THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 24, 1994 TAG: 9407220250
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 04 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TONI WHITT, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 57 lines
The Portsmouth Public Library board will ask the City Council to reconsider recent layoffs at the library or give them an additional $38,000 by the end of the year.
If the workers aren't reinstated, the library will have to send $38,000 in matching funds back to the state. The money was being used to pay part of the salaries of William Brown, assistant director, and Velma Haley, children's coordinator, whose jobs recently were eliminated.
``Is there a chance the (City) Council will see this and realize the need for these positions?'' Macon Williams asked the city's leisure service director, Lydia P. Patton.
At their monthly meeting, board members discussed the consequences of the cuts. They said there was no way the library could continue to offer the same services - especially since library use is on the rise and the city is completing a renovation and expansion of the Cradock Branch Library.
``We will have to cut services that are special for this community,'' Williams said.
She added that the outreach program may be the thing that gets cut, even though the board considers it critical. The outreach program brings library services to homebound residents and others who might not normally use the library.
Patton told the board no services were supposed to be cut as a result of the efficiency study. She said she would evaluate changes with library director Dean Burgess.
``We want to review their (Brown's and Haley's) responsibilities and what we need to do to ensure services aren't minimized or eliminated,'' Patton said.
Burgess said the consultants met with him in deciding the cuts, but he said they did not follow his recommendations.
Anne Johnson, another board member, said it would be impossible to have others take on the vacant jobs.
``Velma was the key to the children's library,'' Johnson said. ``That's a specialized position. General reference librarians just can't fill those positions.''
Board members said Brown was critical to library fund-raising efforts and to the outreach program. They also said they had hoped to promote Brown to the director's job when Burgess retires.
``The library is a link to the community,'' Johnson said. ``It's short- sighted of the efficiency experts to cut something that is such a vital link.''
Johnson and Williams are writing a letter that will be sent to the council and the city manager by the end of the month.
KEYWORDS: PORTSMOUTH PUBLIC LIBRARY PORTSMOUTH CITY COUNCIL
by CNB