Faneuil Library meeting
Leone, Linda
Please post to the Allston/Brighton notices. Thanks – Linda Leone
IMPORTANT MEETING
ON KEEPING THE FANEUIL LIBRARY OPEN
Date: Thursday, October 28th, 2010
Time: 6:30pm-7:30pm
Where: Faneuil Library, 419 Faneuil St.
Dear Friends,
The message on this update is simple:
The Boston Public Library (BPL) is hosting the community meeting announced above to discuss the future of the Faneuil Library. The way we see it, if we have a GIGANTIC showing of Faneuil supporters at this meeting, we stand a very good chance of keeping our library open. If we have a weak attendance, the BPL will feel justified in closing it. It is up to us now.
This is the key message of this email. There is much more as you read on and we hope you feel that it is important to remain informed about our struggle to keep the Faneuil Library open and the BPL system healthy. We are committed to provide you as much information as possible, but we understand that it may sometimes get overwhelming. So, whether or not you read on, please just mark your calendar and commit to being at the Faneuil Library on the 28th!
What you should know about the upcoming BPL meeting at Faneuil:
This meeting will be ONLY one hour long. It is hard to believe that in one hour the BPL Management will either hear our creative ideas to keep the library open, or understand the value we place in this unique community resource. Yet, we must make the most out of this opportunity. Here are some ideas:
- Wear your Save our Library T-Shirt.
- Be polite and respectful, but FIRM (as you always are).
- Stress that the Faneuil Library must remain open, operating in its current location, as a BPL branch, and staffed by BPL librarians. Once this is guaranteed, the community is open to all alternatives proposed by the BPL (partnership with non-profits, time sharing, temporary reduction of hours, etc).
- Refuse to discuss the value of specific services in isolation from their context of being provided in a BPL branch and by BPL staff. As defined by BPL management, this community meeting is supposed to be merely a process of gathering community input about what Faneuil services are most valued by the community, and explaining how services can then alternatively be provided by being scattered throughout the neighborhood through partnerships with BPL non-profit partners. If we embark into this discussion, the BPL will have succeeded in dividing us.
- Focus on CREATIVE ALTERNATIVES TO KEEP THE FANEUIL LIBRARY OPEN. Many of you will remember that we’ve been through this exercise already in our first community meeting about the future of the Faneuil Library back in March. Here are some of the alternatives suggested by the Working Group on solutions: increase funding for the BPL by increasing PILOT payments (payment in lieu of taxes), move legislative initiatives to give more flexibility to cities and towns to impose up to 15% of real-estate taxes on non-profit institutions, earmark a portion of it to the BPL; BPL Trustees should consider public-private partnerships and the creation of an endowment to help bridge similar crises in the future; BPL should investigate opportunities for the commercial use of its web-site.
- Do NOT turn away if the meeting room is overflowing (we hope it will be). Come in, we are planning for overflow capacity.
What you should know about our advocacy on behalf of the Faneuil Library and the BPL system
On MON, October 4th the City Council held a post audit hearing on the BPL budget for FY 11. Here are a couple of paragraphs summarizing it from Brendon Abbs, from the People of Boston:
“There were many significant moments where we got important issues into the public record. Councillor Yancey was very concerned about the library's relationship with Amazon.com, the management of the collection (i.e., weeding without an accurate inventory), and the lack of a clear figure for running the imperiled branches. On the last point, the library finally conceded that it would take just $300K to run the 4 branches until July. This is far from the illogical sum of over $1M the trustees gave lawmakers at a previous meeting and in line with the amount that the mayor gave to extend their life until March.
We are encouraged by the number of city councillors that attended and thank all of them for understanding the importance of this hearing. A special thanks to those remaining at the bitter end: Mark Ciommo, Bill Linehan, Ayanna Pressley, Felix Arroyo, co-chair Maureen Feeney, and chair Charles Yancey. All said that the hearing raised a number of additional questions for them. The hearing is now in recess until the need to reconvene arises.”
In addition, Shelley and Maria, together with another 10 individuals representing unions, civic organizations, and other Friends of Libraries groups met with the State Boston delegation on October 13 to express continued concerns about our threatened branches, the BPL community outreach process, and the on-going problems caused by the restructuring of the BPL system. Reps. Mike Moran and Kevin Honan as well as staff from Sen. Steve Tolman were in attendance. We were also joined by state representatives and senators from other districts and their staff. It was a very positive informational meeting and we were encouraged by the continued support of state officials to our cause.
What you can do to help
- ATTEND THE MEETING ON OCTOBER 28 AT FANEUIL
- GET THE WORD OUT TO NEIGHBORS AND FRIENDS, CONVINCE THEM OF THE IMPORTANCE OF THEIR ATTENDANCE TO THE MEETING ON THE 28TH
- CONTINUE TO ADVOCATE FOR BOTH THE FANEUIL AND THE BPL WITH OUR ELLECTED REPRESENTATIVES
- WE STILL HAVE LAWN SIGNS, LET US KNOW IF YOU WANT ONE.
Sincerely,
Board of the Friends of the Faneuil Branch Library
Shelley Bialka, president
Diana Chin, Debbie Lowe, co- treasurers
Alice Mills, president emeritus
Mary O’Leary, Sandra Filgate, membership committee
Kevin Montague, liason to Faneuil Branch
Ellie Deluca
Charlie Vasiliades
Abigail Furey
Maria Guadalupe Rodrigues
Ronni Komarow
PLEASE, PLEASE COME to the meeting tomorrow night in Oak Square --
TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!! -- see the notice below.
There is planning for a major overflow crowd -- a loudspeaker system
will be set up for the Faneuil Library front steps and rear garden.
All local elected officials are coming, At-large reps Arroyo,
Pressley and Murphy, union reps, clergy, local business owners, local
media. Hopefully a GIGANTIC turnout.
Parking is available in the Presentation School parking lot.
We have HUGE support from the local business community -- everyone
from Brighton Center to Oak Square and down Faneuil and Tremont --
MANY THANKS to the local businesses!!
"Save the Library" DINNER SPECIALS for Faneuil Library meeting goers
will be available Thursday evening at Napoli Pizza ($1 pizza slices,
$1 sodas) and Pizza Etc. (pizza and fries discount) -- both are on
Faneuil St. near the library (other side of the fire station).
Neighborhood teens will be available to assist with younger children
in the GARDEN at the BACK of the library so parents can attend.
Hope to see everyone there!
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Ronni Komarow
Ronni Komarow
>Please check out this article in yesterday's Globe -- and circulate widely:
>
>>http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/back_bay/2010/10/bpl_chief_hints_at_new_flexibi.html?p1=News_links
>
>PLEASE, PLEASE COME to the meeting Thurs. night in Oak Square --