Elected officials and the Regional Asset District Board also launched into action. Coming days after the Regional Asset District allocated $17.6 million to the library’s 2010 budget, the same amount it received this year, the RAD Board voted to conduct an audit of the Carnegie Library. “This is the first time we’ve used our authority in such a broad way,” said David Donohoe, RAD Executive Director. The review is not a “performance audit” of the library’s present financial condition, but a study of the factors it used to predict future deficits. What comes of that audit remains to be seen. Meeting for October 24 in Lawrenceville with Library representatives and residents of the effected neighborhoods where some times they visited … Read the rest

But the actions of the Library board fell pretty true to form. The library had been laying the groundwork since late winter with the release of studies by CMU and the Rand Corp. indicating that without new sources of revenue, retrenchment was needed. The Rand study, Assessing the Future of Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh—Pathways to Sustainability, highlighted nine opportunities one of which was to “Conduct a right-sizing assessment for the number and size of facilities, staffing, and holdings and implement the new strategy.” After releasing predictions of the $6 million shortfall, it followed with three town hall-style public meetings in the summer to collect suggestions on how to save money. Many Hazelwood residents attended these meetings and several gave impassioned … Read the rest