Woodridge Head Librarian Fired Firday; Firings at Other Branches

I can't yet find documentation of the most recent housecleaning at DCPL, but Woodridge's head librarian, Mary Cooper, was fired along with a number of other branch librarians on Friday, November 30. I believe (though anyone with more accurate info is encouraged to post a comment) that those let go included the Petworth and Mt. Pleasant head librarians.

This comes on the heels of DCPL's November 7 announcement that a number of branches will no longer have Sunday service through the holiday season (and beyond?) "due to anticipated staff shortages [at] some libraries," including Woodridge.

Sunday service will be maintained at:
· Anacostia
· Benning
· Cleveland Park
· Lamond Riggs
· Martin Luther King Jr., Memorial Library
· Mt. Pleasant Southeast
· Takoma Park
· Tenley
· Washington Highlands
· Watha T. Daniel / Shaw
· West End

Emergency Legislation on MLK Library - Sign the Petition to Preserve It

Mayor Williams has scheduled a(nother) vote on an emergency library bill next Tuesday - despite others not passing. Williams believes "all the issues have been ventilated." Wow. Interestingly enough, many of us don't agree. In addition to contacting your and others' Councilmember [see Council contact information in previous posting here], you can sign this petition to save the MLK Library. And, honestly, if you're for building a new library on the old convention center site, that's a valid option, but at the very least demand more accountability from the current and incoming Council, as well as the DCPL Board of Trustees and Ginnie Cooper. Rebuilding Place in the Urban Space goes into more detail on DC residents' MLK Catch-22.

Oh, and it looks like the Council will also be making a final reading and vote Tuesday, December 19th on temporary legislation on the Florida/Capital City Market (scroll down their schedule for "New Town at Capital City Market Revitalization Development and Public /Private Partnership Temporary Act of 2006"). Read some of Richard and Elise's comments on the proposal and search their sites for more.

DCPL/Woodridge Library Updates and Upcoming Events

You may have heard that all DC Public Libraries, with the exception of the Deanwood Kiosk, are now wired for free Wi-Fi.

Also, as of this past Sunday, October 15th, 2006, MLK, Jr. and all full-service branch libraries will be open from 1-5pm every Sunday. From the DCPL press release:

The exceptions are the four small community libraries and the Deanwood Kiosk, which will continue to be open Monday through Friday. "Sundays are generally when families spend the most time together so it’s great they will now be able to make their local branch library a family activity where every member can find something they enjoy," said Ginnie Cooper, the D.C. Public Library’s Chief Librarian. "Whether it’s families or individual residents, we’re going to be attracting groups of people who wouldn’t normally have time to come to the library during the week. This is going to enable us to serve many, many more people who have information needs but perhaps did not have time to get their needs met."

....

In addition to the new hours, Chief Librarian Ginnie Cooper announced that beginning immediately there is no longer an age limit for children to obtain a library card, and no longer will there be a children’s handwriting requirement for a child to apply for a card. Now, parents and guardians may apply for a library card for very young children and it will be issued in the child’s name. Cooper says this change will help to encourage children to read at a younger age, which is a hallmark of her library philosophy. She continued by saying, "Our former policy is historically common, and may still exist at other libraries. I have had the pleasure of changing similar policies at other places."

We are definitely taking baby-steps in the right direction.

___________

The Woodridge Library, 1801 Hamlin Street, NE (at the corner of 18th and Rhode Island Avenue), invites young adults and parents to meet Melinda Robertson, author of "Motherhood...What You Don't Know!", for a discussion and book signing this Friday, October 20th, 2006 at 5:30pm.

From the author's website:

"The book serves two purposes. One to show how complex motherhood really is, as it is intended to provoke young women to think about what it would really mean to have a baby. Secondly, Nicole, the main character, can be an encouragement to the thousands of teenage mothers raising children today, because [of] the 'straight talk, no chaser' conversations Nicole's mother has with her...."

- - -

Woodridge is also hosting an adult book discussion on Tuesday, October 24th, 2006 at 2pm. Come and bring your favorite book to share with others - all are welcome! Participants in the Adult Summer Reading Program will discuss the books they've read.

- - -

Preschool storytime (ages 3-5) is scheduled for Thursdays at 10:30am. Call the Woodridge Branch for additional information on these and other programs at 202.541.6226.

