Major changes on the way for Fairfax County libraries
Every Fairfax
County taxpayer and everyone who uses libraries should be concerned about far-reaching
plans under way to restructure the Fairfax County Public Libraries. The Board
of Supervisors has directed the Library Board to put those plans on hold to
provide more opportunities for public input. A series of public outreach meetings has been scheduled. A large turnout is crucial to let FCPL know that
people really do care about books and libraries.
County taxpayer and everyone who uses libraries should be concerned about far-reaching
plans under way to restructure the Fairfax County Public Libraries. The Board
of Supervisors has directed the Library Board to put those plans on hold to
provide more opportunities for public input. A series of public outreach meetings has been scheduled. A large turnout is crucial to let FCPL know that
people really do care about books and libraries.
An explanation of this situation is addressed in the following interim report by Kathy Kaplan, chair
of an ad hoc committee on libraries established by the Fairfax County Federation of Citizens Associations and Fred Costello, a member of the Fairfax Federation board.
Report on the
Changes Coming to Our Libraries
Changes Coming to Our Libraries
“I think changes [need] to be made to the
way libraries operate—to accommodate ways people get their information, do
research, and use libraries as community centers,” said Sharon Bulova, Fairfax
County Board of Supervisors chairman, as quoted in the Reston Connection, Sept
28, 2013.
way libraries operate—to accommodate ways people get their information, do
research, and use libraries as community centers,” said Sharon Bulova, Fairfax
County Board of Supervisors chairman, as quoted in the Reston Connection, Sept
28, 2013.
By direction of the Fairfax County Board of
Supervisors and the Library Board of Trustees, the Fairfax County library
system is moving away from providing traditional library services. Since 2005,
books have been systematically purged to make room for open space, for meeting
spaces, for community gathering spaces, to convert libraries into community
centers.
Supervisors and the Library Board of Trustees, the Fairfax County library
system is moving away from providing traditional library services. Since 2005,
books have been systematically purged to make room for open space, for meeting
spaces, for community gathering spaces, to convert libraries into community
centers.
Most of the books purged between 2005 and 2007 were nonfiction titles.
General Dwight D. Eisenhower’s personal account of World War II, Crusade in
Europe, is no longer in the library collection. The library insists that
community libraries are not archives, but many patrons would agree that certain
books are too important to be thrown away and forgotten.
The 2012 Library Strategic Plan approved by
the Board of Supervisors provides for the transition from print books to
digital books [Section 4]. To implement the Strategic Plan, in May 2013, Library Director
Sam Clay presented his Beta Plan which was created to save $275,000 in FY 2014.
That is a very small sliver of the county’s entire budget. The average salary
of Library Administrators is $150,000, so removing two administrative positions
would fulfill the savings requirement ordered by the County Executive.
the Board of Supervisors provides for the transition from print books to
digital books [Section 4]. To implement the Strategic Plan, in May 2013, Library Director
Sam Clay presented his Beta Plan which was created to save $275,000 in FY 2014.
That is a very small sliver of the county’s entire budget. The average salary
of Library Administrators is $150,000, so removing two administrative positions
would fulfill the savings requirement ordered by the County Executive.
The Beta Plan calls for two libraries, Reston
Regional and Burke Center, to transition to a new modality. Staff will be cut
from 20.5 to 13.5 at Reston Regional and from 9 to 7.5 at Burke Center. In
addition, information and circulation desks will be combined in a single service
desk.
Regional and Burke Center, to transition to a new modality. Staff will be cut
from 20.5 to 13.5 at Reston Regional and from 9 to 7.5 at Burke Center. In
addition, information and circulation desks will be combined in a single service
desk.
Youth Services will be eliminated. Children’s
librarians will be eliminated. Information librarians will be eliminated. A new
employment classification, Customer Service Specialists, was added. Beginning
library staff will only be required to have two years of junior college and two
years of retail experience. Upper level positions will only need a bachelor’s
degree. Master’s degrees in Library Science and Information Science will no
longer be required even for the position of Library Director.
librarians will be eliminated. Information librarians will be eliminated. A new
employment classification, Customer Service Specialists, was added. Beginning
library staff will only be required to have two years of junior college and two
years of retail experience. Upper level positions will only need a bachelor’s
degree. Master’s degrees in Library Science and Information Science will no
longer be required even for the position of Library Director.
Within six months, the other branches will
begin to transition to the Beta Plan. Removing degree requirements for library
positions is only the first step. Reducing skill requirements for other jobs in
county agencies that provide human services will be the next step in county
reorganization. Library Director Sam Clay has said that the other county
agencies are being directed to follow the library’s lead. (June 12, 2013,
Fairfax County Library Board of Trustees meeting minutes).
begin to transition to the Beta Plan. Removing degree requirements for library
positions is only the first step. Reducing skill requirements for other jobs in
county agencies that provide human services will be the next step in county
reorganization. Library Director Sam Clay has said that the other county
agencies are being directed to follow the library’s lead. (June 12, 2013,
Fairfax County Library Board of Trustees meeting minutes).
