Isle librarians
are buying books

Critics of the temporary system
say the lack of coordination in purchasing
is causing problems

By Jim Witty
Star-Bulletin

With a recent $900,000 infusion, Hawaii state librarians are choosing and buying books for their branches, but the temporary system is "a mess," say critics.

Since the $900,000 was allotted from the state general fund on Oct. 1, branch librarians have been assessing their patrons' needs and buying books accordingly, mostly from local booksellers and vendors.

After the controversial $11 million Baker & Taylor contract was terminated in July, librarians had only donations and money from the sales of shower heads to flesh out their collections.

Librarians around Hawaii spent about $600,000 on books last month or two-thirds of the allotment, said state Librarian Bart Kane, who participated in a panel on outsourcing at the Hawaii Library Association's annual conference yesterday at East-West Center.

"Clearly, librarians are out buying books," said Kane. "Circulation has increased 8 percent (since last year). In hard economic times, people are using public libraries more and more."

But Kaneohe branch reference librarian Deborah Gutermuth said the interim buying process is in disarray.

"It's a mess," she said. "You have 49 different entities each trying to do something without an organizational department to coordinate. There's no coordination."

Gutermuth said branch libraries on Molokai and Lanai as well as in remote places such as North Kohala, where there are no bookstores, suffer from the lack of organization. But, she said, no one knows the wants and needs of local patrons better than their branch librarians.

Kane acknowledged the current system can be improved but claimed a "stalemate" with the Hawaii Government Employees Association and the United Public Workers, which represent employees, has stalled the process. He said the unions want the state to stipulate it entered into the Baker & Taylor contract illegally. But the state isn't about to make that declaration, Kane said.

Kane said a critical lesson learned during the Baker & Taylor fiasco was not to underestimate the importance of the skill involved in selecting library materials.

A new state law that went into effect in July gives public service librarians and technicians "complete and full authority" to choose materials for their libraries.

Morton Brown, a retired UNESCO official and panel member, said there will always be ways to cut costs without sacrificing quality in the post-Baker & Taylor era.

"Savings or cost has never been a legitimate objective in itself," he said. " . . . It's a means."

Brown suggested increasing employee productivity during slack periods as one way to make dollars stretch further.

Meanwhile, state Deputy Attorney General John Dellera is preparing a case for claims against Baker & Taylor.

When Kane ended the contract, he reserved the right for the Hawaii Library System to collect damages and recover payments for undelivered books.

At the time, Baker & Taylor official Arnie Wight disputed everything raised by Kane that pointed to the company's failure to live up to terms of the five-year contract.

Wight also said Baker & Taylor will seek damages or compensation and any relief under the law for the termination.

The Charlotte, N.C.-based company came under fire late last year for delivering what critics considered cheap, useless selections to libraries here.

The Baker & Taylor contract and its ramifications is the topic of a book written by Texas librarian Pat Wallace, a speaker at yesterday's 75th anniversary conference.