Wyandanch library needs a hard look

The Wyandanch Public Library’s mission is clearly stated on its website:

“To provide quality materials and services, which fulfill educational, informational, cultural and recreational needs of the entire community in an atmosphere that is welcoming, respectful, and professional.”

Right now, the library is not honoring that mission.

Library custodian Kwaisi McCorvey pleaded guilty to third-degree rape and child endangerment for assaulting a 16-year-old girl in 2016. Yet the Wyandanch Public Library continues to provide McCorvey with his base salary. Keeping the convicted custodian on the payroll is anything but respectful and professional. And the library’s mismanagement is costing taxpayers; the library is paying an attorney $300 an hour to defend against a $30 million lawsuit brought by the woman.

But the library’s troubles don’t stop there. The Suffolk Cooperative Library System refused to attest to the library’s meeting state minimum standards. The 14 standards are truly the bare minimum, yet county library leaders say Wyandanch hasn’t met half of them, including employing a paid director and providing a long-range service plan. That’s an extraordinarily poor level of performance, certainly not indicative of a library that is “welcoming, respectful and professional.”

The county system’s refusal to give its stamp of approval allowed it to pull one of the only levers of power it has — and force the state Education Department to respond. State officials have sent a letter to the library requesting additional information. They must follow up, with an expeditious and thorough investigation. Even if library officials scramble to try to produce the required documentation, that shouldn’t be enough for the state, which must take Wyandanch’s many problems seriously. The library’s far-reaching issues range from nepotism and fiscal mismanagement to a lack of adequate staffing, training, technology and resources. So far, none have been adequately addressed.

The state, unfortunately, is limited in what it can do. Depending on circumstances, state officials could attempt to remove trustees or revoke a library’s registration, which makes a library ineligible for public funds. That, in essence, would force a library to close. That’s not what anyone wants for Wyandanch. But severe steps may be necessary so the community eventually receives an appropriate level of library services.

State legislators also must play a role by holding hearings and considering legislation to strengthen the state Education Department’s oversight and regulatory power over libraries, giving it tools similar to those it has for troubled schools. Wyandanch might also benefit from involvement by state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, who did an audit in 2014, but hasn’t revisited the situation; state Attorney General Letitia James; and, if criminality beyond the rape case is found, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney.

The community of Wyandanch is too often ignored, leaving residents unable to get the resources and services they need. They deserve a functioning, flourishing library. State and local officials owe them nothing less.