by Brian Keaney

Library Director Pat Lambert has received mix reviews from the Library Trustees in her annual evaluation.  Lambert took exception with the evaluation itself, saying she was being reviewed on things that were not part of her job description.

Lambert received an average score of 3.23 on a scale of one to five; however, the scores were not uniformly distributed.  Trustee Joe D’Amico and former Trustee Joe Craven gave Lambert average scores of 4.57 and 4.14, respectively.  Trustee Ed Fitzhenry gave an average of 3.35, which does not include scores in a number of areas he felt he did not have enough information on, and Trustee Jonathan Reinhart gave an average score of 2.94.

Trustee Bob Desmond gave uniformly low scores to Lambert, however, with an average of 1.17.  Of the 35 areas in which Lambert was graded, Desmond gave her ones in 31 of them.  Without Desmond’s scores, Lambert’s average would have been 3.75.

Desmond gave Lambert threes for encouraging staff to remain aware of technological advances, and for maintaining the building and grounds.  Twice he awarded her a two, once for making policy recommendations and once for cost effective and innovative methods of service delivery.

Library staff members, who Lambert was quick to point out were not put up to it, took issue with Desmond’s scores.  Amber Socci questioned Desmond on several items, including the score of one he awarded Lambert for emphasizing equal opportunity hiring practices. 

Desmond said his low score on this item was a result of a Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination complaint filed against the Library by Sam Celata.  Celata filed an age discrimination complaint after he was not hired for a position. 

Socci also asked Desmond to justify his score on implementing Board decisions on a timely basis.  Desmond said he was upset that two vacant positions were not posted before the town-wide hiring freeze went into place, even after the Board had instructed her to do so.  Lambert said that she did not want to hire someone only to lay them off several months later.

Lambert also commented on the evaluation itself, saying that it was unfair to grade her on many items since they were not part of her job description.  She also noted that she could not evaluate any of her employees on items not in their job descriptions.  The evaluation was a condensed version of a sample published by the American Association of Library Trustees.

Lambert took particular issue to Reinhart’s low score for a second year on being available to the public and visible to large segments of the community.  Reinhart said he wished to see her at more events outside the library such as the James Joyce Ramble, and promised to inform her in advance of them in the future. 

Saying she was “hired to run an organization,” Lambert, who lives on the South Shore, questioned whether she belonged at events such as the Ramble.  She told Reinhart that “you need to reread what your role as a Trustee is, and what my role as a Director is.”

Lambert also noted that this was the first time she had been evaluated in more than a year and a half, despite a clause in her last contract requiring it to be completed yearly.  Lambert has been working with an expired contract since last spring.  If the Trustees ever decide not to renew her contract they must give her one year notice.

Ed. note: Socci and I are friends.