https://www.facebook.com/102029011219065/

Friends of the Douglas Library, Hebron, CT (2026)

12/20/2024

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1c3X9kDBR2tDsDp-FuOhLHDxEJ4xFBohL?usp=drive_link

12/18/2024

Friends to Distribute Remaining Funds to Local Charities

The Friends of Douglas Library deeply appreciate all of the very generous support from the town community given to us over the decades of our existence, whether in the form of book donations, time volunteered, or friendly conversation at our book sales. We are so grateful for the kindness this community has shown us. It is with this bittersweet gratitude that we must announce that the Friends have formally dissolved as of October 31, 2024. We worked very hard for many years to raise funds for our organization, and now we are fortunate to be in the position that we can give back to our local community with our remaining funds.

The Friends are unable to give these funds to the Douglas Library for several reasons. These include questionable 501(c)(3) status, lack of documented experience or financial responsibility, and control by the town of Hebron, a non-501(c)(3) organization. Following our state Certificate of Incorporation and our bylaws, the Friends could only consider giving to 501(c)(3) charitable organizations. Any contributions the Friends might have considered for the Douglas Library or Association would be in conflict with our Certificate of Incorporation filed with the state of Connecticut. We love the town library, and truly value what it has meant for our community, but we are unable to include the Library or Association as a part of our Distribution of Assets.
Following state law and our bylaws, the Friends Executive Board recommended a Plan of Distribution of Assets to local charitable organizations, which was presented to the full Friends membership at a Special Meeting on December 16, 2024.
We are pleased to announce that Plan was duly voted on and approved, and the remaining assets of the Friends will be distributed as follows:

· Hebron Interfaith Human Services (HIHS - Food Pantry) - $40,000
· Hebron Historical Society (HHS) - $ 8,500
· Coalition on Diversity and Equity (CoDE) - $ 3,000
· Hebron Paths and Trails Foundation, Inc. (Trails) - $ 8,500

After a period of three years following the approval of this Plan, any remaining assets
will be distributed proportionately to the above organizations, should they still exist at
that time.
Thank you again for your support.

08/09/2024

Please see our pinned post for explanation.

08/09/2024

Summary of Timeline Leading to Friends Dissolution
See supporting documentation details at
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1UT2vbV2KKwBrFokfTIA6MErbxbB7X2J2?usp=sharing
Library personnel ignored the Friends’ program policy guidelines, leading the Friends to vote to address this with the Library Director and request prior approval of programs costing more than $400, acknowledgement for the Friends’ support and matching funds for the town for the upcoming fiscal year 2024-25.
Drusilla Carter, new library director, filed a complaint with the Department of Consumer Protection, using her personal email, and requesting her name be redacted. This action resulted in a “cease and desist” order, threatening civil and criminal penalties, sent to the Friends because, upon incorporation in 2004, were not properly advised that we needed a solicitation license to ask for book donations. This license was granted by DCP within two hours of opening the next business day after it was filed.
The Friends immediately cleared all their sales shelves of many heavy boxes of books.
The Library Director lied to a member of the Friends, denying responsibility for the complaint.
When the Library Director found out a Freedom of Information request was in progress, the Trustees were given a false excuse why the complaint was filed. She claimed to have searched the library to no avail for the Friends’ bylaws (located in the Friends room’s cabinet), and then inquired to DCP for them. DCP does not keep copies of corporate bylaws.
The Chairperson of the Library Trustees, Pat Ayars, asked the Library Director to send a letter to the Friends, but the letter was never sent, and not mentioned again by the Trustees again until July despite repeated inquiries by the Friends as to its fate. The Friends discovered many months later that Andy Teirney blocked sending this letter.
Four members of the Friends met on March 6 with Andy Tierney and Donna Lanza. Tierney states that “The library really hasn’t been my thing,” a dispiriting thought for volunteers.
Tierney promises to have another meeting, with the Friends and Library Director. No other meeting was ever held, despite being scheduled for March 25, April 8, and August 1. These meetings were all cancelled by town management. The Friends are left to wonder whether these meetings were ever requested with actual intent to meet since they had never even been given any terms.
Ongoing hostility of library management and harassment continued (e.g., opening bank statement, property thrown out, zero communication or hostile tones).
Andy Tierney and Board of Selectmen’s Peter Kasper management repeatedly state the town will require the Friends to sign MOA /MOU (contracts known as a Memorandum of Agreement or Understanding), seeking to make the Friends a library support group under the IRS code, and subject to town control of their money and speech. At the same time, Tierney claims to the State Library on 7/9 that “Never was it my intention or understanding that these (MOU’s) were
mandatory or could have some sort of repercussions if not entered.”
The Library Director falsely claimed at a Trustees meeting that the library will lose state funding if there is not a MOA/MOU.
The Friends vote to remain an independent charity, but ask the town representatives repeatedly what they want of the Friends, only to receive no response.
Despite the ongoing issues, the Friends vote to fully fund the annual Library “wishlist.”
Carter returns $13,768 to the town from her budget despite asking the Friends for materials funds.
Tierney gives the Friends an ultimatum by the Tierney regarding the memorandum – sign the formal document, which had not even been drawn up by the town, or leave.
The Friends bring the issue to Board of Selectmen.
The Friends are given an ultimatum by Board of Selectmen Chair Peter Kasper three times – sign the formal document (not drawn up) or leave.
The Friends receive a 7/25 email from a Freedom of Information request between Trustees Chairperson Pat Ayars and the Town Manager planning to seize control of all of the Friends’ funds, while at the same time claiming to try to set up a meeting. Ayars’ claim to the Friends funds (a “tidy sum” in her words) is in direct conflict with her email on 7/8 to the state that “Because the Friends are a voluntary group, the Town and the Library have no direct control over their activities. Their efforts are completely voluntary. The Friends cannot be forced to enter into a memorandum of understanding, to contribute funds or support programs, or even to present the Library in a positive light. Despite their anxieties, the Library cannot seize the money of the Friends. If the Friends dissolve as a charitable Section 501(c)(3) organization, under IRS regulations, must go to another Section 501(c)(3) organization. The Douglas Library is a municipal agency and is not a Section 501(c)(3) organization. If the Friends decide to limit or cease funding for the Library, it is the decision of the Friends.”
Facing such harassment and threats, the Friends vote to dissolve.

