Newbury Library Board Begins Director Search After June 4 Resignation Deadline

NEWBURY — May 6, 2026 — Newbury Library Board moves to fill director vacancy opening June 4. The Library Board of Trustees held a special meeting May 6 with two of its three members — Chair Alexander Burke and Trustee Terry Luthorst — to launch a search for a new director after the current director's resignation, effective June 4. The board plans to post the position internally at Town Hall for five business days before advertising through the Merrimack Valley Library Consortium and Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners network, with external posting possible as early as May 14. Established town pay range for the position runs from $31.11 to $48.22 per hour — a ceiling of roughly $87,760 annually — but the board said it cannot afford the top of that range and discussed advertising at $76,000 to $78,000, noting that all 10 peer communities surveyed pay their directors $80,000 or above. The posting will read "salary negotiable, dependent on qualifications and experience." A second special meeting is planned for May 13 at 11 a.m., and the full board is expected to convene May 20 to formally constitute a search committee.