Fact Check: This Week at the Jones Library August 16–22
Jones Library. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Videri Quam Esse
(To Seem To Be Rather Than To Be)
The Jones Library weekly email newsletter now includes statements about the proposed library demolition/expansion project and other news about administrative issues. Residents can sign up for this newsletter by following the link https://www.joneslibrary.org/list.aspx and going to “News Flash – Jones Library News.”
I will fact-check this column for The Indy. Statements from the Jones are quoted from their newsletter below in italics
| Library Trustees Commit to Backstop Fundraising for Renovation/Expansion Project The Jones Library, Inc., the owner of the Jones Library main facility, has taken an important step to eliminate uncertainty with respect to the funding of the proposed renovation/expansion project. It agreed to commit its resources, if necessary, to provide $6 million of the total project cost if the Town decides to go ahead with the project. The Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners has agreed to provide $14 million of the total if the Town will pledge the remaining $21 million, but the funding plan called for $6 million of the Town’s commitment to be supplied by a capital fundraising campaign. The Trustees seek the Town’s agreement to the proposed funding plan if the Town subsequently decides to go forward with the full renovation and expansion. This statement is TRUE but OMITS that the capital campaign Co-Chair Kent Faerber has written that raising $6 million is unlikely. If this amount is not raised, the Jones plans to provide the remaining amount to the Town by signing a bank loan using the endowment as collateral. The endowment provides $351,264 toward the library’s total FY21 budget of $2,640,183, which represents 67 percent of the portion of the budget not covered by the Town of Amherst. The library is already running on a shoestring as four full-time staff who have retired have not been replaced since FY 2019. The library simply cannot function in a bigger space with a diminished endowment. |
Jones Building Project Update“While the world seems to have lost its patience for people who are not online, the library is still a place where we can help people get a leg up and serve as a real engine of equity…” – Richard Reyes-Gavilan, Executive Director, DC Public Library system The Jones Library’s 1993 expansion/renovation project provided much-needed additional space; it transformed the way the Jones Library provided public library services in Amherst. But almost 30 years later, the vision of how public libraries operate has changed tremendously. There is less focus on quiet spaces and more focus on active community spaces. Focus on print-based collections has declined, and focus on digital collections has increased. Thirty years ago, the Jones’ expanded building was designed around an immense card catalog in an oak case. Today, computers fill that role. Furthermore, the present Jones Library building is increasingly unsafe without substantial renovation. The configuration of the building is not adequate for the library’s current security needs, and several of its components put the staff, patrons, and the collections at risk from Amherst’s weather. Finally, the current building configuration does not maximize the productivity of library employees, requiring them to work in cramped and noisily distracting spaces without the benefit of current materials handling equipment. A substantial reconfiguration of the building will allow the library to provide more services more efficiently. This is a TRUE statement about the library’s goals but OMITS many facts. The current library has never been analyzed for a more efficient reorganization of existing space and programs. Undoubtedly, some renovations might be needed and would be much less costly than demolishing the entire 1993 addition of 17,800 sq. ft. and building 35,800 sq. ft. of new construction, as proposed. Focus on print-based collections has lessened but several stack areas in the building proposal have increased in square footage. The current Director has voiced safety concerns since her eight years in charge but has never considered how to address these, and the Trustees have not asked her to do so. At many monthly meetings of the Trustee Building and Facilities Committee, there are no security issues to report. The proposed materials handling system, including a large book sorting machine and conveyor belts around the library, is budgeted at $400,000 and will require a yearly maintenance contract. The Trustees have not asked the Director for specific financials about supposed staff cost savings. The beloved Jones staff is often challenged and consistently does a tremendous job. A study of reconfiguration of the current Jones Library might determine how the Library’s wonderful staff could function more efficiently now. |