Williamstown Resident Appointed to State Library Board

Print Story | Email Story
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Timothy Cherubini of Williamstown has been appointed by Governor Maura Healey to serve on the nine-member Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC). 
 
Cherubini brings over 3 decades of experience in libraries and non-profits to the MBLC, including work in academic libraries, regional and national library networks and consortia, as well as library centered associations and coalitions.
    
"Libraries are well situated to bring a broad, unique vantage point to many different issues and opportunities in our communities and institutions," said Cherubini. "I am honored to serve as a Commissioner and will work to maintain and strengthen libraries across the Commonwealth and support them in meeting their full potential as the valuable and vital infrastructure that they are."
 
Currently Cherubini is the Vice Chair on the Board of Directors for the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts Foundation, and recently served as a library trustee at the David and Joyce Milne Public Library and on the State Advisory Council on Libraries to the MBLC. He is also an executive advisor to the non-profit organization EveryLibrary Institute, where he focuses on identifying and engaging with organizations and coalitions to ensure sound policy and continued public support for libraries
nationwide.
 
Commissioner Cherubini began his career as an academic librarian serving in various positions at Duke University, Emory University and Ohio State University. He then moved on to work for over a decade as the Senior Director of Engagement and Programming at LYRASIS, a non-profit consortium committed to the success of libraries and cultural heritage organizations. In 2014 he was appointed as the first Executive Director of the Chief Officers of State Library Agencies (COSLA), an independent organization of the top library directors, officers and commissioners across the United States tasked with statewide library development and initiatives. Cherubini also formerly served on the Board of Directors for the Massachusetts Center for the Book.
 
Cherubini holds a Master of Library Science and Master of Music from Indiana University, and a certificate in Academic Library Leadership from the Harvard University Graduate School of Education. He is a member of the Massachusetts Library Association, New England Library Association, American Library Association, and the American Society of Association Executives. 
 
The MBLC was established in 1890 and is responsible for library services across the Commonwealth including Federal Library Services and Technology grants, State Aid to Public Libraries grants, the Massachusetts Public Library Construction Program, as well as regional library services and online statewide resources.

Tags: appointments,   library,   

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Williamstown Housing Trust Agrees to Continue Emergency Mortgage, Rental Programs

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The board of the town's Affordable Housing Trust at its December meeting voted to extend its mortgage and rental assistance programs and discussed bringing in some consultants early next year before embarking on any new programs.
 
Chair Daniel Gura informed the board that its agreements with Pittsfield's Hearthway Inc., to administer the Williamstown Emergency Rental Assistance Program and Williamstown Emergency Mortgage Assistance Program was expiring at the end of the year.
 
Gura sought and obtained a vote of the board to extend the programs, born during the COVID-19 pandemic, through the end of January 2026, at which time the board plans to sign a new long-term agreement.
 
"In 2024, we distributed $80,000," through the programs known as WERAP and WEMAP, Gura said. "This year, to date, we gave $16,000, and Ihere's $17,000 left. … It's a little interesting we saw a dropoff from 2024 to 2025, although I think there were obvious reasons for that in terms of where we are in the world."
 
Gura suggested that the board might want to increase the funding to the programs, which benefit income-qualified town residents.
 
"If you look at the broader economic picture in this country, there's a prospect of more people needing help, not fewer people," Thomas Sheldon said in agreeing with Gura. "I think the need will bump up again."
 
The board voted to add an additional $13,000 to the amount available to applicants screened by Hearthway with the possibility of raising that funding if a spike in demand is seen.
 
View Full Story

More Williamstown Stories