Patrons/Board of Texas PL, Closed Briefly in 2005, Wary of Outsourcing Via LSSI

-- Library Journal, 12/6/2006

When Bedford, TX, closed its library briefly in 2005, it was the first community in the country in more than 15 years to lose all library service—a distinction that sent an American Library Association delegation to meet with city officials. An anonymous donor helped the library reopen within two months, but since then, the budget has been tight. Now some City Council members in the cash-strapped community are considering an outsourcing contract with Library Systems & Services, LLC (LSSI), even though the library board has expressed no enthusiasm for the plan. LSSI, which already runs the library in nearby Lancaster, made a presentation to a joint work session of the city council and the library advisory board last Thursday, and the reaction wasn't too welcoming. Bedford resident and author Mark Gimenez cited the importance of library programs and said, to applause from many in the 100-person audience, "If our library dies, this community dies."

But LSSI officials said they could offer better value—and the City Council may want to achieve more hours because an outside company offers a lesser compensation package. Library board chairperson dona weisman, a library consultant, told LJ, "I can tell you that the board to a person is opposed to bringing in LSSI. The residents who know this is in the works are 8-1 opposed, though the majority don't know about it." She said she was uncomfortable that City Council members had met with LSSI without involving the library board. She said that LSSI is "the best solution when a community wants a library that has never had one. But that doesn't mean outsourcing or LSSI is appropriate for our city and our library at this time." weisman said the board is pleased with the performance of library director Maria Redburn, who joined the staff in January—"Maria has done wonders with staff morale"—and noted that library staff had recently conducted a community survey and a long-range plan, both of which other libraries contract out to consultants. A City Council vote is expected on December 19.