archivist) and Aimie Westphal (APL Director) I. Deaccessions – • The Archivist Meghan proposed to the committee to deaccession the E Howard and Co. Custom Regulator Wall Clock as per the enclosed memo dated 8/12/2022. Discussion was had including that the clock has no documentation of where this gift originated, the clock falls outside of our collecting scope, it does not depict a local scene, and repair and maintenance is costly and needs to be provided by a specialist (DPW will not provide service). The subcommittee is recommending approval of the deaccession of the clock to the full board for discussion at the 8/17/2022 meeting. • Discussion was also had regarding the funds earned from the deaccession of the clock which should go directly to a special collections care and acquisition fund. This account does not currently exist and the subcommittee recommends that the board create such an account. The Director Aimie will investigate and report back on how a new fund can be setup with the city to be accessible for this purpose. II. Other – The library front door mechanism is broken and unusable, we are unclear on how this happened and whether it was intentional or not. Meghan and Aimie showed the committee the damage and will be following up to get it repaired and usable again. III. Adjourn 12:29pm Proposed Deaccession Amesbury Public Library Preservation Committee August 12, 2022 E. Howard Co Custom Regulator Wall Clock Circa 1900 The Preservation Committee of the Amesbury Public Library recommends the de-accession and sale of the E Howard and Co. Custom regulator wall clock. This object falls outside of our collecting scope. The requirements for display and care of a clock of this size are prohibitive for the library staff. All proceeds from the sale of this clock will go directly to special collections care and acquisition fund. E. Howard Watch and Clock company based out of Boston on Washington Street. They purportedly installed the face of the “Town Clock” in 1926. Howard was a popular watch maker and local shops sold their products. Documentation of this gift is non-extant.