Ventura Cty. Shuffle May Wipe Out Youth Specialists

Staff -- School Library Journal, 6/1/1998

A restructuring plan for the Ventura County (CA) Library seems likely to force current youth services staff out of their jobs and into others -- away from young people.

Strapped for funding and criticized by residents for offering inadequate hours, the library system opted to restructure by cutting the equivalent of 15 professional positions and shuffling staff into reconfigured positions. In February, the library's union insisted that positions be refilled based on seniority.

"As it turns out, the children's librarians don't have enough seniority to compete with other librarians," said Donna Roff, Children's Services Manager. The 15-branch system, which serves nearly one million residents west of Los Angeles, employs just five youth librarians.

The game of musical chairs may mean that adult reference librarians with more seniority will move into youth services positions if they lose their current positions, Roff said.

After restructuring, the library system will shave $225,000 from its $5.8-million budget and will increase hours throughout the county; in some of the larger branches, hours will grow from 36 to 55 a week. To cover the increased hours, the system plans to hire part-time staff, said Interim Director Richard Rowe, a retired city manager hired on a $9,000 monthly retainer to reorganize the system.