Public DCPL Board of Trustees Meeting - Wednesday, August 9th

What: The first Trustees meeting held since the arrival of new DCPL director, Ginnie Cooper.

When: Wednesday, August 9th, 2006 at 6pm

Where: Chevy Chase Branch Library, 5625 Connecticut Avenue, NW

I've been told that a members of the Tenley community will be there protesting the ongoing closure - since December 2004 - of their branch. I hope folks from Anacostia, Benning, and Watha T. Daniel/Shaw do the same.

- - -

Robin Diener, Director of the DC Library Renaissance Project, passed along this interesting tidbit from the Washington Business Journal:

Nat'l Geographic pictures itself at new District site

The National Geographic Society is looking to migrate east, to the sprawling site of D.C.'s old convention center.

The media organization, based in a nearby three-building complex at 17th and M streets NW, is pursuing a deal with D.C. officials to build a museum, retail and entertainment complex -- and possibly office space -- on the city-owned portion of the property.

You should be able to read the entire article if you have a subscription (unfortunately I don't). Now, go straight to the comments, where NGS employee, imgoph, tells us this is nothing more than a delicious rumor.

Three Assisting Mayor's DCPL Task Force Among Those Allegedly Fired

Wow. Compare this sentence from "The Mayor's Task Force on the Future of the District of Columbia Public Library System: Summary of Findings and Draft Report, November 2005":

Similarly, the following members of the staff of the District of Columbia Public Library provided assistance to the Task Force: Gail Avery, Se'an Crumley, Rose Dawson, Bette Ann Hubbard, Monica Lewis, Jewel Ogonji, Pat Pasqual, Rita Thompson-Joyner and Barbara Webb.

With this from last week's Post:

According to the sources, those dismissed were Jewel Ogonji, head librarian; Angela Purnell, assistant library director for administrative and operational services; Yema Tucker, head of collection development and management; Se'an Crumley, head of information and technology systems; and Barbara Webb, head of neighborhood library services....A blue-ribbon task force appointed by Mayor Anthony A. Williams (D) is expected to release a report in about two weeks, [John W.] Hill, [president of the library Board of Trustees,] said. The task force did not recommend the terminations, Hill said.

No, I imagine those assisting the Task Force wouldn't suggest their own terminations.

Let the Firing Begin - DCPL

From today's Post:

The head librarian at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library and several other high-ranking officials have been fired days before the arrival of the new D.C. library director, according to sources familiar with the personnel changes.

John W. Hill, president of the library Board of Trustees, said yesterday that he could not confirm which employees had been dismissed, but he said the move was "part of the big transformation."

"We felt that there needed to be a transformational structure put in place to allow the new director to make changes fast," Hill said.

Hill added that Ginnie Cooper, the former executive director of the Brooklyn (N.Y.) Public Library, will start work Monday.

The decision to terminate employees was authorized by the library's acting director, Ellen M. Flaherty, who previously was head of personnel for the library. The board "fully supports this move," Hill said.

According to the sources, those dismissed were Jewel Ogonji, head librarian; Angela Purnell, assistant library director for administrative and operational services; Yema Tucker, head of collection development and management; Se'an Crumley, head of information and technology systems; and Barbara Webb, head of neighborhood library services.

The terminations came a month after Hill and union officials testified at a D.C Council hearing in favor of a proposal to sell the 36-year-old central library and replace it with a $207 million state-of-the-art building at the old convention center site at 11th Street and New York Avenue NW.

A blue-ribbon task force appointed by Mayor Anthony A. Williams (D) is expected to release a report in about two weeks, Hill said. The task force did not recommend the terminations, Hill said.

"The report signals a vision for the future, and it is up to management to determine what staff is needed to implement that vision," Hill said of the draft.

Robin Diener, director of the Library Renaissance Project at the nonprofit Center for the Study of Responsive Law, said her advocacy group welcomes some changes in personnel.

"I don't want the Board of Trustees to get a get-out-of-jail-free card, because they have left the library system adrift for the past three years by failing to provide a permanent library director," Diener said.

Anntoinette White-Richardson, a union official who represents 300 library employees, said she does not expect that the rank and file, who "keep the library system running," will be affected by the firings.

"We expected the transformation to reach farther than facilities," she said. "Once the board started peeling the layers, they saw they couldn't stop there. It was more than about buildings."

