Hey, there! Log in / Register
Boston Public Library trustees vote to kill four branches
By adamg on Fri, 04/09/2010 - 10:36am
Library trustees voted this morning to close branch libraries in Brighton's Oak Square, East Boston's Orient Heights, South Boston and Dorchester Lower Mills. City councilors Felix Arroyo, John Tobin and Ayanna Pressley, meanwhile, vowed to block any efforts to shut the branches.
"Today is not the end," Arroyo said.
Trustees unanimously rejected plans to shut either seven branches or keep all branches open but slash service hours at most locations in their effort to close a budget hole of more than $3 million.
They also rejected an amendment by Trustee Paul LaCamera to keep Orient Heights open. LaCamera argued the BPL's treatment of East Boston has been "shameful," pointing to that "tiny antiquated obsolete wonderful little place, separated by two to three miles of geography from another antiquated branch library on Meridian (Street)." Trustee James Carroll said there were equally good cases to be made in favor of the other three branches.
Trustees voted 5-0 to shut the branches; LaCamera abstained because of Orient Heights. In addition to closing branches, the trustees will submit a budget to the city that calls for the elimination of 90 jobs - most at the central library in Copley Square. The action now shifts to the mayor's office and the city council, which will decide the final city budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1.
Trustees then voted to make building a brand-new library for East Boston to replace the current Maverick and Orient Heights branches their top capital project.
In addition to Arroyo, state Rep. Linda Dorcena-Forry said Boston legislators are fighting to gain funding for the library. But LaCamara said he now has little hope of new funding because most of Boston's elected officials stayed away from the meeting. Meanwhile, trustee Chairman Jeffrey Rudman refused to commit to re-open branches should BPL get additional money, promising only to have trustees re-convene to figure out how to spend any new money. He noted that in addition to cutting branches and 25 positions, trustees also decided to slash 69 jobs at the central branch.
Neighborhoods:
Free tagging:
Ad:
Support Universal Hub
Help keep Universal Hub going. If you like what we're up to and want to help out, please consider a (completely non-deductible) contribution.
Comments
The Real Sheet
Besides The Real Sheet newsletter of the BPLPSA Boston Public Library Professional Staff Association http://www.worldcat.org/title/real-sheet/oclc/4122... and the series General Administrative Notices of Boston Public Library http://www.worldcat.org/title/communications-to-th... what other grey literature http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey_literature are there around our BPL whether official or unofficial, whether from our BPL itself or from others concerned about our BPL ?... How can we get our library to make more available its own public archives of itself as a civic institution for those of us interested in reading the materials and studying the organizational culture of our Boston Public Library?...
Mayor, BPL President. & BPL Trustees stab patrons in the back
gutless trustees. library closing mayor.
The TRUSTEES who are accountable to the interests of the BPL voted 5-0 to CLOSE BRANCHES. The should have insisted on level funding and voted 6-0 against closing any branch.
There's no reason Ryan can't terminate employees that are not needed without a vote. If she had full funding, and if she and the trustees stuck together and drew support for their position from the thousands of Bostonians who are against this budget, they could save all their branches.
city level funding
It was reported at the 4/7 Trustees meeting at the BPL that the city has level funded the library's materials budget. But I agree that the Trustees should still have voted 6-0 against closing any branch.
screwing one constituency and blaming fiscal crisis
The branches they chose to close are areas of the city that needs them most.
Oak Square - used to be heroin capital of (West) Boston (no doubt Southie had it beat.) The neighborhood has experienced a resurgence and new life. Oak Square branch is the 7th in use of 26 branches. The other Brighton branch will be fully renovated shortly.
Mattapan - It shameful to close this library. And with no plans to ever re-open or build a new branch. I wonder what the BRA will do with it...sell it for a $1 to a friend of Menino.
South Boston - former speaker Bulger spoke about books, reading and education. What's the deal here?
East Boston - "Trustees then voted to make building a brand-new library for East Boston to replace the current Maverick and Orient Heights branches their top capital project." So instead of spending what it costs to run Orient Heights, they're going to spend $20,000,000 building a brand new library. Does anyone have an opinion about whether that's money well spent?
Mattapan? South Boston?
The Mattapan library is brand new and is NOT being closed.
Also, the main South Boston branch is not being closed -- the smaller Washington Village branch is.
Thanks
I should have said Dorchester Lower Mills not Mattapan and Washington Village not South Boston.
"Library trustees voted this morning to close branch libraries in Brighton's Oak Square, East Boston's Orient Heights, South Boston and Dorchester Lower Mills."
Not Mattapan
Lower Mills in Dorchester. One of the reasons they gave for closing it is that it's relatively close to the new Mattapan branch, which only opened last year.
Also, the South Boston branch is not the "main" one but a "kiosk" in a housing project.
As for East Boston, both branches are pretty piss poor, physically.
"Not Mattapan" ... my mistake
Good to know they - East Boston - need it. Thanks.
It's also interesting that capital projects can be funded with some ease while budget expenses are squeezed down to $3.6 million.