Lakewood Library update!
Posted: Fri Jun 08, 2007 3:40 pm
OBSERVERS – Since we are so close to the completion of Phase One, I thought it would be good to let everybody know where the project stands and also comment and perhaps put to bed several rumors regarding the status of the move.
First of all, I think it is important that the library patrons understand the recent lack of air conditioning at the main branch. We had originally hoped that it would be unnecessary to run the air conditioning prior to closing the Main branch, but the recent series of days in the 90s eliminated that hope.
Because the start-up costs for the air conditioning is in excess of $2,500 and the unit which is scheduled to be demolished during the original facility’s renovation was in need of additional repairs to make it operable, we felt that expending these monies would be unwise especially in view of the fact that the demolition which has begun in the original structure has already removed a substantial amount of the duct work. We certainly apologize for the lack of air conditioning, but it simply would not have been an economically wise decision to expend the funds necessary to fire up a unit that would have been ineffectual at best.
The main library will be closing on June 11th. There is a tremendous amount of work and effort which will be undertaken by our dedicated staff to see that all of the new shelving is properly erected and the huge quantities of materials moved into the new addition. We anticipate that all of the shelving and new furnishings will be installed and the move complete so that the Main library in the new addition can re-open on July 9th. I know that it is an inconvenience to all for the Main library to be closed, but there is certainly no way that all that needs to be done to prepare the addition for public use can be accomplished on a shorter time table.
We had entertained the idea of expending additional monies to hire private moving companies to accomplish the move, but upon investigation determined that our staff was fully capable of handling the transfers and this would not only save the cost of an independent mover but also provide work for our hourly employees who would otherwise be effected by the temporary closing.
The Gala which has been widely publicized is scheduled for June 23rd and the response by way of ticket sales has been very gratifying. This once in a lifetime event will provide additional non-public funds in order to assist in the procurement of public art for the new library.
There has been a recent rumor circulating regarding the impact of this temporary close to facilitate the move. Apparently, Plain Dealer reporter Molly Kavanaugh has been working on a story concerning this disruption of service and in that regards all of the Lakewood Public Library employees have received an anonymous letter which stated:
Dear LPL Staff member,
As you know, recently, the library has told employees that during this time there will be limited work for all employees, and employees will not be paid while the library closes, unless they use their own vacation time. Since employees had no advance notice of this closing, many do not have vacation time to take, and even those who do are using tat the expense of their own personal plans, such as family vacations. The library is choosing not to layoff the employees, so the employees are not eligible for unemployment. The library already has the money for salaries budgeted, so the money is available to pay employees. Ken Warren has just chosen not to do so, without offering any explanation as to why. He claims he can’t pay people for not working but legally, he can. The library budget has to be approved by the school board at the beginning of the year, and the salary money is part of that budget. By what right does Ken Warren retain that money, and make the library staff bear the burden of the closing?
The dedicated employees of Lakewood Public Library already work for much lower salaries that employees of the other county libraries of the same caliber, and their best interest is often ignored by director Ken Warren and the library board of directors, but still they serve the public with remarkable dedication. They provide top notch customer service so that the library is held in high regard by Lakewood citizens, and the library has been repeatedly recognized by the Hennen library survey as one of the nation’s top library systems for services to the public. The employees, many members of the Lakewood community, worked tirelessly to promote, and get passed the levy which allowed the library to complete the expansion and renovation that now threatens their livelihood. This is a contemptuous, unethical, marginally legal, way to treat staff.
When the library is closed due to unforeseen circumstances such as a power outage, or snow emergency, library staff may be paid as through they worked since it was through no fault of their own that they were unable to perform their duties. Why should this be any different? The library has consistently been rigid with staff about sticking to assigned, odd schedules, and it is very rare indeed that an employee is able to change his or her schedule, but yet the library now expects employees to change their schedules, from night to days, from weekends to weekdays in order to work a few hours before the employees are locked out.
When the LPL decided to discontinue the cleaning contract they expected Maintenance workers to pick up that extra responsibility without extra pay, and now they expect us all to take the weight of the closing. Where is that money going? Why isn’t it going to staff? The library has always been rigid about holding employees to their expectations, and they show no respect for employees by paying them lower than most library staffs, and consistently splitting open shifts, so that the majority of employees are part time and not able to increase their hours, but this is the ultimate degradation. After employees tirelessly campaigned for the levy, they will be left out in the cold by the library.
The library has the money to pay employees and is choosing not to do so, and the employees themselves have, through their dedication to customer service encouraged the Lakewood public to vote for the levy. Staff campaigned for the levy, made this expansion possible, and thus, should ethically be treated with the respect of being paid the salaries to which they have budgeted their lives.
