It appears that it will take more time to resolve the issue of library expansion. I thought I’d stick my neck out and give you my take on the current situation with the library branch buildings. Please remember this is my blog and reflects my views alone. No matter the outcome please be assured that we will continue bringing you the best possible library services we can. Our staff are dedicated professionals who make it easy for me to say that we love our jobs and enjoy serving you.
As a library director I describe my job as trying to arrange the best possible conditions for successful delivery of services. Right now, the conditions are substandard. We don’t have enough room to provide the programs and services that our customers ask for, that other town libraries offer and that our staff would love to deliver. Perhaps this is why, when Irondequoit residents use public libraries, almost 20% of the time they do it in other towns, a number that grows each year. The majority of our customer complaints can be attributed to the friction that results from too many people trying to do too many things with too few resources in way too small of a space. We will continue to do as much as we possibly can with what we have. We will continue to make repairs and do maintenance when we must. Investing in big repair projects when we don’t know how or when the situation will be resolved is difficult.
There are so many possible ways the building situation could be resolved. I only want to reject two of them. I just cannot take seriously the claims from some that everything is just fine and nothing needs to be changed about the library buildings. By all objective measures we have outgrown our buildings and they have become ill-suited to deliver modern library services. I also reject the even more ridiculous assertion that we will soon be irrelevant due to the easy availability of information, electronic delivery or some other technological reason. We have evolved, as all smart organizations do, to the point that we are often the agency that leads in the adoption of new technologies and the first place citizens encounter and grow comfortable with them. As the pace of this change accelerates we find a steadily increasing demand for services that connect people with the exact same technology some claim will replace us.
I have always said that one of the best things about working here is that people in this town obviously love their library. This has rightly caused many residents to propose solutions to our space problems. One of the amazing things about some of the plans we hear is how little their proponents seem to care what their librarians think. It leaves me slack jawed to encounter some elaborate plan or some loudly proclaimed opinion from some person or group who never bothered to ask their librarians what works best. Would you choose new squad cars for the police without consulting them? These buildings are our tools. We use them to serve you. We know what works best. It is not just a matter of square feet. Configuration, layout, adjacencies and lines of sight are just some of the vital components to a successful library building plan. If you don’t bother to find out what we need don’t be shocked when we don’t enthusiastically embrace your solution. Please, before you bring us any more “solutions”, ask us what we need to serve you better. Is it so hard? We’re longing to be asked!
As financial pressures force government leaders to cut departmental budgets including the library, consolidation of services that are duplicated just 2&1/2 miles apart seems a reasonable way to increase library space and expand library services while keeping operating costs down. If you do not favor this approach then you must decide what you are willing to pay for. Are you willing to pay millions to just to rehab the existing library buildings without enlarging them? Are you willing to pay more to duplicate library services at sites so close together? I believe the library operation is as lean as it can be and still deliver high quality, professional services. There is very little left to cut or economize on. If consolidation takes place we can offer much more of what people are demanding including increased hours of operation with no need to increase staff which is by far the largest component of our operating costs.
It is easy to talk about what you want without looking at cost implications. Then the tax bill comes and people get upset. Now more than ever town leaders need to hear your opinions on how much more you are willing to pay to get what you want. What are you willing to pay to meet our need for increased space for facilities where all town residents can easily access services? Just the cost of the status quo is high.
I believe town government officials are eager to work with open minded citizens to seek solutions. I believe the library and what it adds to the quality of life in the community is too important to not challenge each and every one of you to propose solutions that we can all point to with pride and will improve library services for every resident, no matter where they reside.
As always, I welcome your comments. Also, feel free to contact me about any library related topics. Just click on ABOUT to see how.
