PROVIDENCE – Years of debate over the future of Providence’s library system will come to a head today as the trustees of the Providence Public Library meet to decide whether to transfer control of the system to the city government.
PPL – a private nonprofit that has run the city’s library system, with taxpayer support, for more than a century – will consider a request by Providence Mayor David N. Cicilline to transfer the entire library system, including the Central Branch on Empire Street, to the city.
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“I think it’s critically important that we preserve library services and a robust library system for residents of this city, and I think that that includes both a research branch, the downtown branch, as well as neighborhood branches,” Cicilline told PBN in a phone interview this morning.
“And we have struggled and worked hard for the past several years, trying to work with the current PPL board and leadership to preserve a strong library system,” he continued.
After years of rancor between city officials and library leaders over funding levels, the PPL board voted in December to close five of the nine neighborhood library branches by July 1 to deal with a projected budget shortfall.
The decision sparked an outcry from local leaders and community groups, who argued that closing the branches would harm the neighborhoods in which they are located. In response, a group of advocates formed a new nonprofit, Providence Community Library (PCL), and asked Cicilline to transfer control of the branches to their new organization.
On April 6, Cicilline met with officials at PPL and proposed that the trustees give control of the entire library system to the city government. Previously, representatives of both PPL and PCL had suggested the most likely scenario would be for the PPL to retain control of the Central Branch while PCL takes over the nine neighborhood branches.
Under any scenario, library patrons in Providence would continue to be able to borrow books from the statewide catalog of library materials.
In an April 8 letter to PPL board chairman William Simmons, Cicilline explained his reasoning. “As we noted in our meeting, this offer is an effort to preserve the library system as it currently exists and to ensure that both the neighborhood branches and the Central Library will be able to provide services into the future,” the mayor wrote.
He continued: “In these difficult economic times, it would seem to be counter-intuitive to have multiple library systems operating in the City, when efforts at the national, state and local level have been to consolidate services and capitalize on economies of scale.”
However, Cicilline also left open the option of splitting the neighborhood branches from the Central Branch and leaving the latter with PPL.
“If [the first] proposal does not meet with the Board’s approval, the City is prepared to accept the nine neighborhood branches and we will continue to work with the Board to implement a smooth transition,” the mayor wrote.
Cicilline also said “the City anticipates a role for the Providence Community Library group under either scenario.” Representatives from that group did not immediately return phone calls requesting comment.
PPL’s 13-member board is scheduled to meet to consider Cicilline’s proposal today at noon in the Barnard Room on the third floor of the library’s Central Branch, 150 Empire St., in Providence. PPL spokeswoman Tonia Mason told PBN the trustees will announce their decision in a statement after the meeting, which is open to the public.
Cicilline said today that if the PPL board agrees to hand over all or part of the library system, his administration would then have to decide whether to outsource its management to PCL or maintain them as a city department. But it “probably makes sense” to continue to have an outside group manage the library system, he said.
“We are having very good conversations, productive conversations, with the Providence Community Library,” he said, adding: “I want to continue to fight very hard to make sure that those services remain available.”
At today’s meeting, the PPL board will also consider other proposals for closing the $1 million deficit it faces for the next fiscal year, including eliminating public access to the Central Branch, WRNI reported.
The Providence Public Library is a 131-year-old private, nonprofit organization that serves as a public library for Providence, providing free information resources, education and community services. It also operates the Statewide Reference Resource Center, serving all Rhode Islanders with educational, cultural enrichment and economic advancement opportunities. To learn more, visit www.ProvLib.org.
Providence Community Library is a nonprofit established by city residents to take over the support and management of Providence’s neighborhood libraries should the city and the PPL fail to reach agreement that would keep all nine branches open. To learn more, visit www.ProvidenceCommunityLibrary.org.
For news and information from Providence, visit www.ProvidenceRI.com.