One of the reasons the library will be closed for so long, and staff will not be paid, is so that the Friends of the LPL can hold a Gala event before shelving is put up, thus delaying construction until after the Gala and the reopening and payment of staff. To add insult to injury, staff are not invited to the event. They may only come if they purchase tickets, starting $100 a piece. This will be a little difficult for employees who haven’t been paid for a month. The money from the Gala will raise funds for public art within the new building. A worthy cause, but does it supercede the need to pay employees? Do you think the Friends know and accept how employees are being treated?
On top of these unethical practices, the Library’s leadership in the form of Ken Warren and Kim Sereft ÂÂParas show such contempt for any dissention or feedback, that employees who are devastated by how this will affect their livelihoods and families have no opportunity to even express dissention for fear of retribution. Hence, the anonymous letter I am sending you. The public recently began to express outcry over the conditions in which employees are working since Mr. Warren decided that “It’s not worth if to turn on the air conditioning†(Again, where is that money going?). Imagine the outcry from the public if they knew everything.
We all know that it is dangerous to speak out against Mr. Warren and Kim, but it is time to do so. I have contacted a reporter at the Plain Dealer, Molly Kavanaugh. She interviewed Mr. Warren, and she would like to run our story, but she needs more staff feedback. You may contact her anonymously, but please contact her. It’s time to stand up for ourselves. The community will stand behind us if they only know what’s happening.
Sincerely,
Your Anonymous Friend
Ken Warren, the Library Director, has responded to the anonymous letter and as follows:
June 8, 2007
Dear Staff Member:
I am writing to you because you may have received an anonymous letter, with erroneous claims and flagrant misrepresentations concerning the administration’s authority to pay employees for work not performed, the budget appropriation process, the impact of the change in work assignments, the effect of Gala on the work schedule, and the overall treatment of employees.
Everyone who works for Lakewood Public Library will be experiencing degrees of hardship, due to a one time need to make a major adjustment to the operating schedule. Nonetheless, the anonymous letter greatly exaggerates the degree and extent of hardship, along with the actual agents, conditions and parameters for decision making.
The Board of Trustees has a fiduciary responsibility to the public to ensure that library revenue for appropriated salaries is properly spent. While the library is immensely indebted to our library staff for your efforts and loyalty, we have a duty to the public to ensure that expenditures from the salary budget are made on the basis of work performed in accordance with the policies established by the Board of Trustees. While the impact of this hardship may fall differently across the 90 individuals serving in various departments, I can assure you there are administrators, managers, supervisors, assistant supervisors, librarians, paraprofessionals and clerks bearing the burden of the organization’s duty to the public to manage work schedules and budgets with integrity.
Deputy Director Kim Senft-Paras has worked very hard with managers to realize any and all opportunities to provide full-time and part-time employees with work at this time of transition. For example, there are still hours of work available for Sunday June 24 to assist with after- Gala clean-up.
The Gala is sponsored by the Lakewood Public Library Foundation to raise funds for public art. The Lakewood Public Library Foundation determined the amount to be charged to those members of public and staff who want to attend the event.
The letter makes reference to a decision I made concerning air conditioning. While there were warm conditions in May, the fact of the matter is that a repair to the HVAC system amounting to several thousand dollars was required on a unit that would be scrapped within weeks. To make this expenditure at that time would have been wasteful.
We are doing everything possible within the boundaries of effective management and public accountability to minimize the impact of this hardship on staff both physically and financially.
If you have any concerns or questions, please speak with Ms. Senft-Paras or me.
Sincerely,
Kenneth Warren
At this point, it is important to recognize that even though the hours which the staff would be normally spending in servicing the public were the library to be open, for the great majority are being replaced by hours in which the staff will spend assisting in the move (should those staff members elect to work those hours). Viewing the situation from a purely financially responsible standpoint, there is no way that the Board of Trustees could ever approve the desires as expressed by “your anonymous friend†to provide a three-week paid vacation at taxpayers’ expense while the library was closed.
Of course, those who have paid vacation time had been encouraged to take it during the closing period. Information about the proposed schedule was provided as soon as we were aware of it.
I know that next month will be a bit hectic and I know that there will be disruptions in service, but I also feel that once everyone has the opportunity to see the new addition, they will understand that these small temporary disruptions are well worth a minimal cost to pay given the scope and outcome of the project. We will, of course, be downsized until 2008 while the renovations in the old building are completed and the tie-in to the new building finished. During this time there will be some space limitations. It was necessary to put the non-fiction collection in storage temporarily and likewise move the computer center to Madison, but as the project moves forward, we can all look towards another grand opening in the early spring of 2008 when the entire project is done and all of the patrons will have the benefit of the greatly enhanced and increased space, parking lot, state-of-the-art computer center, brand new auditorium and unique one-of-a-kind children’s room.
