Some issues at the Chicago Public Library [“Reading Is Incidental,” November 15] deserving of wider public recognition:
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The policy (unstated) at the Chicago Public Library is to feature largely identical collections throughout the city. Whether a branch be located in Humboldt Park, Edgebrook, or Back of the Yards, the book and magazine collections will be almost uniformly alike. Ordering books and other materials “outside the box” in response to special community needs or interests is frowned upon, if not prohibited outright, by the administration. As a result, branch libraries are not responsive to, nor reflective of their service areas. They all receive basically the same books and magazines, preapproved by the commissioner. Levels vary in terms of quantity but rarely in regard to breadth or scope. These “cookie-cutter” collections are easy to monitor and control, and they obviate the need for specially trained staff. Thus collection building has become an essentially paint-by-the-numbers exercise where local concerns are ignored and any staff expertise is wasted. This state of affairs coincides nicely with the administration’s notion of librarians as interchangeable parts, who may be employed at any branch without regard for differences in skills, training, knowledge of languages, etc.
Branch manager
