Commissioners want library factions to sit down, talk

Flathead County commissioners were frustrated after learning Monday that county Library Board members hadn’t sat down for any official meetings with the Whitefish Community Library Board to hash out their disagreements about the division of assets once the county closes its branch library in Whitefish and the city begins operating a library.

In response to a question from Commissioner Jim Dupont, Library Board Chairwoman Jane Lopp said the library’s agreement is with the Whitefish City Council and the Library Board’s responsibility is to negotiate with that body.

After a more direct remark from Dupont that the groups need to work it out, library Director Kim Crowley asked if he meant the Library Board should meet with the Whitefish City Council. “I don’t care who you meet with. I’d like to see both boards meet and try to work out a solution like we did with the doughnut,” Dupont said.

Commissioner Dale Lauman said it’s vital that the differing parties communicate. “Sit down, discuss it and resolve it,” he said.

A committee consisting of Library Board members and Whitefish city and library officials has met many times. Lopp said that ad hoc committee was never designated to handle negotiations.

Dupont also seemed disappointed to learn that county library officials have no plans to serve people in and around Whitefish with any county library services. Three times he asked library officials Monday what plans they have to serve residents of the north part of the county.

Not satisfied with the response from Lopp that Whitefish residents can use any county library, Dupont responded, “I know that. Is there any plan for the north sector to have a library? Does the Flathead County Library have a plan?”

Library Board member Connie Leistiko told Dupont that library officials know there might be “some other need for a branch of the county library.” She said Library Board members “will look at that.”

The Library Board is an autonomous board whose members are appointed by the commissioners. Library decisions aren’t made by the county commissioners.

The library issue came before commissioners at the request of Whitefish City Council member Phil Mitchell and Whitefish Community Library Chairman Mike Collins. The two men said actions taken by county library officials so far make them feel like the county isn’t interested in working with Whitefish leaders in the effort.

Last November, Whitefish City Council members voted to terminate their agreement with Flathead County to operate the branch library and instead operate a city library, following more than a year of strife between the two entities. The agreement expires June 30.

County Library Board members have since voted twice to close the branch library, housed in a building owned by the city of Whitefish, on June 18 so they can finish removing county-owned materials from the building and get the books that will remain in Whitefish out of the county’s bar-code system.

The news that Mitchell had salvaged about 200 discarded county library books from the recycling bins at Pacific Steel and Recycling also appeared to dismay the commissioners.

The books had been discarded by the county library staff and rejected by the Friends of the Library that conducts book sales.

Mitchell asked why those books weren’t offered to the Whitefish library instead of being thrown out. Finding good quality books that have been tossed by the library is sad, he said.

Commissioner Pam Holmquist agreed that alternatives to throwing books away should be explored.

“It seems that there’s someone, somewhere who can use a good book — schools maybe,” Holmquist said. “It’s a little concerning to me that they’re being thrown out.”

Library Director Kim Crowley said the library would begin giving those rejected books to the Whitefish library, at no charge.

The library has a finite amount of space, library officials have said. Books that are rarely checked out are routinely removed from the shelves. Books in extremely poor condition also are removed from the collection, as are books that the library has multiple copies of and books that are outdated.

If members of the Friends of the Library don’t think a book can be sold, it is then recycled.

Collins didn’t dispute that library employees might determine there are books they don’t need, but he asked why they weren’t offered to someone else, including schools or the Whitefish library, or even to any library within the state.

“I’m not a librarian,” Collins said, “but I would be hard-pressed to explain what the criteria was to get those into a Dumpster. Those are still quality books.”

On Tuesday, Mitchell estimated he found about 300 books in the recycle bins and left about 100 behind. He characterized the 100 as “old reference books.”

But, Mitchell said, none of the 200 books he salvaged were falling apart or particularly dated.

“These are books people will read,” he said.

Collins said the books probably are 15 or 20 years old and include fiction, nonfiction and children’s books.

The two books the men brought into the commissioners’ meeting were a hardback copy of “The Warren Report,” the official government report on the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and a paperback book stamped as belonging to the Montana Collection, an indication the book has historical significance.

Mitchell said Whitefish Community Library officials welcome book donations. “We will take any book people want to give us,” he said. 

The two parties both reiterated to commissioners essentially the same reasons they cited previously as they defended their positions.

The two Whitefish men said they want all the assets that were in the Whitefish Library when the county venture began in 1976 remain in Whitefish. They also want the money in two memorial accounts specified for use in Whitefish to be transferred to the Whitefish board.

And, they suggested that older items — such as computers that aren’t necessarily needed at another county library and might be replaced soon anyway — stay in Whitefish.

Collins senses the county wants to strip the Whitefish library and the Whitefish group wants materials left there.

Whitefish library leaders are concerned because some library materials are already being removed and placed in other county libraries, months before the closure is to occur. Already, about 6,000 books have been removed, Collins said.

He acknowledged that county library personnel have agreed to leave about 15,000 books in Whitefish, many of which were in the original city collection, others that were donated by Whitefish residents to the Whitefish library and others that were purchased with a $46,000 donation from the Whitefish Community Center.

But, he’s worried that library employees will “cherry pick” 15,000 books. The Whitefish library had about 35,000 items.

Collins also says closing the library before June 30 is a violation of the agreement.

Mitchell said the Whitefish library committee has been trying to resolve the issue “as amicably as possible. We’re trying to have a smooth transition and we can’t get there.”

 Leistiko reiterated that library officials don’t think the city of Whitefish operating its own library is in the best interest of the residents of Flathead County or of Whitefish.

She said the library agreement requires that the county remove its assets if the agreement is terminated.

The board’s legal position is that the entire collection in Whitefish belongs to the county library system, but the county has agreed to leave 15,000 or so books in Whitefish.

She also said it’s not physically possible to operate the library through June 30 and vacate the building that same day.

“I don’t think we’ve been unreasonable,” Leistiko said. Rather, she said she feels that whatever the county has offered hasn’t been enough to satisfy the Whitefish group and they want everything left behind.

“We have an obligation under state statute not to get rid of things that are valuable to the community,” Leistiko said.

“We really have tried to be reasonable,” Leistiko said. “It’s not a situation where we’re trying to be vindictive.”

Reporter Shelley Ridenour may be reached at 758-4439 or by email at sridenour@dailyinterlake.com.