Until then, please bear with us during our period of temporary shrinkage. Your patience will be well rewarded.
Jeff
First of all, I think it is important that the library patrons understand the recent lack of air conditioning at the main branch. We had originally hoped that it would be unnecessary to run the air conditioning prior to closing the Main branch, but the recent series of days in the 90s eliminated that hope.
Because the start-up costs for the air conditioning is in excess of $2,500 and the unit which is scheduled to be demolished during the original facility’s renovation was in need of additional repairs to make it operable, we felt that expending these monies would be unwise especially in view of the fact that the demolition which has begun in the original structure has already removed a substantial amount of the duct work. We certainly apologize for the lack of air conditioning, but it simply would not have been an economically wise decision to expend the funds necessary to fire up a unit that would have been ineffectual at best.
The main library will be closing on June 11th. There is a tremendous amount of work and effort which will be undertaken by our dedicated staff to see that all of the new shelving is properly erected and the huge quantities of materials moved into the new addition. We anticipate that all of the shelving and new furnishings will be installed and the move complete so that the Main library in the new addition can re-open on July 9th. I know that it is an inconvenience to all for the Main library to be closed, but there is certainly no way that all that needs to be done to prepare the addition for public use can be accomplished on a shorter time table.
We had entertained the idea of expending additional monies to hire private moving companies to accomplish the move, but upon investigation determined that our staff was fully capable of handling the transfers and this would not only save the cost of an independent mover but also provide work for our hourly employees who would otherwise be effected by the temporary closing.
The Gala which has been widely publicized is scheduled for June 23rd and the response by way of ticket sales has been very gratifying. This once in a lifetime event will provide additional non-public funds in order to assist in the procurement of public art for the new library.
There has been a recent rumor circulating regarding the impact of this temporary close to facilitate the move. Apparently, Plain Dealer reporter Molly Kavanaugh has been working on a story concerning this disruption of service and in that regards all of the Lakewood Public Library employees have received an anonymous letter which stated:
Dear LPL Staff member,
As you know, recently, the library has told employees that during this time there will be limited work for all employees, and employees will not be paid while the library closes, unless they use their own vacation time. Since employees had no advance notice of this closing, many do not have vacation time to take, and even those who do are using tat the expense of their own personal plans, such as family vacations. The library is choosing not to layoff the employees, so the employees are not eligible for unemployment. The library already has the money for salaries budgeted, so the money is available to pay employees. Ken Warren has just chosen not to do so, without offering any explanation as to why. He claims he can’t pay people for not working but legally, he can. The library budget has to be approved by the school board at the beginning of the year, and the salary money is part of that budget. By what right does Ken Warren retain that money, and make the library staff bear the burden of the closing?
The dedicated employees of Lakewood Public Library already work for much lower salaries that employees of the other county libraries of the same caliber, and their best interest is often ignored by director Ken Warren and the library board of directors, but still they serve the public with remarkable dedication. They provide top notch customer service so that the library is held in high regard by Lakewood citizens, and the library has been repeatedly recognized by the Hennen library survey as one of the nation’s top library systems for services to the public. The employees, many members of the Lakewood community, worked tirelessly to promote, and get passed the levy which allowed the library to complete the expansion and renovation that now threatens their livelihood. This is a contemptuous, unethical, marginally legal, way to treat staff.
When the library is closed due to unforeseen circumstances such as a power outage, or snow emergency, library staff may be paid as through they worked since it was through no fault of their own that they were unable to perform their duties. Why should this be any different? The library has consistently been rigid with staff about sticking to assigned, odd schedules, and it is very rare indeed that an employee is able to change his or her schedule, but yet the library now expects employees to change their schedules, from night to days, from weekends to weekdays in order to work a few hours before the employees are locked out.
When the LPL decided to discontinue the cleaning contract they expected Maintenance workers to pick up that extra responsibility without extra pay, and now they expect us all to take the weight of the closing. Where is that money going? Why isn’t it going to staff? The library has always been rigid about holding employees to their expectations, and they show no respect for employees by paying them lower than most library staffs, and consistently splitting open shifts, so that the majority of employees are part time and not able to increase their hours, but this is the ultimate degradation. After employees tirelessly campaigned for the levy, they will be left out in the cold by the library.
The library has the money to pay employees and is choosing not to do so, and the employees themselves have, through their dedication to customer service encouraged the Lakewood public to vote for the levy. Staff campaigned for the levy, made this expansion possible, and thus, should ethically be treated with the respect of being paid the salaries to which they have budgeted their lives.
