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Much to the dismay of the Mayor’s Office and BPL Trustees, a group of State Representatives from Boston, including our local 3rd Suffolk District Rep. Aaron Michlewitz, have co-sponsored three amendments in the State budget that would force the City of Boston to keep all the branch libraries open in order to receive $3 million in State funding. While the North End and West End branches survived the City’s proposed budget cuts, four branch libraries remain at risk of closing. (See BPL Trustees Vote to Close 4 Branches; North End/West End Stay Open).

Note: The 12 State Representatives are: Reps. Forry, Moran, Basile, Wallace, Allen, Fox, Honan, Malia, Michlewitz, Rushing, Sanchez and Walz.

Press Release:

Boston State Representatives Mobilize to Save Local Libraries

Twelve State Representatives from the Boston delegation in the Massachusetts State House co-sponsored three amendments that seek to keep all Boston Public Library (BPL) branches open.

“The Trustees of the Boston Public Library and the Mayor of Boston have made clear their budget priorities,” Representative Michael Moran said. “Today, as a united group of legislators from neighborhoods throughout Boston, we are standing together and clearly stating that our priorities are to keep every branch library open.”

The BPL receives over $3 million worth of funding via three separate line items in the state budget. The amendments filed today would add additional language onto each line item, making their allocation contingent upon all 26 local branches remaining open in 2011.

“We had hoped that the Board of Trustees would do the right thing by keeping each branch open,” Representative Carlo Basile said. “Today we are taking steps to make sure that the right thing for our neighborhoods does happen.”

Click to read more ...

Following the April 7th meeting where three budget options were proposed, the Boston Public Library Trustees voted this morning to close 4 branches while keeping the other 22 open with existing hours. The North End Branch Library at 25 Parmenter Street will be staying open as will the West End Branch on Cambridge Street.

From the BPL’s press release:

The Boston Public Library Board of Trustees today approved a proposed $38.9 million budget for the upcoming 2011 fiscal year. The plan keeps twenty-two branches of the Boston Public Library open with their current hours. It also closes four branch buildings: Faneuil (Brighton), Lower Mills (Dorchester), Orient Heights (East Boston), and Washington Village (South Boston). More information is posted at www.bpl.org/budget.

The budget will now be delivered to the Mayor and City Council. Mayor Tom Menino made the following statement following the BPL’s vote.

“I appreciate the consideration of the Boston Public Library Board of Trustees in making the difficult but necessary vote to close 4 branches.  This is a challenging budget year which requires tough decisions and I am confident that 22 strong branches will help secure the long term financial security and services of our libraries.  I plan to accept the board’s branch closure recommendations and the City will soon announce plans for the East Boston, Brighton, Dorchester and South Boston neighborhoods affected by these closures so that residents can continue to access library services in their communities.”  - Mayor Thomas M. Menino

In a statement of opposition,”People of Boston Branches” is using the slogan, “Today is not THE END” and calling on the Mayor to select the other option for reduced hours at all branches without any closures.

Not one voice from one person who has spoken up about these plans has called for the closure of these libraries.  No public official who is honestly representing their constituents concerns has said to close these branches or lay off workers.  The decision by the Trustees is unilateral and should be rejected by Mayor Thomas Menino for not representing the voice of the people.  The people elected Mayor Menino so that he could appoint Trustees that would represent them in their decisions.  Today they failed in representing the public and now Mayor Menino must reject their budget and give the library the democratic choice.  It is clear that the democratic choice is for Option 1: reduced hours in the branch libraries. More information at http://peopleofboston.org.

More at the #saveBPL Twitter feed below:

Sal LaMattina
Boston City Councilor, District 1 

Dear Concerned Resident:

Thank you for contacting my office regarding library cutbacks. I share your concerns and I am doing everything possible to keep our branch libraries open. They are invaluable resources to our communities.

We are all aware that these are difficult economic times, but when we slash programs from our libraries we are delivering a blow to those who have already taken the brunt of this downturn. We must not sacrifice these important services to solve short-term problems.

I will continue to advocate for our local libraries, and I hope you will as well. Please contact my office via email or at 617-635-3200 if I can be of assistance on this or any other matter.

Sincerely,

Salvatore LaMattina
District 1 City Councilor 

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Councilor LaMattina was one of nine City Councilors to sign a letter to the Boston Public Library arguing against closing neighborhood branches. District 1 includes the North End, Charlestown, East Boston and parts of Downtown Boston. BPL’s Board will vote on the library’s budget on April 9th (after a meeting on April 7th). The budget will be incorporated into the City’s budget presented to the City Council on April 14th. The City Council could have further hearings on the issue.

In a response to constituents that sent letters to his office, City Councilor-At-Large, John Connolly, said he expects the Boston Public Library to propose 4 options to meet its budget gap. Of the four proposals, three will recommend neighborhood branch closings. Below is an excerpt from Councilor Connolly’s response.

