Moline Library Chairs Causing Controversy

An Anonymous Patron writes “Cutting-edge investigative reporting from KWQC-TV6 Quad Cities: The new
library in Moline has been praised for improving the city but this
morning it’s also taking some heat for some pricey
chairs. Video included!”

September 21, 2006 by rochelle Uncategorized 7

Pete says:

September 21, 2006 at 3:00 am

Oh sit!
Several things come to mind…the waste that is tv news. My brother in the twin cities told me of a “special report” on lunches being taken from refrigerators at work. Horrors! Didja catch the name of the reporter for this story, Elizabeth Goodsitt??? Are you kidding me? Finally, the sad truth that, for public employees generally and libraries in particular, second rate is good enough. Even with the chairs Ms. Goodsitt noted that the entire project came in UNDER BUDGET!

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GregS* says:

September 21, 2006 at 6:28 am

Re:Oh sit!
So what if its under budget? How big was the budget? And what happens at the next budget crunch? “Oh well, obviously the library’s inflated their budget, they can afford a cut!”

I know library furniture isn’t cheap and no government rule or regulation ever made buying stuff cheaper but over $600 for a chair?

Here’s hoping someone at American Libraries or Library Journal files this away for a “10-15 years later” story. If the chairs survive that long and the boasted stats hold up then its a different story.

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Samantha says:

September 21, 2006 at 8:35 pm

guess what–stuff costs money
I was involved in a project at work this spring where we purchased furniture. It was pretty eye-opening for me–these things are not cheap! And if you do go for the cheap ones, they really do break very easily. Just imagine a college football player flopping himself down onto that nice new chair, and you’ll be motivated to spend a little extra to get quality furniture.

I also bought my first ‘real’ piece of furniture for home earlier this year (real as in not inherited from a relative or bought at Goodwill). If you had ever told me that I would appprove a $500 chair at work or a $800 couch for my living room a year ago I would have thought you were crazy, but that’s what we spent. The couch at home I hope will outlast me, and the chairs at work should hopefully last a few years anyhow.

It’s just what stuff costs anymore. It seems that the local comments on the story also don’t see much of a problem here either.

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Anonymous Patron says:

September 21, 2006 at 11:07 pm

Re:Oh sit!
It is public money and many people may be shocked by the amount. I think it is the library’s job to make a case for the expensive chairs, which they may or may not be doing; however, for you to say this a worthless story is another matter. This isn’t a local station talking about lunch bags in a refrigerator, it is about a PUBLIC library spending $38,000 on charis. When the general public thinks about libraries, chairs that cost $650 aren’t the first things they think about. The general public thinks about books and maybe computers.

If the Moline Library had your attitude about this, the next time a bond came up for a vote, it would not be unreasonable for the voters to think it isn’t such a good idea to fund the library if they are buying $38,000 worth of chairs. Public perception and actively getting out and providing a good explanation for expenditures is important when it comes to local issues like this.

BTW, many public official have had their careers come to a premature end when they’ve decided to redecorate/remodel their offices or their buildings. Extravagant expenditures (and I’m not saying this is one) on the public’s dime for furniture, leased cars, food and drink, etc… is a great way to blacken your eye and/or get one fired. We just had the chancellor and vice-chancellor of a local state university (not a college) have to resign because of extravagant spending. That is reality and hopefully the Moline library won’t react the way you have.

To be clear, I am not saying this is a bad decision to purchase these chairs.

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mdoneil says:

September 22, 2006 at 12:18 am

Re:Oh sit!
I have one of these Aeron chairs at my desk at work. It was $800+ but it is a really nice chair.

I also don’t work at a library. Heck I don’t even work at a public company.

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Anonymous Patron says:

September 22, 2006 at 2:36 am

Private Funding?
Some libraries in a similar situation have used special fundraisers from the private sector to cover new furnishings. Plaques may list the donors names in pepertuity.

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mdoneil says:

September 22, 2006 at 9:18 am

Re:Private Funding?
Sorry but that is complete bullshite. If the library has to have a fundraiser to pay for new chairs it means nobody gives a damn about the library. If taxpayers are going to bitch about what are standard office supplies cost then the game was over before it started.

If the library proves itself useful to the community then people won’t mind spending the money. The library must be valuable not to the teens who you have to bribe with crap to get them to come in, not to the transients who use the Internet, not to the perverts who look at porn, but to the folks that vote. If you look at the voting statistics, and yes all states keep records of who votes and where they live and it is public record. Look at who votes (or even who is registered to vote) and see where they live.

Seek those people out make the library useful to them. Provide online reserves and renewals, provide good customer service – don’t keep people on hold, don’t use volunteers or untrained staff to answer the phone, don’t dick people over.

That said you have to know when to cut off the needy people. Set policy to charge for excessive ILLs (5 per month perhaps), if you have teens that are a repeatedly disruptive get rid of them for a month – chances are you’ll never see them again. If you have patrons that have a hundred dollars in fines – collect it. If people damage or lose a book charge them for it. Those people who support the library will understand the need for these, those that are taking advantage of you will bitch and moan until you change the policy or forgive their fines, or let their kids back in. Don’t do it. It sends a bad message not just to the people who are taking advantage of you but to those who value the library. It sends a message that you don’t value your profession or your library.

Cater to the voters, most voters are reasonable people. When it comes time to vote on taxes amazingly the people you have kept happy are more likely to look favorably on your library. Reasonable people know that quality office furnishings not inexpensive, voters are generally reasonable people. The people who argue about three bucks in fines are not reasonable people – and probably not voters.

Think of them as customers, serve your good customers well, and discourage your money losing and system abusing customers from coming back. While the library is not a for profit business running it like one will help instutional growth, professional practice and staff morale.

Who is happier the circulation clerk who had to listen to someone bitch about the twenty bucks they were charged and then let them check out books because they paid a dollar, or the circulation clerk who had to listen to someone bitch about the twenty bucks they were charged and then blocked their card. The patron may be upset but the other patrons nearby will see the value of the library and the loser (book loser, not a personal attack) patron will either cough up the twenty bucks or go away and not lose more items. (Remember they can always read in the library.)

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