The blog has been quiet in recent months, but I wanted to step in for a moment with a couple of messages from Celeste Choate, who joined Urbana Free Library as executive director in April.
The first is an excerpt of an interview with Choate conducted by Sean Powers of Illinois Public Media. In it, Choate addresses a portion of the concerns that lead to last summer's #Bookgate controversies. You can listen to the excerpt here: http://will.illinois.edu/news/player/new-urbana-library-director-reflects-on-book-weeking-librarys-future
The second is a note from Choate to Urbana Free Library patrons and others in the community that is posted on the Library's website: http://urbanafreelibrary.org/article/2014/05/31/executive-director
If you haven't had a chance to meet Choate yet, I hope you'll take her up on her offer. I had lunch with her last week and look forward to what seems to be a new era of transparency and responsiveness in the Library's administration. I'm eager to hear what staff and other patrons think so far.
Have you met Choate? If so, what were your impressions?
-Carol
Thursday, June 5, 2014
Thursday, January 30, 2014
Public Receptions for Executive Director Candidates
The following dates and times have been set aside for receptions and remarks from three candidates for the Executive Director position.
According to a News-Gazette article:
There's also a newly scheduled 'special' meeting of the Board of Trustees on Monday, February 3, at 3:15 pm in the Satterthwaite Conference Room (UFL basement) with two items on the agenda: public comment and a closed session for personnel matters. [Nb. We've since learned that the closed session is for the Board to interview the director candidate.] Perhaps use the public comment time to remind the Board what the community values / wants in an executive director.
-------
The text of the official press release from Urbana Free Library follows.
Celeste Choate, Monday, February 3, 4:30-5:30 (remarks at 5:00)
Associate Director, Ann Arbor (MI) District Library (AADL)
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/celeste-choate/5/97/b83
Video presentation: Unusual Stuff at AADL
Article on AADL Board and updates from July 2013
Associate Director, Ann Arbor (MI) District Library (AADL)
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/celeste-choate/5/97/b83
Video presentation: Unusual Stuff at AADL
Article on AADL Board and updates from July 2013
Sarah Rosenblum, Friday, February 7, 4:30-5:30 (remarks at 5:00)
Director, Marshalltown (IA) Public Library
Debra Stombres, Monday, February 10, 4:30-5:30 (remarks at 5:00)
Branch Manager, Aurora (IL) Public Library
According to a News-Gazette article:
"Library Board President Chris Scherer said the decision to hold public sessions with the three finalists was made to add transparency to the process. This will be residents' opportunity to give their input, he said."There seems to be limited time for Q&A at the 'receptions,' but get out there and ask them anyway! For instance, how will the candidates
- address staff concerns that existed before #bookgate but have persisted (and in some instances, been amplified)?
- regain and enhance public trust?
- improve transparency in administration?
- include staff and community meaningfully in strategic planning?
- bridge the digital / app / device / access divide in the community?
There's also a newly scheduled 'special' meeting of the Board of Trustees on Monday, February 3, at 3:15 pm in the Satterthwaite Conference Room (UFL basement) with two items on the agenda: public comment and a closed session for personnel matters. [Nb. We've since learned that the closed session is for the Board to interview the director candidate.] Perhaps use the public comment time to remind the Board what the community values / wants in an executive director.
-------
The text of the official press release from Urbana Free Library follows.
Public Receptions for Urbana Free Library Director Candidates
The Urbana Free Library Board of Trustees and the Search Committee for the Executive Director have announced that three candidates are selected as finalists in the national search and will be visiting The Urbana Free Library for on-site interviews in February. The public is invited to meet each candidate at a scheduled reception. All three public receptions will take place from 4:30 pm to 5:30 pm in the MacFarlane-Hood Reading Room on the library’s main floor, and each candidate will make brief remarks at 5:00 pm.