Meanwhile, as plans for the new main library move forward, the rest of us are still waiting on the "blue-ribbon task force" report. Take a look at this article in The InTowner (if you have trouble, search for "Mayor’s Plan for New Central Library to Replace Existing MLK Building Continues in Limbo; No Immediate Action Expected" from the main page in the July 3, 2006 issue). A nice wrap-up of last month's hearing, it notes what the Post continuously overlooks - the community is divided on the plans for a new central library and for various reasons. Myself? I'm straddling the middle, but I am strongly against the way this is being handled as a community matter; it seems the only input those ultimately making the call consider credible falls directly in line with the plans they've had in motion long before they asked for our opinions.

DCPL: Public Hearing on the "Library Transformation Act of 2006" Thursday, June 15th

From the DC Council:

COUNCILMEMBER KATHY PATTERSON, CHAIRPERSON
COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, LIBRARIES AND RECREATION

ANNOUNCES A PUBLIC HEARING ON

Bill 16-734, the "Library Transformation Act of 2006"

Thursday, June 15, 2006
10:00AM

John A. Wilson Building
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Council Chamber, Room 500

On Thursday, June 15, 2006, Councilmember Kathy Patterson, Chairperson of the Committee on Education, Libraries and Recreation, will hold a public hearing on Bill 16-734, the Library Transformation Act of 2006. This legislation represents the Mayor's proposal to finance and construct a new Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library at the old convention center site. The hearing will be held at 10:00 am in the John A. Wilson Building, 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Council Chamber, Room 500.

The Committee invites the public to testify or to submit written testimony, which will be made a part of the official record. Anyone wishing to testify at the roundtable should contact Evelyn Bourne-Gould, Legislative Assistant to the Committee on Education, Libraries and Recreation, at 724-8195, or via e-mail at egould@dccouncil.us. All witnesses will be permitted a maximum of three (3) minutes for oral presentation.

If you are unable to testify at the hearing, written statements are encouraged and will be made a part of the official record. Copies of written statements should be submitted either to the Committee on Education, Libraries and Recreation, or to Mr. Ira Stohlman, Acting Secretary to the Council, Room 5 of the Wilson Building, 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20004. The record will close on Thursday, June 22, 2006.

Here are a few links on the "Library Transformation Initiative":

• "Library Transformation Initiative: A New Chapter in DC Public Libraries"
• "The District of Columbia: A New City Center"
• Old Convention Center Site Redevelopment
• "Why DC Needs a New Library" - WaPo Letter to the Editor, 6.13.06, by Mayor Williams
• The Goodspeed Update
• DCist

Updates on Ginnie Cooper (in addition to these posts):

• "District Briefing: Public Library - Next Executive Director Is Picked" - WaPo, 5.19.06
• Raw Fisher: "A New Day for DC Libraries?" - WaPo, 5.22.06
• "New Library Head Will Face Unacknowledged Internal Woes at DCPL" - DC Library Renaissance Project Press Release, 5.23.06
• "Cooper's Pay, Record Raises Controversy in DC"- LibraryJournal.com, 5.25.06
• "New Library Chief Left N.Y. Job Early" - WaPo, 5.25.06
• "Ginnie Cooper Leaves Brooklyn Public Library to Continue Her Vision and Leadership in Washington, DC" - Brooklyn Public Library Press Release, 5.26.06

DCPL Updates: Teach-In 6/7; Interim Director Francis Buckley Dismissed

The DC Library Renaissance Project
is hosting a teach-in tomorrow evening, though it's curiously not at MLK, Jr. Memorial Library:

Teach-In: How to Revitalize MLK
Wednesday, June 7 @ 6:30 p.m.
Carnegie Science Building
1530 P St., NW
Free and Open To The Public

Come see the downtown library renovation design that the mayor doesn’t want you to know about. Learn the history of the first public building in the country dedicated to slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., the only library in the world designed by famed architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, and the first District building constructed under Home Rule.

Undertaken by local architects at the library’s request in 2000, this design study for the renovation of MLK library was created in collaboration with library staff and users, resolving the problems they identified in an innovative and dramatic fashion. Overlooked at the time and ignored since, you can see the vision for MLK's future that the mayor's “Blue Ribbon” library task force was not shown.

