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Pequot Library's existence should be linked to resources of its users

Published 7:03 pm, Wednesday, April 10, 2013
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I am writing about the deliberations on funding for the Pequot Library in Fairfield.

As the former children's and young adult librarian at Pequot for seven years, I may be able to provide a perspective that is lacking. During my tenure at Pequot, it was a frequent topic of discussion, even among employees, that the $300,000 annual support to the library from the town was a profligate expenditure, for which we were grateful but hard-pressed to justify. This was especially so given the small segment of the town's population that benefitted from its resources, despite assertions of a broader audience. There were days when fewer than 10 patrons crossed the threshold.

We took great delight in fulfilling our mission, which to my mind was to weave the library into the tapestry of the community and reflect and shape its identity. We did a very good job of that, I think. But that community was Southport, not Fairfield. As the initiator of the 4th of July bike parade and the Easter egg roll, as well as the Pumpkin carving contest, the last day of school tie-dye extravaganza, and the Veterans' Day pre-holiday craft fair, I can state unequivocally that those events are extremely low cost and should be supported by the folks who attend them and value them.

We maintained an excellent level of customer service and routinely purchased titles with a single patron in mind and would then call her to inform her when it had arrived. It is in your hands to determine whether that represents a service for which the town of Fairfield should pay 30 percent.

However, it should be noted that libraries are increasingly turning to an acquire-on-demand model for purchasing because the number of books purchased that are taken out only a single time -- if ever -- is extraordinarily high. It is difficult to justify that expense in any economic climate.

We also had a policy of ensuring that any visitor to the library could find a suitable book from the bestseller list on the shelf. This is a delightful service, but imagine the financial resources spent in the multiple purchase of the same titles by Fairfield Woods, Fairfield, and Pequot. Having worked at Fairfield Woods for several years, I can attest to the fact that many Fairfield residents are not even aware that they have borrowing privileges at Pequot.

Further, I urge you to consider the attendance figures quoted with a grain of salt. Any individual employee could be counted as six visits in the course of a day due to comings and goings. Investigate whether the recent renovation has alleviated the astronomical (tens of thousands of dollars) cost of running the A/C and the heat simultaneously in order to ensure the preservation of the books. If not, the building may be simply unsuitable to house books and should be dedicated to some other purpose.

In view of Pequot's proximity to both Fairfield and Westport public libraries, it should remain an association library in the colonial tradition like the Athenaeums of Boston or Providence, or the Society of the Four Arts in Palm Beach, that is, one that is supported and run entirely by its members and makes no claim on the municipality. More and more libraries are charging for tiered services like reference, genealogy, story time, as examples.

Take a look at this article that shook library-land from its foundations for the best ideas about how Pequot -- and other libraries -- could and should change: http://www.infotoday.com/searcher/jan00/coffman.htm

With a clearer user-supported mission on which to focus, Pequot can further reduce staff and cut its budget considerably. If it continues to exist, its mission should be determined and supported by the considerable financial resources of those who benefit most from its existence, and those are residents of Southport, rather than the larger community of Fairfield.

Carolyn Kost

Vice President for Education/Chief Academic Officer

Oxbridge Academy of the Palm Beaches

West Palm Beach, Fla.

Library deserves

fighting chance

The decision of five members of the Fairfield Board of Finance to remove Pequot Library's entire $350,000 request from the town budget has resulted in a flurry of letters, phone calls to elected officials and electronic petitions. In fact, the response is a welcome display of the diversity of Fairfield. There are the Fairfield Taxpayers, who want to rein in spending; cultural lovers who want the library to remain open at all costs; and marginalized townspeople who feel excluded from the daily life of Southport.

As a former long-time volunteer at Pequot Library, I heard rustlings of this Pequot-should-pay-for-itself attitude at last summer's book sale. My best guess is that as the two town libraries have been squeezed and hours have been cut, people naturally look for areas of wasteful spending that might be cut and used to supplement the town libraries' budgets. I will not go into the reasons why targeting Pequot Library is wrong-headed, as I believe the staff at Pequot and its many supporters have already done a good job laying out the arguments (restricted endowments, service to many beyond Southport, etc.)

I will also not go into the need for the town to keep its annual tax increases from getting out of control. Drive through town. Look at the large number of for sale signs. Maybe they are an indicator of untenable real estate taxes.

I would like to comment, however, on the timing of this budget slashing. Pequot Library is in a period of transition. Its new director, Martha Lord, just started last summer as an interim director. The board hired her on a permanent basis four months ago. She should be given a chance to get Pequot back on track, restore the levels of support the library enjoyed not so long ago and work with the board to refine and carry out its mission.

Secondly, I don't think anyone has mentioned accountability. With the town funding a significant portion of Pequot Library's budget, shouldn't it be someone's responsibility to ask the tough questions on whether the library is meeting the town's -- much less its own -- objectives, whatever they may be?

Pequot may be suffering an identity crisis trying to be all things to all people. What is its mission? To be a library "as free as air to all," as its founder, Virginia Marquand, envisioned? To be a community center for concerts and art shows? To be the steward of a vast rare book collection that would interest people from afar? And shouldn't someone be asking whether the board of the library is managing its endowment properly, whether it has fostered former generous levels of annual giving and financial support. Or is the library simply no longer sustainable on a long-term basis? These are questions that should be faced head-on. What I am seeing, however, is an appeal on emotional merits, not ones based on any type of even cursory analysis.

And finally, after reading numerous online blog comments, it's clear some people feel Southport is a restricted community. Nothing could be further from the truth. People join its churches, clubs, schools, athletic facilities without having to show proof of residence. They patronize the shops, agencies and eateries because they like the village atmosphere. Ask anyone out for some exercise -- walkers, runners, cyclists. beachgoers -- where they live and chances are it's not Southport.

It is my hope and expectation that funding will be restored, at least for the coming fiscal year, so the library can have a chance to get its house in order and showcase its many assets to the town of Fairfield.

Lori Hashizume

Fairfield

 
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