The reception on Monday, February 3 will introduce finalist Celeste Choate, currently the Associate Director of Ann Arbor District Library in Michigan. The public may meet finalist Sarah Rosenblum, who is currently employed as Library Director for Marshalltown Public Library in Iowa, at the reception scheduled for Friday, February 7. The reception on Monday, February 10 will introduce finalist Debra Stombres, currently employed as the Branch Coordinator for the Aurora Public Library Eola Road Branch in Illinois.
More information may be found on the library’s website at urbanafreelibrary.org
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
A Prelude to Tonight's Board of Trustees Meeting
Tonight's meeting begins at 7 p.m. in the Lewis Auditorium, and as we have for the past four months, we'll be sharing the meeting via a video livestream and through Twitter (you can view the feed on this blog's front page).
The agenda and documents are available online, but in short, the Trustees will be voting on collection policy documents and discussing more about the search for a new executive director (you'll find a draft of the job description at that last link).
In the Department Reports, we learned from Interim Head of Adult Services Mary Towner that the Library sent approximately 8,566 books to Better World Books early this summer. Of these, 2810 were added back to the collection and a nearly equivalent number were officially weeded. Although the bulk of the art and religion collections are now intact, Towner notes that approximately 3,000 volumes were not returned or are otherwise unaccounted for.
The community is still watching what goes on at the Library vigilantly. For instance, on a neighborhood association e-mail list last week, a resident posted about what seemed to be another weeding project. Towner posted a thoughtful blog entry discussing what was really happening - students from GSLIS were undertaking a preliminary evaluation of a portion of the collection - and that librarians from adult services were supervising.
Stay tuned for updates, but we here at Reclaiming Our Library hope to see many local residents come to tonight's meeting (and next month's meeting and the one after that...)
As a parting note, may we all have as much desire to be involved in our communities as this 12-year old Dallas boy, profiled recently in the Washington Post blog. Take a watch!
The agenda and documents are available online, but in short, the Trustees will be voting on collection policy documents and discussing more about the search for a new executive director (you'll find a draft of the job description at that last link).
In the Department Reports, we learned from Interim Head of Adult Services Mary Towner that the Library sent approximately 8,566 books to Better World Books early this summer. Of these, 2810 were added back to the collection and a nearly equivalent number were officially weeded. Although the bulk of the art and religion collections are now intact, Towner notes that approximately 3,000 volumes were not returned or are otherwise unaccounted for.
The community is still watching what goes on at the Library vigilantly. For instance, on a neighborhood association e-mail list last week, a resident posted about what seemed to be another weeding project. Towner posted a thoughtful blog entry discussing what was really happening - students from GSLIS were undertaking a preliminary evaluation of a portion of the collection - and that librarians from adult services were supervising.
Stay tuned for updates, but we here at Reclaiming Our Library hope to see many local residents come to tonight's meeting (and next month's meeting and the one after that...)
As a parting note, may we all have as much desire to be involved in our communities as this 12-year old Dallas boy, profiled recently in the Washington Post blog. Take a watch!
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
The Hunt for a New Director
At the September 10 meeting, the Trustees announced that Bob Burger - a retired University of Illinois librarian - would helm the search committee for the Urbana Free Library's new executive director and that the process would proceed, as President Scherer noted, with "all due haste."
Following that announcement, a lively and chaotic discussion ensued in which the Trustees wrangled with logistics: who would appoint the other members of the committee? to whom is the search committee accountable? what will the committee use as criteria for evaluating candidates? The answers to most of those questions seemed to reside in the person of Bob Burger. It is he, the Trustees concluded, who will appoint the committee, determine its direction, and develop evaluative criteria.
What seemed most clear from this discussion is that the Trustees don't understand the search process.
In looking back at the Board minutes from the last director search in 2006, the process worked much differently.
For instance, here's what the minutes from May 2006 state,
Kate McDowell passed out for review a new time line for hiring a new Executive Director. She also passed out the job description and the job advertisement and revised them on her laptop computer as Board members and staff made suggestions. The Board discussed a number of points, including the best way to present the salary range, whether specific details should be in the job description or a job contract, and whether specific job expectations and experiences should be required or preferred.
