AFSCME Privatization Update

Source: By NICHOLAS BEADLE, Jackson Sun (TN), June 24, 2008

Questions about proposed spending on books and renovations have made county officials reluctant to pay the county's half of a $129,000 capital funding request by the Jackson-Madison County Library. A tentative budget the Madison County Commission passed last week gave the library no capital funding, which is usually spent for major purchases, construction or repairs.

...... The library, privately managed by Library Systems & Services LLC, is supposed to spend 20 percent of its about $1 million operating budget for books and materials, officials say.

...... Commissioners say they are wary about giving the library two funding sources for books, with some bothered by library leaders' decision to steer more than $74,000 of materials funds to cover the cost of opening its north branch off North Highland Avenue. "I think there's a little concern about the accountability," said Commission Chairman Charles Byrd, a member of the Capital Committee.

Posted by Info Center at 11:57 AM in Library | Permalink
Tags: Tennessee

Source: By Chloe Gotsis, Tewksbury Advocate (MA), Wed May 28, 2008

........ Three months after the town's Financial Planning Task Force entrusted the Tewksbury Public Library's Board of Trustees to investigate the benefits of privatizing the town's public library, the trustees concluded they cannot support a decision to privatize the library.

...... The board reported if the town privatized its library, it would be burdened by large unemployment costs, since most libraries around the country that are privatized by the country's primary outsourcer, Library Systems and Service (LSSI), initially layoff all their employees.

Currently, the Germantown, Md.-based LSSI manages 65 privatized libraries in Oregon, Texas, Tennessee and California. The large size of LSSI and its rank as one of the sole outsourcing companies raised some eyebrows among the library trustees, who said they feared this large monopoly put both the town and the trustees in a poor bargaining position.

Posted by Info Center at 2:39 PM in Library | Permalink
Tags: Massachusetts

Source: By Chloe Gotsis, Tewksbury Advocate (MA), Wed Apr 02, 2008, 10:32 AM EDT

Tewksbury - As the national economy plunges further into recession, gas prices continue to hike, and the price of living continues to climb, local governments like Tewksbury that are already wrought with fees and cuts are exploring the notion of privatizing the public library.

The notion of privatizing public entities is becoming more common among local governments across the country, libraries have continued to remain traditionally public across the country.

Along with the smaller issue of privatizing public libraries, this argument introduces the question of public entities running other taxpayer and publicly run entities largely under profit-driven reasoning.

Posted by Info Center at 2:49 PM in Library | Permalink
Tags: Massachusetts

Source: By NICHOLAS BEADLE, Jackson Sun (TN), March 27, 2008

The Jackson-Madison County Library Board will ask local leaders for an additional $100,000 to cover management costs in its next budget.

.......... According to the request, Library Systems and Services, the company that manages the library, plans to spend $1.1 million during the next fiscal year, which begins on July 1.

....... But Michael Stone, a county-appointed board member, said Library Systems and Services is asking for too much given the financial outlook for city and county governments.

...... Stone also said several city and county officials have never seen a spreadsheet of mostly increasing yearly payouts to Library Systems from which the $1.1 million was calculated.

Posted by Info Center at 2:50 PM in Library | Permalink
Tags: Tennessee

Source: Boston Globe (MA), March 25, 2008

FACED WITH tight budgets, the towns of Dartmouth and Tewksbury are thinking about privatizing their libraries. The impulse is understandable, given anemic revenues and spiraling costs. But libraries should remain wholly public entities.

...... Privatizing libraries elsewhere in the country has yielded mixed results. A private company can only work within the budget that it's given, and its goal is to spend sparingly, or cut back, in order to make a profit. For example, Library Systems and Services, a Maryland company, manages public libraries in California, Kansas, Oregon, Tennessee, and Texas. In some cases, the company has been able to increase hours and expand collections. But in Jackson County, Ore., Library Systems had to cut staff and benefits to adhere to its contract.

....... Massachusetts is home to the nation's first free public library. That's a legacy worth preserving. Municipal belt-tightening only goes so far. It's up to the taxpaying public to make the investment - to protect a vital source of information and insight.

