Library Trustees & Alternates

The Governing Body of the Library

The Trustees meet the third Tuesday of each month at 5:30 PM at the Library.
Meetings are always open to the public.
Any cancellations will be posted on the Library's calendar.

Interested in becoming a Trustee? Have a question for the Board?
Contact Board Chair, Susan Gaudiello at trustees@barringtonlibrary.com
View Trustee Bylaws: Click Here

Susan Young Gaudiello - Trustee Chair
Term Ends - 2023
Susan is a native of New Hampshire, having grown up in Madbury and moved to Barrington in 1967. Her father’s ancestors settled in Barrington in the late 1700s. After living elsewhere in New England after college, she and her husband Tony moved back to Barrington in 1991. Susan previously served on the BPL trustee board from 2001-12, and on the Barrington Selectboard from 2011-17. She has been an active member of the Friends of the BPL since 2000. In addition, she is a board member of Cornerstone VNA where she is serving a second term as board chair. Susan retired in 2011 after a long career in non-profit health and human services. She holds Masters in Education and MBA degrees from UNH.
In addition to reading, Susan enjoys kayaking, snowshoeing, traveling, baking and nurturing the many perennials she has purchased at the Friends Annual Plant sale over the years.

Leigh Elliott - Trustee Vice Chair
Term Ends - 2025
Leigh is a lifelong Seacoast New Hampshire resident and has resided in Barrington since 2009. Leigh has served on the Library Board of Trustees since 2014 beginning as an Alternate and then board Secretary for 3 years, Vice Chair and now as Chair. Leigh works full time helping to educate people on the importance of having Long Term Care insurance. Leigh also serves on the Barrington Library Foundation Board and is actively involved in the campaign to raise funding and support for a new library.
Leigh enjoys spending time with her family and loves to knit and bake bread. She is also a member of the Barrington Community Garden. Leigh believes that the library is the beating heart of every town. Leigh believes that the library is much more than books: it’s a place to learn that serves everyone no matter class or creed and is a place to connect with friends and members of the community.

Susan Frankel - Trustee Treasurer
Term Ends - 2024
Susan has lived in Barrington since 1981. For nearly 25 years she worked as research consultant evaluating formal and informal educationally-related programs. Susan has an advanced degree in Sociology. Her interests include supporting the library as it continues to provide access to high quality information, foster community connections, and meet the needs of community members of all ages.

Karolina Bodner - Trustee Secretary
Term Ends - 2023
Karolina grew up in Manchester, NH in a Polish family. She has lived in Barrington for many years, and was a teacher in Somersworth for over thirty years. She was one of the founders of the International Children’s Festival in Somersworth.

Robert Drew - Trustee
Term Ends - 2025
Robert's family moved back to Barrington when he was a baby and he attended all 8 years of elementary school in the now-closed old school/town office building. A few months after graduating from Spaulding High, he enlisted in the US Army for three years. After a 2 year break he re-enlisted and retired after a 21 year career. While on active duty he completed an AS and BS degree in Business. After retirement from the Army he completed his Master's degree. He then started a second career as a self employed insurance broker. After spending 14 years living in Utah where he stills owns a home, he returned to Barrington to help care for his parents and to be closer to his 4 children and now 5 grandchildren. He has always been an avid reader and collector of books and does not believe that technology will totally replace libraries or independent book stores. One of his hobbies is collecting and researching US and world paper money and the financial documents relating to the funding of the Civil War and World War II.

Picture of Lydia Lydia Cupp - Trustee
Term Ends - 2024
Lydia Cupp has been a resident in Barrington NH for over 25 years. She is employed by the Oyster River Cooperative School District as a special education teacher. She has been actively involved in the library since moving to Barrington. Her first involvement was getting a library card and having her 3 children involved in the various programs at the library. She then became a member of the Friends of the Library and eventually became an officer. Lydia has held the office of recording secretary, vice president, and president of the group. Lydia’s interests include gardening (she is also a Barrington Bloomer), travel, reading, church activities, and spending time with her family. She has a great affection for the Barrington Library.

Karen Towne - Trustee
Term Ends - 2024
Karen is a NH native who moved to Barrington in 2012 with her husband of 46 years. They designed and built a solar, energy efficient retirement home on Ayers Lake. Karen has two adult children. She earned a BS in Nursing from UNH and worked for 40 years as a labor and delivery nurse, educator, and clinical leader in the Obstetric setting. She has volunteered for schools, Dover Adult Learning, Eye Care Clinics in Nicaragua and the Peace Corps.
Since moving to Barrington, Karen has volunteered for End 68 Hours of Hunger, served as a member of the Community Library Leadership Team and now as a Board Member of the Barrington Library Foundation. Through this work she has experienced the Barrington community’s spirit and generosity.
Karen is an avid reader, creative fiction writer, hiker, kayaker, gardener, world traveler and enthusiastic grandparent to four grandchildren. She values the services the Barrington Library and its staff bring to citizens of all ages.
As a trustee, Karen will work to ensure that classes, lectures and multiple services continue to meet the town’s demands. Karen has pledged to the new Barrington Library and Community Center as a legacy gift and voted in favor of the building.

Picture of Melanie Melanie Haley - Trustee Alternate
Term Ends - 2023
Melanie grew up in Berwick, ME and has lived in Barrington for many years. As a child, she always loved the frequent visits her family made to the library, which always resulted in a huge stack of books to be brought home and enjoyed. Now, Melanie enjoys doing the same thing with her own school-aged children at the Barrington Public Library.
When she is not reading on her Kindle or listening to an audiobook, Melanie enjoys cooking, gardening, running, and travel.
Melanie is also very active on Goodreads – check out her Bookshelves at https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/36129977-melanie-haley

Library Trustee Meeting Minutes

Past minutes can be viewed at the Library upon request at the circulation desk. They are housed in the Library Director's office and staff will be happy to get the binders for you. They must be reviewed in-house and copies may be made as needed for $0.10 per page. Click the links below for the full documents in PDF format.
You can get the most current PDF Reader Here.

Minutes:

January 17th, 2023

December 20th, 2022

December 1st, 2022 Special Meeting

November 15th, 2022

October 18th, 2022

September 20th, 2022

September 13th, 2022 Special Meeting

September 6th, 2022 Special Meeting

August 16th, 2022

August 2nd, 2022 Special Meeting

July 19th 2022