The Board also discussed where and when to advertise, who should be on the search committee and advisory committee, and who should meet the top candidates.
It was moved by Charlie Smyth, seconded by William Golden, and passed unanimously that Jane Williams and Kate McDowell co-chair the search committee. The Board will discuss at the next meeting who else should be a part of the search committee. Kate mentioned that the search committee will have two main tasks, the initial screening of candidates, followed by selecting and interviewing candidates to be interviewed in Urbana.In this scenario - even before a committee was appointed - there was a sense of process and a concrete job description.
Here's a little more from August 2006.
Kate McDowell presented several items to the Board for their consideration.
It was moved by Jane Williams, seconded by Charlie Smyth, and passed unanimously that the Director Interview Template be approved as presented.
It was moved by Charlie Smyth, seconded by Barbara Gillespie, and passed unanimously that the Director Hiring Process Timeline be approved as modified.
It was moved by Charlie Smyth, seconded by Jane Williams, and passed unanimously that the Search Committee should consist of Kate McDowell, James Quisenberry, Jane Williams, one other Board member, a member of the staff, and a member from the Foundation. The Search Committee will screen applications and conduct the phone interviews. The whole Board will take part in the interviews which involve bringing in candidates. It is anticipated that six to seven people will be interviewed by phone, and the top two or three candidates will be interviewed in person.
It was moved by Charlie Smyth, seconded by Chris Scherer, and passed unanimously that the letter asking for staff input be sent out to staff as modified.We learn, thus, that the composition of the search committee - determined by the Board - and that there was an interview template.
Several of the current Trustees (Mel Farrell, Jane Williams, Chris Scherer) were also Trustees in 2006, so surely there is some institutional memory that can serve as a starting point. For whatever reason, it was Farrell who seemed insistent on giving power to Burger.
I'm certain more will be revealed in the next few weeks, but at the moment I am concerned that the Trustees are abdicating their responsibilities by investing an individual external to the Board with so much authority. Certainly I hope that there will be opportunities for people outside of the Library's administration who can provide input on hiring, but it would be unfortunate if in their haste to hire a new director, the Trustees don't proceed with purpose and direction.
Notes from Trustees Meeting (10 September)
Last night's meeting was relatively brief - a little less than an hour - but it was packed with information. In fact, it seemed the public learned more from the trustees and staff at Urbana Free Library about the ongoing issues related to #bookgate in last night's meeting than in any other forum to date.
Notably the trustees described the terms negotiated for former director Lissak's terminal contract and some general details about how the search for a new permanent director will proceed.
We learned too from acting head of adult services Mary Towner that 297 boxes of books were probably shipped to Better World Books (BWB) during June. Towner spent 45 minutes on the phone with BWB, but that would have been unnecessary if the employee who has access to the Library's BWB account would simply provide access to it. So it seems that among the ranks of the Library's staff, partisanship and allegiances continue to hold sway.
Another takeaway from the meeting is that the trustees might need refresher courses in Robert's Rules of Order, their own by-laws, and the Illinois Open Meetings Act. Much of the confusion focused on two issues: how to change the meeting time for the regular board meetings and on the chain of command for the search committee (e.g. who chooses who serves on it - the appointed head of the committee or the Trustees).
You can read a brief article about the meeting in the News-Gazette, but be sure to check out some notes provided by Kathryn La Barre who attended the meeting. There is also a recording available of the meeting courtesy of JP Goguen, but the sound quality is hit and miss.
Notably the trustees described the terms negotiated for former director Lissak's terminal contract and some general details about how the search for a new permanent director will proceed.
We learned too from acting head of adult services Mary Towner that 297 boxes of books were probably shipped to Better World Books (BWB) during June. Towner spent 45 minutes on the phone with BWB, but that would have been unnecessary if the employee who has access to the Library's BWB account would simply provide access to it. So it seems that among the ranks of the Library's staff, partisanship and allegiances continue to hold sway.
