County Executive Officer Recommends Library Option A

According to the agenda and related memos posted today to the county website for the February 23rd meeting of the Board of Supervisors, Richard Haffey, the County Executive Officer, is recommending that the Board approve Library “Option A,” the management plan developed jointly by the Truckee Friends of the Library and county staff.
This effectively ends any consideration [...]

Nevada County Outsourcing Controversy Featured in the Library Journal

The current issue of the 133 year-old Library Journal (published in New York, NY), the “oldest and most respected publication covering the library field,” features as its top story an article about Nevada County’s library outsourcing controversy, “In Nevada County, CA, an Outsourcing Proposal Stirs Controversy.” The article is accompanied by a replica of the flyer [...]

Why a Pro-LSSI Op-Ed in The Union on the Eve of the Library Decision?

Why is a Jackson County, Oregon administrator taking such an interest in Nevada County’s consideration of LSSI, and why did the The Union publish his “Other Voices” Op-Ed (“Public-private library partnership a win-win“) just days before the Nevada County Board of Supervisors is likely to vote for or against LSSI’s proposal?
I sent an email this [...]

Pro-LSSI Website Disappears

The apparently pro-LSSI website which I stumbled on and wrote about several weeks ago has now disappeared. Here’s what its banner looked like while it was still alive:

I was unaware that it had disappeared until I received this email today from Norman Oder, News Editor for the Library Journal:
“Mr. Pelton,
I’m writing an article for Library [...]

Statement of Friends of the Truckee Library: Countdown to Decision Day

By: Friends of the Truckee Library
Feb. 8, 2010 – The Nevada County public libraries are under threat of outsourcing to LSSI, a private company in Maryland State.
In October, in response to the economic downturn, the County CEO presented the BOS with a Request for Proposals for private contractors to manage the library. The only response [...]

Mary Ann Trygg Describes Library Options A & D, Will Support Either

I had an interesting email dialog with County Librarian Mary Ann Trygg  this morning. First, she described the significant issues she’s having to juggle right now:
“Currently, we are working on several projects to bring in money to the library such as the Union newspaper plea, an upcoming NCTV Telethon, work with the PV Chamber of [...]

Will the Internet Make Books and Libraries Obsolete?

As a bibliophile, I’m the first to admit that there’s a huge irrational element in my love for books, libraries and bookstores for that matter. And this passion has only grown over time. I’ve always followed my curiosity by buying books, but for many of my last years working at Stanford, with its great bookstore [...]

Help the Library Today: Pledge Now

You don’t need to wait for the Library Aid Telethon on February 20th to help relieve the library budget crisis.
You can pledge today by printing the pledge form and sending it to Friends of the Library (optionally with whatever you can afford). To print the pledge form, click on one of these two links:
Pledge Form [...]

Countdown to Library Decision Day: Public or Private Hands?

by Friends of the Truckee Library
The Current Situation:
In early February 2010, Nevada County will make a decision about the future of our library. A short time ago, the County established three committees to recommend the best management model for Nevada County libraries in the current fiscal downturn:

Citizens’ Oversight Committee (COC)
Ad Hoc Committee
County Administration Committee

After considering [...]