One of the reasons the library will be closed for so long, and staff will not be paid, is so that the Friends of the LPL can hold a Gala event before shelving is put up, thus delaying construction until after the Gala and the reopening and payment of staff. To add insult to injury, staff are not invited to the event. They may only come if they purchase tickets, starting $100 a piece. This will be a little difficult for employees who haven’t been paid for a month. The money from the Gala will raise funds for public art within the new building. A worthy cause, but does it supercede the need to pay employees? Do you think the Friends know and accept how employees are being treated?
On top of these unethical practices, the Library’s leadership in the form of Ken Warren and Kim Sereft ÂÂParas show such contempt for any dissention or feedback, that employees who are devastated by how this will affect their livelihoods and families have no opportunity to even express dissention for fear of retribution. Hence, the anonymous letter I am sending you. The public recently began to express outcry over the conditions in which employees are working since Mr. Warren decided that “It’s not worth if to turn on the air conditioning†(Again, where is that money going?). Imagine the outcry from the public if they knew everything.
We all know that it is dangerous to speak out against Mr. Warren and Kim, but it is time to do so. I have contacted a reporter at the Plain Dealer, Molly Kavanaugh. She interviewed Mr. Warren, and she would like to run our story, but she needs more staff feedback. You may contact her anonymously, but please contact her. It’s time to stand up for ourselves. The community will stand behind us if they only know what’s happening.
Sincerely,
Your Anonymous Friend
Ken Warren, the Library Director, has responded to the anonymous letter and as follows:
June 8, 2007
Dear Staff Member:
I am writing to you because you may have received an anonymous letter, with erroneous claims and flagrant misrepresentations concerning the administration’s authority to pay employees for work not performed, the budget appropriation process, the impact of the change in work assignments, the effect of Gala on the work schedule, and the overall treatment of employees.
Everyone who works for Lakewood Public Library will be experiencing degrees of hardship, due to a one time need to make a major adjustment to the operating schedule. Nonetheless, the anonymous letter greatly exaggerates the degree and extent of hardship, along with the actual agents, conditions and parameters for decision making.
The Board of Trustees has a fiduciary responsibility to the public to ensure that library revenue for appropriated salaries is properly spent. While the library is immensely indebted to our library staff for your efforts and loyalty, we have a duty to the public to ensure that expenditures from the salary budget are made on the basis of work performed in accordance with the policies established by the Board of Trustees. While the impact of this hardship may fall differently across the 90 individuals serving in various departments, I can assure you there are administrators, managers, supervisors, assistant supervisors, librarians, paraprofessionals and clerks bearing the burden of the organization’s duty to the public to manage work schedules and budgets with integrity.
Deputy Director Kim Senft-Paras has worked very hard with managers to realize any and all opportunities to provide full-time and part-time employees with work at this time of transition. For example, there are still hours of work available for Sunday June 24 to assist with after- Gala clean-up.
The Gala is sponsored by the Lakewood Public Library Foundation to raise funds for public art. The Lakewood Public Library Foundation determined the amount to be charged to those members of public and staff who want to attend the event.
The letter makes reference to a decision I made concerning air conditioning. While there were warm conditions in May, the fact of the matter is that a repair to the HVAC system amounting to several thousand dollars was required on a unit that would be scrapped within weeks. To make this expenditure at that time would have been wasteful.
We are doing everything possible within the boundaries of effective management and public accountability to minimize the impact of this hardship on staff both physically and financially.
If you have any concerns or questions, please speak with Ms. Senft-Paras or me.
Sincerely,
Kenneth Warren
At this point, it is important to recognize that even though the hours which the staff would be normally spending in servicing the public were the library to be open, for the great majority are being replaced by hours in which the staff will spend assisting in the move (should those staff members elect to work those hours). Viewing the situation from a purely financially responsible standpoint, there is no way that the Board of Trustees could ever approve the desires as expressed by “your anonymous friend†to provide a three-week paid vacation at taxpayers’ expense while the library was closed.
Of course, those who have paid vacation time had been encouraged to take it during the closing period. Information about the proposed schedule was provided as soon as we were aware of it.
I know that next month will be a bit hectic and I know that there will be disruptions in service, but I also feel that once everyone has the opportunity to see the new addition, they will understand that these small temporary disruptions are well worth a minimal cost to pay given the scope and outcome of the project. We will, of course, be downsized until 2008 while the renovations in the old building are completed and the tie-in to the new building finished. During this time there will be some space limitations. It was necessary to put the non-fiction collection in storage temporarily and likewise move the computer center to Madison, but as the project moves forward, we can all look towards another grand opening in the early spring of 2008 when the entire project is done and all of the patrons will have the benefit of the greatly enhanced and increased space, parking lot, state-of-the-art computer center, brand new auditorium and unique one-of-a-kind children’s room.
Until then, please bear with us during our period of temporary shrinkage. Your patience will be well rewarded.
Jeff