Following the April 7th meeting where three budget options were proposed, the Boston Public Library Trustees voted this morning to close 4 branches while keeping the other 22 open with existing hours. The North End Branch Library at 25 Parmenter Street will be staying open as will the West End Branch on Cambridge Street.
From the BPL’s press release:
The Boston Public Library Board of Trustees today approved a proposed $38.9 million budget for the upcoming 2011 fiscal year. The plan keeps twenty-two branches of the Boston Public Library open with their current hours. It also closes four branch buildings: Faneuil (Brighton), Lower Mills (Dorchester), Orient Heights (East Boston), and Washington Village (South Boston). More information is posted at www.bpl.org/budget.
The budget will now be delivered to the Mayor and City Council. Mayor Tom Menino made the following statement following the BPL’s vote.
“I appreciate the consideration of the Boston Public Library Board of Trustees in making the difficult but necessary vote to close 4 branches. This is a challenging budget year which requires tough decisions and I am confident that 22 strong branches will help secure the long term financial security and services of our libraries. I plan to accept the board’s branch closure recommendations and the City will soon announce plans for the East Boston, Brighton, Dorchester and South Boston neighborhoods affected by these closures so that residents can continue to access library services in their communities.” – Mayor Thomas M. Menino
In a statement of opposition,”People of Boston Branches” is using the slogan, “Today is not THE END” and calling on the Mayor to select the other option for reduced hours at all branches without any closures.
Not one voice from one person who has spoken up about these plans has called for the closure of these libraries. No public official who is honestly representing their constituents concerns has said to close these branches or lay off workers. The decision by the Trustees is unilateral and should be rejected by Mayor Thomas Menino for not representing the voice of the people. The people elected Mayor Menino so that he could appoint Trustees that would represent them in their decisions. Today they failed in representing the public and now Mayor Menino must reject their budget and give the library the democratic choice. It is clear that the democratic choice is for Option 1: reduced hours in the branch libraries. More information at http://peopleofboston.org.
More at the #saveBPL Twitter feed below:
