Perticone's Statements About Libraries In Irondequoit

TBM Video - 1:59:34 mark.

He brings up the MCLS comments from their meeting - that they denied the matching grant for paving the parking lot because Irondequoit's libraries are inadequate, and since they aren't doing anything to improve the inadequacies - they should not get the funding for the matching grant to fix the library's parking lots.



According to the minutes of the MCLS meeting of September 19th, 2011 they were granted a variance for NYS minimum standards - but denied the matching grant to fix the parking lot on the basis that "providing funding for parking lot repairs to two separate libraries that have been explicitly identified as inadequate to meet the community’s needs based on New York State standards was in conflict with the goal of many stakeholders to ultimately create one consolidated Irondequoit library facility;"

Where is it "explicitly identified" that the two separate libraries are "inadequate to meet the community's needs"?

"Many stakeholders" want to "ultimately create one consolidated Irondequoit library" - and that would be the Library Board, and their friends. The community (the biggest stakeholders since they would pay for it) have not voted on it, or been surveyed on it, or anything.....so......how can you determine that a consolidated library is the stakeholders goal?

Here is a link to the MCLS Trustees page where you can access all meeting minutes for the past two years. You can also see who is on the Board of Trustees.  Link.

As for "not meeting the community's needs for building space, shelving, seating, and restrooms"......

Here is the link to the NYSED §90.2 Standards for registration of public, free association and Indian libraries where #8 says: (8) maintains a facility to meet community needs, including adequate space, lighting, shelving, seating, and restroom;

It does not say what the criteria is for "meeting community needs" for space, lighting, shelving, seating, and restrooms - so how do we know that Irondequoit is not meeting the criteria? Who decides what the minimum standards are? The Irondequoit Library Board?

The NYSED site does not list any criteria for meeting minimum standards for building space, lighting, shelving, seating, and restrooms.....they pretty much leave that up to the Library Board in Irondequoit.

I know it says that populations of 25,000-99,999 should be open 55 hours per week minimum, so I can check to see if they are following that rule.....but how do I check to see if the libraries are meeting the community needs for minimum standards for the Irondequoit community, as set by the regulation, for building space, seating and shelving?

What are the "minimum standards" according to NYSED? There is none.  It's up to the library board to determine that.

See if you can find anything on the state minimum requirements for these things - I couldn't - and I searched on there forever!

Here is a section on the NYSED website that is titled "Helpful Information for Meeting Minimum Public Library Standards", and you can jump to the section titled "HELPFUL INFORMATION FOR MEETING STANDARD #8: MAINTAINING A FACILITY TO MEET COMMUNITY NEEDS"here.

There is nothing on there listing what the size, lighting, seating, shelving should be for the population of Irondequoit.   There is, however, at the bottom of this section, "a number of useful materials to guide the library in meeting this standard. The following are highly recommended.

Accessible Building Design, Eastern Paralyzed Veterans Association, Jackson Heights, New York, no publication date. Call 1-800-444-0120.

Designing Better Libraries: selecting and working with building professionals, Richard C. McCarthy, A.I.A., Highsmith, 1995.

Planning the Small Public Library Building, Small Libraries Publication No. 11, Anders Dahlgren, LAMA/ALA, 1985.

Public Library Space Needs; a planning outline, Anders C. Dahlgren. Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, 1988.

Serving the Disabled; a how-to-do-it manual for librarians, Keith C. Wright and Judith F. Davie. Neal-Schuman, 1991."

These are "helpful guides" to planning - not state laws or anything - so again, what are the STATE MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS for building space, shelving, lighting?

Again, we are being told that they are inadequate....and now they will use the parking lot grant denial to push for consolidation.

Must be nice to just decide that the taxpayers need to fund a new consolidated library.....and then use the MCLS denying a parking lot improvement matching grant to further that goal.  Unreal.

 Here's a pdf. of the September 19th, 2011 meeting minutes. 2011 MCLS Minutes - September 19