Another takeaway from the meeting is that the trustees might need refresher courses in Robert's Rules of Order, their own by-laws, and the Illinois Open Meetings Act. Much of the confusion focused on two issues: how to change the meeting time for the regular board meetings and on the chain of command for the search committee (e.g. who chooses who serves on it - the appointed head of the committee or the Trustees).
You can read a brief article about the meeting in the News-Gazette, but be sure to check out some notes provided by Kathryn La Barre who attended the meeting. There is also a recording available of the meeting courtesy of JP Goguen, but the sound quality is hit and miss.
Monday, September 9, 2013
With Friends Like These...
Allow me to call your attention to a brief announcement in the September 2013 Director's Report.
"The August 22-26 book sale raised $7,147. The sale included items from the library collection from the Better World Books shipment that were not returned to the collection after careful re-evaluation by the Adult Services librarians. According to the Friends, of the 145 boxes of books offered to the Friends for the sale, a total of three boxes of books were selected by the public."
Dear Reader, I attended this book sale on Saturday, August 24. Full disclosure: I bought a handful of books that had been returned from Better World Books and not added back to the collection.
Most of the books that filled the Lewis Auditorium were donations, not discarded library books. The paperback mystery selections—no library copies among them—were lovingly attended and groomed by a circulating clutch of Friends. The romance and fantasy paperbacks were also tenderly tended.
The Library's former books? The ones at the heart of #bookgate? They were partitioned off in two small rooms, still in boxes, difficult to browse. A few other boxes, even more jumbled, were shoved into a corner of the large room. There were signs pointing the curious to "Former Library Books."
I didn't count the boxes - adorned with the Better World Books logos on their sides - but I would be surprised if there were more than 50 available all told.
I didn't count the boxes - adorned with the Better World Books logos on their sides - but I would be surprised if there were more than 50 available all told.
Where were the other 100 boxes? I have no idea. Some were stacked up in the back hallway. A Reclaiming traveler said when s/he inquired about them, s/he was told the boxes contained "crap fiction" that no one would want.
Perhaps, just maybe, the Friends could have sold more than 3 boxes of the returned books if they lovingly groomed and curated even a small portion of them in the same way they did the rows of James Patterson, Sue Grafton, and Lillian Braun.
Of course, the Friends didn't want any of the returned library books to sell, period. As one of the Friends stated during public comment at the June 19 Special Meeting of the Library's Board (you can listen at about 01:26:00 mark in this recording), no one wants to buy old library books anyway. We were told to trust the Friends, that they know better than even the librarians what the community wants to read.
With Friends like these, who needs enemies?
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Immaterial? Inconceivable!!
Maybe-current Executive Director Deb Lissak, Maybe-interim Executive Director Kathy Wicks, and Trustee Mel Farrel were not in attendance last night. Lissak's attorney was nowhere in evidence. The climate in the packed Sattherthewaite conference room verged into the intemperate zone as tempers ran hot, as did the temperature.
Chris Scherer opened the meeting by advising us that public comment would be limited as a closed session would commence at 7pm in order for the Board to have a phone conference with their attorney "on personnel." He was clearly agitated and emphatic in advising the assembled that the Board had no announcements for us. We were informed that after the closed session we could expect no further announcements. We were advised to keep our comments brief.
Mark Netter injected a note of calm following these opening remarks with his statement here: http://reclaimingourlibrary.blogspot.com/2013/08/late-august-updates.html
After closed session the Board did have one announcement - they will convene a special meeting on September 4, at 7 p.m. in the UFL auditorium.
First the hopeful signs:
The meeting was livestreamed and is archived here:
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/ucimc
Yesterday and today news about #bookgate reappeared on the radio (WILL) with small soundbites sprinkled liberally throughout the programming. Here is one such piece: http://will.illinois.edu/news/story/lissak-still-working-at-urbana-library-following-weeding-scandal
The News Gazette published a credible overview here: http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2013-08-27/confusing-situation-arises-2-directors-payroll.html
I appreciate the extremity of the situation which the Board of Trustees now faces and I am sympathetic about the pressures they face. It would seem that they can't answer many of our questions because concerns about of legal liability, and because much remains unresolved. We verified the following:
Last night's meeting gave us a new word for our vocabulary: Immaterial. Chris Scherer, Board President, who appeared increasingly frustrated and angry as the evening unfolded repeatedly used this term to dismiss many of our questions.
