Library Operations: Staffing, Physical Plant, Decison making

With libraries being the centers of neighborhoods and as open sources of information, it would make sense that decisions about their services, staffing, maintenance, and finances are transparent and open to discussion with the public.

DC Public Library leadership has certainly come a long way to be more transparent about their decisions, but as evidenced by the recent neighborhood library transformations, they still have a long way to go.

• The [Boston] Library's Public Interest

  The search for a new president for the Boston Public Library is nearly complete.

• Seattle Public Library celebrates "Libraries For All" in neighborhoods across the city

  "Libraries For All," a $196.4 million bond measure passed in 1998, promised a face-lift for Seattle public libraries, including a new Central Library and 26 new or renovated branches. Ten years later, the city boasts a series of uniquely tailored and heavily used buildings that reflect the desires of their neighborhoods.

• Kojo hosts Chief Cooper on WAMU 88.5

  Chief Cooper praises her work on building new buildings but can't explain how the new libraries will be staffed given the recent budget cuts and rise in library use.

• Public Libraries around Nation Facing Asbestos Remediation

  It is as costly and time-consuming to demolish a building with asbestos and remove the debris to an approved landfill as it is to perform asbestos remediation and return the structure to use.

• Public Library Survey Reveals Bandwidth Issues, Job-Search Importance

  a new report from the American Library Association reveals some interesting statistics about the state of technology and the nation's libraries.

• Don't Let 'Elites' Lock the Doors to the Library

  The library is at the soul of a democracy. Yet we constantly look to snuff out that soul.

• DC Public Library Budget Is Cut 11 Percent

  The District of Columbia Public Library’s (DCPL) FY10 budget cut of nearly 11 percent involves inevitable service cuts.

• Construction for New D.C. Library Causes Controversy

  Ground was broken Wednesday on a new library in D.C.'s Tenleytown neighborhood. It's going up despite the fact that existing libraries are being forced to cut their hours.

• Bold Plan for a New Library But Critics Question $85M Bill

  Critics questioned the idea of putting up an extravagant, specialized library in Brooklyn at a time when budget cuts have meant that many borough branches have limited hours.

• Loss of Largesse Doesn't Surprise Library Backers

  Several advocates of the District's public libraries said they were disappointed that the system lost a chance to get millions of dollars from financing for a baseball stadium, but few expressed surprise at the outcome.

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