North Adams Library Names DiLego as Assistant Director

Kim DiLego

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Longtime Youth Services Librarian Kim DiLego rose to the top of a field of candidates and will be named to replace Robin Martin in a combined position of assistant director/reference librarian for the North Adams Public Library.

The selection committee, including Harris Elder and Hulda Jowett from the Board of Trustees and Mindy Hackner and Carole Perras from the library staff, sifted through 22 submissions and interviewed six strong candidates. Although each of the candidates brought something valuable to consider, DiLego was the unanimous choice based on her 20 years of experience at the library, her familiarity with library procedures, and the depth of her local history knowledge.  

“When you have someone with her skills and abilities, it’s almost a foregone conclusion that she is first choice,” said Hackner.

Cost, Access to NBCTC High Among Concerns North Berkshire Residents

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
06:15PM / Thursday, April 25, 2024

Adams Select Chair Christine Hoyt, NBCTC Executive Director David Fabiano and William Solomon, the attorney representing the four communities, talk after the session. 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Public access channels should be supported and made more available to the public — and not be subject to a charge.

 

More than three dozen community members in-person and online attended the public hearing  Wednesday on public access and service from Spectrum/Charter Communications. The session at City Hall was held for residents in Adams, Cheshire, Clarksburg and North Adams to express their concerns to Spectrum ahead of another 10-year contract that starts in October.

 

Listening via Zoom but not speaking was Jennifer Young, director state government affairs at Charter.

 

One speaker after another conveyed how critical local access television is to the community and emphasized the need for affordable and reliable services, particularly for vulnerable populations like the elderly. 

 

"I don't know if everybody else feels the same way but they have a monopoly," said Clarksburg resident David Emery. "They control everything we do because there's nobody else to go to. You're stuck with with them."

 

Public access television, like the 30-year-old Northern Berkshire Community Television, is funded by cable television companies through franchise fees, member fees, grants and contributions.

 

Spectrum is the only cable provider in the region and while residents can shift to satellite providers or streaming, Northern Berkshire Community Television is not available on those alternatives and they may not be easy for some to navigate. For instance, the Spectrum app is available on smart televisions but it doesn't include PEG, the public, educational and governmental channels provided by NBCTC.