The move is on to privatize every public service and to squeeze a profit out of its budget by cutting staff and services.
The watchdog group “In the Public Interest” reports on the library privatization efforts and pushback by communities that love their public libraries:
Earlier this month, in yet another win for local control, leaders in one central Florida county rejected a proposal from a for-profit library management company to take over their public library. The company, Library Systems & Services (or LSSI), operates at least 80 public libraries across the country, but Marion County joins a growing list of municipalities who realized that LSSI’s claim to do more with less while still making a profit was a greater fiction than even Stephen King’s best stories.
In 2010, the chief executive of LSSI admitted to the New York Times that the company saves money by cutting overhead and replacing unionized employees. “Cutting overhead” can mean fewer services and reduced hours. Privatized libraries make up for less professional staff by depending on unpaid volunteers and automation. Of course, when outsourcing relies on cutbacks in wages and benefits to realize savings, the local economy suffers and income inequality continues to grow. The company claims efficiencies from buying materials at the national level, but critics contend this sacrifices a local branch’s ability to adapt to the needs and interests of patrons.
Even LSSI’s basic sales pitch that they can operate libraries for less than the public is suspect. When the town of Dartmouth, MA, evaluated a proposal to privatize their libraries, they found there was no evidence that privatization saved communities money. San Juan, TX, remunicipalized their libraries after contracting with LSSI for five years due to frustrations with the company’s refusal to divulge its profit margin. After bringing their libraries back under local control, town leaders were able to extend branch hours, giving residents better flexibility and access. The California town of Calabasas canceled its contract with LSSI and saved $68,000 in their first year back with public library service.
Back in Marion County, residents and Friends of the Ocala Library are celebrating their win to keep a critical public good under public control. In an inspiring act of solidarity, the local firefighters union, Professional Firefighters of Marion County, criticized the privatization proposal: “Strong libraries are essential to strong communities.” When neighbors join together to protect common resources, they strengthen their communities as well as democracy. And that’s no fiction.
Sincerely,
Donald Cohen
Executive Director
InthePublicInterest.org
Diane Ravitch's blog 
At some point people will hopefully figure out that paying the people in their community less doesn’t benefit the vast majority of them if they live there but it probably won’t happen until everyone in the bottom 75% are making 10 dollars an hour 🙂
“What happened to this place where I live? Why is everyone so poor?”
It’s a mystery, right? Unknowable and completely mysterious 🙂
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Thank you for speaking out for public libraries – they are truly part of our education system! When the access to information and literature is gone, we will be doomed.
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SO TRUE.
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Click to access CC0211Presidents.pdf
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Is this one small victory time to celebrate?
This was only one small battle of many in the continuing war to privatize and turn the US Republic into a corporation run by the 0.1% with a Bill Gates at the helm guiding the other oligarchs—until they turn on each other, and they will.
If we have learned anything in the decades long war to take over public education for profit, it’s when the RheeFormers lose one battle, they just move on to find another way to get what they want by rigging elections an/or fooling as many people as possible through tier endless propaganda war.
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“Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!”
Next they will come for our children.
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They already are coming for our children.
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Yes, they will eventually privatize libraries, public parks, national parks, etc. Eventually they will get it all and charge you to go to the library or your local park. Every household will be a little empire to itself. Public restrooms will charge like in Europe, and public drinking fountains will also be per fee.
This isolation is already apparent in the wealthier suburbs. Kids play in their own backyard and the parks are mostly empty. Each house is its own town square and park. Kids have no need to venture outside of their house or off their property. Eventually school will be online and in their basement. This is individualized education. You are the only student in class. What a sick, lonely society they are constructing for the masses! The rich will live in gated, protected communities like in Brazil. They will only socialize with fellow wealthy people. Their children will run free within the walls. I can see it all taking shape, one little step at a time. If you aren’t wealthy, you won’t have a nice life.
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At first, I disagreed with you. There seems to be a resurgence of cities, where people live very close to each other. Then, as I thought about it, the closing of neighborhood schools, like in NYC and Newark, is a way to de-stabilize neighborhoods. My own HS, only about 40 years old, no longer exists. The neighboring HS, over 100 years old, no longer exists. All of the students, teachers, and staff that shared a connection to a “living” HS, no longer have that bond. Important touchstones of the community are gone.
That said, the most heartening thing, is that the Professional Firefighters of Marion County joined with the Friends of Ocala Library. While self-serving interests may try to take from us, when we stand together, we are more likely to succeed.
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“In an inspiring act of solidarity, the local firefighters union, Professional Firefighters of Marion County, criticized the privatization proposal: “Strong libraries are essential to strong communities.”
As well they should – they could very well be the next target.
