Boston Public Library President Amy Ryan gave trustees a financial plan today that calls for eliminating up to 69 positions among administrative workers and at the Copley main branch - even before any changes are made at the branches. Her plan also calls for cutting back in such areas as window washing - and typewriter and fax maintenance.
Under one proposal by Ryan to create a series of "lead" libraries, Copley, Brighton, Codman Square, Dudley, Grove Hall, Honan/Allston, Hyde Park, Mattapan and West Roxbury would be safe from closing or service reductions. The other 18 branches would still be at risk of either closing or having their hours dramatically reduced. If branches are shut, the city would sell off the buildings; trustees vowed to try to get the city to give the remaining libraries any money from their sales.
Trustees were scheduled to vote on central-services cuts today, but Chairman Jeffrey Rudman put off the decision until April 9 - when they are also scheduled to discuss and vote on any branch closings or cutbacks as part of an effort to fill a $3.6-million budget hole for the coming fiscal year. Rudman said trustees will not even know which branches will be up for closing be cut until April 7.
Rudman put off the central-branch vote after Trustee Paul LaCamera said he needed more time "to agonize" over a decision that will not only affect service but disrupt workers' lives. Cutbacks among administrative staff and services and at Copley would save $2.1 million; the rest wold need to come out of the branches, officials said.
LaCamera said that, after meeting with legislators in recent weeks, he doesn't hold much hope for any help from the state. He said this is due both to overall state fiscal problems, but also the fact that neither the Senate president nor the House speaker are from Boston anymore. "It's a classic Boston vs. suburban, other parts of the Commonwealth, situation," he said.
Trustee James Carroll said he thinks the entire wrenching process could be the beginning of the transformation of the Boston Public Library into one that can serve the city in the 21st century.
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Comments
The Headline
By SwirlyGrrl
Wed, 03/24/2010 - 3:51pm
Eliminate 69 positions? That's what SHE said!
http://instantrimshot.com/
By willisan
Wed, 03/24/2010 - 3:53pm
http://instantrimshot.com/
WIN
By eeka
Wed, 03/24/2010 - 9:58pm
Talk about your problematic library usage!
where is the anger?
By anon
Wed, 03/24/2010 - 3:55pm
I really want to know how this happened. I mean really, in the Globe in 2009 I recall reading how the library was still in good condition. After the closure of the business library in the financial district, the department would need no more major cuts and service would be allowed to operate at normal levels.
This is really shameful, and even worse that the city has sought no real solution (that I know of). Philadelphia faced a similar situation last year, resolved by finding corporate sponsors (I think?)
I have seen no actual leadership on this issue, from city hall or otherwise. The branches will close, and hours will be reduced. Mayor Menino should be embarassed for having waited until after the election for this, otherwise I may have changed my opinion on his abilities as an "urban mechanic".
What do you propose they could have done?
By anon
Wed, 03/24/2010 - 4:27pm
The state cut funding and the last president did not build strong enough reserves. We were all misled by the previous president who is very tight with the librarian's union. I think this is going to boil down to a war with the Union.
The Union does not allow volunteers to do a job that a paid Union member can do. So there are very highly paid people sorting books and returning them to shelves and doing rather menial tasks that other libraries have volunteers doing.
Fund raising alone cannot keep up with the salaries. Its a terrible truth but would you rather very well paid city employees getting March 17th off or would you rather books on shelves?
Its a very unfortunate situation but the Union contract is up in November. The only way for the current situation to change is to cut those jobs and then staff them with non-Union employees or better yet volunteers.
Not sure what union you are
By anon
Wed, 03/24/2010 - 7:42pm
Not sure what union you are talking about but the previous president was not tight with the unions at the library... not even close.
21st century
By EM Painter
Wed, 03/24/2010 - 4:32pm
"the beginning of the transformation of the Boston Public Library into one that can serve the city in the 21st century"
What a nauseating thing to say.
What nonsense
By bph
Wed, 03/24/2010 - 4:43pm
What exactly is that supposed to mean? Near as I can tell the plan is to have fewer & fewer libraries, so maybe their vision for the 21st century is one without libraries.
According to a @BPLBoston tweet, Trustee Carroll said something about "...defining a whole new way that the library is present in the city, not bound to buildings or geography." Huh?
Google
By BlackKat
Wed, 03/24/2010 - 6:01pm
That sounds like they've been subscribing to Google's "Let's scan every book ever made and put them online" idea.
I know
By EM Painter
Wed, 03/24/2010 - 9:56pm
Have these people been to the internet lately? It's not really like the library.
What he meant
By adamg
Wed, 03/24/2010 - 6:29pm
Couple of things: One is greater emphasis on online. The other is moving librarians out into the community, based on service needs, rather than tying them to specific branch locations.
It's about the books
By bph not logged in
Wed, 03/24/2010 - 6:57pm
Online is nice, community involvement is nice, but I think books, the librarians and the libraries themselves are just too important to lose.