Al Kagan led the public comment with observations about the 'two popes' problem facing the library as indicated by the WILL transcript of Scherer's comments which indicate that there are two acting directors (Lissak and Wicks). He stated that the director continues to demonstrate her incompetence by not removing herself from leadership of the library in a dignified way, and is prolonging harm to the library. He urged the Board to fire her due to her gross incompetence.
Carol Tilley brought copies of the Library Journal article here:
http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2013/08/opinion/michael-stephens/collection-bashing-trashing-office-hours/ She advised the trustees that the events at UFL are being watched by people in the US and Internationally as this is an issue affecting libraries everywhere.
JP Goguen thanked the trustees for opening up public comment. He noted that Lissak was given an opportunity for a graceful honorable exit, and expressed his appreciation for the upcoming consultation with an attorney. He addressed the civil service guidelines for termination as the tool that would allow them to be aggressive in pursuing her termination.
A dispute about Lissak's actual employment classification ensued as Scherer indicated that she is a civil service employee, and Becky Brown stated emphatically that she is not. Lissak is an exempt class employee of the City of Urbana, and she has a current contract for employment.
Kate McDowell then testified by stating her appreciation for the ability to comment and addressed the trustees requests for trust and faith "It is faith that brings us here, what we say may not indicate full trust. That is our job - we are asking you to represent us. I know we may not all agree. We show up because we care and because we have faith. When we speak please do not address our comments as silly." She asked for the trustees to foster respectful dialogue, and began to ask a series of questions which were interrupted by Scherer.
She asked if a paid separation agreement has been reached, if the director has resigned, who is the library director, what is the legal authority that makes this person director? Where is this contract? Why are we pursuing separation and not termination? What is the authority that grants the ability to pay two directors at once?
McDowell then suggested that the trustees consider more openness by soliciting public input on the appointment of and terms of the contract for the next director. She asked for clear answers in this very confusing situation. After being interrupted several times near the conclusion of her comments Scherer told her she was done talking and dismissed her from the podium.
Aimee Rickman stated her outrage about the inaction of the Board, how appalled she is by the squandering of public funds and by the fact that the pillaging of the library has not prompted more decisive action on the part of the trustees, despite repeated calls for action. She addressed the fact that the contract with Lissak was renewed - at which point she was interrupted by Scherer - who advised her that she did not know what she was talking about. Rickman countered by asking the Board to help us understand what is going on. At this point the trustees seemed to indicate that a contract was in place prior to their awareness of the issues at the library.
Rickman then stated her frustration about the lack of willingness to protect library workers by addressing the bullying. She asked the trustees what they were doing to protect staff, and highlighted the 'no time' / 'needing more time' disconnect. Recent events of the library unfolded quickly under the oversight of the Board. Now the Trustees continue to state that there is insufficient time to conduct a SWOT analysis, for example, prior to state reporting requirements. The Board continues to ask the public for more time, and yet the urgency of the situation intensifies in direct proportion to the lack of clear communication from the Board. Rickman then renewed her questions about how many books were removed.
In response - Scott Bennett, Trustee, advised us that the trustees are trying to proceed mindfully and not incur any further liability for the library. There is no separation agreement. There is an existing contract which must be honored.
We were advised by Chris Scherer that questions about the number of books that came back are immaterial. That the number of books that were sent out is immaterial. This speaker was advised her time for speaking was over.
Carol Tilley interjected that the trustees interactions by this point in the meeting were now contrary to the spirit of respect and open dialogue the group had repeatedly requested. Indeed, The plea for respect that Kate McDowell presented earlier seemed to create an equal yet decidedly opposite reaction.
