News Release

05/21/09 PPL Trustees Approve New Plan of Service and Supporting Budget for Central Library

The Providence Public Library (PPL) Board of Trustees today approved a new plan of service for the Central Library and a budget to support that plan for Fiscal Year 2010. The plan of service is only for the Central Library since Mayor Cicilline notified PPL that the City is creating and will be funding and operating its own municipal branch system beginning July 1.

With the critical branch library system under the guardianship of the City, the independent, nonprofit PPL will focus on reinvigorating its comprehensive mission as administered through its Central Library.

“This new focus will enable us to continue to lead every resident of Rhode Island to opportunities for lifelong learning and cultural enrichment, a mission that offers great opportunity for exciting new 21st-century services,” said William Simmons, PPL Board Chair.

The Central plan of service is designed to foster a community of lifelong reader/learners and focuses on four main areas of concentration: Collections, Online Services & Digital Content, Programming and General Core Services. In addition to being open for 38 hours 6 days a week, the Central Library will also continue to act as the Statewide Reference Resource Center (SRRC). Statewide reference services, in particular the AskRI phone, email and online services, will be available 60 hours a week.

The plan of service is supported by a $3.4 million budget funded by PPL’s endowment draw, private donations and state funding for the SRRC.

“This is a very lean budget necessitated by the current economic situation, and although we believe it supports Central’s core services, it also reflects some downsizing,” said Dale Thompson, Library Director. “Especially difficult is the reduction in staff, with some long-time Library employees facing layoff.”

Of the 120 PPL employees, the Central Library is expected to retain close to 40. It is anticipated that all of the branch personnel and some of the Central staff will be hired by the new City municipal branch system, once its plan is announced.

The PPL administration which had already been reduced by 33 percent over the past four years is being cut by another 20 percent. Only four administrators will remain, including the Library Director, Assistant Director, Business Manager and Marketing/Communication Manager. They are taking a 10 percent pay cut and will be assuming additional responsibilities.

“While this is a painful transition, going forward I believe the patrons in Providence and statewide will benefit from this creation of two strong libraries, each with important but distinct missions,” said Robert Taylor, Library Vice Chair. “When we look back on this moment, we’ll recognize it was difficult, but we’ll also know we made the right choice. It is a choice that preserves neighborhood branches in the City and a strong Central Library with a broader role that complements and supports branch and community libraries across the State.”

To aid in the launch of the new municipal branch system, PPL is making all seven of its branch buildings available to the City for $1 a year beginning on July 1, 2009. In addition, PPL will be donating more than 260 computers and over 390,000 books/holdings to the City branch system.