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Amelia Child submitting comments re: proposed FY17 Public Library staff positions.
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To the Board of Aldermen:
Due to a professional commitment, I couldn't make it to the public hearing at the meeting tonight to deliver these comments in support of fully funding the requested Library staff positions. However, I would like to submit them for your consideration.
Regarding the Assistant Director position: as a board member of the Friends of the Somerville Public Library, I've seen firsthand the effects of overburdened directors. We've seen two directors and a long-term interim since I joined the Friends about four years ago. Our fundraising efforts are designed to cover programs and services to supplement the library's budget, and under Glenn Ferdman's direction, this is the first year we've even seen a strategy developed for library programming.
An incredibly well-used library system like Somerville's requires this kind of strategic thinking and decision-making. A Director who is deep in the weeds with daily operational details that he/she can't delegate can't look up and out at the future to ensure that resources are being used and allocated effectively. This Director can't identify and prioritize the community's evolving needs, or pursue and develop new resources like grants and partnerships that would further augment the budget. I believe the return on the Assistant Director position would be very substantial in that sense, beyond the immediate benefits to the Director and staff.
Similarly, a generalist librarian would alleviate the pressures on other full-time staff and concentrate responsibilities that are currently shared across multiple people and roles. There are huge advantages to investing in one full-time, trained professional who can build experience and expertise, rather than spreading everyone thin and filling coverage gaps here and there with whatever overtime hours and part-time staff are available.
I hope you'll agree that this investment in our librarians is a worthy investment in our values as a city and a community.
Many thanks for your consideration.
Best,
Amalia Child