Cotter Trying to Keep City Libraries Open

Tom Cotter '10, a Public and Community Service major, has taken action for a cause that he believes affects the Providence College community. He is working in favor of the Providence Community Library [PCL], which is trying to save the City of Providence library system.

"There is a battle over control of the Providence libraries," said Cotter. "The Providence Public Library Association [PPL] currently controls all branches of libraries in Providence."

According to Cotter, because of budget cuts and a current power struggle, the PPL wants to close five of the nine libraries.

The community congress is heavily involved in this controversy. The Smith Hill Community Development Corporation, Chad Brown CDC, and Elmhurst CDC meet once each month to support the PCL plan. Their concerns have been presented to Mayor David N. Cicilline.

"There are nine libraries in total that need to be saved," said Cotter. "In response to this, the Providence Community Library has formed."

"Councilmen and Providence Mayor David Cicilline are leaning toward the PCL plan," said Cotter.

The PCL is a non-profit organization with a streamlined administration. Increased revenue will come from this shift in authority. Currently, the PPL takes pays its top five members $450,000 combined.

"That is pretty high for a non-profit organization," said Cotter.

The PCL wants to decentralize the administration of the current library system. They are also seeking to cut the number of administration members, along with their salaries. They do not, however, want to cut the number of staff members.

"A library is social capital,"said Cotter. "It only adds to the value of a community. The PCL has received the budget plans for the PPL. They have found out that the funds only sustain the three regional libraries and the main city library's daily activity until June of this year."

Cotter has been working to publicize the PCL's efforts to keep the libraries operational.

"I'm just a guy," said Cotter. "Technically I could be a part of it [the PCL]. I have been doing a lot of getting the word out and conditioning," said Cotter.

The PCL has a viable solution for keeping these libraries open. The four-branch library system would not be able to handle the number of patrons who them. According to Cotter, the PPL spent over $2 million dollars renovating these buildings in 2000.

Cotter said that the PCL's system of keeping the main Providence library branch downtown is similar to that of Boston's library system.

"Having regional branches run by a different organization, in this case the PCL, is the same system that serves as a success in Boston," said Cotter.

Cotter has personal connections with the Smith Hill Library, where he works.

"The Smith Hill Library has the only public Internet access in the area for both kids and adults on Smith Hill," said Cotter. "The libraries are a safe place for kids to occupy after school in a time when afterschool programs are being shut down left and right."

The city is expected to adopt either the PPL's plan or the PCL's plan for the libraries in July 2009.

"Basically, we can only wait on a decision until then," said Cotter.

According to Cotter, the PPL suggests that schools and libraries should be collaboratively run.

It was suggested at an open forum that Providence College should help to keep the libraries operational. The suggestion is just a tentative idea as it was not brought up during the board and budget meetings.

According to Cotter, the PPL wants to transform the four remaining libraries into community centers.

"They would probably be used for after school programs," said Cotter. "These clearly are not serious ideas. They are only trying to blow sunshine at us. These libraries are always packed, especially after school. When the economy is this bad, we need more libraries. They are essential to promoting education, and providing afterschool care for children and the resources that people would otherwise not normally have."

Cotter explained that in this recession we cannot afford to forfeit education. Afterschool care is not as affordable as it has been in the past, and parents are working longer hours and taking pay cuts in order to ensure that they remain employed. Parents need a place where there are both supervision and resources to manage their children while they are working.

"As a community, Providence College can surely recognize the needs of our neighborhood," said Cotter.

Cotter wants to see the Providence College community become more directly involved in helping to save the city's libraries.

"The Providence College community is a superpower in this neighborhood," said Cotter. "One of the biggest things that we can do as students is sign petitions and let the government bodies know that we are interested in this cause. I would encourage the student body to sign the online petition. The more, the merrier."

Cotter said that there are four steps that the PCL is encouraging the community to take advantage of and to support it.

First, sign the petition on the Web site, http://libraryreform.wordpress.com/. Next, ask at least two other Providence residents to sign the petition. Third, contact any neighborhood organization you belong to or work with. Lastly, write a personal letter to the Mayor.

The PCL's goal is to send one hundred personal letters to the mayor in order to help its cause. According to the PCL, they do not even have half of these letters in hand.

Cotter suggests visiting http://providencecommunitylibrary.org and http://libraryreformgroup.wordpress.com for more information regarding the battle for control of the Providence libraries. Anyone interested in joining Cotter is encouraged to e-mail him at tcotter1@providence.edu. Anyone interested in contacting the PCL can do so by sending an e-mail to www.providencecommunitylibrary@isp.com.

"Our campus is pretty socially aware. We do a lot of working concerning social justice. This is such an easy way to positively impact our neighborhood," said Cotter.