News

Hello again:

As promised in my statement issued on March 26 – and building on the exciting news/momentum of our having hired two experienced and local librarians as interim co-directors – the ad hoc committee/working group I am proud to chair has convened for five weeks running to discuss, debate, and brainstorm ways to address the well-known issues facing our library of late. Importantly, we’ve also been doing independent fact-finding and tackling individual assignments between meetings.

Today, I am pleased to report that our committee (again, comprised of both library Trustees and community members) voted on, endorsed, and issued a set of recommendations to the library’s Board of Trustees on April 5th. This vote was after we’d shared these same recommendations with library staff, as promised, via a survey to gain their feedback.

After making a couple adjustments based on staff responses — albeit not wholesale changes some may have hoped for given the approach of the previous Director and given relationships staff have worked hard to foster with many of our community’s marginalized folks — I am nevertheless gratified to say the committee’s recommendations were approved by the full Board of Trustees and will take effect Monday, April 22.

The recommendations are as follows:

1. Make select updates to the library’s Patron Code of Conduct, including replacement of ambiguous wording which will make our rules easier to enforce and updates to some of those very rules, most notably:
   1. A prohibition of food and drink in the library unless they are part of library programming (e.g. Baby/Toddler time, Taste & Tell Cookbook Club, etc.), sanctioned special events, or done in accordance with limits set for staff (i.e. covered beverages only outside of our kitchen). This will reduce risk of damage to the facility/equipment/collections, help cap cleaning costs, reduce tidy-up demands on staff, and reduce distractions for other patrons.
   2. A prohibition on sleeping in the library.
   3. And clarification regarding the handling of, and expectations for, personal belongings. (It should be noted that we have not prohibited plastic bags or suitcases at this time – as such a rule could result in discrimination; however, we still strongly encourage our elected officials to arrive at a safe, secure, and humane storage option for our community’s unhoused population.)

2. Engage a security specialist to aid in enforcement of the updated Patron Code of Conduct for the period of 8 weeks (starting April 22). Please bear in mind that we looked at several approaches to ‘adding security’ – including municipal and non-profit collaborations that offered the hope of achieving this goal at zero cost to the library. In the end, however, we will be engaging an exceedingly reputable security contractor (the same company that handles security at the Tompkins County Public Library), whose customer-service philosophy and experience with at-risk populations matches our own. Following this transitional period, our goal is to ‘evolve’ enforcement back to staff in a distributed fashion or even consider the hire of a resource officer. Only time will tell.

3. Provide additional ‘navigator’ support for members of the at-risk population who may require other options or ways to cope in light of our updated rules and increased enforcement. This help will be provided onsite by non-profit organizations in our community; invites have been extended to, and interest has been shown by, Cayuga Area Recovery Services (CARS), Catholic Charities, Family Counseling Services, CAPCO, Access to Independence, and Rural Health Institute (previously CACTC). Be advised some of these same entities have already been collaborating with the library thanks to relationships established by our previous Director. The difference here, we hope, will be both increased volume and a schedule that consciously runs parallel with the aforementioned temporary security presence at the CFL.

4. Promotion of, and stricter compliance with, the Federal Clean Air Act, which dictates a prohibition of all tobacco products both inside and within 100 feet of the entrance of public libraries. Increased signage, more frequent walk-by’s from the CPD, and increased attention to security camera views of our front steps will combine to make fuller enforcement possible. And, as a result, we anticipate several benefits, among them decreased litter (cigarette butts and wrappers in particular); easier breathing for non-smoking patrons or those with asthma/allergies; and a reduction in spontaneous social gatherings on our sidewalk and front steps (which is a safety hazard for patrons requiring a clear path or access to handrails).

5. Other adjustments:
   1. More security camera signage, to discourage illegal or out-of-code behavior;
   2. New signs noting the prohibition of bathing/shaving in restrooms;
   3. Signage that clearly and concisely expresses the most critical rules of our Patron Code of Conduct at a glance and to all patrons entering the facility.

6. Not altered is the sharps collection system in our restrooms, as both empirical studies and analysis of our own sharps containers demonstrate this is an effective and safe public health strategy.

It is my fervent hope that these measures – the first and most immediate from this committee – will begin to restore balance to our library and help restore the trust of patrons who’ve voiced concerns about our situation… Even if, as has been made clear, our situation was exacerbated by lack of a dedicated daytime warming/cooling/community center for this vulnerable population in Cortland; and even if what we’re facing is a localized symptom of a nationwide challenge.

JH

PS: Ongoing thanks to members of the ad hoc committee/working group; to local officials who’ve made themselves available to CFL representatives over the last few weeks; to the network of social service agencies who’ve offered to help the library through this period; and, of course, to our exceptional staff, whose talent, dedication, patience, and hard work/grace under pressure has been critical during these challenging months.

Greetings:

As most in our community know, the welcoming policies, mission, and environment of the Cortland Free Library have – over this winter — made us an important option for members of our community experiencing homelessness, as well as others who are no doubt struggling with unemployment, chemical dependency, mental health issues, or some combination of these.

Compounded by the lack of a day-time warming shelter – and, if we’re honest, also exacerbated by less-than-ideal behavior from a minority of these patrons which, in turn, has resulted in an increase in calls for support from the Cortland Police Department* – the situation has resulted in highly emotional and charged debate and discourse in our community, in the Cortland Standard, and on social media.

