West Virginia PL Trustees Question State Library's Plan

Staff -- Library Journal, 1/31/2000

Concerned that local control may be wrested from them by a series of policy changes, PL trustees in West Virginia are closely watching the policy changes proposed by West Virginia Library Commission (WVLC) Executive Director David Price. "These changes could jeopardize local control of libraries and put far more power into the hands of the WVLC than the people of this state...ever intended," wrote David Dalzell, who chairs the trustee division of the West Virginia Library Association. The proposed policies would also change the way grants are determined. Instead of the per capita formula used by previous WVLC director Fred Glazer, Price wants the size of a grant to be contingent upon local funding rates and the professional qualifications of the library staff. In a state where the MLS is not prevalent, this raises serious concerns among trustees and staffs.