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This is a response by the Director of the East Hartford Public Library to an anonymous letter written by Earl on November 25, 2011 which was sent to the East Hartford Library Commission, the East Hartford Town Council, and which appeared in the East Hartford Gazette on December 1, 2011. The Letter from Earl follows the Library Director's response. An Open Letter to Earl Dear Sir / Madam: December 2, 2011
I am responding to these concerns with a sincere commitment to make our libraries the best they can be, which has always been the case. It would be helpful to be able to discuss these concerns directly with an individual, rather than anonymously, but my interest in improving conditions at the library for both the public and the staff is nevertheless genuine. The conditions at the library are far from perfect, but it is not because of a lack of concern for the health and safety of the library staff and the general public. We regularly and continually review and address both routine maintenance, and health and safety needs.
Privacy- I can find no evidence whatsoever of patron borrowing records, etc. on any of our public computers. All of our public computers have a security program entitled “Driveshield” which erases anything and everything that a patron puts on our computers as soon as it is rebooted, which is usually daily.
Safety We do have problem patrons of various ages and types. Our staff has been trained to handle difficult situations, which can include calling the police, if appropriate. Most of our patrons are very cooperative and respectful, and are a pleasure to serve. A very small percentage seem to make it difficult at times. We have had discussions with numerous mayors during budget preparation etc., pertaining to hiring a security guard, which I would be perfectly receptive to, but have mutually agreed that it makes sense at this time to rely on our local police to handle the most difficult situations. Library staff has been trained in handling problem patrons in the past, and will soon be getting additional training by the town. Our Police Chief, Mark Sirois has been very cooperative in sending his officers when needed. We try to use this option with discretion. We do have a written public policy regarding unattended children, and try to enforce it fairly and consistently. We can not always anticipate when children are dropped off, or are left unattended. The safety of everyone, particularly children, is of utmost importance to all of us.
Building and Grounds I do not agree that Raymond Library is a mess, but do agree that we have some clear needs. Most of the long range solutions we are anticipating are included in the plans for the new library addition. In the meantime, and on an ongoing basis, the building and grounds receive the appropriate attention from the Parks Department, (outside park and lawn), the Facilities Manager, (inside the building), our one custodian, (inside the building), the Public Works Department, (the parking lot, snow removal, etc.), and the library staff. Library staff have been trained and encouraged to report in writing, and verbally, issues and problems with the building. Some of these initially come from awareness created by the public, which is helpful and appreciated. I can sincerely say that many people contribute to trying to make this library the best it can be. The Facilities Manager has reviewed the conditions that could contribute to safety, and that could be considered a health hazard. He has assured us that up to this time, we do not have health hazards because of “peeling paint and mold” etc. As conditions change, or seem likely to be a problem, he and others are notified. It is true that we have one set of restrooms for the public, and at times vandalism or misuse create situations that require us to close the rooms. These situations are corrected as soon as possible. The building and the elevator, etc are painted on a recurring basis, particularly as it is necessary to combat graffiti etc. on a regular basis. Plans for the new library addition include a new, modernized elevator. The carpets are cleaned at least twice a year by professional carpet cleaners, and are swept and vacummed daily by our custodial staff. Wickham Library was painted this past spring, and receives regular custodial care and carpet cleaning as well. The Facilities Manager has reviewed the peeling paint and possible mold within the past few months and found no health or safety hazards. The Reference Department has had broken and/or loose handrails on occasion, which were promptly reported, secured by the staff of the Facilities Manager until they could be repaired, and were fixed in a reasonable time. Incidents where a patron has been involved in any type of accident, inside or outside, have been reported appropriately to the Risk Manager, or other appropriate individual, i.e., the Facilities Manager, the Fire Marshall, or whoever is deemed appropriate to remedy the situation. There is not a lack of attention to obvious repairs. Our Community Room is actually circa 1968. It does have various needs, most of which will be addressed with the new library addition. It is heavily used, cleaned regularly, and has WIFI capability, as does the entire library. There are some “blind spots” as pertains to WIFI, but this is because of the inherent design of the building. Overall, and in all library areas, reception is good. Interior Design Seating is limited at the library, despite additional seating because of the remodeled new Reference Room. The library is heavily used, and at times both normal seating and/or workstations are occupied. The new addition will provide a significant increase (more than double) in available seating. We recently added many new signs that direct patrons to the various areas of our collections. We have had recurring problems with patrons/vandals