Posted by Info Center at 10:57 AM in Library | Permalink
Tags: Massachusetts

Source: By Damian Mann, Mail Tribune (OR), February 13, 2008

A private firm that operates Jackson County's 15 libraries is being forced to recognize that a majority of its employees are members of a union to resolve a complaint filed with the National Labor Relations Board. "It means library employees will have their union back and more of a voice at their work," said Pauline Black, a library assistant in Ashland.

Service Employees International Union Local 503 filed an unfair labor practice complaint again Library Systems and Services LLC on Dec. 18, 2007, with the National Labor Relations Board, which was scheduled to rule on the matter later this week.

....... Frank Pezzanite, president and chief executive officer of LSSI, said he wants to work with the union but his company did not envision it would e nter into bargaining talks when it signed a contract with Jackson County to operate libraries.

Related article from the Rogue Valley Independent Media: Workers Get A Voice! BIG win for S. Oregon!!

Posted by Info Center at 1:57 PM in Library | Permalink
Tags: Oregon

Source: Annie Gentile, American City & County, Jan 1, 2008 12:00 PM

....... In April, Jackson County, Ore., closed all 15 of its public libraries after the county lost $23 million from timber receipts after Congress failed to renew the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self Determination Act. County officials twice attempted to increase taxes for additional library funding, but both efforts were voted down, says County Administrator Danny Jordan. With no options left, the county closed the libraries, laying off 81 employees.

...... In October, the county contracted with Germantown, Md.-based Library Systems and Services (LSSI) to operate all 15 branches for five years for $27 million less than the county would have to spend to operate them in-house.

Posted by Info Center at 11:18 AM in Library | Permalink
Tags: Oregon

Source: By Emily Yehle, Roll Call (subscription req.), January 14, 2008

A new cafeteria vendor has sparked a dispute over wages and job security at the Library of Congress, with the cafeteria workers' union claiming that the company wants to decrease pay and fire employees. I.L. Creations took over the Library's cafeteria services only two weeks ago, stepping in after negotiations fell through between the Library and a long-standing food vendor.

Company President Steve Choi says he has no intention to change any pay or benefits employees enjoyed under the previous vendor, Sodexho. But he also has not signed an agreement to keep those wages and benefits, nor has he sat down with the union to hammer out new terms. Now, he stands accused of "union busting" by the cafeteria workers' union

....... At the Library, the union has some support. The LOC Professional Guild, a separate union for Library employees, criticized the Library for its choice in a vendor. "We are dismayed that the Library would continue with a business that would refuse to sign an agreement with a union," said Saul Schniderman, the guild's president. "When a government agency like the Library of Congress acts like this, it sends a message."

Posted by Info Center at 10:22 AM in Food Services | Library | Permalink
Tags: District of Columbia

Source: Boston Globe, October 22, 2007

IT'S NOT much of a murder mystery because the culprit is always the same: Public libraries get killed by local government budget slashers. Among this year's victims are the 15 libraries of Jackson County, Ore. They were shuttered in April when the county ran out of money.

But this tale has a twist: the libraries will reopen this week because the county has found a for-profit private company to run them: Library Systems and Services of Maryland.

........ The American Library Association has had mixed reactions to privatization. A 2000 report said that when used carefully, "outsourcing has been an effective managerial tool." But in 2001, the association adopted a policy opposing "the shifting of policy-making and management oversight" from the public to the private for-profit sector. The association argues that libraries are an "essential public good" that should remain "directly accountable to the publics they serve."

Indeed, public libraries are vital pipelines. Keeping them public is the best way to keep the public informed.

Posted by Info Center at 11:09 AM in Library | Permalink

Source: By Damian Mann, Mail Tribune (OR), September 28, 2007

........ Prchal is one of many former Jackson County library workers who are applying for jobs with the private company known as LSSI that will operate the 15 branch libraries that have been closed since April 6.

...... LSSI has agreed to operate libraries for a limited number of hours. Talent was scheduled to get 16, but the City Council voted to add a utility surcharge of $1.25 to $1.50 a month per household to bump the hours up to 40.

