MIDDLEBORO — The Middleboro Public Library officially cut ties with the Friends of the Middleboro Public Library on Aug. 14, ending a decades-long partnership after months of disagreement over the Friends’ recently revised mission.

The Friends nonprofit, founded in 1986, was originally created to “encourage and promote the enrichment and use of the resources and facilities of the Middleboro Public Library system through programming and fundraising.”

But after leadership changes last fall, the group adopted a broader mission and terminated its operating agreement with the library.

Middleboro town attorney Gregg Corbo said the new language gives the Friends a “very wide purpose.”

While it still allows the group to fund library programs through donations, it also permits support for “educational and cultural programs for adults, teens and children,” and partnerships with other organizations outside the library “to benefit the community at large.”

As a result, Corbo said, the Friends are no longer obligated to give the library any funding at all.

In meetings earlier this year, the Library Board of Trustees discussed renegotiating an operating agreement with the Friends but chose to suspend negotiations in March.

Last Thursday’s vote by the trustees cemented the end of the partnership and came with a list of actions to see it through.

First among those actions is a cease-and-desist letter demanding the Friends stop using the Middleboro Public Library name.

At the meeting, Corbo voiced concerns shared by board members and members of the public that donors may not understand their contributions could be used for “a completely different purpose” if the Friends retain the library name.

The donation link to the Friends website has also been removed from the library website. Those wishing to donate to the library can now contribute directly by following the website instructions . 

The trustees also agreed to file a formal complaint with the attorney general’s office concerning the Friends’ changes to its mission and bylaws, and “its alleged misuse of funds donated for the purposes of supporting the library.”

“The attorney general has the right to regulate public charities and to ensure that money donated to a public charity is used for its intended purposes and to prevent breaches of the public trust,” Corbo said.

The Friends also operate a bookstore in the basement of the library, called Ex Libris. Earnings from the store contribute to the Friends’ mission. The trustees authorized Library Director Randy Gagné to close the store within 30 days.

Trustees Chair James Okolita said “it is not our intent to keep it closed permanently,” and considered suggestions from the public that the store reopen under the library’s jurisdiction.

Meeting attendees also raised concerns about the Peirce and School Street parking lot, which is owned by the Friends but provides extra parking to library patrons. Some worried that, following the vote, the Friends may restrict access to the lot.

Corbo said the attorney general’s review of the trustees’ complaint would include matters such as property holdings. But, “until we’re told otherwise, they are an independent organization that is allowed to hold property.”

In a public statement, the Friends’ board of directors, headed by President Paula Fay, said: “This vote punishes the community and undermines years of collaboration.”

In the statement, the directors said the library has refused “nearly $10,000” in funds since November 2024 because library officials are “unwilling” to complete three steps required for tax purposes.

“Despite our repeated requests to meet with them, [the Board of Library Trustees] has avoided discussions while falsely accusing us of fraud,” the directors wrote.

In their own public statement, the trustees wrote: “Town officials attempted to communicate with the Friends about the matter … Unfortunately, all attempts to communicate with the Friends about this matter were unsuccessful.”