Ashley Price took the podium next and asked about transparency for the strategic plan, and stated her concerns about the fact that most of the information was coming from rumors as no official communication was forthcoming from the board about the many extant questions the public continues to restate from meeting to meeting.
Chris Scherer stated emphatically that 'Rumors are a problem.'
Stuart Levy, speaking on behalf of an Urbana resident asked about the status of the search for a new director particularly with respect to this now unsettled situations with two acting directors. He asked for a public resolution as expeditiously as possible.
After roll call the Trustees convened in closed session.
This meeting unsettled everyone and left Board members and the public alike disappointed and frustrated. The complexity of the situation is now far more clear, as the path to resolution leads into a briar and bramble filled terrain. The concerns the public continues to state are not irrelevant, not unimportant, in other words not - as Scherer deemed them IMMATERIAL.
What we have here is a failure to communicate. I add one further plea to the trustees. We know there is much you can not tell us. Please tell us what you can and clearly define what you can't. If we have things wrong, please tell us. The rumors that have upset you will only grow in this vacuum.
We sincerely hope that Scherer's statement about the problematic nature of rumors does not bode ill for current employees who still have no protection in this rapidly evolving situation. We appreciate and respect your continuing efforts under unimaginably difficult circumstances. We look forward to a more respectful and open dialogue with you.
Chris Scherer opened the meeting by advising us that public comment would be limited as a closed session would commence at 7pm in order for the Board to have a phone conference with their attorney "on personnel." He was clearly agitated and emphatic in advising the assembled that the Board had no announcements for us. We were informed that after the closed session we could expect no further announcements. We were advised to keep our comments brief.
Mark Netter injected a note of calm following these opening remarks with his statement here: http://reclaimingourlibrary.blogspot.com/2013/08/late-august-updates.html
After closed session the Board did have one announcement - they will convene a special meeting on September 4, at 7 p.m. in the UFL auditorium.
First the hopeful signs:
The meeting was livestreamed and is archived here:
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/ucimc
Yesterday and today news about #bookgate reappeared on the radio (WILL) with small soundbites sprinkled liberally throughout the programming. Here is one such piece: http://will.illinois.edu/news/story/lissak-still-working-at-urbana-library-following-weeding-scandal
The News Gazette published a credible overview here: http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2013-08-27/confusing-situation-arises-2-directors-payroll.html
I appreciate the extremity of the situation which the Board of Trustees now faces and I am sympathetic about the pressures they face. It would seem that they can't answer many of our questions because concerns about of legal liability, and because much remains unresolved. We verified the following:
- There is no separation agreement.
- Lissak has not resigned.
- Lissak still reports to work and it is unclear who is in charge of the library on a day to day basis and to whom staff should be reporting (according to statements made in the WILL piece above).
- Negotiations are ongoing in an attempt to seek a separation agreement with Lissak.
- Last night seems to have been the Board's first opportunity to consult with an attorney.
Last night's meeting gave us a new word for our vocabulary: Immaterial. Chris Scherer, Board President, who appeared increasingly frustrated and angry as the evening unfolded repeatedly used this term to dismiss many of our questions.
Al Kagan led the public comment with observations about the 'two popes' problem facing the library as indicated by the WILL transcript of Scherer's comments which indicate that there are two acting directors (Lissak and Wicks). He stated that the director continues to demonstrate her incompetence by not removing herself from leadership of the library in a dignified way, and is prolonging harm to the library. He urged the Board to fire her due to her gross incompetence.
Carol Tilley brought copies of the Library Journal article here:
http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2013/08/opinion/michael-stephens/collection-bashing-trashing-office-hours/ She advised the trustees that the events at UFL are being watched by people in the US and Internationally as this is an issue affecting libraries everywhere.
JP Goguen thanked the trustees for opening up public comment. He noted that Lissak was given an opportunity for a graceful honorable exit, and expressed his appreciation for the upcoming consultation with an attorney. He addressed the civil service guidelines for termination as the tool that would allow them to be aggressive in pursuing her termination.
