This issue is vital to our city’s educational and cultural core.  Please come out to support this cause.

This letter was prepared by all the Library Friends Groups in the Providence Community Library system.  It asks the PPL to address the building concerns that threaten many of our community’s libraries.  If you believe in our neighborhood libraries and are upset about the benign neglect that has been allowed to go unchecked for years in these buildings, please download and send a copy to PPL.  You can also talk to your State Senator, Representative and City Council person about your belief in the need for a strong and functioning library.

Fix Our Libraries Now!, Support Letter

The party will be June 7, 2010, from 4:15 – 5:45  at The Smith Hill Library, Where else?

Our Staff members are intelligent, informative,supportive, caring and fun!!

Let’s show Alan, Amy, Jennifer and Joey how much we appreciate all that they do to make our trips to the Smith Hill Library pleasant and informative journeys! There will be Food, Games, Prizes, Music and More…

All Providence Library branches will be celebrating the transfer of management to the Providence Community Library. Please come out and support this monumental shift in focus for the branch system. Many people have worked tirelessly on this transition and it is time to celebrate!  The new PCL website is http://provcomlib.org.

Smith Hill’s local celebration is Wednesday, July 1

4-7 pm at the Candace St. Library.

All are welcome!

Group says it can cut costs at Providence library branches and maintain quality
01:00 AM EST on Tuesday, January 6, 2009
By Philip MarceloJournal Staff Writer

PROVIDENCE — A new nonprofit organization that is proposing to take over the city’s nine neighborhood library branches says that it can save more than $2 million and still offer the same services and the same number of union jobs as under the current leadership.
Providence Community Library treasurer Ellen Schwartz said at a news conference in City Hall yesterday that the organization is proposing a $4.8-million operating budget for fiscal 2010.
“Our budget cuts administrative costs and waste out of the library budget,” said Schwartz. “It also calls for dramatic, aggressive fundraising.”
The nine branches currently represent $7.5 million of a total $9.7-million operating budget, according to Robert Taylor, vice president of the board of trustees of the Providence Public Library, the private nonprofit organization that runs the city libraries.
The PPL, last month, proposed closing the Fox Point, Smith Hill, Olneyville, Wanskuck and Washington Park branches, but keeping open the downtown central library and the Mount Pleasant, South Providence, Rochambeau and Knight Memorial branches.
The Providence Community Library, which does not seek to take over the central library on Empire Street, will submit its alternative budget and organizational plan to Mayor David N. Cicilline on Friday.
Cicilline, who has already said he opposes closing any library branch, says the city will look at “all possible options” for the future management of the branches, and that his administration was still scheduled to meet with PPL board members at the end of the month about their proposal.
“For 100 years, the city and the PPL have had a very strong partnership,” he said yesterday. “Before even considering dissolving that partnership, we would have to be really certain that we examine how we may be able to strengthen and preserve it.”
He declined to say whether he considered the PCL a viable alternative: “It’s premature. There is a lot more work that needs to go into this.”
Under an agreement reached in November, the city has the option of accepting the PPL’s plan; seek to take over the branch libraries itself; assign their stewardship to another entity; or choose to maintain the current library system intact for one year and cover any deficits incurred.
Any decision would be effective July 1, the start of the next fiscal year, but the city needs to notify the PPL by March 1 if it intends to fund the library system as is for another year, according to the agreement.
Ultimately, said Cicilline, that decision rests with the City Council, which appears to be largely in favor of a branch system under the new nonprofit PCL.
“There are nine [councilors] here” in attendance and in support of the plan, Councilman Nicholas Narducci observed at yesterday’s news conference. “We already have the majority we need to do what we have to do.”
Council President Peter S. Mancini, who was not in attendance yesterday, said he was “very encouraged” by the PCL’s proposal.
“Historically, I’ve felt that the PPL did not want to deal with the branch libraries, that they have not done much fundraising for the past four or five years, and are not willing to spend their endowment on the branches,” he said.
The PCL proposes a board of trustees of up to 25 members, with representatives from all nine branches, the United Service and Allied Workers of Rhode Island (the union for library employees), neighborhood groups and delegates from the mayor’s office and the City Council.
The board members would be limited to six consecutive years of service. Marcus Mitchell, a local entrepreneur who runs a business strategy consulting firm and is a member of the Friends of the Rochambeau Branch Library, a nonprofit entity, will serve as the first board chairman.
Next year’s budget calls for $3.5 million from the city, which currently allocates $3.4 million to the PPL, $750,000 from the state, and $500,000 to be raised in donations and grants, according to Schwartz, the organization’s treasurer.
The proposed budget would keep the same 50 union workers employed at the branches at their contractual salaries, as well as eight nonunion, administrative staff. Meanwhile, the PPL is proceeding with the next steps in enacting its proposal, which involves greater detail on how the PPL might turn over the five branch libraries to the city for use as community learning centers, according to Taylor, of the board of trustees.
PPL spokeswoman Tonia Mason declined yesterday to comment on the specifics of the PCL’s alternate proposal, which she said had not been made available to the PPL.
“We don’t know that the new organization has the infrastructure capable of administering the branch system, including business, human resources, building management and professional librarians,” Mason said in an e-mail. “As with any new organization, we would be concerned that it has the financial ability to steward the library for future generations.”
pmarcelo@projo.com

