Letter: Bristol, please don't cut Rogers Free Library personnel

Posted 4/20/20

To Bristol Town Councilors:

My name is Kristen Quinn and I am a longtime Bristol resident and an employee of the Rogers Free Library. I will get right to the point: I ask you to reconsider your …

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Letter: Bristol, please don't cut Rogers Free Library personnel

Posted

To Bristol Town Councilors:

My name is Kristen Quinn and I am a longtime Bristol resident and an employee of the Rogers Free Library. I will get right to the point: I ask you to reconsider your proposed budget allocation for salaries for Rogers Free Library.

The current fiscal year budget for library salaries is $635,853. The Bristol Town Council is proposing to allocate $583,797 for library salaries for the fiscal year 2020-2021, a reduction of $52,056. When I review the Town Council Provisional 2020-2021 Budget published in the Bristol Phoenix (April 8) and on the Town of Bristol website, it appears that at least 10 departments will have their overall budgets increased. At least 10 departments will see their salaries increased, some dramatically. It appears that only five departments will have both their overall budgets and their salaries decreased. Among these five, I believe the Rogers Free Library budget cut will have the broadest repercussions.

At RFL, the “salaries” line item is just about evenly split between a handful of full-time salaried individuals and about 18 part-time hourly employees. If the part-time employees bear the brunt of this budget cut, it will represent nearly a 20 percent reduction to our earnings.

It is not simply a matter of reducing hours. By R.I. General Law, there are minimum standards and regulations governing public libraries that receive state aid. Rogers Free Library cannot reduce our current Monday-Saturday open hours without losing our State Grant-in-Aid. Nor can we schedule employees to work alone at the circulation desks without jeopardizing employee safety. The amount budgeted for part-time staff wages is determined by established four-hour shifts that cover our open hours, and employee safety protocols that mandate two employees working together per shift at the circulation desks on each floor. Since this amount is determined in such a straightforward manner, I can only imagine that you mean to cut our hourly rate of pay.

As you are well aware, the part-time hourly staff at Rogers Free Library have no union protection, and no benefits. We have no health insurance, no retirement plans, no TDI, no sick days, no personal days, no vacation days. We have only our earned wages — that, and public support. Bristolians love their library. We get to know our patrons and we celebrate their triumphs and check in on them when they’re unwell, or grieving. We welcome everyone at Rogers Free Library — rich and poor, young and old, lifelong Bristolians and recent arrivals. All. The part-time employees are a friendly, helpful, highly-educated staff. Many of us hold advanced degrees, in library science, education, engineering, history, fine arts, psychology and more. Many of us bring a lifetime of experience to our professional service. We are a valuable staff.

Your return on investment is staggering. We are the public face of Bristol, welcoming residents, tourists and newcomers to town and providing them with information and recommendations (books to read next, of course, but we also recommend local restaurants and shops and sites to see). Often, we provide tech help, showing people how to print a document, or download an audiobook, or register to vote.

I stated at the start that this proposed budget cut would have the broadest repercussions. If hours are reduced, not only do you risk losing state aid, but you will likely be limiting or removing access to the library for some Bristol residents. If you lose State Grant-in-Aid, you‘ll be forfeiting hundreds of thousands of dollars. If you force the part-time staff to reconcile a significant cut to wages, then you risk gutting the library of its most valuable asset. These would be the repercussions in normal times.

Right now, the whole world finds itself in a unique moment. I’m sure this is not your intention, but by drastically reducing the library’s budget you will be reinforcing inequities in the town of Bristol. Those who are well-off may be fine in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic, or they may not — but those who are less fortunate will desperately need the resources of a well-functioning public library. I ask you to reconsider your proposed budget cut, and fully fund the Rogers Free Library so we can maintain our services for the good of all residents of Bristol.

Kristen Quinn
Bristol

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