“One frustration on my end is that I have no concrete plan specifics and I await BPL’s formal proposal as you do. The last news that I heard is that BPL is going to submit four proposals to the BPL Library Trustees on April 7 (the options presented will include a no closure proposal and proposals with 3, 5, and 8 respective branch closures). The trustees will vote on April 9 whether to accept any of these proposals. The Council will receive the entire City Budget on April 14. Delivery of the budget to the City Council will give us the opportunity to hold hearings with BPL relative to their entire financial situation for the coming fiscal year and any envisioned closure plan. In the meantime, I will work with you to push BPL to explore all options that allow moving forward in a way that supports our neighborhood libraries.”

Councilor Connolly is one of the nine City Councilors that signed a letter to the BPL urging against neighborhood branch closures.

In a letter to Boston Public Library President Amy Ryan and the BPL Board of Trustees, nine of the twelve City Councilors said they “believe the BPL needs to broaden of public input and participation, and search for alternatives to neighborhood branch closings.” The Council members say the review process has not vetted other cost-cutting and fundraising alternatives.

The nine members of the 13-member council who signed the letter, dated April 2, included: President Michael Ross, City Councillors At Large Felix Arroyo, John Connolly and Ayanna Pressley, and Councillors Sal LaMattina (District 1), Charles Yancey (District 4), John Tobin (District 6), Chuck Turner (District 7), and Mark Ciommo (District 9).

The Dorchester Reporter is quoting a response from Mayor Menino’s office to the letter. “Engaging in a debate about process is simply a tactic used to distract from the very difficult issues of how best to deliver quality library services to all of our residents.”

 Click to enlarge.

The elves in the Mayor’s Office were busy today. If you sent an email/letter regarding the potential closure of the neighborhood branch libraries, you probably received a form response (at least to those of us regarding the North End Branch Library). Cutting to the chase, there is a key sentence that is bad news for the branches.

“We need to close some buildings that are not offering the highest quality service to the residents of Boston. The Boston public libraries are staying in the neighborhoods but they need to be transformed.”

So, it appears that branch closings are coming. I am not sure how a branch can be “transformed” if it is closed. Sounds like double-talk. Anyway, the quantitative numbers put the North End Branch in the line of fire, so let’s hope the qualitative factors (which include public support) to be discussed next week help our branch. See the Calendar for the April 7th meeting and April 9th vote.

Here is the complete letter:

Dear Mr. Conti,
Thank you for taking the time to share your concerns about the potential closings of Boston Public Library branches.

We want to assure you that Mayor Menino understands how important local libraries are to the communities of Boston. Mayor Menino is working closely with BPL president Amy E. Ryan to see that Boston public libraries emerge from these difficult economic times stronger than ever. It is clear the system, as currently constructed, is stretched too thin. The BPL has had to turn down partnerships because staffing is so tight. We need to close some buildings that are not offering the highest quality service to the residents of Boston. The Boston public libraries are staying in the neighborhoods but they need to be transformed. The public library was born in Boston, and we must lead its rebirth too.

We need to build a 21st century system that serves the people of Boston even better. We will make sure that our branch libraries provide world-class spaces in which people can learn and meet and share. We will provide more convenient hours for working families and more resources online to bridge the digital divide. Although the last few years have been fiscally troubling, we are convinced that we can work together to continue to strengthen the BPL for the 21st Century.

A Great deal of information on the BPL budget is available online at www.bpl.org/budget along with information about upcoming community and trustee meetings as well as information on how to support the Boston Public Library. We will continue to provide updates as new information becomes available.
 
Sincerely,
Office of Mayor Thomas M. Menino
Correspondence Staff
1 City Hall Plaza
Boston, MA 02201

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I also recently received a response from Senator Anthony Petruccelli who is clearly against closing the North End Branch. As a State Senator, however, there is not much to do in the short-term on this City issue. Here is his response:

Thank you for your recent email regarding the North End Branch Library.  I have received many emails from North End residents on this issue and each one has tremendous passion in its description about the branch.  I want to assure you that I am opposed to closure of the North End Branch and will do whatever I can in the capacity that I represent you in order to keep it open.
 
If you have any further questions or comments on this issue or any other matter, please do not hesitate to contact me.
ANTHONY PETRUCCELLI
STATE SENATOR, FIRST SUFFOLK AND MIDDLESEX

For those that signed letters and gave them to me to send, the responses came back for all those too, so your letter was counted. If you would still like to send a letter, next week is “crunch time.” Here is the link with the contact information and a form sample letter.

Related posts:
North End Branch Library - By The Numbers
Friends of the North End Branch Library Holds Successful Fundraiser
Letter Writing Campaign to Preserve the North End Branch Library