NEIGHBORHOOD CONVERSATIONS

Next Tuesday, September 16 on Peaks Island, the Planning Committee of the Portland Public Library begins a series of 6 public meetings (see schedule) to both inform and be informed by the public in connection to the future of the library system. These meetings are augmenting the ongoing Library planning and are also in response to a City Council request that we seek community input as we go forward in responding to any future financial stress.

One of the difficulties in generating useful and quality public discourse is the lack of historical memory by the people participating. We often underestimate the value of the documents or statements that were previously produced during crisis moments but possess a clarity that is born of necessity of the moment. We plan to hand out some material at these meetings but the “Response to FY 08-09 City Funding Reduction” located on our website since last May continues to describe our framework as we struggled to reduce expenditures by $225,000. Our goals, principles and steps are there for all to see and hopefully inform as to what our universe looked like at that point. The general thinking is as valid now as it was in May.

After two record setting years in a row, we have begun this new fiscal year with a 20% reduction in hours at Monument Square. Maine’s largest public library facility and the backbone of our library system now operates on a 5 day per week schedule after a loss of over 10% of its staff. The main library supports the work of our other 5 locations in addition to serving users directly. Interlibrary loan, the acquisition and cataloging of materials, the technology resources, outreach services – many, many things are done at Monument Square that make the branches better able to serve the neighborhoods.

The Library is full of hope that many people will attend one or more of these meetings and engage in a constructive and civil conversation about how we can create a great Library system and what that might look like. That will require a transcendence of narrow neighborhood interests and a genuine appreciation of what the mission and responsibility is of a library system to the entire city. Regardless of that vision outcome the financial commitment of the City of Portland must remain strong in supporting the Library’s infrastructure while the Library raises funds for programs, collections and services.