By LJ Staff

Carla Hayden, director of Baltimore's Enoch Pratt Free Library, appeared before the Maryland Senate Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs Committee at a State House hearing in late February to discuss the facility's governance, which has come under fire from state senators as well as a local community group, which has filed a lawsuit against the library. The library has been criticized for its 2001 closing of five of the 26 branches following several years of budget reductions, as well as for its method of appointing trustees internally. Hayden, who is the president-elect of the American Library Association, however, insists that "this is not a governance problem, it's a fiscal problem." Hayden said she backed the bill introduced by Senator George W. Della (D-Baltimore) to keep the current 21 libraries open, but opposes a second bill proposed by Senator Ralph M. Hughes (D-Baltimore), which, in essence, would alter the library's more than century-old charter and wrench the power to appoint trustees away from the library's board and make it a political appointment.

Hayden told LJ she appreciates the public's concern over the library, but wishes "it could be channeled for more constructive efforts." She said that Della revised the bill March 7 "to include an operating component or we could have 21 branches that are open one day per week." Baltimore apparently is not supporting the bill because of its fiscal implications. State senators also now are calling for the creation of a task force to investigate Enoch Pratt's dire financial situation, which she said will give her "the opportunity to talk about support."