California: Moreno Valley Public Library To Outsource Operations to LSSI

Yesterday, we shared a story about Sumter County, Florida outsourcing library operations.
Today, news from the other side of the country about a public library outsourcing to LSSI.
From the Press-Enterprise (Riverside, CA):

Moreno Valley Public Library employees will soon be laid off after the city agreed to outsource library services to save money while expanding library hours and services.
On Tuesday night, June 25, the Moreno Valley City Council unanimously approved a five-year contract turning over library operations to a private company, Library Systems & Services LLC. The Maryland-based company runs 35 library branches in Riverside County.
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Under the agreement, the city expects to save at least $1 million in five years. The library’s 23 employees will be laid off by Sept. 15.
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The city agreed to pay the company nearly $1.3 million for the first year, with the contract increasing each year to nearly $1.4 million by year five. Library Systems projects the city will save at least $250,000 each year except for the first, when a vacation time buy-back program for the affected employees is expected to cost $240,000.
The company’s proposal would increase library programs, make more money available to buy materials and expand library hours from 53 hours a week to 66 hours, allowing the library to be open Fridays and Sundays. Under a new furlough agreement, hours would have expanded to 57 per week anyway, DeSantis said.

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Filed under: Libraries, News, Public Libraries