Become fully informed about all options before the June 15 City Council hearing on the mayor’s plan to abandon the historic, stand-alone MLK library in favor of a new central library to be part of “mixed use” development at the site of the old convention center. Your questions and concerns will be addressed by Kent Cooper, AIA, original lead architect of the design study, in an open Q & A.

Sponsored by the DC Library Renaissance Project
For more information, contact Robin Diener at 202/387-7776
or rdiener@savedclibraries.org.

Unfortunately it's too late for me to go in depth on my opinions on the "options" the Mayor (some of my arguments are in the comments of the DCist post) and the Blue Ribbon Task Force have presented us thus far. In general, I believe we should hear both sides, and this teach-in is a good opportunity to do just that before next week's public hearing.

Also see Richard Layman's most recent MLK post, with relevant links, here.

- - -

Francis Buckley, interim director of DCPL, was given an eerily quiet dismissal last week; the only public mention I could find was in last week's DC Watch ("Puzzling Change in Public Library Leadership"). Richard Huffine, president of the Federation of Friends of the DC Public Library, forwarded me Mr. Buckley's parting e-mail to DCPL staff:

Friends -

Below is a copy of an e-mail sent by Fran Buckley, Interim Director of the DC Public Library System earlier this evening. The Board of Library Trustees has informed Mr. Buckley that his services are no longer needed, that they will be bringing in a "transition manager" and that the head of Personnel for DCPL, Ellen Flaherty, has been put in charge of daily operations. At this time, the Board has called no public meeting to enter these decisions into the public record.

I will let you draw your own conclusions on how the staff of the Library System are feeling right now. I can only say as a Friend of the Library that I am very concerned about these actions and how they will affect the ability of the public to receive service during this transition.

Richard Huffine, President
Federation of Friends of the DC Public Library
202-253-3511
richardhuffine@yahoo.com


-----Original Message-----
From: Buckley, Francis (DCPL)
Sent: 5/30/2006 6:14 PM
Subject: Transition

May 30, 2007 [sic]

To all staff:

I want to thank everyone for their support, assistance, and friendliness for the past 13 months I have been here. It has been a pleasure to work with all of you. I have enjoyed, once again, being in the public library environment.

I think we have made significant progress on a number of fronts: supporting and assisting the Mayor's Blue Ribbon Task Force with information and listening sessions, purging the patron and circulation files, revising the fine and circulation policies in preparation for issuing overdue notices, making the difficult recommendation to terminate inadequate plans for reconstruction of the four closed branches, developing plans for interim branches, issuing patron behavior guidelines, developing FY 07 operating and capital budgets to support the transformation of the library, increasing the quality and quantity of library programming, acquiring increased resources from the Washington Post clipping morgue to large print and literacy materials, finally getting wireless operational in Georgetown as a precursor for all branches, developing plans for a major upgrade and increase in our PC configuration, and building closer relationships with our patrons, Friends groups, the DCPL Foundation, the City Administration, the Institute for Museum and Library Services, and other organizations.

The Board of Trustees has informed me that my services as Interim Director will no longer be needed effective June 1. They plan to bring in a Transition Manager and to appoint Ellen Flaherty to be in charge of day-to-day operations until Ginnie Cooper comes. I plan to return to retirement.

Francis J. Buckley, Jr.
Interim Director
District of Columbia Public Library
901 G Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001

See you at the meetings?

Open Mouth, Insert DCPL

Well, it didn't take long for the backlash to begin . . . . And while I mentioned just the other day that I thought naming Ginnie Cooper Executive Director of DC Public Library was a step in the right direction, I am now happily second-guessing myself (note to self: press releases are meant to paint a rosy picture; I should already know this from work). Take a look at DCist's post today (look past the snarky/patronizing title if you're a fan of libraries/librarians), inspired by Dorothy Brizill's comments in today's DC Watch:

