With our San Diego city council slashing local library hours and services — cutting the library budget 24% — perhaps it’s time for our wise leaders to look at what Riverside County did over a decade ago. The county, with 34 branches, contracted out the operation of their libraries to a private firm (LSSI), and today the county supervisors are DELIGHTED with the results — both the cost and the service.
Coincidentally LSSI will be in San Diego today (15 September) through Saturday for the League of California Cities convention — at the downtown convention center. See their email below.
They are here to talk with willing cities about alternatives to the current costly system of running government libraries.
Hopefully city officials from THROUGHOUT San Diego County will give this outfit a serious look. It’s time to think outside the library box.
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LSSI Invitation to CA City Politicians
If you are preparing to attend the upcoming League of California Cities 2010 Annual Conference in San Diego this week, I hope you will take a few minutes to stop by Booth #727 to learn more about the savings, efficiencies and local control inherent in the Public/Private Partnership model for library operation.
– Bob Windrow, Vice President
California Region
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City of Santa Clarita Votes in Favor of Public/Private Partnership.
LSSI is selected to operate new library system.
August 23, 2010
The Santa Clarita City Council voted to award a five-year contract with Library Systems & Services, LLC, to operate a newly established three-branch Santa Clarita Public Library.
Under the public-private partnership agreement, the branch libraries will remain in the public trust, managed by the City of Santa Clarita and operated by LSSI.
Santa Clarita, the fourth largest city in Los Angeles County, considered several options for providing library services to its patrons and, ultimately, decided to withdraw from the County of Los Angeles Public Library System.
Through two dedicated assessments, taxpayers in the Santa Clarita Valley contribute $8.5 million annually to the county library system but receive only $6 million in services. City residents also pay 100 percent of the costs to operate the three branch libraries – even though unincorporated residents use the city libraries as well. With concerns of future county deficits, city council moved ahead and voted to take over its own branch libraries.
Leading up to the vote, city officials worked closely with community stakeholders to demonstrate the benefits of running their own libraries which included expanding branch hours and enhancing programming and customer service. Outreach to business leaders, parents & educators and neighborhood associations proved to be successful in generating support for the public-private partnership.
I welcome the opportunity to discuss your community and its libraries, and whether LSSI might be an option that’s right for your future. Please stop by, or contact me directly:
Bob Windrow
Bob.Windrow@lssi.com.
800-638-8725, ext 227
www.lssi.com