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BPL workers demand officials shut Boston libraries
By adamg on Sun, 03/15/2020 - 10:19pm
With schools, restaurants, bars and houses of worship closing, the union representing many BPL employees today demanded that library officials order an immediate shutdown of Boston libraries because of concerns that with all the other closings, city libraries will quickly become Covid-19 breeding grounds.
In a letter to BPL President David Leonard today, the Boston Public Library Professional Staff Association noted that even a meeting of BPL trustees scheduled for March 26 has been cancelled.
If the closure of the Boston Public Schools is intended to protect the health and safety of the City, then it is imperative that the Library close as well. Otherwise, it is pointless to close the schools; the library will become a de facto daycare center, which will negate any attempt to mitigate social contacts and the spread of the virus. This has already happened in branches close to the closed Eliot School. The very vulnerable community we serve (elderly, populations experiencing homeless) WILL be exposed to the virus if we allow this to happen.
Officials have canceled public events at the main BPL library and branches, but have kept the libraries open.
The complete letter:
Dear President Leonard,
The BPL PSA restates the position our Eboard members made to you yesterday that in order to protect public health, including both staff and the public, the Library MUST shut down.
If the closure of the Boston Public Schools is intended to protect the health and safety of the City, then it is imperative that the Library close as well. Otherwise, it is pointless to close the schools; the library will become a de facto daycare center, which will negate any attempt to mitigate social contacts and the spread of the virus. This has already happened in branches close to the closed Eliot School. The very vulnerable community we serve (elderly, populations experiencing homeless) WILL be exposed to the virus if we allow this to happen.
The Trustees meeting scheduled for March 26 has been cancelled due to concerns about COVID 19. Are our staff and public any less important than the Trustees?
The Cambridge Public Library has closed. The Waltham Public Library has closed. The Arlington Public Library has closed. The New York Public Library has closed. DC, Brookline, San Francisco, Oakland, Seattle and Toronoto Public Libraries have closed. It is deeply distressing that the BPL is not showing the same leadership and concern for its constituents.
We restate our position. All Boston Public Library services should be suspended temporarily due to COVID19.
--
Boston Public Library Professional Staff Association,
MLSA Local 4918, AFT
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Comments
Yeah, the BPL has got to close...
...like yesterday. Seriously though. Kids come to the branches. Lots of kids. So do seniors. Lots of seniors. Do the math. The whole "social distancing" thing looks good on paper, but it's damn near impossible to enforce on a normal day in the busier branches so one can only imagine what it would be like when there's no BPS on Tuesday. The librarians love the people who utilize the library and don't want to start attending their funerals en masse, which is what's going to happen if they don't close the system stat, at least until this PANDEMIC goes away.
They should change it to a
They should change it to a reserving/pickup hub. People should be able to pick up and drop off books and material.
Do not close the libraries. Too many underprivileged families and kids rely on the reading material. With school closing at least six weeks, you need an outlet for kids to pick up material and learn.
How long does C19 survive on books?
Paper, hard covers, plasticky soft covers, clear dust jackets, kids books with tactile features (like feathers, fur, rough and bumpy textures): no one quite knows how long the virus would live on these surfaces. 9 hours? Days, if a non-porous surface? Are the librarians going to be cleaning all these lending materials, too?
I understand people needs books and media to pass time during a quarantine. At what point does fighting spread of infection trump fighting stir-craziness? I'd say w/o anyone being able to cite hard data yet, we'd have to err on the side of caution.
Poor David Leonard
I know that he sucks up to his superiors, from personal experience. Now that he has an opportunity to shine as a leader he shows himself to be without courage.
But then is Marty does not have a public reputation of hiring people who will stand up to him.
BPL
Let’s get President Leonard to work on the front desk at Copley and see how he feels at the end of his shift.
Let's get him to do the sterilizing
that their (likely underpaid and non English speaking) janitorial staff is doing WITHOUT GLOVES or even long sleeves.
Think I'm kidding? They're BROADCASTING that on their Facebook page!
If Leonard won't close it, the union will.
That's why we have unions.
Meanwhile...
... The Berkeley Community Garden in the South End is opening to the public early this year so that they can share the garden with those who may be working from home and need a break to enjoy the spring flowers and watch the gardens come to life.
That’s Great
We’re off topic here but it is a good time to get out in nature. I was just thinking it’d be great to open all the regional, state, and national parks to encourage hiking and other activities. The fresh air feels great in the nicer days and large parks naturally make social distance easier and the likelihood of us all touching the same surfaces much less.