Some in this debate have shown real support, sympathy, and understanding for the library’s position; others have mainly voiced concern and frustration, choosing to curtail their visits or migrate to other libraries; and still others in our community have responded with commentary or actions that have proved to be unconstructive, hurtful, and even threatening.

Significantly and relatedly, our director, Jen Graney, recently submitted her resignation to the Board. (I will not endeavor to speak on Jen’s behalf: Rather, please do take a moment to read her explanation and summary of accomplishments during her tenure here.)

Where do we go from here?

As I indicated in my comments in the March 5th Common Council Meeting, the Board of Trustees has formed an ad hoc committee/working group to address the aforementioned issues and endeavor to correct course: I volunteered to Chair that committee, which is comprised of select Trustees and a handful of community members – all of whom have been invited to join because of their passion, unique perspectives, specific experiences with the matters at hand, and commitment to helping the library. We’re meeting weekly – three times, thus far – and will soon make some initial recommendations to the full Board of Trustees. Importantly, we’ll also garner input from our exceptional and incredibly dedicated staff.

Our focus?

First and foremost, the mission of this working group will be to adjust levers of control directly available to us within the library, including but not limited to revisiting our policies, approach to enforcement, and ways we might assist at-risk populations while remaining true to the library’s mission.

But I will also tell you that the second focus of this group – and one that Director Graney herself initiated and has been pursuing over the last year – will be to act as a catalyst to external factors and action.

As part of this latter goal, we will be counting on the City of Cortland and Cortland County to do more and better to mitigate some of the causes and issues faced by our community’s vulnerable populations. (Indeed, we’ve already had some very positive and frank dialogue with our municipal allies, who are well-aware of the circumstances that have led us here.) We’ve also been in touch with our State representatives, opening those channels of communication should specific actions or support be needed from that quadrant). And, continuing Direct Graney’s work, we will continue to engage and collaborate with the network of social service agencies already doing excellent work in our community.

For the moment, thank you for listening… For your patience and forbearance as we navigate these waters… And for your continuing support in the weeks, months, and years ahead.

You will be hearing from our working group soon – including occasional updates on our plans and tangible progress in ensuring the library remains a pleasant, enjoyable, and safe place for all.

JH

* It should be noted that the “300% increase in calls” for city police support at the library this last year that has been referenced by numerous sources appears (upon further investigation) to lack important context: Many of the calls included in the CPD report were not initiated by library staff (aka: the library’s catalog of police-involved incident reports is lower than the raw CPD data suggests); rather, many were made by concerned residents (still not ideal, mind you) while still others were made by two individual patrons who were, in essence, feuding and calling the CPD on one another.

Cortland Free Library has been awarded $601,750 in NYS Library Construction Aid to fund the following projects:

• Elevator Expansion/Reconfiguration: The elevator will be reconfigured to a three-opening unit with additional stops at the Art Gallery and Northwest Mezzanine, making these areas accessible for the first time to people in wheelchairs and others.

• Main Reading Room HVAC System: This means air conditioning in the Main Reading Room! Those of you who have been here in the summer know that it sometimes hits 90 degrees in the stacks. With an eye towards energy efficiency, this new system will also help provide comfort and safety to staff, patrons, and our library materials.

• New Spaces in the Main Reading Room: More exciting changes in the Main Reading Room include a build-out of the existing circulation desk and relocation to the center of the room; a dedicated Teen Space; a dedicated Community Room; a staff office partition; and a Makerspace to be added to the Northwest mezzanine!

• Parapet Section Replacement: Southwest sections of the parapet are crumbling and allowing water seepage into the building; this replacement will help prevent future damage.

• Permanent Exterior Sign: Highly visible, colorful permanent sign to be installed at the Northeast corner of the building.

Our thanks to Assemblymember Anna Kelles and Senator Lea Webb who announced the news of CFL and many other libraries in our region receiving this funding.

CFL will be responsible for matching up to 25% of the award. We’ve already begun planning for the project’s start, together with our Buildings & Grounds Committee (chaired by Myron Walter) and our architect Jon Carnes (Crawford & Stearns). We will also be working closely with the State Historic Preservation Office to ensure the work is aligned with the requirements and needs of our state-registered historic building. We expect this to be a multi-year project. Stay tuned as work gets underway!

These funds are from $34 million in capital funds for public library construction and broadband infrastructure projects provided in the FY2022-2023 State Budget. To view other projects that were funded and to learn more about the urgent need New York’s public libraries have for renovations and upgrades, visit https://www.nysl.nysed.gov/libdev/info/plcovrvw.htm

Get excited: it’s the new Cortland Free Library website! It’s also more than that. It’s a hub for library happenings; a place to view local newspapers from the 1800s forward; a place to track down the book your favorite podcast just mentioned; a place to connect with your community; a place to research your family’s history; a place to hear stories (Dial-a-Story!); a place to play games; a place to get involved; truly, a place of discovery and wonder.

It wouldn’t be a good virtual branch if we didn’t also tell you about all that the physical space has to offer (for instance, say you need to fax something. Who faxes anymore? We do!) and more about those of us who keep things running behind-the-scenes: your library staff, volunteers, and board of trustees.

We hope you can find what you need here, but if you can’t: what’s missing? What else would you like to see? Let us know! And more generally, but I think also more importantly—what are your goals this year? What are your new year’s resolutions? Please let us know those too. When we know what our community is aiming for, it helps us develop our collections—physical and digital—to help you succeed.

Here’s to a year of growth, connectedness, and gratitude. Thank you for reading!

Jen Graney

Library Director