Bumpy week

Monday marked the start of print management at the Main Library. Effective May 5th, users could print from computers, in black and white or color, for a charge. We anticpated an adjustment phase and a learning curve, but the week was more challenging than expected. Technical difficults made implementation quite a big less than smooth. The staff deserves a huge round of applause for dealing with the ups and downs. I truly appreciate their efforts. Today brings a letter to the editor in The Post and Courier, from a gentlemen who feels we've abandoned our service ethic by this change.

Those interested in proof of the deterioration of local public services should pay attention to the travesty that began May 5. That's the date on which the public library switched from free printing for library patrons to a payment policy.

Change is never easy and this was long deliberated. CCPL was one of the last to adopt a charge for printing. It's not an especially pleasant move, but one that was necessitated both by economics and a desire to manage our tax dollars better and a desire to reduce the waste of paper and resources that occured on a daily basis.

Hopefully we are close to resolving the technical issues today. And I hope that the majority of our users understand that we still serve the public and take our professional and fiscal responsibilities seriously.