Fairfax Libraries Need Our Help

Speech to Friends of Fairfax Libraries

Fairfax County public libraries are in the news these days. The County Supervisor, Linda Smyth made it known that dumpsters had been filled with books discarded by the County library. The photographs she took got the attention of the Board of Supervisors. Providence Supervisor Linda Smyth “went on Tuesday and saw a commercial trash dumpster filled up to my waist with books. When I went back on Thursday, the books in that dumpster were up past my shoulders. I would say there were thousands.” (qtd. in MacDonald 2013) The books included reference books, children’s books including the popular Harry Potter series. Libraries periodically move books off the shelves to make room for new material, but as the Friends of the Library group has pointed out, dumping hundreds of thousands of books into trash bins is not beneficial to anyone. (Chant 2013) These books would be better off being sold or donated than sent to landfills.

The library has recently moved to a “floating collection system” in a move to help with budget cuts. For those of you unfamiliar with what this means, floating collections are groups of books not housed permanently in one specific library. The books will remain wherever they are returned, saving handling and shipping charges to the original library. Floating books can go to any library within the system. There are benefits to library users as well. Floating books circulate for a regular loan period and may be requested by users. (Penn State Libraries 2013) The Friends of the Libraries groups have received no books from FCPL from October 2012 to May 2013, the halt was apparently supposed to be temporary, but the move to a floating collection meant a move to a central processing point and FCPL hasn’t created a way to get books to the Friends groups. Friends groups hold book sales, which have helped the library acquire books and equipment, as well as sponsor programs and exhibits above and beyond the library’s budget. (Friends of the Libraries 2013) It is counter-productive to throw books out and not make them available to this organization. The Friends of the Library groups have started receiving some books from the library again, however the quantity and quality have diminished, and the photographs taken by Smyth show that 1,000’s of books are still ending up in dumpsters.

The books in dumpsters controversy are just a microcosm of the larger Fairfax County library's problems. The Beta Project is a collection of changes to library staffing and organization that was supposed to start as a test run in Reston Regional and the new Burke Center libraries in September. The Beta Project would replace librarians and library assistants with “customer-service” specialists. These presumably less expensive customer-service people would not be required to hold an MLS, MLIS or even a bachelor’s degree. Some are skeptical about replacing the professional knowledge of a librarian with a person with only retail customer experience.

The Beta Project will also eliminate youth service librarians. Librarians will be cross-trained to handle computer-training programs, youth outreach, and senior programs, the concern is library services will be spread too thin. Many of the current library associates are concerned with the lack of input this new model was given. The strategic plan and the Beta Project do not have a lot in common. Over 200 community members attended a county board of supervisors meeting. The Beta plan was suspended earlier in the month by the Library Board of Trustees after county supervisors and the community expressed concerns about the lack of input.

Meanwhile, the reality of looming new budget cuts is coming. Next year the county budget will take $650,000 from the FCPL account. Most of the cuts will be in materials acquisition, but nearly $275,000 will come from staffing. Sam Clay, the main proponent for the Beta project, will have to deal with these cuts. (Chant 2013) Clay acknowledges that the Beta Project may not be perfect, but something needs to be done towards an actionable plan. Things are changing, and the libraries need to be ready for change. Circulation is down 9 percent since 2010 and library visits are down 8 percent. FCPL needs to evolve under tighter budget constraints. The Beta Project involves no layoffs of existing staff and instead cuts costs by removing unfilled positions via attrition. (Chant 2013) The public outcry obviously demonstrates more work needs to be done to provide a solution that brings in input from staff and the public.

The Board of Trustees has organized a committee watch-group to participate in several public meetings on the proposed changes. They are to report back to the Board of Trustees by November 19th with their observations and findings. Obviously, this issue is important enough it is garnering public interest. Friends of the Libraries, current working staff and a coalition of concerned citizens located through community flyers and advertisements need to generate a coalition that can reframe the goal of our community libraries and find a balance between budget cuts and a workable solution that helps sustain the libraries. (Strategies for Community Change) Community outreach and an increase in volunteer positions and interest would be one useful tool. Reframing the goal of the libraries will give people something positive to strive for and enlist the community rather than simply eliminating positions. A library coalition, once established, could continue the library building process into the future. As the most interested and currently organized group monitoring our local libraries' health, it is up to us to create a coalition of concerned citizens and library staff to help our libraries thrive during these tough economic times. Throwing books out is parallel to throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Perhaps this can be the initial impetus for change. Spare books can be sold in a publicity rich environment benefitting local reading programs and will assist in keeping this program in the public eye.

Works Cited

Chant, Ian. "Books in Dumpsters Spark Debate on Future of Fairfax County, VA Libraries." Library Journal. N.p., 25 Sept. 2013. Web. 27 Oct. 2013. <http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2013/09/library-services/books-in-dumpsters-spark-debate-on-future-of-fairfax-county-va-libraries/#_

"Friends of the Fairfax County Public Library - Fairfax County, Virginia." Friends of the Fairfax County Public Library - Fairfax County, Virginia. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2013. <https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/library/friends/

MacDonald, Gregg. "Trying to Read Between the Lines." Fairfax Times.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2013. <http://www.fairfaxtimes.com/article/20130906/NEWS/130909472/1117/trying-to-read-between-the-lines&template=fairfaxTimes

"Penn State University Libraries - Floating Collection." Floating Collection. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Oct. 2013. <http://www.libraries.psu.edu/psul/access/floatingcollection.html

"Section 1. Strategies for Community Change and Improvement: An Overview." Main Section. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Oct. 2013. <http://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/assessment/promotion-strategies/overview/main