As I reported in themail on May 17, the DC Library Board of Trustees did in fact hold a special meeting on Thursday at which it voted to appoint Ginnie Cooper as the new head of the DC Library system. Cooper is currently the executive director of the Brooklyn Public Library. At a press conference following the board meeting, neither John Hill, chairman of the Trustee Board, nor Ms. Cooper would discuss the terms of her appointment. However, the next day, Friday, Hill issued a press release indicating that Cooper is expected to assume her position this summer, probably in August, and that her pay rate will be $205,000 ($179,946 plus a “retention incentive” of $25,054). In Brooklyn, Cooper was paid $200,000 per year to oversee the fifth largest independent library system in the US, with sixty libraries serving three million residents. In DC, Cooper will be paid $205,000 to oversee a much smaller library system of twenty-five library facilities serving 570,000 residents. Her salary continues the Williams administration’s policy of massive pay inflation for top-level government officials. As the May 19 edition of The Common Denominator reports, the library’s current interim director, Francis Buckley, is paid $138,159; and the library’s previous director, Molly Raphael, earned $121,000 after thirty-three years of service to DCPL.

In a press release announcing Cooper’s appointment, the library board says that “Cooper brings a clear vision of excellence in library services, as well as success in library management and fundraising to the executive director position.” However, New York City newspapers have been replete with stories of Cooper’s management snafus. Last year she had to repay $27,000 after auditors found that she had taken more than six weeks of vacation that were not allowed in her contract. The New York Sun reported that “the Brooklyn Public Library system has struggled with budget cuts, and its branches are currently open fewer hours that those of either of the city’s other two library systems, New York and Queens.” The New York Daily News quoted NYC Councilman Charles Barrow on Cooper’s appointment to head the DC Library system: “I’m sure there won’t be a whole lot of tears . . . over her departure.”

The controversy is much in line with the way DCPL has handled branch closings/"renovations," public input into the future of the MLK, Jr. Memorial Library, etc. While there is no doubt DCPL was urgently in need of a permanent (rather than interim) director, it's obvious that we need a transparent vetting process for the position. Our library system is in need of an extensive, if not complete, overhaul - if the community at large continues to participate only by making what I'd call "comments for the record" rather than being given the the floor with the full attention of the final decision makers, we will find other ways to make our voices heard.

Certainly I'm looking at just two sides of a many faceted story here, but why would we not only hire, but also give a pay increase - in a city with a lower cost of living - to someone who was found to have taken $27,000 worth of unauthorized vacation time? The Common Denominator has more details, including - please be sure you're sitting - "[Cooper] recently came under fire for [. . .] closing a library when a librarian received a minor injury [. . .] . [and] is leaving her current job in the midst of a major renovation of Brooklyn's Central Library, which is expected to be completed in 2007. " DC's residents not afford another library closing or a vacany in DCPL's top position in the midst of our planned renovation(s), and our pockets aren't deep enough for less than the best candidate to lead DCPL in the coming years of transition for $205,000/yr.

Comments? What about from those of you in New York searching for "Ginnie Cooper" who have been directed here?

DC Public Library Names Ginnie Cooper Executive Director

After a long period of interim leadership, DCPL has announced that Ginnie Cooper, currently Executive Director of Brooklyn Public Library, will begin her appointment in DC no later than August 2006. DCPL's site also has links to Ms. Cooper's background, a list of her experience and accomplishments, and glowing remarks from colleagues across the nation. The announcement alludes to the "fact" of a new central Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library built on the former convention center site, as well as renovation for the branch libraries:

Among Ms. Cooper's primary responsibilities as Executive Director will be to respond to citizen's request for improved library services and facilities. Neighborhood branches are slated for renovation or new construction and legislation for a new central Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library built on the former convention center site is pending before the City Council.

A librarian since 1970, Ms. Cooper brings a clear vision of excellence in library services, as well as success in library management and fundraising to the executive director position. Throughout her career as a librarian, Ms. Cooper has experienced nationally recognized success in rebuilding library systems throughout the country.

[. . . .]

As head of the D.C. Public Library, Ms. Cooper will oversee program management and services for the entire library system in addition to managing the Library Transformation Initiative. Her announcement is symbolic of the library transformation efforts proposed as a result of Mayor Williams' Blue Ribbon Task Force to address the neglect and disrepair the D.C. Public Library System has experienced over decades of insufficient funding. In a positive step, the City council recently approved the FY06 Budget Support Act, which includes the allocation of $170 million in capital funding for the needed restoration of 20 branch libraries.

All in all, this sounds like a positive move for DCPL, though one must wonder why, much like the MPD, the leaders of our public services aren't coming from within the ranks.

UPDATE: See one of many updates to come here.