Audit Puts Library Director Under Suspicion

At the Guernsey Library in Norwich, NY, Library Director Melanie Battoe is going to have to answer for $15,000 in questionable purchases for meals, groceries and gifts.

According to an audit released yesterday by state Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli, the director authorized and processed transactions with little or no oversight by the board, resulting in numerous questionable expenditures, including more than $2,100 on travel, more than $1,500 on restaurants, more than $3,000 on food and beverages, nearly $800 on gifts, more than $2,300 on other unsupported purchases from online book vendors, discount stores and grocery stores, and $2,500 to a vendor for a theatrical performance.