Yonkers Library Employee Diverts $163,582 for Her Own Use

Where were the accounting safeguards?

Yonkers library worker accused of stealing $163,582 from library. (LoHud.com, 2/10/2011)

Excerpt: A city library worker accused of stealing $163,582 in late fees from the library appeared in City Court Wednesday to face revised felony charges.

Margo Reed, 53, was arraigned on one count of second-degree grand larceny, accused of taking the money from the Yonkers Public Library between Jan. 6, 2004 and Dec. 28, 2010.

She previously faced two felony charges after her Dec. 10 arrest. Those charges alleged she had taken less than $50,000, although investigators had said that amount could rise as their review continued.

Reed, a resident of 78-83 Highland Ave., worked in the library's business office. She was responsible for collecting overdue fines and other revenue from the library's three branches and submitting them to the city for deposit.

Camden New Jersey's Downtown Library Closes for Good Today

Camden library's closure will create a void. (Philadelphia Inquirer, 2/10/2011)

Excerpt:    By any measure, the downtown Camden library is a forlorn repository of books.
The main floor is as dimly lit as a cocktail lounge, a chunk of the second-floor ceiling has caved in, half the bathrooms are out of order, and the librarians can't remember buying a book for at least 18 months.

The columned Federal Street branch will close for good at 8 p.m. Thursday, when the city's library system officially ends.

Its only other library - more than two miles south, on Ferry Avenue - will also close, but will reopen at 10 a.m. Monday under the auspices of the Camden County library system.

Rutgers University is looking for an area in the lower level of its Paul Robeson Library, at Third and Cooper Streets, to accommodate former Federal Street patrons, but no budget, space, or opening date has been specified.

Related articles:
Library decides to puts a positive spin on the situation.  (1/16/2011)
Camden County Library System takes over Camden Free Public Library.  (12/30/2011)
Reformatting the library.  (10/16/2010)
2011 budget outlook remains bleak for Camden New Jersey.  (10/9/2010)
Fairview branch library is closed for good.  (9/8/2010)
Library board postpones decision on closing branch.  (9/2/2010)
"An oasis in the desert".  (8/15/2010)
Camden New Jersey squeeze play?  (8/11/2010)
Camden mayor plays an odd game of library advocacy.  (8/9/2010)
The library dumpster solution.  (8/6/2010)
Mayor proposes 70% cut in library funding.  (7/19/2010)

Ralph Illick Effectively States the Case for the Value of Libraries

Column: Library service a good value for tax dollars. (Wausau Daily Herald, 2/9/2011)

Excerpt: Thank you all for being so welcoming to me during my first weeks here at the Marathon County Public Library.

As the new director, I am committed to building our partnerships with the communities we serve. While we face growing challenges during difficult economic times, I know that our staff will continue to provide excellent library service that the people of Marathon County have come to expect from us.

I'd like to take a moment to reflect upon some of the ways that we have continued to excel in providing these services during the past year, despite the budget constraints that have been befallen us and all municipal and county agencies. It's always good to see real value for tax dollars spent, and we can measure the results here in a number of ways. For example, according to an economic impact research report by NorthStar Economics Inc. of Madison, taxpayers received a $4.06 return for every $1 invested in Wisconsin libraries.

Here at MCPL, we can see the results in more concrete terms.