Consolidation Remains On Track for January (9/7/07)
Preparations continue for the consolidation of the Minneapolis Public Library and the Hennepin County Public Library with a proposed date of January 1, 2008.
On September 6, county staff briefed the Hennepin County Commissioners on progress made on a wide range of logistical issues essential to merging the two systems, including the transfer of assets and personnel. One of the more complicated issues remains the finalization of Hennepin County’s employee contracts, which would cover MPL employees in a consolidated system. Those contract negotiations at expected to be completed in late November.
In November, public hearings are
expected to be held by the Minneapolis City
Council, the Minneapolis Public Library
Board, and the Hennepin County
Commissioners. When dates and locations are
available, The Friends will circulate them
to our e-mail list. From a user perspective,
the most evident change on January 1 will be
the reopening of three currently shuttered
Minneapolis community libraries – Roosevelt,
Southeast, and Webber Park. Other changes in
service, such as a common library card or
integrated card catalog, will follow,
although no exact timeline is currently
available. It is also expected that in 2008
additional funds will be generated through
the stadium tax to support a modest increase
in hours at locations TBD. For on-going
updates on the library consolidation, the
While we have
a long way to go to achieving library hours
equal to the needs of our community,
bringing together the Minneapolis and
Hennepin County libraries is a strong step
toward better library service across the
county. The 5,000+ members of The Friends
are continuing to support our libraries
through general financial support, funds for
new books, exciting cultural programs, and
advocacy.