News Release

03/15/2007
Providence Public Library Submits Contract Proposal to City of Providence

Taking a significant step forward in its ongoing discussions with officials in the City of Providence, Providence Public Library (PPL) announced today at its monthly Board of Trustees meeting that it has submitted a contract proposal to provide municipal library services to the City of Providence. The Library’s contract proposal was delivered in response to a service proposal outline received through Mayor Cicilline’s Municipal Library Services Working Group on February 27.

At the Mayor’s request, the Library is currently operating the City’s neighborhood libraries under a one year extension that required the City and Library to fund a deficit budget. The one year extension, which ends this June 30, followed six years of level funding from the City for branch library services and warnings from the Library that the current system was not sustainable.

The Mayor appointed a Library Working Group last year to determine the scope and funding for the City’s neighborhood library services going forward; representatives from PPL have participated in the discussions, which began in October. The City’s February outline indicated its desire to retain the current level of municipal library service. Throughout the Working Group discussions the Library has indicated it would continue to administer the City’s municipal library services under a contractual agreement that outlined the City’s specific expectations for locations, level of service, and funding.

Speaking at the PPL Board of Trustees meeting today, vice chair William Simmons, who has served as a PPL representative on the Library Working Group, acknowledged the work of those who participated, in particular the Group’s facilitator Maria DeCarvalho, and said, “The Library is gratified that the City does not wish to abandon its current neighborhood branch system and we look forward to negotiating a service contract that achieves its current goals for city-wide services. Our goal would be to come to terms with the City in a timely manner in order to avoid any disruption in service for Library patrons and employees.”

Simmons noted that the Library would be represented in negotiations with the City by its attorney Dan Prentiss, should the City desire to pursue a contract with PPL. “Even if PPL is not the City’s vendor of choice, we are committed to minimizing any disruption. While we obviously would welcome a contract with the City, we encourage the City to explore all options to get the most efficient use of its tax dollars for library services,” said Simmons.

In any event, PPL announced last month the appointment of a Trustee transition team that will be working to ensure a smooth transition and which will support the City’s plan for its municipal library system. This team is beginning its work now to allow ample planning time before the start of the next fiscal year on July 1.

The Library’s contract proposal, submitted Wednesday, includes a draft financial projection of $5 million to deliver the level of service outlined by the City.