Posted by Info Center at 10:59 AM in Library | Permalink

Source: By JOHN DARLING, Mail Tribune (OR), September 19, 2007

Jubilant Ashland Library backers say doors should open in late October -- Nov. 1 at the latest -- after nearly three-fourths of voters Tuesday night approved a property tax levy to operate the library up to 40 hours a week.

...... Like scores of other employees laid off last spring because of library closures, Sexton said he would like his post back but has no indication from Library Systems and Services (LSSI), a Maryland company, whether he will be rehired or what the pay would be.

Posted by Info Center at 3:03 PM in Library | Permalink

Source: By Damian Mann, Mail Tribune (OR)September 07, 2007 6:00 AM

Negotiations to reopen libraries are complicated enough, so Jackson County commissioners determined Thursday they won't renegotiate a separate existing contract with Ashland to allow it to take over its own branch building in the future.

Commissioner C.W. Smith said renegotiating the Ashland agreement would be a major departure as the county discusses outsourcing the operation of all 15 branches with Library Systems and Services LLC (known by the acronym LSSI), a Maryland-based library management company.

....... Bennett's memo to the county outlined 20 issues the city has with the LSSI contract.

The city wants LSSI to comply with its living wage law and is willing to pay extra to ensure this is accomplished. The letter also asks the county to make sure it can terminate the contract if a special district is approved by voters in 2008.

Bennett asked the county to negotiate termination clauses at each of the branches in case one community becomes dissatisfied with LSSI's services.

Posted by Info Center at 10:44 AM in Library | Permalink

Source: Norman Oder, Library Journal, 8/29/2007

After an intense petition campaign and facing a crowd urging that local management of the Bedford Public Library, TX, be maintained, the Bedford City Council last night voted 4-3 against outsourcing library management to Library Systems and Services, LLC (LSSI).

....... LSSI's response to the city's request for a proposal was said to be confidential, because it contained "trade secrets and/or privileged or confidential or financial information." Because that prohibited discussion at the Council's meeting, and because the topic would not qualify for an Executive Session under state law, the city asked the State Attorney General to rule as to whether parts of the document could be disclosed. Some 36 hours before the meeting last night, LSSI agreed to allow disclosure of the entire document, thus leading to details about proposed staffing and more.

Posted by Info Center at 11:49 AM in Library | Permalink

Source: By Damian Mann, Mail Tribune (OR), August 22, 2007

……… The county negotiated with Library Systems and Services LLC (known by the acronym LSSI), a Maryland-based library management company, to operate all 15 branches at $4.3 million a year, or about half the former budget before libraries were closed April 6.

……. Olney, one of about 40 audience members, said that without the union contract libraries operated under previously, volunteers can assume more duties and even potentially fill in on Sundays.

……. During a preliminary review of bids to operate all libraries from LSSI and the Service Employees International Union Local 503, the difference in cost was $1.4 million for the first year. But after a more careful analysis, the county determined LSSI's bid was actually $1.8 million less. Over five years, LSSI's bid saved $11.6 million over the union's proposal.

Posted by Info Center at 10:22 AM in Library | Permalink

Source: Star Telegram (scroll down) (TX), http://www.star-telegram.com/407/story/206898.html

The city has asked the Texas attorney general whether Library Systems and Services can withhold certain parts of its proposal for running the library.

The city believes that some parts can be exempted because they contain trade secrets or confidential financial matters, according to City Attorney Stan Lowry's letter to the attorney general.

Two requests, including one from the Star-Telegram, have been made to see the company's proposal through the Texas Public Information Act.

The company and the Bedford Public Library were the only organizations to submit proposals.

Posted by Info Center at 11:13 AM in Library | Permalink

Source: By Damian Mann, Mail Tribune (WA), August 14, 2007

A union bid to outsource operation of all 15 branches in Jackson County would trim $1 million off the library budget, though the offer doesn't include maintenance and utility costs. The Service Employees International Union, Local 503, which is affiliated with the Jackson County Employees Association, released a copy of the proposal Monday that offers three different plans to open libraries.

…….. He [SEIU organizer John Mulvey] said the union's proposal doesn't provide the 40 percent savings expected from LSSI, but he said he doubts his competitor could offer a substantially lower price. He said the only way LSSI could offer a lower price is by cutting salaries and benefits dramatically, or offering a reduced rate the first year just to get the contract.