At yesterday’s PPL board meeting, the board voted to continue library operations only at Central and four branches after June 30, 2009. The Governor’s representative on the board, Mark McKenney, voted against the plan, while the Mayor’s representative (Kas DeCarvalho) abstained. All ten non-public board members who were present at yesterday’s meeting voted in favor of the proposal. The Library Reform Group emphatically rejects PPL’s plan. We have formed a new non-profit organization called Providence Community Library. We have drafted a budget, worked out staffing projections, and planned for a community-based governing body. We have shown our proposal to urban library directors in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island, who have concluded that our plan is feasible. We call upon the City to transfer its funding from PPL to the Providence Community Library in order to protect library services for city residents in ALL our neighborhoods. During the Public Response period, Elaine Heeber of the Library Reform Group quoted a 2006 ProJo editorial that recommended PPL should “seriously consider giving the City of Providence any or all of its branches, while keeping its flagship facitlity on Empire Street. Then the library. . .would be able to better serve the public, and protect and even expand the major collections.” Marcus Mitchell, one of the organizers of the Providence Community Library, followed up on Elaine’s comment by reading a statement announcing the formation of the Providence Community Library and urging the City to turn the branches over to the PCL (see below). We will need your support in the weeks ahead as we work to convince the City that it is time to transfer the stewardship of our branches to a new community-based organization that will run them efficiently and responsibly–and will put the welfare of library patrons first. Patricia Marcus Mitchell’s statement:

The dilemma facing us today is the culmination of several years of processing. Unfortunately, the Providence Public Library Board appears to have assumed a position that will dramatically reduce library services to the communities of Providence.

A severe reduction of library services to neighborhoods throughout Providence will greatly affect the quality of life and social fabric of our city. Our children, our seniors, job seekers, our students and the administration of scores of programs will be adversely affected. Especially during these economic troubling times, a reduction of library services in our neighborhoods is unacceptable and not seen by the citizens as a “sustainable system”.

In anticipation of an “unacceptable reduction of services” model proposal, several community leaders, concerned citizens and community-based organizations have formed a coalition: The Providence Community Library. This entity has examined the issues of our library management and budgetary challenges: and is prepared to assume the management & administration of all 9 branches of the public library system. We will be presenting a full budget and proposal to the Mayor & City Council, and actively pursuing the City’s full support of the Providence Community Library. We disagree with PPL’s “sustainable model”, their budget projections and several management decisions.

Providence Community Library will be holding public forums and press conferences in the very near future to unveil our plans to maintain the current level of services to the neighborhoods of the city of Providence.

(Note: to contact the Providence Community Library directly, write to providencecommunitylibrary@isp.com )

New library plan would close 5 city branches

01:00 AM EST on Friday, December 19, 2008

By Philip Marcelo

Journal Staff Writer

PROVIDENCE – Five library branches would close by July but the downtown flagship and four other branches would remain open under a plan approved by the Providence Public Library Board of Trustees yesterday.

The plan now goes before the City Council for approval and, under an agreement reached last month, the city must make one of four decisions by June 30, which is the end of the fiscal year: accept the library’s plan; seek to take over the branch libraries itself; assign their stewardship to another entity; or choose to maintain the current library system intact for one year and cover any deficits incurred.

The system, which is run by a private, nonprofit organization, assisted by payments from the city and the state, is anticipating a $1.4-million deficit this fiscal year and projecting a $2-million shortfall in the fiscal year beginning July 1.

Mayor David N. Cicilline’s administration supports the plan, but with the caveat that the five branches slated for closing — Fox Point, Smith Hill, Olneyville, Wanskuck and Washington Park — return to the city’s possession to be run as neighborhood learning centers for after-school activities, public computer access and meeting space, according to Kas DeCarvalho, the city’s representative on the library board.

The library has begun talks with the city to make that happen.

Library board member Robert Taylor said yesterday that the library has told the city it is willing to donate the branch buildings and their contents (books, computers, furnishings) to the city. Some library staff would assist with the transition to city ownership, he said. The branches that would remain open are Mount Pleasant, South Providence, Rochambeau and Knight Memorial, in Elmwood.

But library advocates and Mark McKenney, Governor Carcieri’s representative on the board, opposed the plan, which was approved by a 10-to-1 vote.

Marcus Mitchell, a member of the board of the Friends of the Rochambeau Branch Library, said that a coalition of community organizations, including his organization, have formulated a budget and organizational plan to take over and run the nine library branches with assistance from the city under a newly formed nonprofit organization, Providence Community Libraries.

“The board’s plan is unacceptable,” he said. “The library is asking the city for funding to provide library services when their plan proposes a severe reduction in service that will adversely affect the community.”

