Embattled Peninsula Public Library board faces public outcry over recent decisions

Peninsula Public Library board trustees, facing a state ultimatum to come into legal compliance, introduced measures that drew outcry from the public at a sometimes chaotic meeting Wednesday. 

 The meeting at Lawrence High School in Cedarhurst was attended by more than 70 people and punctuated by shouting and interruptions. 

Board president Akiva Lubin read a statement that included resolutions the board voted on and explained some recent controversial decisions, drawing shouts and howls of derision. Among them: tailoring the library's mission to serve the Jewish community, including a recent decision to close Saturdays; hiring vendors for certain jobs that have been done by union workers; and discontinuing programs over Zoom.

Though in the past the board has taken comments from the public at meetings, it did not allow any participation Wednesday. “This is not an opportunity for public comment," the board's lawyer, Thomas Volz, told the crowd. 

The state Education Department in June gave the board until July 31 to file paperwork to amend its charter to comply with state law regarding government transparency, elections and appointments, Newsday reported last week. The board, which missed that deadline, faces potential removal by the state Board of Regents.

State officials have leveled scrutiny at recent appointments of board members by the board. Three of the five board members, including Lubin, are serving through appointments rather than elections, even though state law required them to run for election in May. 

The library, in Lawrence, has been a locus of controversy since the beginning of the year, operating without a director as required by state law, shedding staff, and facing accusations that it has violated state transparency laws.

Lubin did not address the state's demands or threat to remove the board.

His statement said the library was reorienting its mission to serve the Jewish community.

"The Five Towns is home to one of the largest and most vibrant Orthodox Jewish communities on Long Island, and one of the largest Orthodox Jewish communities in the United States," Lubin said. "Our library should therefore ensure that its collection and programming appropriately reflect the community it serves."

Criticism for Saturday closings

Part of that reorientation, Lubin announced, includes closing the library on Saturdays, a practice that began last month, and spending more than $9,000 on Jewish books — selected by a committee — and databases.

Lubin said the board had looked at public libraries in Brooklyn and Queens serving "similar demographics" and that several close on Saturdays. Spokespersons from the Brooklyn and Queens public library systems on Thursday told Newsday that except for branches closed for renovations, all of their branches are open on Saturdays. 

Assemb. Eric “Ari” Brown (R-Cedarhurst), who attended the meeting, told Newsday that the library is used on Saturdays and should serve all people. 

"This is a community, a diverse community where Christians, Catholics, Muslims, people of all denominations should have the right to use a public library," Brown, who is Jewish, told Newsday at the meeting. Brown said the board has shown "total disrespect to the community."

"The board should be removed," Brown said.

He said board members were "not seated properly in office," referring to the three serving through appointments rather than election.

Asked whether the board’s actions at Wednesday's meeting were legal and binding, NYSED spokeswoman Jaclyn Keegan said in an email, “Because the issue of how trustees are appointed is currently before the Commissioner on appeal, we cannot comment further at this time.”

Keegan did not respond to further questions.

Lubin, asked about the board amending its charter to comply with state law, told Newsday, “My mother told me not to talk to strangers.” 

Vow of a union challenge

Lubin announced the library was hiring vendors for custodial duties and to run the library website,  work that has been done by union employees.

Lawrence Germano, a regional vice president at the CSEA union, which represents the library workers, said later that replacing union jobs with those outside vendors violated the collective bargaining agreement and the union will challenge it.

"You can't take jobs away from the union," Germano said. "You can't take jobs away from the employees."

The board also appeared to violate state open meetings law, going into an executive session without citing any of the eight exemptions that permit a body to meet privately, despite being asked to provide one.

Vivien Foldes, 68, of Cedarhurst, said the decision to stop online Zoom activities would hurt disabled patrons who have trouble getting to the library.
"You watch in your own home," Foldes said. "Then afterwards we would talk to each other."

She described Zoom as a positive offshoot of the COVID pandemic and a way for people to get involved with the library. 

"Why would you want to close out a community?" Foldes said.