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Letters

Public Libraries: Endangered or Saved?

To the Editor:

Re “Outsourcing Fairly Healthy Public Libraries, Town Hears a Roar” (front page, Sept. 27):

The American Library Association opposes shifting policy making and management oversight of library services from the public to the private sector, not because of its impact on job security, but rather because communities may lose access to trained information professionals — librarians.

I disagree with the statements by Frank Pezzanite, the chief executive of Library Systems & Services, the private company that runs 14 library systems operating 63 locations. Implying that library staffs are just waiting around to cash in on retirement, when in fact there are thousands of librarians serving 1.5 billion visitors a year with dedication, assumes that people will fall for the “demonization” of the public sector.

Libraries and their employees, who are often paid salaries far below the demands placed on them and the education required for their positions, serve as a lifeline for millions of Americans.

From free access to books and online resources to library business centers that help support entrepreneurship and retraining, libraries with top-notch staff are needed now more than ever in our increasingly competitive global economy.

Publicly funded libraries should remain directly accountable to the publics they serve.

Roberta Stevens
Pres., American Library Association
Chicago, Sept. 27, 2010

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To the Editor:

It’s refreshing to see you focus on challenges facing America’s libraries. But the article portrays Library Systems & Services as ambivalent or hostile toward library staff. I want to clarify L.S.S.I.’s viewpoint.

L.S.S.I. is a company of library advocates. We respect the contributions of dedicated librarians and library staff who are often unsung heroes, fostering a love for reading and promoting literacy. L.S.S.I. values our staff members; they are responsible for the success of the libraries we operate.

L.S.S.I. brings efficiencies and innovations to libraries, including increased and more responsive services in communities that want local control of library operations and a better return on taxpayers’ dollars. Our documented results include creative library programming, customer-centered service, re-energized library staff and greater accountability.

Patrons and library staff will tell you the sky didn’t fall when L.S.S.I. came to town; it brightened.

Image
Credit...Daniel Horowitz

Our vision is to ensure that public libraries remain free, vibrant centerpieces of their communities.

Frank A. Pezzanite
President and Chief Executive
Library Systems & Services
Germantown, Md., Sept. 29, 2010

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To the Editor:

Yesterday, while I was working on the reference desk in a suburban public library, a middle-aged man came for assistance. He was going back to college, and he needed peer-reviewed articles on the management of electronic medical records.

He was not sure how to begin, so I showed him the various databases we provide, taught him how to do a subject search for his material, and then gave him the format in which to cite his articles.

If people think that a library volunteer can do that, they are very much mistaken.

I am a professional librarian with 35 years of experience in public and academic libraries.

There are many dedicated librarians like me, professionals who enjoy assisting and teaching the public where to find the knowledge they seek. We bond with, and are vested in, our communities, colleges, patrons, students; many people ask for us by name to assist them.

To disrespect and disregard the work that we do, as the management of an outsourcing company seems to, is a sad commentary on how deeply the “bottom line” mind-set has taken hold in our country.

Margaret M. Churley
River Edge, N.J., Sept. 27, 2010

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To the Editor:

As an elected city and county library board member for a number of years, I find that the rapid changes in needs of libraries in keeping up with the times, combined with what can be seen as a rapid decrease in financing, is direly affecting our plans and dreams.

Our goal is to increase the number of patrons by inviting them in and having the offerings they are looking for. And so much more.

If a private company, steeped in libraries, is able to provide a light at the end of the tunnel, I see no reason not to look into it. Our financial ruts are only getting deeper.

Joan Larsen
Park Forest, Ill., Sept. 27, 2010

A version of this article appears in print on  , Section A, Page 26 of the New York edition with the headline: Public Libraries: Endangered or Saved?. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe

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