Posted by Info Center at 11:12 AM in Library | Permalink

Source: Bill Kettler, Mail Tribune (OR), August 06, 2007

Jackson County has received two proposals for reopening its mothballed library system, but County Administrator Danny Jordan said it could be months before county officials decide when, or if, books will be circulating again.

As Monday's 2 p.m. deadline passed, proposals had been received from Maryland-based Library Systems and Services LLC (known by the acronym LSSI), and the Jackson County employees union, SEIU Local 503.

Posted by Info Center at 10:05 AM in Library | Permalink

Source: By Damian Mann, Mail Tribune (OR), July 09, 2007

Jackson County residents should know by August whether the library system can be run more cheaply by being outsourced.

County officials sent out a request for proposals this week from organizations or companies interested in running all 15 branches. They are asking for bids both on operating the libraries as a system and operating each branch independently.

Posted by Info Center at 10:44 AM in Library | Permalink

Source: By JAMES YOO, The Record (NJ), Wednesday, June 27, 2007

....... In shared arrangements, he added, only towns that give the services benefit, not the ones who get it. Municipalities that pay for a library or other services will have nothing to show for their money if the contract ends, he said.

Boonstra suggested a third option: privatization of services. That would eliminate the need to chip in for pension and benefits, he said.

Posted by Info Center at 9:22 AM in Library | Permalink

Source: By Damian Mann, Mail Tribune (OR), May 26, 2007

Outsourcing library operations has the potential to knock 40 percent off the budget for all 15 branches in Jackson County, says the executive director of the Jackson County Library Foundation.

Jim Olney said preliminary discussions with Library Systems and Services LLC (known by the acronym LSSI), a Maryland-based library management company, indicate to him the cost of operating the libraries could be reduced from $8 million to $5 million.

Posted by Info Center at 11:11 AM in Library | Permalink

Source: By LAURIE FOX, The Dallas Morning News (TX), Monday, January 8, 2007

After a divisive tax rollback closed the Bedford city library almost two years ago, the facility is back in the political crosshairs. The City Council is expected on Tuesday to consider extending a request for proposals that could lead to outsourcing library operations to a private company.

Posted by Info Center at 11:38 AM in Library | Permalink

Source: By JESSICA DeLEÓN, STAR-TELEGRAM (TX), Fri, Dec. 01, 2006

BEDFORD - More than 50 residents braved Thursday's arctic blast to hear about the possibility of turning over the operations of the library to a private company. Most of the audience members appeared to want the city to remain in control of the library so that the local touch continues.

........ The American Library Association said in a 2001 statement that it opposes having private companies run public libraries because libraries should be directly accountable to the public.

Posted by Info Center at 9:47 AM in Library | Permalink

Source: By JESSICA DeLEÓN, STAR-TELEGRAM (TX), Tue, Nov. 28, 2006

BEDFORD - The city is looking at hiring a private company to run the city's public library -- an issue that will be discussed at a meeting and public hearing Thursday. The company would oversee operations, but the city would keep the building, the collection and maintain the right to manage or establish library policies, said City Councilman Charles Orean, who brought up the issue.

…… The loss of jobs concerns critics of outsourcing. Companies that contract for city services tend to hire less experienced workers, which can result in higher turnover and lower wages, said Kerry Korpi, director of research and collective bargaining services for the Washington, D.C.-based union American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.

Posted by Info Center at 10:21 AM in Library | Permalink

Source: By JESSICA DeLEÓN, STAR-TELEGRAM (TX), November 14, 2006

BEDFORD - More than 30 residents attended a Bedford City Council work session Monday that covered a variety of topics. Among the highlights: Library outsourcing: The council agreed to host a work session about hiring a private company to take over some of the public library's duties. The work session would likely include a presentation from Library Systems and Services, a Maryland company that runs library operations for some cities and companies.

Posted by Info Center at 10:27 AM in Library | Permalink

Source: By Sylvie Belmond, Moorpark Acorn (CA), Nov. 3, 2006

Moorpark city officials are earnestly preparing for the opening of the municipal library in January. They've already voted to extend hours and upgrade the collection.

