Atlanta-Fulton PL Director Praised

Despite a call from a taxpayers association for the director and a board member of the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System to step down (see Late Bulletins , LJ 10/15/03, p. 13), the library board has yet to address the question. Director Mary Kaye Hooker and board member William Clure were two of four named defendants in the reverse discrimination case won by seven white librarians.

"The board, on its own timetable, will speak in its own voice," said Annette Steed, chair of the library board. "Hopefully, it will be soon." Vice chair Steve Dorvee said that any decision should wait until the resolution of an equal employment opportunity (EEO) audit of library hiring practices. The audit was spurred by two grievances filed by plaintiffs in the lawsuit (see News , 9/15/03, p. 20).

"It's something the board has to consider, in line with a whole lot of other issues," Dorvee said. "There may be great differences between what a jury may find and what has happened [in general at the library]."

The plaintiffs were recently offered $12 million by Fulton County to settle the case—which, including interest and attorneys' fees, has hit $18 million. They refused the offer, and the county plans to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. One theory behind the appeal may be that the amount of the verdict was excessive, given that most of it was for punitive rather than compensatory damages.

Steed said that Hooker earlier this year received a positive job evaluation, based on her "overall job performance." She said the lawsuit "had no bearing" on the evaluation "because it doesn't have direct bearing on her day-to-day performance."

Asked if the lawsuit affected how the staff and public perceive Hooker, Steed said, "We work very closely with our director. If we take into consideration disparate points of view coming from different directions, we wouldn't be fair to her."

A web site, www.afplwatch.com, is produced by some dissident staffers; it provides extensive, anonymous critiques of library management and policies, including the ineffectiveness of the library catalog and the lack of best sellers on the shelves. Steed said she's seen the site a few times: "Since I don't know who is authoring it, I haven't spent time wondering about all these assertions."

Dorvee said, "Aside from the taxpayers association letter, we have received numerous anonymous complaints, which has been very frustrating, but that's one reason I suggested that we have this EEO audit."

Steed said the library is working on a new strategic plan to cover the next 25 years. It should be ready for public presentation by the end of the year and will cover, among other things, the need for new library sites in growing areas of the county. "We've been through some really hard times, but we've persevered," said Steed, who, like Dorvee, joined the board after the events that led to the lawsuit. "We are not in disarray."