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Trustees debate collection-bin and book-donation rules, propose tighter criteria
Summary
Trustees reviewed a draft charitable-collections policy after problems with frequent and bulk donations; they proposed limiting donations to two boxes/bags at a time, requiring staff inspection for large drops, clearer signage about monetary donations, and placing the policy in a separate manual section. The Friends' fall book sale was set for Nov. 2.
At their Aug. 12, 2024 meeting, the Blackstone Board of Library Trustees spent substantial time revising a draft charitable-collections (collection bins) and book-donation policy after staff reported repeated large, unusable donations.
Trustees discussed specific edits: remove board naming from policy language, make the library director or designee the discretionary approver for collection periods, require clear and visible signage on bins, and allow flexibility for collection frequency at staff discretion. Several trustees recommended limiting unsolicited donations to two bags or two boxes at a time and asked that large donations be scheduled with the Friends' leadership so staff can inspect items before acceptance. The director noted cameras have reduced outside-dumping and that the friends' storage space is limited.
Board members also asked for clarification on monetary donations: staff should redirect donors to the receiving organization rather than handle checks on the library's behalf. Trustees asked the director to post a simple online request form (e.g., Google Doc) and to return a cleaned-up policy for approval at the next meeting. The Friends fall book sale was confirmed for Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024.
The board's next administrative steps are to finalize donation criteria, publish guidance on the website for large donations, and coordinate logistics with the Friends for storage and pickup.
