On February 6, 2012, Mullett Township Board’s self-appointed Topinabee Library Board, consisting of Mullett Township Supervisor Willard Morgan, Mullett Township Treasurer Karen Morgan, Mullett Township Clerk Rachel Osborn, Mullett Township Trustee Dennis Dombroski, Mullett Township Trustee John Brown, and one member of the public, Mr Warren Meyer; held their first meeting of 2012.
This blog coordinator was the only person in attendance not on the Mullett Township payroll. A question or comment from the floor was stifled by Mullett Township Clerk Rachel Osborn as an interruption to her meeting and she brashly stated the public comment period was over. It apparently ended before the meeting began.
Mullett Township Clerk Rachel Osborn’s failed last year to perform her statutory duty to purchase the library automation software chosen by a majority vote of the Board because it was not her favored choice. Her favorite from last year, the Michigan Evergreen Consortium, has apparently been unable to secure sufficient clients or further grants to assure a viable business plan and/or any guarantee of future pricing stability. Her favorite is now off the table.
Mullett Township Clerk Rachel Osborn finally conceded there is little need at the present time for a library automation system that is fully compliant with the Michigan Electronic Library (MEL).
Mullett Township Clerk Rachel Osborn then presented proposals to the Board from two software vendors, both out of state, who were never considered last year. Both proposals cost and annual licensing fees were a fraction of the cost of Evergreen, The Board chose the cheapest at a cost of slightly over $1300 and an annual licensing fee of $300. This approval is subject to a preview or review of the software by the Library Staff who had not been privy to Mullett Township Clerk Rachel Osborn’s selection process.
The Library staff requested the Board formally appoint a Library Director. The Topinabee Library has operated for over a year without a Director. The Board voted to recommend the appointment of Patty King as Library Director to the Mullett Township Board. It’s all the same people, but sitting on a different night.
Both library staff members expressed concern, one stating “that their jaws dropped to the floor” when told by Mullett Township Clerk Rachel Osborn that she had spent the entire $4,000 book/periodical budget for 2011. Mullett Township Clerk Rachel Osborn never involved or advised the staff what books or periodicals she was purchasing.
For all of 2011, the library staff provided Mullett Township Clerk Rachel Osborn their list of “wanted” books, many being children, youth, and young adult titles with that need fully supported by the Library’s high youth circulation numbers. Mullett Township Clerk Rachel Osborn stated she then took the Library staff book selections, added “two or three” of her “contemporary American history” books, solely her own selections with no oversight by the Library staff, and purchased what she wanted from Amazon.
Mullett Township Clerk Rachel Osborn, operating contrary to Michigan’s Library Laws that require all library book purchases be made by a library staff member, used her own criteria to select what she euphemistically calls “contemporary American history” or “later American history”. Mullett Township Clerk Rachel Osborn’s “contemporary” or “later American history” would be indentified by most people as largely right-wing political rhetoric, commentaries, and biographies. Mullett Township Clerk Rachel Osborn stated she chose “writers that I know are very-very good. “
Mullett Township Clerk Rachel Osborn, drawing from her own admissions and the public statements of Library staff at this meeting, regularly used “her” Mullett Township issued bank card to order the books she personally chose for the library collection from Amazon. She stated she was unable to print out a receipt showing the cost of these books paid for by taxpayers. She also had them delivered directly to her own personal residence, further avoiding any third party oversight by the Library staff.
Should the taxpayers of Mullett Township be privy to all of Mullett Township Clerk Rachel Osborn’s book purchases made on their dime? Has the $4,000 in book purchases for fiscal year 2011 paid by taxpayers been fully vetted? What are the titles, authors, and cost? Who are these “very-very good writers” of “contemporary American history”? Were all of the books truly destined for the Topinabee Library? Are some still residing on a bookshelf or nightstand in Mullett Township Clerk Rachel Osborn’s own residence?
We’ll we have to wait to see what the answers are. Or, will Mullett Township Clerk Rachel Osborn make a free and public disclosure, providing the Topinabee Library and Mullett Township taxpayers with a full disclosure of where the Library book funds, our tax dollars, were spent.
UPDATE: At the Special Meeting held on February 13, 2012, Mullett Township Clerk Rachel Osborn provided the Topinabee Library Director with a printed record of the books she had purchased during the past fiscal year and had delivered to her residence before delivering to the Topinabee Library.
THE LIBRARY PRIVACY ACT (EXCERPT)
Act 455 of 1982
397.605 Selection and use of library materials.
Sec. 5.
(1) Except as otherwise provided by statute or by a regulation adopted by the governing body of the library, the selection of library materials for inclusion in a library's collection shall be determined only by an employee of the library.
(2) Except as otherwise provided by law or by a regulation adopted by the governing body of the library, the use of library materials shall be determined only by an employee of the library.
UPDATE: At the Special Meeting held on February 13, 2012, Mullett Township Clerk Rachel Osborn provided the Topinabee Library Director with a printed record of the books she had purchased during the past fiscal year and had delivered to her residence before delivering to the Topinabee Library.
Act 455 of 1982
397.605 Selection and use of library materials.
Sec. 5.
(1) Except as otherwise provided by statute or by a regulation adopted by the governing body of the library, the selection of library materials for inclusion in a library's collection shall be determined only by an employee of the library.
(2) Except as otherwise provided by law or by a regulation adopted by the governing body of the library, the use of library materials shall be determined only by an employee of the library.
A complete digital audio recording of the public meeting, in MP3 format, is available upon request.
