News Release

04/06/2007
Library Transition Team Reviews Options City May Choose for Municipal Library Services; Several Scenarios Outlined

With only 12 weeks left in the current fiscal year, the Providence Public Library (PPL) Transition Team held its second public meeting in as many weeks to discuss various options that the City of Providence may choose for providing municipal library service in Fiscal Year 2008, beginning July 1.

The Team outlined the broad options in terms of best and worst case scenarios, with the best being City creation of a Library Department to operate neighborhood library services. The worst case scenario would be that the City decides it does not want to continue funding a municipal library system, either as a City Department or outsourced through a contractual relationship with the PPL or alternate vendor.

Transition Team Chair Rob Taylor noted, “There are 100 to 1,000 possibilities of what the City may want to do. These are just some for discussion and planning.”

Following the City’s indication in March that it wanted to maintain the current level of services, the Library priced out a projected cost of $5 million to do so through a contract with PPL for operation of municipal branches. If the City is unable to fully fund the Municipal Library System, it will have to make decisions regarding where it will cut services in hours and/or branch closings. The transition team today discussed some of the options the City could consider including keeping all branches open with limited hours or electing to extend hours at three main branches. In any scenario, level funding by the City would mean approximately 15 – 20 staff layoffs, due to the fact that the bulk of municipal library costs are personnel related. (The current year operation with level City funding has necessitated an agreement by the Library to an up-front subsidy of up to $770,000 with the City providing up to an additional $250,000 to cover the gap between City funding and operating costs.)

In another option, the City could choose to make library services a City department using the current branch library buildings. The Library financial analysis shows that under this model, the City may be able to more efficiently use taxpayer dollars for direct municipal services. The Transition Team indicated it would work with the City to transfer employees, services, and facilitate continued use of branch buildings.

Taylor asked Library staff to explore a third hybrid option discussed by the Team, where the City would own and maintain the branch library buildings, and contract with the Library to provide direct neighborhood services.

In the worst case, the City would opt not to continue funding a branch library system, either as a City Department or outsourced through a contractual relationship with PPL or another provider. This decision by the City would mean up to 60 staff layoffs, closure of neighborhood branches, and possible liquidation of buildings.

The Transition Team stressed that under any of the scenarios, the PPL would continue as it has for 130 years to provide free library services for Providence and State residents through its main central library, as specified in its charter and mission. The private non-profit PPL funds and operates the nationally acclaimed Central Library (much like New York’s Metropolitan Library) which serves as a statewide resource, a research facility, houses historic collections, and provides literacy services and programs for adults and children in the community.

The Transition Team is operating on a tight schedule since the City’s current municipal library system is operating under a one year budget extension that expires in June 2007. While the PPL has submitted a contract proposal to the City for continued services, no agreement has been reached. The Transition Team’s next meeting will be on Friday April 13, 2007 and is open to the public.