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Committee discussion highlights e‑book costs, event revenue uncertainty and outreach strategies for underused branches
Summary
Committee members used the trustee-nomination roundtable to question nominees about rising e-book costs, unpredictable program-income from events, declining physical circulation in some branches, and creative outreach to boost usage across neighborhoods.
Committee members and nominees discussed operational challenges facing the D.C. Public Library system, with recurring themes of electronic-materials cost, uneven physical circulation, rising construction costs for modernizations, and uncertainty in program-generated revenue. Chairperson Fruman framed these as central concerns identified during the FY25 performance oversight hearings.
Nominees and the incumbent trustee described tactics to respond: collective purchasing strategies to address e-book licensing, contingency planning for program-income volatility, increased outreach to bring residents into neighborhood branches and event-driven activations (for example, Art All Night and partnerships with DSLBD), and closer attention to vendor compliance through the Contracts Review Committee. As Donella Brockington put it, the system is "working, and looking at what other library systems are doing" to address digital-cost pressures. Candidates suggested scenario planning for best- and worst-case revenue outcomes and greater use of partnerships to expand services without duplicating effort.
The committee did not make budgetary commitments at the roundtable; it concluded by inviting written testimony for the record and adjourning.
