Snow Library trustees begin AI guidelines process, approve April minutes 6-0

ORLEANS -- May 5, 2026, Snow Library trustees open AI guidelines debate and receive strong Friends financial report. The Snow Library Board of Trustees voted 6-0 Tuesday to approve the April 7 minutes and heard Library Director Tavi Prugno describe an April 24 Massachusetts Library System workshop that exposed a deep split among librarians over AI adoption. Prugno said an outside programmer's unsolicited proposal to teach patrons to compose orchestral music using AI, without any musical training, prompted the library's interest in formal guidelines. Trustee Bill Powers, who has an AI background from MIT, will convene an initial working session with Prugno to draft a framework; the board agreed "guidelines" is a more appropriate starting point than a formal policy given how quickly the field is changing. Friends Representative Linda Wander reported net income of approximately $79,400 for July 2025 through March 2026, roughly $17,000 ahead of the prior year, with approximately $2.5 million invested at Cape Cod 5. Snow Library also received $15,898.85 in total FY26 state aid from the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.