Michael A. Burstein

On one Sunday afternoon in September, the board on which I serve held a retreat. It took a while to organize; we’re a 12-member board, and although we are all generally committed to our monthly meetings—not to mention outside time spent working on various committees, attending library programs we sponsor, or showing up at town budget meetings to advocate for the library—it’s difficult to find time when all of us are free.

November's presidential election led to a surprising result for many. Even among those who voted for the current president-elect, a lot of people did not actually expect him to prevail over a former senator and secretary of state. And almost immediately, everyone from regular people to media pundits were chiming in on what the election will mean for the country.

Last year, our library director brought a futurist to meet with the Board of Trustees to help us better understand the future of the library. I vividly remember the first point in his presentation: the vast majority of services the library will provide will stay the same. One question he didn’t address was our future as trustees. It never occurred to any of us to ask. After all, someone has to set policies, advocate for the library and budget, hire the director, and be responsible to the public. However, just as libraries themselves will undergo significant changes, so will boards.