Essex County residents can now watch the decisions behind their local library system from wherever they are.
The Essex County Library has launched live streaming of its monthly board meetings and will also archive recordings on its website, giving residents greater access to the discussions that shape library services across the county.
The new initiative debuted during Wednesday night’s board meeting.
Archived recordings will remain available on the library’s website, allowing residents to watch meetings whenever it’s convenient.
Joe Bachetti, deputy warden for the County of Essex and chair of the Essex County Library Board, says the goal is to make it easier for residents to stay informed.
“We’re really happy to be able to provide this new initiative to improve public access. So now the library for the Essex County Library Board and all the branches, we’re able to allow the public to look at our meeting livestreams. So this is important. The links will be provided on the website and we’ll give that opportunity.”
He says this will remove barriers for those with busy schedules and gives people a better understanding of how decisions are made from the comfort of their homes.
“A lot of great information taking place in all our library branches... the numbers, the circulations are up. And so that is a place where you actually can get all the substance information to be able to bring forward that transparency and accountability that we sit on being a board member.”
Bachetti says the videos will also help showcase the wide range of topics discussed by the board.
“Things from budget items, the programming, the monthly circulations, the books that have been taken out and also the challenges that we face in our aging facilities whether it be recurring HVAC or upgrades to air conditioning... those are brought forward to the board and again, any new initiative, circulation of books that need to be purchased, we get presentations on that.”
The Essex County Library Board typically meets on the last Wednesday of each month, with meetings resuming in September following its August summer break.
Residents can find livestream links, archived recordings, meeting agendas and reports on the Essex County Library website.
The county is still waiting to hear whether the Essex-Windsor Solid Waste Authority and the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit will also move forward with livestreaming their meetings.