Parks are always open, and people should visit them
Almost none of the city and state parks have closable fences around them, anyway.
The indoor DeCordova Museum is closed, but the sculpture park remains open and is free to enter now.
Most of the parks are and
Most of the parks are and should be open. The National Park Service has closed the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and Alcatraz, which are all reached by (often-crowded) ferries.
Makes Sense
To be clear I meant open national, state and regional park systems to allow access without parking and permit fees temporarily. Maybe it’s a dumb idea (and I get that park and access point density should be taken into consideration.) A close friend just started hiking the Appalachian Trail again after never successfully completing it and I’ve been enjoying all the regional parks in the last few weeks which just hit me to thinking ...
Libaries serve more than readers
The Copley library serves as a shelter for the homeless during the daytime, when the library shuts down the streets in Copley square will resemble the streets of San Francisco with homeless encampments with trash and sidewalks used as toilets.
Classic example of the
Classic example of the library being used as a dumping ground for every social service we lack.
Just because librarians are kind and helpful doesn’t mean we should put them at risk, not to mention the community at large.
Being open sends a message it is okay to come, which it isn’t! People need to stay home.
Call the city!
Encouraging the homeless to
Encouraging the homeless to avoid crowded indoor spaces is a good idea.
Though addressing this issue at the library doesn't solve the problem at shelters at night.
City workers
Why hasn’t Walsh sent city employees home? City Hall has thousands of workers, most of whom take the T in. There are other workers at the School Department, Water and Sewer, Public Works yards. Everyone not providing day-to-day critical services should be sent home immediately. Why wasn’t this put in place on Friday?
Totally against all public health dictates
Why is the library open? Unsafe for everyone, period. And it runs contrary to everything we are advised to do to prevent spread of the virus. Makes no sense. Why does the city want them open. Do we know?
What's the point of giving
What's the point of giving bps kids Chromebooks if low income residents can't use the library for internet?
With the entire hospitality and travel industries out of business, libraries become essential resources for job searches and checking your unemployment status. When I didn't have a computer/internet, I went there every day to work on my resume and apply for jobs.
Several internet service
Several internet service providers are offering free access during the crisis to low income families. I recognize that that isn't a perfect solution, that access to the internet should be a utility guaranteed to all citizens. But sending kids to the library to use the internet completely defeats the public health reasons for closing the schools, which is to reduce the concentration of children in a single space. The libraries are not equipped to safely provide services in this environment, and relying on them to pick up the slack for other social services is both beyond their capabilities and likely to exacerbate the situation by focusing all of the city into library buildings, which will then become a major vector. Services should still be provided, and it is my understanding that ideas are being brought up to speed to provide those services remotely, but the staff of the library is trained in providing books, not in providing essential social services in the midst of a global pandemic.
Give free wifi to everyone to
Give free wifi to everyone to use from home. Put people who need homes in hotels or other places.
Libraries are going to spread the disease and people are going to start dying in huge numbers.
How many people in management
How many people in management have been working at home?
When they trace cases back to the library, will they feel they have blood on their hands from not listening to staff and not cleaning the branches properly?
#coronamarty #coronadavidleonard
CLOSE THE LIBRARIES NOW
All branches of the Boston Public Library need to close NOW. This is a public health emergency and it is irresponsible and disappointing to see that the BPL is remaining open.
PROTECT THE BPL WORKFORCE
PROTECT THE PUBLIC
CLOSE THE LIBRARIES NOW
Not until I get to exchange my card for ...
... the vintage silver card featuring the iconic lanterns at the McKim entrance. Now offered in honor of the McKim Building 125th anniversary.
Ooh....
I lost my card ages ago and never replaced it because I mostly borrow e-books (and when I am picking up physical material, they accept photo id since I have an account.). But I definitely am getting a commemorative card-AFTER this crisis.
Hey!
I have that card! Didn't know it was vintage.
Fun tip: you can ask your local library to put the barcode for your account on any card. That's why, although I rarely go to BPL these days, I use my (vintage!) BPL card all the time in the Minuteman system.
That’s good to know.
I think I still have my old silver one also. Though I’ve been using a newer one I was told I had to switch to a few years ago.
no doubt you'll be able to
no doubt you'll be able to get that card when it is safe to do so.
How do you know that the person handing you the card isn't infected?