[LndLocked]

Originally Posted by Solutions4Government

Many here are regurgitating the same falsehoods used each time a city or county looks at ways to provide services at a price taxpayers can afford.

Osceola County is an hour away - get in your car and go see for yourself - talk to their employees, patrons and friends of the library - see for yourselves what the TRUTH is about outsourcing the management of libraries.

My goodness, libraries are about communities and learning but we keep falling on the same uninformed patterns of the past - the world is flat - the sun revolves around the earth - they will steal our libraries.

Please get yourselves informed.

Lisa Librarian ... is that you?

[downeaster]

There is a detailed article in today's Daily Sun.

[Taltarzac725]

Originally Posted by downeaster

There is a detailed article in today's Daily Sun.

Thanks for that input.

[OlThymer48]

I read that article in the Sun this morning, and what worries me is that the County Administrator sounds almost like "Lisa Librarian," but it also wreaks of a lot of political spin. He doesn't really explain how privatizing the library will save money, only that it will. What the article also fails to mention is that Gail Burgess from the Library Advisory Board, is the wife of County Commissioner Don Burgess. I only hope that Commissioner Burgess shares the opinions of his wife, and is on the side of the libraries; if such is the case I will continue to vote for him at every election. I urge not just all Sumter residents, but anyone who uses our great libraries, to get in touch with the commissioners and the administrator and tell them that we want to keep our libraries, we don't want them sold off to a for-profit from Maryland.

According to their website, their phone number is (352) 689-4400; and their emails are:
al.butler@sumtercountyfl.gov (Villages)
Doug.Gilpin@sumtercountyfl.gov (Wildwood area)
don.burgess@sumtercountyfl.gov (Villages)
Garry.Breeden@sumtercountyfl.gov (southern Sumter County)
Don.Hahnfeldt@sumtercountyfl.gov (Villages-Wildwood area).

I hope you will all do as I will, and let them know often that we want to keep our libraries public. If I want a book from a for-profit, I'll buy it from Barnes & Noble the next time I'm at the Landing!

[Taltarzac725]

Originally Posted by OlThymer48

I read that article in the Sun this morning, and what worries me is that the County Administrator sounds almost like "Lisa Librarian," but it also wreaks of a lot of political spin. He doesn't really explain how privatizing the library will save money, only that it will. What the article also fails to mention is that Gail Burgess from the Library Advisory Board, is the wife of County Commissioner Don Burgess. I only hope that Commissioner Burgess shares the opinions of his wife, and is on the side of the libraries; if such is the case I will continue to vote for him at every election. I urge not just all Sumter residents, but anyone who uses our great libraries, to get in touch with the commissioners and the administrator and tell them that we want to keep our libraries, we don't want them sold off to a for-profit from Maryland.

According to their website, their phone number is (352) 689-4400; and their emails are:
al.butler@sumtercountyfl.gov (Villages)
Doug.Gilpin@sumtercountyfl.gov (Wildwood area)
don.burgess@sumtercountyfl.gov (Villages)
Garry.Breeden@sumtercountyfl.gov (southern Sumter County)
Don.Hahnfeldt@sumtercountyfl.gov (Villages-Wildwood area).

I hope you will all do as I will, and let them know often that we want to keep our libraries public. If I want a book from a for-profit, I'll buy it from Barnes & Noble the next time I'm at the Landing!

I was taken aback a bit too with that article. It did not give any real reasons why the library was going to be run by a private company other than the small government philosophy. Libraries are for people to get better informed about their governments and can and should play a big role as a check and balance on other government bodies. Think the Founding Fathers were very much aware of this as so many of them had their own private libraries (Jefferson and Adams) or in Ben Franklin's case established a private subscription library for his friends and acquaintances to use. http://www.libraryhistorybuff.com/benfranklin.htm Franklin also played a role in founding other New England area libraries.

[asianthree]

Thanks for posting the article

[GatorFan]

Please call the county commissioners office and advise them of how you feel.

[Solutions4Government]

Originally Posted by Goodgriefcb

LSSI will come in and fire the staff and then rehire them back at lower wages and part time hours. Unless you have money trees growing in your yard, I am sure you are aware of the job situation and how much things cost. If you think that the staff you count on to help you will remain try to remember part time at near minimum wages does not a family feed, clothe, or shelter. They will be replaced with lower educated people who do not have the expertise or experience nor a love of the library. To them it's just another crappy job. Turn over will be high because who wants to put up with angry problem people all day for peanuts. If you think working the circulation desk is pleasant, work one for a week. So count your blessings that familiar faces you see all the time at your local branch are there for now. Most know their patrons and its so nice to have friendly personalized service. That will be gone.

Good Grief, goodgriefcb, if any of this was remotely true don't you think every news outlet in central Florida would have reported this out of Osceola County? Why didn't they? Oh that's right because your assertion is NOT TRUE.

Call any Osceola County library branch and talk to someone that has lived through this change. Get FACTS. And when you do, please don't just leave the conversation, come back and share what you have learned.

[Barefoot]

Originally Posted by OlThymer48

So far the only county in Florida to privatize their library is Osceola; I've been to a few of their libraries vacationing over the years, and since the private company took over, there are a lot more empty shelves, and they put little signs up that say "This space reserved for books not yet written," which to me is code for "we're not buying any more books for you." My wife and I both go to Belvedere and Pinellas Plaza (at least 1-2 times a week), and the staff at both have always been so great in helping find books and getting us set up on the Kindle, they even know my name and say hello when I come in. 3-4 years ago when we became permanent residents, the system wasn't that great, but it has improved so much; I would hate to see some company come in and ruin it.

