Michigan librarians and citizens have been holding their breath. So far, the Troy Public Library, in suburban Detroit, has managed to escape what two failed millages deemed inevitable: closure on May 1. There’s been a reprieve until May 16. But then? It’s not clear.

It was only because residents spoke up that the City Council made an April 18 decision to delay the closing. The Detroit Free Press reported:

The move to postpone any closing was bolstered by the results of a citywide survey, announced at Monday’s meeting, showing that 72% of Troy residents believe library operations should increase or stay the same, according to the scientific telephone sample of 400 respondents, city spokeswoman Cindy Stewart said. And 32% said it was their No. 1 issue, the highest rating for any one issue, Stewart said.

Residents also pointed out that Troy is a bedroom community that lacks a downtown and that the library was the community’s hub.

Meanwhile, the Troy librarians have just released scans of over 80 letters collected by their children’s librarian, addressed to the children of Troy upon the opening of their freestanding library in 1971. From Julian Bond (whose letter is exquisitely formatted but says, essentially, “I don’t have time, sorry,” to Dr. Seuss’s multicolor handwritten letter, they’re delightful.

Though the formats may have changed, the sentiment surely hasn’t.

Here’s a clickable screenshot of the letter from E.B. White:

EB_White.pdf via kwout

And one from the deliciously creepy Vincent Price (did you expect such classical references and elegant penmanship?):

Vincent_Price.pdf via kwout

Enjoy browsing these!

PS - The librarian even asked Helen Gurley Brown, the original Cosmo girl! Cheeky, eh?

As a school librarian (which is still my first instinct to call myself these days, though “professor” is more accurate), I, like you, have spent a lot of time hearing about how K-12 schools are broken.

But take a look at this comment by a man representing a company privatizing libraries, including a financially-stable library in Santa Clarita, California:

“A lot of libraries are atrocious,” Mr. Pezzanite [of the privatization company] said. “Their policies are all about job security. That’s why the profession is nervous about us. You can go to a library for 35 years and never have to do anything and then have your retirement. We’re not running our company that way. You come to us, you’re going to have to work.”

Seriously? Have I been living in a cave that I don’t see librarians who “never have to do anything”? Librarians who don’t work? Libraries that are atrocious?

Seriously?

Seriously?

Has he ever been to a library 15 minutes after the middle or high school down the street has let out? Has he ever been to a storytime with close to 100 wiggly people attending?

Maybe I’m lucky. Southeastern Michigan, where I live, has tremendous public libraries with amazing collections and a strong inter-library loan network. Sure, some librarians are less friendly than others, and less service-oriented than they should be (sadly, most of us can name an example, and as a student of Joan Durrance, my “Willingness to Return” project showed this to be true).

But atrocious? Not working? And not just one library, but “a lot of libraries”?

It’s one thing to say libraries are struggling financially and restructuring will preserve services in a time of reduced funding. But for a vendor to come out swinging by calling libraries — and that’s plural — atrocious or “sacred organizations” is just mean. I sure hope those quotes were taken bizarrely out of context. Because I don’t want someone mean running our libraries, especially in areas that are already underfunded (which, as the article explains, Santa Clarita is NOT, but many other privatized libraries are).

Salaries can be adjusted; but meanness stays mean.

Methinks I have the vapors and must take to my bed. For those of you who haven’t yet hyperventilated or swooned, the quote comes from tonight’s New York Times article. Read the rest by clicking below.

As L.S.S.I. Takes Over Libraries, Patrons Can’t Keep Quiet - NYTimes.com via kwout

Seriously.

Troy, Michigan, has historically been, uh, kinda wealthy.  Big houses, three-car garages … and lots of GM executives whose jobs are no longer.

My dad and stepmom, both retired public school employees, live there. And they love the Troy Public Library. They are power users of the library’s DVDs, books, and audio resources.   Frankly, Dad brags about the Troy library all the time. And he should — it’s a great place. A busy place.

For now.

Unless a new November millage passes, this once-bustling library will close next summer. Imagine the Dead Man Walking feeling of knowing that you are possibly in the last months of a great public institution.

Meanwhile, Troy’s public school librarians and their supporters mounted a mighty campaign to save the department from budget cuts. And lost.

It’s no longer enough to say, “It’s OK to close the school library. Folks can just go to the public library.”

Maybe not.

Meanwhile, Troy citizens, get moving. There’s work to be done to keep the library open.

Troy Public Library, MI, Scheduled To Close July 2011 - 5/18/2010 - Library Journal via kwout