To the Readers' Forum:
The James Prendergast Library board president, Tom Price, did not seem to "get it" in regard to the public meeting with the trustees on 4/18/12. His statement that we should "agree to disagree" certainly denies what is most obvious.
The patrons of the library oppose the board-approved policies Linda Mielke, director of the library, has put in place. The decisions to favor automation over people (staff), the deletion of the majority of magazines and databases, the expenditure on a survey and the morale of the staff at its lowest ebb are issues that raise questions about the board's oversight and willingness to accept whatever the director proposes.
The public did not want to simply state that they disagreed with the board on the policies but wanted some kind of assurance that their well-founded concerns would be taken seriously and bring about changes. The view of agreeing to disagree carries the implicit message that though the public may have a different vision for the library, the board actually has the control and can politely listen but follow its own vision.
Only one member of the board questioned polices, the rest gave the impression of being very happy with their choices despite the undeniable and unprecedented negative reaction by many of the public. If the board is unresponsive to the community it is supposed to be serving, one wonders whose library is it?
Paula Gaus
Sinclairville