BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) – One day after announcing she would be leaving her post at the end of her contract, Buffalo and Erie County Library Director Bridget Quinn-Carey has accepted a job in Queens.
The Library Board announced Tuesday that Quinn-Carey would leave her post at the end of her three-year contract on March 4th. Quinn-Carey has now accepted a job with the library system in Queens. For nearly three years she’s overseen the libraries as they dealt with major budget cuts. She told “Business First,” she doesn’t blame the money crunch for her departure. Additional coverage on Quinn-Carey’s move here (whoa, she’s ‘commuting’ from Buffalo to NYC).
Does there seem to be more movement among library directors as of late?
So she can watch QBPL sink
So she can watch QBPL sink like the Bufflalo libraries did
BQC
Wow – she’s done an amazing job in Queens – ha ha
Sinking libraries
For the record: Quinn-Carey did nothing to help the libraries here in Buffalo. Instead, she cow-towed to the politicians who supported funding cuts. She will NOT be missed.
🙁
I feel sorry for the library staff in Queens. Prepare for layoffs.
Rewarding ruin
I have to agree with the other posters above. Being a Buffalonian and a librarian (though fortunately not having a career invested in the BECPL), I am very disappointed in the events that have occurred during Quinn-Carey’s so-called leadership. With little evidence of any objection from Bridget (unless you count a few PR shots that made the Buffalo paper with Bridget looking off in the distance with a puppy dog sad expression), the board and the other administrators, the library’s hours have been cut, librarians have been laid off and replaced with para professionals, the Central research library is being turned into a “branch library” (which is pretty scary since the “branches” have been incrementally decimated over the years) and plenty more.
Buffalo is and has been an economically depressed city that has seen a rise in library usage over the last few years and needs more and better service, not less. A mere 4 million dollar short fall, peanuts in the scheme of things. And most insulting, during this dark time in the library’s history, the leadership launches a “Re-Imagine” PR campaign with all the positive platitudinous language of success and a bright future, ostensibly thanks to Quinn-Carey. I’m having trouble seeing the bright future right about now.
I wonder how we might have improved rather than cut services with the money used to launch the specious PR campaign and hire a law partner specializing in management side labor relations.
As for Queens, I recall that about 20 years ago they already made drastic cuts in the librarian staff, particularly in the branches (and having visited some of those Queens branches I can tell you the staffing left plenty to be desired). Maybe Quinn-Carey can make further reductions there in services. Or, most likely, she will follow the prevailing political climate and bend to whatever agenda is currently ascendant, like many a sycophant before her.
“I am very disappointed in
“I am very disappointed in the events that have occurred during Quinn-Carey’s so-called leadership. With little evidence of any objection from Bridget (unless you count a few PR shots that made the Buffalo paper with Bridget looking off in the distance with a puppy dog sad expression)…” Well stated. As a leader, there should have been push back. She and the Board of Trustees decided to stay mum to be politically correct and in the process committed a dereliction of duty by not looking after the interests of the organization they are custodians of. There were references to administrators working behind the scenes to persuade legislators and the County Executive to provide funding but this begs the questions of “why does this have to be done behind closed doors? where is there shame in asking for what the library needs and deserves to remain a vital part of the community?”.
Because it is Buffalo
Because it is Buffalo politics, where do you live? I love the union guys who claim they saved the library, with no tangible proof, they just say it and it is so. Just like they make life in Buffalo better for everyone. What a joke.
So I guess when the going
So I guess when the going gets tough, the tough…quit!
So what do you do?
Can she or the board raise taxes? The obvious answer is no, so look at the future, and get out from behind your desks and see the reality of what you are dealing with. Everyone who is paying attention in Buffalo knows that it was not the board nor the library administration that did anything wrong, but gracefully dealt with the situation as handed to them (and by the way money was restored). Get mad at your politicians, get made at your community leaders, but at least get real about the sitution in the WNY area.
This will repeat itself time and time again until the area of WNY decides it wants to be productive and face some realities that will come at an expense on the front end, but no one wants to do that, only fight over the crumbs.
Good luck to all of you.