We applaud the library administration’s decision to be one of the first libraries to follow the leadership of public health experts and the state government by closing the library to the public. We expect the same boldness from the administration with regard to personnel decisions. Yet, we are concerned by the fact that 11 “contingent” staff positions at the East Lansing Public Library have been temporarily laid off.

The immediate justification for this is that they “cannot work from home.” Public Libraries are innovative, creative, and resilient institutions that have consistently shown themselves capable of adopting new services and implementing creative solutions in response to shifting circumstances. We know that a bold and creative library leadership is fully capable of assigning new and innovative tasks to all of its staff. We also trust that both library and city leadership have the will and courage to fight for the long-term survival of public libraries in a post-covid world, even in the face of austerity.

Library administration claims that laying off staff is the fiscally responsible thing to do. As taxpayers and voters, we question that logic. Recently elected councilors Jessy Gregg and Lisa Babcock ran campaigns emphasizing municipal transparency and improved communication with voters. As such, we request a transparent and detailed justification for that argument. We want to know what alternatives there were to laying off staff. We understand that the costs of this global pandemic are high, and we believe that ​everyone​ has an ethical obligation to assume an appropriate share of the cost. We ask library administration to publicly demonstrate their contribution to the cost burden. Will they demonstrate their capacity to make innovative solutions, or will they be content with simply pushing the costs of those budgetary challenges onto the most unprotected and vulnerable staff members, who are also members of our community? We hope that city and library administration will show bold leadership in these unprecedented times by considering voluntarily reducing their own taxpayer-funded salaries.

The American Library Association (ALA) has stated that, “. . . In alignment with our companion organization, the ALA Allied Professional Association (APA), we encourage libraries to ensure that all library workers receive fully paid leave, including health coverage, while libraries are closed.” Many public libraries in Michigan have made the decision to keep all staff employed during this pandemic. In the Lansing area, Capital Area District Library, as of the time of this writing, has told its staff they will continue to receive a paycheck for their regular hours. Delta Township District Library, as of the time of this writing, is continuing to pay all staff for the hours they were scheduled. In the spirit of professional and civic collaboration that is so essential to our efforts to mitigate the consequences of this global pandemic, we encourage city and library administration to find and consult with those publicly funded institutions who have kept their staff on payroll during this time, and to report on those consultations to the voters.

We the undersigned ask that the administration reverse its decision to temporarily lay off staff. We further ask that, when the library reopens to the public, administration make budgetary decisions that do not reduce staff hours. We ask this as voters and as taxpayers of this City that we call home, for the good of a library we love, and its staff.