Mitchell said that the organization will submit its counterproposal to the city in the coming weeks.

The plan to shutter five library branches was one of two options presented yesterday by the board of trustees’ sustainability committee, which was to develop a plan for a library system that could be operated for the foreseeable future with the funds available to the nonprofit organization.

By keeping the heavily used central library open, the library system could preserve a large percentage of its users, according to Taylor, chairman of the sustainability committee.

The board also considered a plan that would have closed the central library and kept all nine neighborhood branches open.

The major drawbacks to that proposal are that it would not provide the same levels of services and would not result in a significant increase in operating hours at the smaller branches, which currently are open 30 hours a week. Under that plan, the downtown library would house administrative, maintenance and information technology staff until the library decided to sell the building.

“The closing of the central library represents a net loss to the city as a whole,” said Taylor. “There is a misconception that when we talk about the central branch, we are talking about a grand old building that is not being used.”

Neither of the two alternatives discussed yesterday, however, do what the board had hoped. James Nagle, of the board’s finance committee, said that the plans do not ensure that the library would not fall back into deficit three years down the line; in fact, that scenario is highly likely, given the current economy.

At yesterday’s meeting, the board also voted unanimously to freeze employee pension benefits effective next June 30.

The move means that the future pensions of any of the library’s current 110 employees will be based on their age, salary and longevity as of that date.The $5.5-million library pension system is $2 million underfunded, meaning it is short that amount to cover all its liabilities, and under federal law passed in 2007, privately held pension systems must be fully funded.

pmarcelo@projo.com

Today at 5:00 p.m., the Library Reform Group will hold a press conference in the former Benny’s building at 1380 Broad Street to bring to public attention the provisions of the Agreement for Library Services

DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? WE DON’T THINK SO.

Currently, the 2008 Agreement does not provide for the City to terminate or to re-negotiate the Agreement, should PPL decide to drastically reduce branches, staff and/or library services.

CALL THE MAYOR at 421-7740 and demand that he add an escape clause to the Agreement for Library Services BEFORE the City Council votes on this agreement next week.

Demand, as well, that he and PPL commit to re-opening the Washington Park Branch Library in its original location NOW. The City has spent taxpayer dollars to repair and renovate the structure and the Library has failed to resume operations in the Washington Park building.

We invite you to attend our press conference at 5:00 p.m. this Thursday, July 24, at the former Washington Park branch library (1316 Broad Street) to call upon the Mayor and PPL to FIX THIS FLAWED AGREEMENT.

Commentary on Providence Public Library
Providence Journal, Thursday, May 8, 2008
by Linda J. Kushner

An excellent plan which respects the PPL’s reluctance to directly spend any of its capital yet enables the library to continue to present full services has been proposed by Prof. Maureen Romans, a former president of Mount Pleasant Friends of the Library who has studied the fiscal and administrative problems of the PPL closely. Romans suggests that $3 million from PPL’s discretionary funds (which grew significantly last year) be placed in reserve to be used over the next three years exclusively to pay for pension payments and children’s specialists — the two expenses which are creating the current fiscal crisis in the PPL’s budget. The borrowed money would be replenished with new fundraisers. As Romans rightly points out, “PPL’s biggest mistake would be to save every last penny of its investments while destroying the institution. It makes far better sense to spend some money to get through the next few years while preserving full library services for the people of Providence, which after all is the library’s mission.” This idea deserves careful examination by the PPL board.

Another proposal co-sponsored by the Library Reform Group, Smith Hill Friends, Mount Pleasant Friends and the PPL staff union has outlined methods to increase revenues and/or reduce costs by about $850,000. But to date, none of these ideas (including calling upon local businesses and universities to each sponsor a branch library and cutting the salaries of the top four PPL administrators by 20 percent) have been taken up by the PPL board.

The PPL is clearly suffering a crisis in fundraising and management. Rather than cutting services, the board should retire itself or at least set term limitations. (Howard Walker of Hope Valley, the most vociferous protector of the PPL’s failed policies, has been on the board for more than three decades!) Rather than cutting children’s specialists the board should replace current PPL Director Dale Thompson, whose poor management has contributed to the current financial predicament, with a service-oriented director whose first concern is the users of the library and who has a proven track record in fundraising. With these changes we might see a renewal of financial support for the library from the public.

Our city’s population is both young and poor with almost one-third of our population under the age of 20 and a quarter of Providence’s families living in poverty. Now is not the time to skimp on the branches which service our children who are the future of our city.
If PPL is not able or willing to carry out the mission of its charter of maintaining “a public library and such branches thereof … (to) furnish library services to provide information, facilitate education, contribute to the economic and cultural development of Rhode Island” then it should get out of the library business altogether. Now might be the time for the PPL to take the steps necessary to turn over all of its libraries and assets to a new organization that is capable of doing the work.

Shape up or ship out!

Kushner is the former president of the Friends of Rochambeau Branch Library and a founding member of the Library Reform Group.