removing signs. Technology We provide the public with approximately 70 computers, both here, and at Wickham Library. Approximately 25% of them are less than two years old. Approximately 50 % of them are between 3-6 years old, and the remaining 25% are more than 5 years old, but have been generally upgraded with parts, both donated and purchased at a nominal cost. I do all of the maintenance, configuration, and repair, as needed. This has been true for the past 20 years or so, and continues today. They are serviced continually on a planned basis, and are usually all operating. It is not unusual that one or two need maintenance or repair. I frequently have come in on weekends, and other closed days to work on the computers. In the past two years, I have trained a temporary library employee to assist in the updating of virus software. This entails approximately 2 hours per afternoon, 5 days per week and has been quite helpful. Our custodian cleans the keyboards on a regular basis, but they can get dirty rather quickly, depending upon who uses them. Most of our computers are either grant funded, donations, or former Town of East Hartford leased computers purchased with grant or gift funding. I traditionally have relied on the Town IT Director for advice in purchasing any new equipment. We do use filters on our computers in both the children’s area, and in the adult area. They are set for the appropriate age group. At times, the filters will disallow what would normally be an acceptable site, usually because of language use, or controversial content. On balance, there is more benefit than harm with the use of the filters. We do not allow pornography in our libraries. We have used a time management system in the past, but have opted to provide more computers instead, as it is labor intensive to manage the time management system. We may revisit the use of a time management system in the future. The WiFi signal is available throughout the building, and is provided at no cost to the Town, as we have an arrangement with Comcast, which provides us with a free “drop” for life, which is driven by a wireless router which I purchased a number of years ago at Staples for a one time cost of $68.00. In addition to the aforementioned computer offering, we have plans to offer before the first of the year, as many as 25 wireless laptops to be loaned internally for public use to supplement our fixed wired offering. We are generally recognized for having more computers available than is typical in surrounding town libraries. We also offer classes on computer use, software, and ebooks on a recurring basis, and are due to continue them by the New Year. There is a centralized printer in the upstairs Reference Room, as well as two (2) backup printers for public use on the first floor, and an additional backup printer for public use in the upstairs Reference Room. We placed the printer in the Reference Room so that the staff could be of help with the various printing issues. Staff is more than happy to retrieve print jobs for anyone, children or adults, if necessary. Our website, while completely renewed about two years ago, is updated with new information on a regular basis. Programming We do have a career section which we try to improve on a continual basis. I recently purchased JobNow, a statewide online program for job related searching and information. Computer classes were mentioned above. Collection The collection is actually in very good order overall, however, it requires continuous attention to add and remove material in a responsible way. We purchase approximately 8,000 items per year to add to the collection, and remove approximately 5,000 items. There is a net gain of about 3,000 items. The Raymond Library Company is solely responsible for the Edward E. King Museum of Tobacco and Aviation, not the library. We have developed a supporting historical material collection which is part of our total collection which is strong in aviation and tobacco history as public libraries go. The museum should be open to the public on a daily basis. It is our fault if someone neglects to open it.
Staff Assistance All of our library staff are well trained in the most modern, as well as the traditional skills necessary to operate a public library in modern society. They provide their services and skills to all patrons, irrespective of race, creed, ethnic, or national origin. Hockanum Library was closed as a budgetary decision by the East Hartford Town Council a number of years ago. Essentially, this decision was well documented in budget sessions, and in many public discussions pertaining to the issue, particularly at Library Commission meetings. It simply was deemed too costly to spread limited resources amongst various facilities. We continue to provide the best possible service utilizing limited resources. We conduct outreach programs in the community to try to offset the loss of the library in the south end of town. Of course, we do not have facilities in many other areas of town, but will continue to try to make our two existing libraries the best they can be. We will continue to develop online services and a variety of other databases towards that end. We have been and will continue to plan and implement as many improvements and changes as possible. I emphatically disagree that there has been a “blatant disregard for ethical behavior, accountability and integrity” on the part of anyone associated with the East Hartford Public Library. I have, and would always welcome any professional evaluation of our services and facilities. I am confident a professional review or evaluation will show that we are doing a lot with very little. I am also more than willing and happy to discuss with anyone ways to make our libraries the best they can be. Thank you for your interest in improving our libraries! Pat Jones, Library Director
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