A dispute about Lissak's actual employment classification ensued as Scherer indicated that she is a civil service employee, and Becky Brown stated emphatically that she is not. Lissak is an exempt class employee of the City of Urbana, and she has a current contract for employment.
Kate McDowell then testified by stating her appreciation for the ability to comment and addressed the trustees requests for trust and faith "It is faith that brings us here, what we say may not indicate full trust. That is our job - we are asking you to represent us. I know we may not all agree. We show up because we care and because we have faith. When we speak please do not address our comments as silly." She asked for the trustees to foster respectful dialogue, and began to ask a series of questions which were interrupted by Scherer.
She asked if a paid separation agreement has been reached, if the director has resigned, who is the library director, what is the legal authority that makes this person director? Where is this contract? Why are we pursuing separation and not termination? What is the authority that grants the ability to pay two directors at once?
McDowell then suggested that the trustees consider more openness by soliciting public input on the appointment of and terms of the contract for the next director. She asked for clear answers in this very confusing situation. After being interrupted several times near the conclusion of her comments Scherer told her she was done talking and dismissed her from the podium.
Aimee Rickman stated her outrage about the inaction of the Board, how appalled she is by the squandering of public funds and by the fact that the pillaging of the library has not prompted more decisive action on the part of the trustees, despite repeated calls for action. She addressed the fact that the contract with Lissak was renewed - at which point she was interrupted by Scherer - who advised her that she did not know what she was talking about. Rickman countered by asking the Board to help us understand what is going on. At this point the trustees seemed to indicate that a contract was in place prior to their awareness of the issues at the library.
Rickman then stated her frustration about the lack of willingness to protect library workers by addressing the bullying. She asked the trustees what they were doing to protect staff, and highlighted the 'no time' / 'needing more time' disconnect. Recent events of the library unfolded quickly under the oversight of the Board. Now the Trustees continue to state that there is insufficient time to conduct a SWOT analysis, for example, prior to state reporting requirements. The Board continues to ask the public for more time, and yet the urgency of the situation intensifies in direct proportion to the lack of clear communication from the Board. Rickman then renewed her questions about how many books were removed.
In response - Scott Bennett, Trustee, advised us that the trustees are trying to proceed mindfully and not incur any further liability for the library. There is no separation agreement. There is an existing contract which must be honored.
We were advised by Chris Scherer that questions about the number of books that came back are immaterial. That the number of books that were sent out is immaterial. This speaker was advised her time for speaking was over.
Carol Tilley interjected that the trustees interactions by this point in the meeting were now contrary to the spirit of respect and open dialogue the group had repeatedly requested. Indeed, The plea for respect that Kate McDowell presented earlier seemed to create an equal yet decidedly opposite reaction.
Ashley Price took the podium next and asked about transparency for the strategic plan, and stated her concerns about the fact that most of the information was coming from rumors as no official communication was forthcoming from the board about the many extant questions the public continues to restate from meeting to meeting.
Chris Scherer stated emphatically that 'Rumors are a problem.'
Stuart Levy, speaking on behalf of an Urbana resident asked about the status of the search for a new director particularly with respect to this now unsettled situations with two acting directors. He asked for a public resolution as expeditiously as possible.
After roll call the Trustees convened in closed session.
This meeting unsettled everyone and left Board members and the public alike disappointed and frustrated. The complexity of the situation is now far more clear, as the path to resolution leads into a briar and bramble filled terrain. The concerns the public continues to state are not irrelevant, not unimportant, in other words not - as Scherer deemed them IMMATERIAL.
What we have here is a failure to communicate. I add one further plea to the trustees. We know there is much you can not tell us. Please tell us what you can and clearly define what you can't. If we have things wrong, please tell us. The rumors that have upset you will only grow in this vacuum.
We sincerely hope that Scherer's statement about the problematic nature of rumors does not bode ill for current employees who still have no protection in this rapidly evolving situation. We appreciate and respect your continuing efforts under unimaginably difficult circumstances. We look forward to a more respectful and open dialogue with you.
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