Photo by Sanja Gjenero via morgueFile.com
An opinion from the state Department of Public Instruction finds “it would not be desirable for the village of Twin Lakes to establish a public library independent” of the joint Community Library the village now belongs to.
The opinion, rendered by Mike Cross, DPI director of Public Library Development, was a required part of Twin Lakes investigating a separation from the five municipality Community Library system. Village officials have been dissatisfied with programing and financial issues regarding the joint library and have been seriously considering a separation since last year.
In his opinion, Cross says the library operational plan submitted to the DPI by the village showed the new library would be deficient compared to other libraries in the state serving similar population sizes. The village received the written opinion last week. The opinion said Twin Lakes’ proposed staffing, hours of operation per week and materials expenditures were below the established basic level for library services.
Says the opinion:
“We believe that the establishment of a separate public library in a Village of Twin Lakes would not provide improved library services to the community. Because the library would also lose the economy-of-scales that is achieved in the joint governance of the Community Library (which exceeds all basic level service targets for the Wisconsin Public Library Standards except in total materials expenditures) the community members may receive poorer services.”
Village Board members briefly discussed the library issue again at their Committee of the Whole meeting, but did not come to a conclusion on a course of action. It was suggested that if key Library Board members could come to the next Village Board meeting to answer questions, a decision could come then.
The Community Library serves Twin Lakes, Randall, Salem, Paddock Lake and Silver Lake.
