Abrupt Cornwall library firing creates stir in town

CORNWALL — Amelia “Amy” de Neergaard, longtime children’s librarian at the Cornwall Library, was abruptly fired June 20. The circumstances have left her and supportive community members reeling. A petition was circulated asking for a public explanation from the library’s board of directors, as well as an apology to de Neergaard. Some of the library’s regular volunteers said they were prepared to boycott.De Neergaard and many community members were left wondering why the stated reason of time management issues — weighed against 14 years of what many consider innovative programs and an impressive collection amassed during her tenure — should result in her dismissal.Then there was the way in which de Neergaard said library Director Amy Cady handled the matter.In a June 29 letter to the board of directors, reviewed by de Neergaard’s attorney, De Neergaard described arriving at work that Wednesday morning and being given one hour to clean out her desk. When she attempted to access personal files on her computer (de Neergaard said she sometimes works after hours on her own time) she said Cady gave her five minutes to get out.“Not only were no credible reasons given, but also my termination was harshly and coldly executed in a way more applicable to criminal behavior in a large corporation,” she wrote. “That the board would condone and encourage this action in our small rural library, I find completely out of touch with its expressed desire for being the center of the community.”When contacted last week, Cady said the law prohibited her from saying anything beyond stating an employee’s position, years of employment and most recent salary. She said no one on the board would be able to comment either.Cady did say that the job has not yet been posted, and that the library will seek to fill a dual position, with a staffing reorganization.De Neergaard described the working environment at Cornwall Library as “relaxed, amiable and cooperative.” She was allowed to be independently creative. She found her firing an “abrupt contradiction” of that. She said her evaluations were always very positive, with the time-management issue raised as a suggestion for improvement. “I came in a few minutes late maybe three times,” she said, “and I almost always stayed beyond closing time.”Not clear who decidedAccording to de Neergaard, Cady handles interviews and recommends prospective employees to the board for a vote. She does not know what role the board or its personnel committee may have played in her termination. A written explanation of why she was being terminated, signed only by Cady, was given to her before she left June 20.De Neergaard emailed her letter to board members at 5:15 p.m. on the afternoon of June 29, at about the same time she heard available members were meeting, and others might be joining in by phone. She does not know if they had her letter in hand at that meeting.Through Cady and by an email sent from The Lakeville Journal, board members were invited to publically comment by the end of the weekend. There were no responses.De Neergaard said her job was incredibly meaningful to her, and she would like it back, but she doesn’t know how she would be able to go back. She decided to at least prompt the board for more explanation. She has not had a performance review, which historically occurred between May 15 and June 15, in four years.“If there were some goals or objectives I was not meeting, I was not aware of them,” she said. “I have always met my deadlines.”To the board she wrote, “When asked to create a program, it has been produced on time. Performance should be judged on the success of these programs and collections and the response of the patrons we serve. I have received no explicit ‘warnings’ in memos or evaluations in recent years.”Prentice starts petitionAmong her supporters is artist and longtime Cornwall resident Tim Prentice, who said he would circulate a petition at the Saturday farm market and at the opening reception of his art installation at the library Saturday evening.“It’s an outrage,” he said, adding that, “It’s not the crime, it’s the cover-up.”He sent an email to board President Barton Jones, who was away on vacation. The week before, at a cocktail party following the garden tour to benefit the library, Jones spoke of the majority of the budget coming from community supporters. “Until a full explanation is made to the public, a dark cloud will hang over the library that will affect its place in the community and its ability to seek financial support,” Prentice wrote.He described Jones’ response as “tone-deaf.”Prentice was amassing letters to the board that he said contained some surprisingly strong wording considering some of the sources. All had high praise for de Neergaard’s work and expressed shock and anger over the situation.Among the writers were Ellen Moon, a longtime volunteer; Phyllis Nauts, a former board member and co-founder of the Friends of the Cornwall Library; and Ginny Potter, the former librarian and a current volunteer.‘Does not add up’Potter said she hired de Neergaard and worked closely with her for five years, including through the design of and move into the new building. She described a very productive and enjoyable working partnership, and said she appreciated what de Neergaard’s artistic eye brought to the library.Like many others, she says something just does not add up. “I know all the board members very well, and they are a very able and conscientious group of people. However they may have been involved in the decision, I think they could not have known it was going to happen in this way.”In her letter, de Neergaard wrote, “Why the Personnel Committee did not choose to seek a mutual resolution and did not bring these concerns to my attention in a more respectful and helpful way — to benefit and not harm both parties — is beyond me.”She concluded by asking for a satisfactory explanation.