I have an iPad and I sometimes download books to read. But I love going to the Belevedere Library and bringing home a bag full of books. I love the Library and hope it doesn't go away.

[LndLocked]

Originally Posted by Solutions4Government

Good Grief, goodgriefcb, if any of this was remotely true don't you think every news outlet in central Florida would have reported this out of Osceola County? Why didn't they? Oh that's right because your assertion is NOT TRUE.

Call any Osceola County library branch and talk to someone that has lived through this change. Get FACTS. And when you do, please don't just leave the conversation, come back and share what you have learned.

I have a better idea ..... why don't you (who seems to have all of these answers) tell everyone. Tell us how the compensation package for the employees with LSSI compares with the previous Osceola Co. package. Tell us how much money Osceola has saved. Tell us how the library operational hours and services compares.

Give us the full and complete details because according to the article in the Daily Sun ..... Sumter Co. officials do not know any of this, yet they are in "contract negotiations for an Oct implementation"

Oh, and while you are at it .... how about coming clean on your position within LSSI.

Tks

[Goodgriefcb]

And public libraries. Libraries are the great equalizer, essential to having an educated and literate population. A public library provides access to information for those who cannot afford to pay for books, for tutors, for advanced learning. A librarian is the community’s bridge to knowledge, creating order out of the sea of information chaos.

[paulandjean]

They will be on their way out in a decade. No longer will there be a need. Notice hardly any school children even use them anymore.Schools also will fade them out. taxpayers will get a break.

[JourneyOfLife]

Originally Posted by Goodgriefcb

And public libraries. Libraries are the great equalizer, essential to having an educated and literate population. A public library provides access to information for those who cannot afford to pay for books, for tutors, for advanced learning. A librarian is the community’s bridge to knowledge, creating order out of the sea of information chaos.

The internet is changing a large part of that issue. Some would say access to a computer and internet link is more important.

I believe the public library model will change, perhaps substantially, if it intends to survive.

Part of the problem is the creep in Scope of what libraries provide. That has changed a lot over the last 20 years. It was easy then when no one asked the hard questions or and libraries were not experiencing funding pressure. Why? Because funding was often tied to real estate taxes and housing prices were steadily increasing. Many believe those days are over... at least in most areas. Then there is the ongoing battle for public funds for other community projects.

It would be foolish to not take advantage of innovations. The internet/computer is one such innovation. Outsourcing is another.

Which, btw, this thread seems to be about outsourcing the operation, not privatization.

Privatization would be more like offering citizens some sort of monthly credit and let some private company like Amazon offer the solution as a rental. If unlimited use, some sort of usage based charge back to the county.

Personally, something like privatization might be warranted. The days of "all you can eat (and waste)" are probably ending.

[blueash]

Right now we have land, buildings, books all bought with public (and donated) money and employees who are beholden to me, the taxpayer. It comes with some cost as these employees get salary and fringe benefits and hopefully even a retirement plan so that like many who live here and were lifelong government employees, including military, these library employees can retire and keep this place going. The plan is to give a for profit corporation day to day control of these publically held assets. They claim they can make a profit yet cost the taxpayer less money and improve the service.

If it sounds to good to be true it probably isn't. Hi, I'm a corporation and I can save you money if you give me your stuff. The burden should be on them to show exactly how it works. I would hope that if the country commissioners, all of whom may believe the private sector is better than the government at running things, do go for this plan they have in the contract very strict language about protecting the present employees including future obligations to their benefit package as well as obligations to the public in terms of access, hours, locations, number of new books and other materials purchased yearly, community programs, available free websites, and even satisfaction of the customers. And that should after a defined period of time this plan not meet each promise made to the county and the public, that the plan will be terminated and any damages made whole.

[blueash]

In 2002, yes it was 11 years ago, the Florida house of Representatives prepared a report looking at issues with privatization of public libraries. There were significant concerns whether or not such an act would mean the library would become ineligible for state and federal grants that are given to public libraries. The felt it likely that such a cutoff would not be required depending on the degree of control granted the private company. They looked at the reasons cities or counties had gone with LSSI, the only private game in town then (?and now) and concluded that in each case the locality had a library system with severe problems they were unable to solve locally. The entire report is here:
http://www.leg.state.fl.us/publicati...fs/exe_sum.pdf

• Outsourcing the management and day-to-day operation of a public library is not
something that is sought for a library that can readily solve its own problems, but
rather for a library with multiple problem issues that cannot be solved in-house
and there is the need for immediate action. The individual local government must
be the entity to determine if its needs are such that outsourcing is required to
provide better library service to its citizens and library patrons.

Interestingly Osceola county when they recently went with LSSI retained as a county employee their senior librarian to watch over LSSI

Here is a 2009 lawsuit instigated by LSSI against the state of Florida for requiring that a library must have a fully accredited librarian on its board to get state funds. That suit was dismissed with prejudice for lack of standing but speaks loudly to the desire to replace higher paid, more qualified, personnel with lower paid or volunteer staff.

http://www.doah.state.fl.us/docdoc/2...0-13052905.pdf

For many articles about LSSI in a library journal I offer this search which includes some stories where cities terminated LSSI contracts.
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