........ The hours may increase in the future, but a schedule needed to be set now so the city can finalize an agreement with Library Systems and Services LLC. The consulting firm will staff the library for the first 18 months of operation, maybe more.

Posted by Info Center at 10:48 AM in Library | Permalink

Source: By AETNA SMITH, Jackson Sun (TN), October 5, 2006

At the end of an often contentious Jackson-Madison County Library Board meeting and amidst opposition from several audience members, the board signed a contract Wednesday with a private company to manage library operations.

Library Systems and Services LLC (LSSI), based in Maryland, and the Library Board will enter into the contract effective Monday, and management services will commence Nov. 1, according to a draft obtained by The Jackson Sun.

........ The contract signed Wednesday notes that if the appeals court finds the board does not have authority to privatize, the board will have the right to terminate the agreement with LSSI.

Posted by Info Center at 11:13 AM in Library | Permalink

Source: By AETNA SMITH, Jackson Sun (TN), September 28, 2006

Several library patrons calling themselves Citizens Against Privatization said Wednesday they'd like to stop the Jackson-Madison County Library Board from outsourcing the library's management. Group leaders also said they hope to dissolve the present board.

...... So far, Doss said he's collected 1,000 signatures from residents against outsourcing, which the committee plans to present to the board and other elected officials.

Posted by Info Center at 11:11 AM in Library | Permalink

Source: Library Journal online, September 29, 2006

The Jackson-Madison County Library Board, has agreed to negotiate a contract with Library Systems and Services LLC (LSSI) to manage the library, but not everyone at a recent meeting was on board. Library Board Chair Kathryn Swindle asked LSSI president Frank Pezzanite about the benefits package. "In a commercial sense, there are fairly rich benefits," he said, according to the Jackson Sun. "But it falls short in that there is no pension system. But we do have a 401(k) system."

Thomas Aud, who will retire next month as library director, asked Pezzanite about the company's management fee, in either percentage or dollar terms. Pezzanite said that the company, which is private, chooses not to make that public.

Posted by Info Center at 10:56 AM in Library | Permalink

Source: By Scott Mobley, Record Searchlight (CA), September 7, 2006

Top brass for Library Services and Systems LLC (LSSI) met with Shasta County Library employees Wednesday morning, less than 12 hours after the Redding City Council agreed to take ownership of the system and turn over its management to the private, Maryland-based firm.

........ LSSI must grant current employees job interviews and automatically give them 5 preference points out of 100 possible, under the agreement transferring library system ownership from Shasta County to Redding. Library employees not wanting to work for LSSI are guaranteed other jobs with the county -- although likely at lower pay.

Posted by Info Center at 2:26 PM in Library | Permalink

Source: By AETNA SMITH, Jackson Sun (TN), September 7, 2006

Library Board votes to enter contract negotiations with Maryland-based bidder. About a dozen audience members stared in disbelief as the Jackson-Madison County Library Board decided Wednesday to enter contract negotiations for library management with private bidder Library Systems and Services LLC. The vote surprised those at the meeting because board members recently had said they would not take action toward privatizing library management until after a court has heard an appeal by Madison County.

Posted by Info Center at 10:30 AM in Library | Permalink

Source: By Tim Hearden, Record Searchlight (CA), August 23, 2006

Shasta County supervisors voted 4-1 Tuesday to hand off library services to the city of Redding.

........The city would notify the county by Oct. 31 whether it will run the system or contract with a private firm. Redding has been negotiating with Maryland-based Library Systems and Services (LSSI), and a final agreement could go before the City Council within the next month.

Posted by Info Center at 1:48 PM in Library | Permalink

Source: By Scott Mobley, Record Searchlight (CA), July 19, 2006

Redding will explore hiring a private firm to manage the library system in hopes of buying more operating hours and better service for fewer taxpayer dollars. The City Council on Tuesday voted unanimously to start negotiations with Library Systems and Services LLC (LSSI), despite concerns among some residents about privatizing management of a public institution.

