Library Trustees Approve New Principles for Operations

The Boston Public Library Board of Trustees approved new set of principles to guide library operations this week. The unanimous vote punctuated a process that spanned two years, 41 public meetings and more than 2,000 comments from patrons.

The eight principles will influence work at the library, patron services and fundraising initiatives. They include an emphasis on children and teens, sustainability and fun.

Over the course of the so-called "BPL Compass" process, patrons were asked what they wanted from their local branch. These principles were directly shaped by that input. James Carroll, a trustee and member of the Compass committee, praised the process before the trustees cast their final vote on the plan.

"The work involved an astonishingly impressive and comprehensive committee made up of grassroots supporters, professional partners, academics … and a creative, diligent process to engage the public in the conversation," Carroll said, according to a press release from the library.

Funding for the Boston Public Library was cut from $8.9 million to $2.4 million over the past two years while the demand for services from the library increased. As a result, four branches in Brighton, Dorchester, East Boston and South Boston, face a possible closure next June.

News of the closures was announced this fall, just as the second phase of the Compass process was underway. Trustees presented a draft set of principles at several branches, including the central BPL in Copley, earlier this month. Many expressed concerns about the ongoing funding crisis, although the that serves Beacon Hill has never been in danger of closing.

"In many ways, the fiscal crisis of last spring turned out to be an engine for the second phase of this Compass process," Carroll stated in press release. "Out of an ad hoc, nearly emergency situation, came orderly and coherent public engagement. We were all invigorated by the community input, and the principles that the Trustees approved genuinely respond to that input."

The approved principles are:

1. User-Centered Institution
The BPL is a user-centered institution with services that anticipate and respond to neighborhood interests and the changing demographics of the City and Commonwealth.

2. Community Gathering

The BPL exists to serve and sustain communities that foster discovery, reading, thinking, conversing, teaching, and learning, in accessible, sustainable, and welcoming facilities throughout the City, as well as with an engaging online presence.

3. BPL Collections

The BPL is committed to the ongoing development and preservation of its distinctive special collections, which provide citizens from all walks of life with access to their common cultural heritage.

4. Center of Knowledge

The BPL is a center of knowledge that serves researchers, lifelong learners, and the intellectually curious through its incomparable collections, digital resources, and access to other scholarly networks.

5. Children and Teens

The BPL fosters the love of reading and skills in critical and creative thinking among children and teens – from early literacy through mature readership – by offering a slate of services that provide academic support and intellectual growth.

6. Access and Innovation

The BPL provides access to and training in innovative technology, electronic resources, and digital information through its own holdings and its strategic position within the wider world of knowledge.

7. Sustainable Organization

The BPL depends on sustainability of resources through a judicious stewardship of finances; active employee participation and professional development in an environment of dignity and respect; and partnerships that enrich services, expand outreach, and leverage public investment through private support.

8. Fun

The BPL leads the way for people of all ages with recreational reading and media, invigorating programs, user-created content, and opportunities for discovery in settings that are stimulating and engaging.