At the current time, fiction books are
pulled from the shelves after 12 months of not being checked out. Non-fiction
books are removed after 18 months. The branch librarian can decide whether to
discard the book or transfer it to a different branch. Under the Beta Plan,
branch librarians will not be allowed to review culled books. Once they are
pulled by young library pages, they will be discarded. To prepare for
renovation to add space for community meeting rooms and space for more
computers,12,902 juvenile and young adult books were removed from Pohick
Library. The books are not likely to be replaced; there won’t be room for them.
pulled from the shelves after 12 months of not being checked out. Non-fiction
books are removed after 18 months. The branch librarian can decide whether to
discard the book or transfer it to a different branch. Under the Beta Plan,
branch librarians will not be allowed to review culled books. Once they are
pulled by young library pages, they will be discarded. To prepare for
renovation to add space for community meeting rooms and space for more
computers,12,902 juvenile and young adult books were removed from Pohick
Library. The books are not likely to be replaced; there won’t be room for them.
When it was discovered that discarded books
were not being made available to Friends of Library groups for resale, but
destroyed, there was an uproar in the community. On Sept. 10, 2013, the Fairfax
County Board of Supervisors asked the Library Board of Trustees to hold public
outreach meetings to allow the community time to understand and evaluate the
plans to change the library.
were not being made available to Friends of Library groups for resale, but
destroyed, there was an uproar in the community. On Sept. 10, 2013, the Fairfax
County Board of Supervisors asked the Library Board of Trustees to hold public
outreach meetings to allow the community time to understand and evaluate the
plans to change the library.
The taxpayers of Fairfax County need to
attend these outreach meetings. There are questions we need to consider. What
is the library for? Should we have pool tables in the library? Should we have
bowling in the libraries? Should we be able to attend classes on hog butchering
at the library? What about yoga classes?
attend these outreach meetings. There are questions we need to consider. What
is the library for? Should we have pool tables in the library? Should we have
bowling in the libraries? Should we be able to attend classes on hog butchering
at the library? What about yoga classes?
The cost of providing digital books has not
been fully evaluated. At the present time only two publishers lease digital
books to libraries. Publishers charge $85 and the book can only be borrowed 25
times. Then the lease expires. A print book that costs $10 can be borrowed up
to 50 times before it wears out. Therefore, we may find that it costs 10 times
more to provide digital books than print books. What will be the cost of
transitioning to digital in the long term? The library’s current collection of
2.2 million books cannot be replaced with digital books. Most books are not
available in digital format. These books should not be discarded.
been fully evaluated. At the present time only two publishers lease digital
books to libraries. Publishers charge $85 and the book can only be borrowed 25
times. Then the lease expires. A print book that costs $10 can be borrowed up
to 50 times before it wears out. Therefore, we may find that it costs 10 times
more to provide digital books than print books. What will be the cost of
transitioning to digital in the long term? The library’s current collection of
2.2 million books cannot be replaced with digital books. Most books are not
available in digital format. These books should not be discarded.
Currently the budget for the library is 0.7
percent of the county budget. The public school budget is 53 percent of the
county budget. Yet the public schools asked the Library Board of Trustees to
pay for e-readers for children whose parents cannot afford e-readers. As the
books are emptied out of the library campuses, those campuses will be
re-purposed for other activities in conjunction with other county agencies such
as the Park Authority.
percent of the county budget. The public school budget is 53 percent of the
county budget. Yet the public schools asked the Library Board of Trustees to
pay for e-readers for children whose parents cannot afford e-readers. As the
books are emptied out of the library campuses, those campuses will be
re-purposed for other activities in conjunction with other county agencies such
as the Park Authority.
If the taxpayers of Fairfax County want to
continue to enjoy libraries as they are, they need to speak out now during the
public outreach meetings hosted by the Library Board of Trustees. Meeting times
and locations are listed on the Fairfax Federation website and the Fairfax
County Library website.
continue to enjoy libraries as they are, they need to speak out now during the
public outreach meetings hosted by the Library Board of Trustees. Meeting times
and locations are listed on the Fairfax Federation website and the Fairfax
County Library website.
The schedule of public meetings on the libraries is listed on the Fairfax Federation website. The meetings closest to Annandale are Oct. 10, 7 p.m., at Luther Jackson Middle School, and Oct. 19, 1:30 p.m., at King’s Park Library in Burke.
3 responses to “Major changes on the way for Fairfax County libraries”
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I thought I was the only one who had noticed that the property holding tax payers who fund the library are being forced out by shrieking hordes of ill mannered children running and playing computer games.
I am a taxpayer and frequent library patron. I have no need of the school system and continue to be appalled. that so very little of my taxes go to the service I use and appreciate. As far as Bulova's statement about libraries needing to change — indeed they do when she and the rest of the board consistently reduce their funding .
Libraries being "re-purposed" into community centers? Where else is this being done? I don't dispute that a good library becomes a focal point and meeting place in a community, but is their no place for traditional library services? Maybe if the supervisors got their heads out of their *sses, they could stand outside any one of the libraries for a few minutes and watch people going in and out with armloads and bags of books. These people, young and old, rich and poor, are READING, and they are using the library for that main purpose.