Posted by Info Center at 11:51 AM in Library | Permalink

Source: By AETNA SMITH, Jackson Sun, August 13, 2006

Library patron Sandra Brewer says she thinks it's "unfair to staff" of the Jackson-Madison County Library that they may lose their jobs or benefits if the Library Board decides to privatize library services. ....... They're efficient. They are caring, and they are always there to help you," Brewer said Friday about library staff. "I know many of them, and many have been here for years. I feel like they're family, and I'd hate for them to lose their jobs and benefits."

Related article from the Jackson Sun: Court: Library can privatize

Posted by Info Center at 11:35 AM in Laws/Legislation | Library | Permalink

Source: By Scott Mobley, Record Searchlight (CA), July 16, 2006

Redding will likely push ahead Tuesday with plans to tap a private, for-profit firm to run the new main library and its two branches. The Shasta Library Foundation and other core booster groups support privatizing management, saying the move will expand operating hours and catapult the long-suffering library system into the 21st-century vanguard of customer-driven book lending. ....... The City Council on Tuesday almost certainly will direct staffers to negotiate a contract with Library Systems and Services LLC (LSSI). ...... LSSI would realize the bulk of these savings by offering employees less expensive benefits and 401(k) retirement plans rather than the far more costly and generous public pensions library employees currently receive.

Posted by Info Center at 2:29 PM in Library | Permalink

Source: By AETNA SMITH, Jackson Sun (TN), June 9, 2006

In a move that surprised and pleased some Jackson-Madison County Library Board members, attorneys for the city of Jackson filed a motion Thursday to oppose Madison County's position that the board doesn't have express authority to outsource library services. During a meeting Thursday, Library Board Chairman Gary Kerr announced that attorneys for the city had filed a brief in Chancery Court stating that the board does have the power to privatize.

..... Harris said that there will most likely be a hearing on the city's motion to intervene before any legal ruling on the board's ability to contract library services. But a hearing date or ruling date is unknown.

Posted by Info Center at 10:44 AM in Laws/Legislation | Library | Permalink

Source: By Scott Mobley, Record Searchlight (CA), June 4, 2006

Library Systems and Services LLC (LSSI) is a giant in the tiny but growing world of library outsourcing. ......Budget-conscious public officials laud LSSI's library stewardship as a way to stretch dollars. But the firm has earned mixed reviews among library professionals, who note the company often boosts its profit margin by paying lower salaries and hiring fewer or less-experienced staffers.

Posted by Info Center at 11:14 AM in Library | Permalink

Source: By Scott Mobley, Record Searchlight (CA), June 4, 2006

Redding may hire a private, profit-driven firm to run the new main library and its two branches in a bid to stretch operating hours. The city sought proposals from six contractors under a little-noted provision of its agreement with Shasta County to take over the library system. The Shasta County Board of Supervisors and the City Council approved that agreement March 7. Library Systems and Services LLC (LSSI) was the only firm to submit a proposal to the city by the Wednesday deadline. ...... At the very least, county library staffers likely would lose their state pension benefits should they become LSSI employees. The firm offers a 401(k) plan that’s comparable to public pensions, Armand said.

Posted by Info Center at 11:12 AM in Library | Permalink

Source: By Tom Bailey Jr. and Clay Bailey, Commercial Appeal (TN), May 18, 2006

Germantown and Collierville are challenging Tennessee library officials to explain why the suburban libraries don't qualify for state grant money. The outlying cities, except Bartlett, separated from the Public Library and Information Center two years ago and opted for a private management firm as the county phased out funding for suburban libraries. Despite the state recognizing them as public libraries, Jane Pinkston, assistant state librarian for planning and development, said last week that the suburbs became ineligible for the funds when they split from the Memphis system.

...... Their libraries are managed by Maryland-based Library Systems & Services under individual contracts with each municipality.

Posted by Info Center at 10:30 AM in Library | Permalink

Source: By Tom Bailey Jr., Commercial Appeal (TN), April 21, 2006

A $100,000 state grant that's helping the privately managed Collierville, Germantown, Millington and Arlington libraries was a "mystery" to the State Library and Archives. And it's a concern, too, in part because there are communities in Tennessee that have much greater needs for library services, said Jane Pinkston, assistant state librarian for planning and development. ...... The four Memphis suburbs lost access to normal state library funding when they broke away from the Memphis-based library network, which is part of the state system. ..... Each of four Shelby County towns that severed ties with the countywide system hired a Maryland-based company, Library Systems & Services, to run their libraries. "They, in effect, became independent libraries," Pinkston said. "... We don't give direct aid to independent libraries. All our state dollars flow through the regional library system."