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Libraries are the heart of a community: They are centers for reading, writing, research, communication, creativity, community gatherings, and cultural expressions of all kinds. We are fortunate to have four public libraries here in Norwalk, Connecticut, a city of about 86,000.
Sadly, our school libraries do not get the resources they need — more trained staff, more books, technology, afterschool programs, etc.
If you would like to read 4 engaging, funny, and moving short stories about libraries, pick up a copy of Jerry Spinelli’s book The Library Card.
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According to the American Library Association, privatizing city and county public libraries became an issue in the last decade, but the precedent was set in the 1980s when the federal government started contracting with private companies to manage and operate federal libraries.
The ALA website offers some really good information about this trend, and the need/value to keeping the “public” in the public library.
You can be sure that all civic institutions that are operated in any fractional part with public funds—including libraries, museums, visual and performing arts organizations, zoos, botanical gardens, historical societies, and landmarks—are on the list for total conversion to for-profit management, in addition to social services and infrastructure–roads, bridges, sidewalks, water and sewer services, police, fire protection, and of course schools and teachers. And that effort is more organized than ever before.
I have posted before about the new (2014) arm of the American Legislative Exchange Council. It is called the American City-Council Exchange (ACCE). This organization is a method for corporations seeking profits to infiltrate and control the political process at the local level, ensuring that the privatization agenda becomes the public agenda.
ACCE’s major pitch is how to save local government money by privatizing. Members of ACCE, elected by citizens, pay a small fee to join ACCE: only $100 for a two-year membership. For this fee, elected officials will receive ALEC/ACCE propaganda and perks. Among these goodies are publications from ALEC’s privatizing agenda, and ready to use model ordinances for a wide range of topics and issues in local governance. Corporate members pay $10,000 to $25,000 for ACCE membership and a seat at the governance table, arranged by the members who are elected officials.
You can bet that any and all local tax initiatives and elections will now be targeted for ACCE interventions, with professionally prepared talking points, strategies, advertising, ”experts” and the rest. One of ACCE’s first targets: Getting rid of local unions.
ACCE has the audacity to tell members who are elected officials that they should ask their local government to pay all of their expenses for attending joint ALEC/ACCE conferences. (ACCE has a form that members use to request their free ride). ACCE is eager to pitch the potential for “savings” by privatizing all social and community services..
At minimum, ACCE wants privitazion to be embedded as a normal consideration in the public square and in governance of villages, towns, cities, metro areas, and counties. “Public-private partnerships,” are acceptable as a fallback, but only if there is no risk at all to private contractors.
If ever there was a “buyer beware” flag, it should be waved in the presence of any member of ACCE.
Of course, some villages and towns already have master contracts for comprehensive privatized services for infrastructure. Others outsource selected services through sealed bids. In some bidding, there may be non-discrimination requirements in addition to other specifications set by professionals. The professionals who advise the city may be working under contract rather on staff.
I live in a metro area where the first signal of the privatization movement came when city officials contracted with the Disney Institute Customer Service Training outfit and required top administrators to under go training. I still cringe when I call City Hall and the first voice I hear is “Customer service, how may I help you?”
Of course, Milton Friedman paved the way for this—customer, citizen, taxpayer, voter—no real difference at all because you vote with your pocketbook.
For more on ACCE go to http://www.prwatch.org/news/2015/02/12738/acce-city-subsidize-alec-style-corporate-lobbying
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How do they do more with less if their goal is to convert however much less they operate for into corporate profit. What is their incentive?
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What will it cost me to save my public library? If the answer is zero, sign me up!
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“What will it cost me to save my public library? If the answer is zero, sign me up!”
The question should be what will it cost me to not save the public library.
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Am I allowed to ask both questions?
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…take all the trees, put ’em in a tree museum…
…charge all the people a dollar and a half just to see ’em…
It doesn’t stop with privatizing prisons and schools. The greedy monsters will never be satiated.
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Imagine if Gates had given all the money spent on ‘education” to public libraries (like Carnegie did)
“Opening The Flood Gates”
Throwing money down a rat hole
Gates had just created
Brought the rats up out of that hole
And they all have mated
“Legacies”
The legacy of Carnegie
Is libraries inspiring
The legacy of Gates, we see
Is testing, VAMs and firing
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Again this is an attempt to de-professionize services while hurting the economy. Local citizens should have the right to have a say. Elected officials whose support can be purchased should not have the final say.
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And this is certainly happening on your own home turf, as both the NY Public Library and the Brooklyn Public Library have been selling off library space to private developers. There has been significant community pushback in Brooklyn but it’s likely that the privatizers will have their way, especially in Brooklyn Heights.
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Reblogged this on David R. Taylor-Thoughts on Texas Education.
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