Berkeley library director Jeff Scott was not a ‘good fit’

Dinkelspiel, F. (2015, September 4). Berkeley library director Jeff Scott was not a ‘good fit’. Berkeleyside. Retrieved from http://www.berkeleyside.com/2015/09/04/berkeley-library-director-jeff-scott-was-not-a-good-fit/

Summary:

 This article details the events surrounding the resignation of the Berkley Public Library director after concerns about his leadership and policies caused frustration with the community. The controversy discussed in this article was over weeding of the print collection at Berkley Public Library. The library director changed weeding policies and pared down the process in which books are weeded. He weeded approximately 35,000 books from the collection and changed the process from having 35 librarians involved in the weeding process to only having two librarians. This upset the staff and community members because they felt the process moved too quickly and that many quality books were being weeding. The community members were also upset by what was being done with the books when they were withdrawn from the collection. The community members feared many of the books were being recycled instead of donated to organizations such as Friends of the Library. The Berkley Public Library Foundation board met with the director and determined he was right for their community. 

Evaluation:

This article brings attention the importance of having policies in place that are accessible to the public. This director was not in touch with his community's needs and by streamlining the process of weeding without involving his staff in the communication caused frustration. This controversy could have been avoided by involving board members, community members, and staff in the development of weeding policies. Laying out a clear and open policy about the weeding process would have avoided protest from the Berkley community.