08/09/2024

Friends of Douglas Library Dissolving

It is with great sadness that the Friends of Douglas Library of Hebron announce that we are no longer accepting book donations and will be dissolving our longstanding and beloved organization.

Hebron Town Manager Andy Tierney and Board of Selectman Chair Peter Kasper insist the Friends sign an agreement with the town. This document would require that the Friends change its by-laws and submit control over the Friends money and speech to the town. Our group has been an independent 501(c)(3) organization for more than twenty years and never during this time did our group need a signed contract with the town. Since the Friends have not complied, we have lost our book storage and sorting space in the basement.

Hebron town management and new library director Drusilla Carter have created an environment that we volunteers have found uninviting and at times hostile. As a group the Friends have attempted numerous times to meet with the affected parties to clear pathways for better communication. No meeting has occurred since March even though we had given meeting several dates and times for meetings that were later cancelled by the town.

As a group of devoted volunteers, we continued to work hard to put together March and June book sales. Our volunteers continued to work believing that we could work out a plan for continuation; however, the discord between the town and the Friends only increased through rude and threatening emails. Unfortunately the disrespectful treatment of the Friends has led to a toxic environment.

In these past seven months, we have continued to volunteer many, many hours, while town management continued to not just ignore our concerns (Tierney told some of our group “the library really hasn’t been my thing”), but to frequently misrepresent facts. Their attempts to conceal the hostile actions of the new library director, and to gain control of our independent organization by requiring us to sign an exclusive binding contract, are simply unacceptable. The disrespectful treatment of our group, and shameful attempts to blame us for their own misdeeds, have produced a toxic environment in which we are simply unable to volunteer. We have sought the advice of several other Friends groups as well as the Connecticut State Library, which confirmed that signing a formal document is not, nor has it ever been a requirement in Connecticut.

This has been a difficult decision because it prevents us from doing what we have loved to do for many years. Countless hours went into volunteering. We sorted books, drove to local stores to get boxes, set up and hosted book sales, made holiday gift baskets, and filled the shelves of the library itself with items for sale as well as many, many “freebie books”. All of this took teamwork and coordination, and we were proud to do it. We treasured what we did, because we knew it made a difference in our community.

We are proud to have donated over $173,000 to the library in just the last ten years, and regret that we are no longer able to do so. We thank everyone who has generously donated everything that we have sorted and put out for display at bargain prices. We will greatly miss the positive energy in our book sales, as we appreciated the joy that patrons of all ages have found while browsing. To all of the kids who are just learning to read or how to count by quarters, the many teachers looking to collect materials for their classrooms, the senior citizen patrons delighted to find large print books, and all of the other book lovers, we have truly appreciated your attendance and support at our sales over the years.

Thank you,
Board of Directors, Friends of Douglas Library