After 150 Years, Library Association Holds Final Annual Meeting

Above, a historic final annual meeting of the Franklin Library Association Tuesday night, from the left, Nancy Rappa, Beth Mucciarone, Greg Dellorco, Ed Padden, Shirley Borruso, Scott Nolan (toward the back), Joan McGuire (foreground), and farthest to the right, Armand Fernandez. Member Maryjane Whitton, was unable to attend.

For such a historic occasion, it was a quiet one, but there may just have been a few ghosts of the town’s 19th century library lovers stirring around the library Tuesday night.

The occasion was the final annual meeting of the historic Franklin Library Association, begun way back in 1858 and incorporated 150 years ago, in 1872.

As is well Known, the Franklin Public library got its start with a gift of books from Benjamin Franklin and the momentous vote of the townspeople to make any of the books available to any resident of the town without charge.

But things didn’t advance much from there. Reverend Nathaneal Emmons, who doubled as town librarian, added some books to the collection, but after his death, by the 1850s, the collection was neglected and its care not well defined.

It took an anonymous letter (though most in town probably suspected who the author was) in a Boston newspaper to call attention to the matter and convince several interested citizens to band together to form a library association, which immediately began to improve things.

Then, in 1872, the Association formally incorporated under the laws of the Commonwealth, with the words: Be it known that Henry M. Greene, Joseph G. Ray, Alpheus A. Russegue, A.E. Daniels, D. Thayer Jr., F.B. Ray, E.E. Baker, and James M. Freeman have associated themselves with the intention of forming a corporation under the name Franklin Library Association...

Tuesday’s meeting was in the same spirit. The current Association Board, particularly Treasurer Armand Fernandez and President Scott Nolan, were credited for prudently switching the organizations endowment out of high-risk investments just before the market collapse of 2008. Starting with about $250,000 at that time, the FLA fund grew and the board disbursed some $525,000 since that time. They will close out their work, with another $75,000 or more in donations, as they sunset at year end.

Last night’s meeting reviewed proposals to continue the library preservation and restoration work that has been the focus of the association in recent years, funding restoration of the famous murals that have deteriorated significantly in the roughly 120 years since they were put in place.

Funds were also allotted to print a history of the association and the library that has been in the works for several years.

The members are expected to meet one more time, in January, to tidy up final paperwork and financial matters.