The effort to outsource library operations in Santa Clarita, CA, to Library Systems & Services LLC (LSSI) today makes the front page of today’s New York Times, in an article headlined on the web as Anger as a Private Company Takes Over Libraries and in print as “Outsourcing Fairly Healthy Public Libraries, Town Hears a Roar.”
Fifth-largest library system?
Notably, the lead of the article accepts LSSI’s claim that it operates “the country’s fifth-largest library system,” which is ridiculous, given that LSSI’s collection of libraries don’t make up a system, and that systems are judged not by number of buildings but by population served.
As I wrote in an October 15, 2004 cover story, LSSI has a history of similarly inflated marketing claims. (I’ve posted a comment to the Times and asked for a correction. Lower down in the article the Times does explain that the ranking is based on number of branches, but that’s still insufficient.)
Cutting pensions
The article points out near the top that LSSI’s m.o. is to save money “by cutting overhead and replacing unionized employees.” Lower down in the article is the further explanation: LSSI offers a 401(k) retirement fund and no pension.
“Pensions crushed General Motors, and it is crushing the governments in California,” LSSI CEO Frank Pezzanite tells the Times, a comment that drew criticism from some commenters, who pointed out that library employees are far less of a strain on the system than public safety employees.
But what’s remarkable in the article is Pezzanite’s unabashed criticism of library staff: “A lot of libraries are atrocious,” he told the Times. “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.”
That statement should be seen in contrast with LSSI’s pledge that it rehires most of the existing employees when it gets a contract.
Quiet decision, pushback coming
And why hasn’t LJ reported on this dispute? Well, we do miss some stories, and especially so when those in the field aren’t keeping us on our toes. This outsourcing move, compared to some other LSSI-related disputes, was relatively under the radar.
(Here’s LSSI’s press release. Here’s coverage from the Los Angeles Daily News, which refers to the company as “LSS.” And here’s coverage from the Santa Clarita Valley Signal.)
As one commenter on the Times article stated, “The city ignored the 99% of citizens who showed up in support of the LA County library and pushed this change through in record time.”
Another stated, “Local residents are preparing a multi-pronged court attack against the City Council’s decision to take over ownership of the libraries and to sign a contract with LSSI.”
[As of 7:00 am Eastern Time on September 28, there are 599 comments (including mine, which references my feature article, When LSSI Comes to Town), with nearly all critical of LSSI and the concept of private management. Comments are no longer being accepted.]
No more county access?
Will users of the Santa Clarita library have access to the County of Los Angeles Public Library? I queried County Librarian Margaret Donellan Todd, who responded:
The City of Santa Clarita residents will no longer have direct access to our catalogue. They will have to interlibary loan requests through the Cooperative Library System SCLC (most libraries in Los Angeles, Orange County and Ventura are members). Those materials are only loaned out if they are not in demand in our system. The residents of Santa Clarita have no absolute right to any books in the collections of other members of SCLC.
LSSI has a very slick PR campaign and very slick answers. For example, in the NY Times article they hinted that Los Angeles County’s pension is in trouble. Our pension plan was reformed in 1978- the County is not facing the challenges of other jurisdictions and is stable. LSSI is well aware of that.
I believe that the privatization of public libraries will in the end, be very destructive. When LSSI compares contracting out public libraries with trash collection as they did in Santa Clarita, it sets a precedent in the mind of the public that will eventually lead to less financial and community support.
No related posts.
Thanks for keeping an eye on this. This is an unfortunate trend. In the long run, the most affected will be LA area library patrons. They will most likely see a reduction in services and access. This will ultimately affect the economic and cultural health of the community.
Public libraries are one of the cornerstones of communities along with fire, police and hospitals. Privatizing takes decision-making about staffing standards away from the professionals and puts it into the hands of city managers, who only care about numbers not safety, health, or education. Privatizing diminishes a community and endangers citizens. What remains is a company town. Maybe not a reduction in services so much as an increase in fees, gone are the free libraries of Carnegie’s dream.
ALA should invite CEO Frank Pezzanite to the annual conference, perhaps in a forum-type setting to discuss this trend.
[...] except from listeners. LibraryJournal.com, which has written extensively about LSSI, has a blog post up discussing the article with a new quote from COLA Librarian Margaret Donnellan Todd who says that [...]
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We will miss you, Norman. There is nobody as doggedly detailed or persistent as you (even when you are asking me pointed questions about, well, ME). Thanks for this great coverage.
Pezzanite’s obvious scorn for librarians is at odds with his company’s stated goals. He’ll play well to the antagonists or gimlet-eyed budget-slashers seeking to dismantle all that is beautiful and good in public service, but his over-the-top statements about librarians will hopefully serve as a warning to sensible managers that the bottom line for him is not public service but private profit.
No one is a greater threat to public libraries and librarians than the City and the County of Los Angeles. Presently, Los Angeles is hiring librarians as on-call workers, with absolutely no benefits. I was hired as a temporary full-time librarian, with some benefits but absolutely no rights. Those who scoff at LSSI-like companies have to understand that for many new librarians, they offer a far better future than government-run libraries. County libraries are presently a world of the the haves (employees with seniority) and have-nots (librarians new to the system.) The county is failing to fulfill many of its commitments with cities and plays smoke and mirrors to hide the truth. The system itself promotes those who follow the rules and comply, with little regard to public service. Many people in the system are considered “temporary” and can be terminated without any reason. Time will prove that the Valencia City Council did a great service to their community and to librarians and the public library system by getting out of the county’s sinking ship. Like we are seeing with many of our public schools, decentralization and freedom from micro-managing bureaucrats results in greater services to the public.
“But what’s remarkable in the article is Pezzanite’s unabashed criticism of library staff: “A lot of libraries are atrocious,” he told the Times. “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. ”
Oh please, “unabashed criticism of library staff?” You should see some of the librarians I’ve run into over the years. They’re a joke. You’ve got to literally shoot someone to get fired from the Los Angeles Public Library and the case isn’t a whole lot different in the County. And this comes from a staunch supporter of libraries and librarians being one myself, but seriously…Some of the blatant disregard for professional responsibility I’ve seen from librarians and other library staff who will NEVER GET FIRED is astounding and backs up exactly what Mr. Pezzanite was saying.
There are many librarians who are wonderful, but they are this way because they have inner drive, not because the profession pushes them especially hard. Even my relatively meager experience as a professional librarian has been enough to see that.
I agree with your LSSI Controversy in Santa Clarita, CA, Makes New York Times Front Page (Updated) | LJ Insider, superb post.
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