Even just the use of the library building is very important to the community, not to mention the fact that many people go to the library to get online.2
Just be straight
By Stevil
Wed, 03/24/2010 - 7:18pm
If this is a strategic shift due to a changing environment - fine. However, it looks like they are trying to use the financial shortfalls for cover and have been found out. Just come straight out - are we doing this because we don't have money or because the world has changed? Let's just be honest and do the right thing - why all the cloak and dagger? (rhetorical question - the answer as usual - POLITICS)
The way they put it
By adamg
Wed, 03/24/2010 - 7:35pm
Was that they're being forced into this and as long as they are, let's make the best of it.
Carroll said: "Having been a member of the board lo these many years, I'm familiar with the status quo. It feels OK to me, actually." But since the status quo is no longer sustainable, let's do this right, he said. And, in fact, he said he agreed with Ryan that the status quo would no longer be acceptable even with adequate fnds, because of the whole transformation thing and that, as unfortunate as it is, this shock will help the BPL become far better.
Stevil is right and Bostonians have figured it out
By Anonymous
Wed, 03/24/2010 - 11:55pm
The new president of the BPL was chosen by the trustees and Menino. They want to close branches. They have their reasons. Rather than explaining their rationale and motivation, and taking the hit they should take on the merits, or demerits actually, they are putting it on the recessiiob and declining tax receipts but that's bullshit.
3,600,000 million could be found in our city government in less than 3.6 hours. Stop the charade.
There's no reason for city government officials to be spending their time and political capital on this. Let the library fight for their own initiatives with the public and see what the public has to say.
Menino should give them the additional 3.6 million, and the BPL should announce it's plan and its reasons for its plan. Let the friends of the library and public fight it out with the trustees. I'm standing firmly behind every Boston neighborhood that has a branch and wants to keep it.
digital inclusion
By anon
Wed, 03/24/2010 - 7:27pm
If they're going to close physical branches and shift resources online than there needs to be a significant focus on helping low-income residents get Internet access. The city doesn't have much of an effort right now, and having publicly accessible computers is not going to be sufficient. There are only 400 or so public computers in the whole BPL system, which is about 1 for every 1500 residents. You don't want to have to wait in line to use a library computer to fill out a job application.
meanwhile, back at gotham city hall...
By Stevil
Wed, 03/24/2010 - 4:59pm
WHAM, POW, BOFFO
Interesting that this comes out on the same day the council approves liberty mutual's $16 million TIF tax discount (11-2 - councilors Yancey and Turner opposing). Looked a lot like the health care proceedings as several councilors got up with a wink and a nod to Lib Mu officials in attendance encouraging them to be "philanthropic" in the community. Sounded and looked like code for I'll give you this multi-million dollar break, but you have to make me look good down the road with (fill in councilor's constituency or Mayor Menino here).
Also interesting was this: "LaCamera said that, after meeting with legislators in recent weeks, he doesn't hold much hope for any help from the state." If the state rubberstamps the TIF, as they normally do, there is apparently an additional $20 million construction subsidy from the state. I would think the gov would say - glad you're handing out money - but there's no more water in the well and this has to come out of your local aid - but otherwise we are happy to oblige. How much of that is going to come out of the library's hide and wouldn't that be a fine how do you do? Not sure where the hell else the city thinks this money is going to come from.
PS - typewriter maintenance? REALLY? - was that a typo, writer?
Typewriters
By adamg
Wed, 03/24/2010 - 5:07pm
No typo!
Typewriters can still be essential
By Jonas Prang
Wed, 03/24/2010 - 7:50pm
Weird as it sounds, there are applications where only a typewriter will do. I'm not sure what the limitations are these days, but you can't feed some stock through a laser- or inkjet-printer: too stiff, too small, not rectangular. It's easy to bash quasi-government workers, and there are probably obsolete typewriters hanging around the libraries, but at least a few of them are probably essential.
Jonas Prang
Free for them
By Follow the money
Wed, 03/24/2010 - 11:42pm
When Liberty Mutual got a big reduction in state taxes in the late 1990's, they handed out some goodies as favors to politicians. The YMCA got 1.25 million. So let's ask who got what this time. Of course, they also handed out plenty of campaign contributions, too.
Good thing the Hyde Park
By NotWhitey
Wed, 03/24/2010 - 6:16pm
Good thing the Hyde Park branch is safe. See you in the Thomas Menino Wing - I'll be wearing my Kiss Me, I'm Italian button.
I'm seriously worried
By Kaz
Thu, 03/25/2010 - 12:39am
Where the fuck is Don Saklad on these issues?!
I hope he's okay.
Ask for the 2010 Boston Finance Commission Reports...
By theszak
Thu, 03/25/2010 - 8:23am
Ask for the 2010 Boston Finance Commission Reports, email
matt.cahill at cityofboston.gov
Yes!
By Kaz
Thu, 03/25/2010 - 9:11am
Don't...don't....don't...don't you...forget about me...
*fist pump*
Hope 21st Century Still Includes Job Help & Actual Improvements
By karenz
Thu, 03/25/2010 - 10:39am
There are still a ton of folks who go to the libraries for assistance finding and applying for jobs and often need personalized assistance; just putting that info online won't help someone update and refine their resume.
I also hope they take a look at other cities who have successfully updated their services to shift from "all books, all the time" to "information services." And if they haven't read this book they are blowing political smoke to shift that money elsewhere:
This Book Is Overdue!: How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All