Library board won’t officially appeal state decertification

The ImagineIF library board won’t officially appeal the loss of state accreditation for the library and the associated funding after trustees failed to reach a consensus on the matter.

Following the board’s decision this winter to hire a library director who falls short of state standards, the Montana State Library withheld funds of $35,000 and decertified the library system. Following that Flathead County Commissioners sent a letter to the Montana State Library Commission asking that the decision be reversed, but only the library board of trustees can enter an appeal.

But only two of the four trustees present voted for appealing the decision during a March 24 meeting. Trustee Dave Ingram and board chair Heidi Roedel voted in favor of an appeal while trustees Connie Leistiko and Marsha Sultz abstained. Trustee Doug Adams was absent from the meeting.

Ingram and Roedel said they both intend to personally attend the state commission’s next meeting in April asking for reconsideration even if there isn’t an official appeal from the trustees.

Leistiko questioned why the trustees would appeal.

“My problem is I don’t see why the rule would be changed, even though I regret that we’re going to lose $35,000 in our budget,” Leistiko said. “I can’t argue that we had a reason to do what we did that fits an exception to the rule and I can’t argue that I think the rule should be changed.”

The state library commission is authorized to “act as a state board of professional standards and library examiners, develop standards for public libraries, and adopt rules for the certification of librarians.” Libraries go through the certification process annually and certain provisions allow a library to seek a waiver based on hardships.

Before the trustees voted to hire Ashley Cummins as the new director of the library in January, Montana State Librarian Jennie Strapp told them that ImagineIF would not qualify for a waiver since trustees knew Cummins is working to finish her bachelor’s degree. Montana State Library standards require that the director of a library serving a community with a population of more than 25,000 people to have a master's of library science or equivalent to maintain certification.

Ingram said he would at the very least like to get clarification on what “equivalent” means.

ALSO DURING the meeting, the trustees discussed the library’s budget noting Flathead County Commissioners have expressed a desire for departments to “hold the line” on their budgets. Trustees seemed to agree that the request is challenging especially in terms of salaries due to a 2.5% cost of living adjustment for the next fiscal year, and a 4% salary increase that went into effect in February. The impact amounts to about $50,000 from the salary adjustments.

Regarding the future budget, trustees also discussed planning for the new Bigfork library building. The ImagineIF Library Foundation purchased the Bethany Lutheran Church Ark Building, the site the foundation plans to become the Bigfork library, with the intention of turning ownership over to the county.

Ingram said county commissioners have indicated that they will not adjust the budget to account for higher costs associated with the new building. Though trustees did not have a final figure for what that increase in operating costs might be, they agreed that it would be difficult to operate the new building without increasing the budget.

Features Editor Heidi Desch can be reached at 758-4421 or hdesch@dailyinterlake.com.