Library going through controversial changes

Community members aren't happy with library-related decisions made at the administrative level that have affected the local library and that have led to the resignation of branch librarian Lisa Moore. 

The topic was brought up at Grand Coulee's April 20 council meeting, where the council discussed workers at the library being required to "have some kind of degree," a requirement Councilmember Alan Cain called "elitism B.S." 

City Clerk Lorna Pearce said that a representative from the North Central Washington Library, the system of which the Grand Coulee Library is a part, is scheduled to attend Grand Coulee's May 11 meeting to talk about this and other issues.

Moore clarified the situation to The Star on the phone on Tuesday. 

She explained that new librarian hires are required to have a masters' degree in library science, and that substitutes at the library now have to pass a technical assessment.

Moore said the assessment process is flawed due to the test asking questions about Google Docs, for example, that were based on an older version of Google Docs, where the screen looks different than it does now.

Another new requirement of subs is to be willing to sub at other branches within the library system with no compensation for travel expenses or time. Coulee City is the closest branch at about 30 miles away.

The change in requirements led to Dodie Boyd to stop being a substitute after about 15 years, and Rhonda O'Hara, who has worked as a sub for about five.

Although they had already been employees, Moore said she was told they would have to reapply.

Moore said they didn't receive notice regarding losing their positions, nor thank yous for their time, and that Joyce DeChenne, who worked at the library around 25 years, hadn't received a thank you after retiring either.

"This is totally unacceptable," Moore said. "You do not treat people like this."

Moore herself is retiring from her position after about five years there.

"I did that job because I loved that job," she said. "The people I worked with: Dodie, Rhonda, and Joyce, are phenomenal and never let me down."

"The working atmosphere kept getting worse," she said about choosing to retire.

She said that as personnel changes at the administrative level occurred, people she liked had been replaced by people she didn't.

Suddenly, librarians were told not to ask questions of administrators, Moore said, and she had questions since she was being asked to chat with patrons online while doing the normal library duties.

That inability to ask questions added to the negative work atmosphere she was experiencing, she said.

She said administrators were "sending snarky emails" that made her and other employees feel dumb or obsolete. 

When on a Zoom conference, some library workers were not able to use Zoom and received an email about how ashamed and embarrassed the administrators were that the employees couldn't use Zoom - only to find out it was due to the equipment the employees received, Moore said, but no apology came.

Moore said that the day she resigned, four others did, too, and more have since then.

"I'm off to new adventures," Moore said about retiring. "And I do wish the best for them because there are some outstanding people in the organization. It's just sad they are making them so utterly miserable at this point."

"I was really sad not to have the chance to say goodbye to the community," she continued, and expressed her gratitude for working with Mikey Williams, who volunteered at the library.

Nancy Carlson, president of the nonprofit group Friends of the Grand Coulee Area Library, spoke to The Star as well.

"I have always viewed the library as a resource for the community, a resource that is people driven," Carlson said. "Because we are a small community, everybody knows everybody; it's a people organization, especially here. I feel it is a huge loss because a library is part of what makes a community work. It's a place to meet and do things."

Carlson noted how helpful Moore and others who worked or volunteered at the library have been, creating a "helpful, friendly and nice place to go," and how patrons of the library felt comfortable there.

"I don't know what's going to happen because we lost those people," she said.

Carlson was also frustrated with how the new library direction has affected the Friends of the Grand Coulee Area Library group, which has about 15 people in it.

The group helped volunteer at the library and also helped raise funds to buy things such as a television, sound system, and an electronic microscope to help with Science Technology Engineering and Math programs.

Carlson encountered an issue when purchasing Chromebooks, relatively inexpensive laptop computers that work only online using Google software.

Carlson worked in coordination with an NCW Libraries IT employee, buying the same Chromebooks that NCW was purchasing and wanting the same software uploaded to the devices.

When the devices came in, however, a new IT person was there, and Carlson was told the NCW Libraries hadn't bought any of their own Chromebooks.

Carlson also noted that other employees within the library system had been let go - who shouldn't have, in her opinion - or have otherwise resigned.

Walters responded to The Star's request for comment on the situation with a statement that was relayed through NCW Libraries Executive Assistant Tim Dillman.

"We were sorry to receive the resignation of Lisa Moore as Grand Coulee's Librarian," reads a statement from Walters, who took over the executive director position in 2018. "She is a capable librarian who cares for her community and she served the area well, as evidenced by the outpouring of support for her." 

Regarding the technical requirements of employees, the statement says that "all staff have been asked to prove basic computer skills with a passing score on three parts of the Northstar Digital Literacy assessment (Basic Computer Skills, Internet Basics, and Using Email). This ensures that all of our library staff can assist the public with common computer-related needs like opening and sending emails, searching for websites, copying and pasting pictures, or submitting a job application. This assessment is not required of any volunteers."

Concerning the Chromebook situation, the statement says that "we are grateful for the support the Friends of the Grand Coulee Area Library has offered the community by purchasing five Chromebooks. The Friends approached us about helping facilitate the purchase in April of 2020, which we were happy to do, since our organization had intended on purchasing twenty five Chromebooks as well for the purposes of loaning to patrons who would be unable to enter our buildings to use computers due to the COVID shutdown. Due to overwhelming demand for these products, our order was delayed several times and by March we made the decision to cancel our order and put the money to use on other technology related projects. We fulfilled the order for the Friends group but due to a transition in our IT department staff, there was a misunderstanding regarding the need for ongoing support. We have been working with the Friends to reach an agreement that will allow these devices to be supported and put to use for the benefit of the community.

"We are excited that our new full time Grand Coulee Librarian, Catherine Matthews, will be starting in mid-May. We are also actively recruiting Library Assistants from the community who are interested in supporting the work at the Grand Coulee Library. Interested residents can email our Area Manager Nick Husted at nhusted@ncwlibraries.org."

Moore said about the new librarian that "I hope she is very successful and have nothing but best wishes for her."