Just a few weeks after being named library commissioner, Mary Dempsey did something her immediate predecessors in their years of power had never done–she met with the people who use the libraries the most.
Dempsey inherits an enormous system–$67 million budget, 1,500 employees, and 82 branches–riddled with problems. The collection is woefully shallow, as much of the bookbuying budget in recent years was used to stock the Harold Washington central facility.
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Many of the neighborhood branches are in dire need of renovation or repairs. According to a recent survey of library users conducted by the Advocates, “problems ranged from leaking roofs to worn carpets to walls defaced or cracked to heating or air condition systems that did not function properly. Many maintenance shortcomings threaten the safety of patrons and the security of priceless collections.”
Perhaps what’s most frustrating is that the sheepish apparatchiks in charge over the last few years rarely addressed these questions. Since the summer of 1992 the system has gone through three commissioners; one of the nine board positions is unfilled, the terms of the other eight members have all expired. And no official or board member publicly protested when Daley closed the Municipal Reference Library and cut the budget.
“I did everything at that library,” says Dempsey. “I shelved and repaired books, I ran projectors, I did story hours, reading stories to the little kids. I’ve always loved books. When you grow up next to an expressway, like I did, there’s a certain temptation to be transported by books. Literature took me to the worlds on the other side of the Eisenhower Expressway.
Apparently Daley offered her the job at the urging of his chief of staff, Gery Chico. “Gery and I worked together at Sidley,” says Dempsey. “There was no conspiracy. This was not an ‘inside job’ and I certainly didn’t get it because of my husband. Gery knew of my library background. I see this as a return to my original profession. I feel I’m qualified for the job.”
Most importantly, Dempsey says she will strongly resist any attempt to cut staff. “Volunteers are great, but you cannot depend on them to operate a system,” says Dempsey. “On Saturday I was walking through the Washington library and I introduced myself to users. There were kids doing homework, professionals conducting research, people doing recreational reading, and others reading the stock market tables. I was moved by the vitality–the library ends up being all things to all people. I’m determined to see that vitality continue.”