Posted by Info Center at 10:56 AM in Library | Permalink

Source: By ANDREW TRAN, Jackson Sun (TN), April 21, 2006

A court order was signed Thursday preventing the Jackson-Madison County Library Board from taking further action to consider privatizing library management until after a judge declares whether the action is legal. The Library Board met Thursday to listen to community input on three proposals - two from private companies and one from the current management - with most of the public opinion against privatizing. But board members could not discuss the proposals amongst themselves at the executive meeting as originally planned because of a temporary injunction. ..... A court hearing is scheduled for May 5.

Posted by Info Center at 10:47 AM in Laws/Legislation | Library | Permalink

Source: By AETNA SMITH, Jackson Sun, April 17, 2006

Thomas Aud, executive director of the Jackson-Madison County Library, can see the irony of the situation. When he and the staff responded to a bid to provide library services, they were in effect applying to keep their own jobs, Aud said. With the board's decision to consider outsourcing library services, the library staff is directly competing with two private firms - Information International Associates from Oak Ridge and the Maryland-based Library Systems and Services. By July 1, the Library Board plans to have chosen a bidder.

........ In February, board members announced they'd consider outsourcing for budget reasons. The library is jointly funded by the city of Jackson and Madison County. The 2005-2006 operating budget is about $935,000; 70 percent is spent on personnel. Now that some have called into question whether the library board has legal authority to outsource, the Madison County Commission has voted to ask a judge to clarify the board's powers under state law.

Posted by Info Center at 11:36 AM in Library | Permalink

Source: Jackson Sun (TN), April 12, 2006

At a three-hour meeting, Jackson-Madison County Library Board members got an earful Tuesday from two private bidders and current library management on visions of managing the library. Representatives from the current staff; Library Systems and Services (LSSI), from Maryland; and the Oak Ridge-based Information International Associates (IIA) spoke of improved programming, the addition of a north branch and new Sunday hours. ..... But the bulk of the questions from board members focused on potential personnel, pension or benefit cuts. ..... Henry Kipp, a former president of the Friends of the Library, said after the presentations he was still concerned about "employee benefits and the financial well-being of the current employees - even if they are rehired."

Posted by Info Center at 11:33 AM in Library | Permalink

Source: by Norman Oder, Library Journal, October 1, 2004

......... Outsourcing can save money, but at what cost? LSSI’s performance eludes full evaluation—statistics like hours, circulation, and spending provide only a sketch. But LSSI’s record suggests tensions between a profit-seeking company and a public agency. Savings may go to profits instead of services. Fully outsourced libraries no longer control compensation—and LSSI saves money on staff. Also, the library may be less publicly accountable.

The company makes some librarians uneasy. Barbara Custen, executive director of the Metropolitan Cooperative Library System (MCLS), Pasadena, CA, notes that when cities ask her what it would cost to run their own libraries, MCLS provides “an objective number.” LSSI, she points out, may advise a city on how to run its own library, then bid on that same service.

More On LSSI

Posted by Info Center at 3:36 PM in Library | Permalink

Source: By AETNA SMITH, Jackson Sun (TN), Mar 20, 2006

At this morning's meeting, Madison County commissioners questioned the spirit of the Jackson-Madison County Library Board's bid proposal to outsource. The commission did not take any specific action. The Library Board says it wants to provide better services and longer hours while maintaining the budget of the jointly-funded library. Some members of the Friends of the Library have said the only way to do that is to jeopardize the salaries and/or benefits of current staff. Earlier this month, a legal advisor with the University of Tennessee County Technical Assistance Service issued an opinion that under Tennessee law, library boards don't have express authority to contract out services. The opinion was sent to answer questions by county attorney Jerome Teel. ..... Younger pointed out that the library boards of Germantown, Collierville, Arlington and Millington had hired a private library vendor and were operating under the same state laws as the local library board.

Posted by Info Center at 11:40 AM in Library | Permalink