Memphis Mayor Wants To Close Five Libraries

Norman Oder -- Library Journal, 03/20/2008

• Mayor says branches "neglected"
• Editorial criticizes mayor
• Efficiency study calls for library revamp

Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton wants to close five of 19 branches of the Memphis Public Library and Information Center, telling the City Council that the move—along with closings of four community centers—would save $1.5 million to $2 million a year. It's all part of a "repositioning of city assets" requiring more "hard decisions," Herenton said, according to the Commercial Appeal. 

The announcement, on top of Herenton’s previous decision to appoint two nonlibrarians at the helm of the library, drew a firestorm of criticism in online comments and likely will engender debate before approval by City Council. The newspaper editorialized that, while “Herenton described the buildings as underused, deteriorating assets,” in nearly every case, they are neighborhood anchors. Some online commenters suggested that the announced closures were aimed to generate support for a tax increase.

Herenton’s proposal relies on a March 16, 2007 citywide efficiency study, conducted by Deloitte Consulting, that recommended closings of those five libraries but suggested that resources from such closings “be dedicated to regional branches or other library system needs.” Herenton made no mention of revamping the library system, though he criticized the management of former Director Judith Drescher for “neglect” of branches and “no respect for diversity.”

Herenton is black; Drescher (who led the library to a national honor) is white, but online commenters pointed out that four of the five branches to be closed are managed by black women and that the city had not put capital funds into branches. One letter to the editor suggested that diversity at the library might involve a degreed librarian at the top.

Efficiency study calls for new strategy
The efficiency study describes a branch model “of disparate sizes, physical conditions and service offerings.” It suggests that after-school programs may be duplicated at community centers or by other community organizations and that the library may be missing opportunities to collaborate or share facilities or resources with other city or governmental operations.

The report recommends a new strategy for libraries, including a “[t]ransition plan for moving to the new model including facilities plans, costs and timelines.” The five branches selected for closure are cited for a variety of reasons, including size, age, and proximity to other libraries. The Highland branch is two miles from the central library; the Poplar-White Station branch is four miles away; still, the report suggests that “the services of this branch are largely duplicated by those of the central library.”

In a letter to the newspaper, one writer said that Poplar-White Station "is filled and busy every day and all day.” Two letter-writers defended new library director Keenon McCloy. And an online commentator called Highland “a neglected facility.”