Dear Editor,

After reading the article published Thursday morning, I felt compelled to respond and clarify a few important points. I’m writing as a trustee of the Evanston Public Library, a member of the Evanston community and a Northwestern library employee.

During public comment at last week’s meeting, it was suggested that certain agenda items amounted to “union-busting” and were being rushed. In reality, the Illinois Open Meetings Act  prohibits the board from discussing any issue unless it is listed on a published agenda and discussed in a public meeting before a vote. The board is not rushing these items — it is simply following the legal process required by the OMA.

Second, the board is not seeking to become a district library. The library currently operates in a city-owned building under an outdated Memorandum of Understanding. The MoU outlines payments the library makes to the city for services like IT and payroll, but does not clearly define responsibilities as it pertains to the lease agreement. To better understand costs and negotiate a new intergovernmental agreement, the board engaged Meristem Advisors.

One potential solution to lease-related complications is transferring ownership of the building to the library. Owning the building would allow the library to borrow funds directly for repairs and improvements, rather than relying on the city to issue bonds. This would streamline operations and make it easier to address maintenance needs. Since both the city and the library are funded by taxpayer dollars, this change would have minimal financial impact on residents but would improve efficiency for both the city and the library.

The revision of the library’s bylaws, which made it clear that the library director reports to the library board, was necessary to clarify its relationship with the city. Under Illinois law, the library is an independent unit of the city. The Illinois Local Library Act designates the Library Board as the sole governing body responsible for financial decisions, property management and personnel — including the appointment and oversight of the executive director. Library employees report to the executive director, who has full authority over the terms and conditions of the library employees’ employment.

Although library employees are members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 1891 and part of the same bargaining unit as other city employees, they are not city employees. This distinction has caused confusion and conflict. There are valid reasons why library staff do not report to the city. Libraries operate under unique ethical standards (e.g., The American Library Association Code of Ethics) and must respond to community needs that may differ from city priorities. Additionally, library work involves situations that do not arise in other city departments. Having an in-house HR professional with library experience would allow for quicker and more informed resolution of these issues.

The trustees of the EPL board are professionals who volunteer their time to library governance. If you’re curious about the library’s priorities and operations, building needs or what it’s like to serve on a city board, I’d love to grab a coffee and chat.

Catie Huggins, Evanston Public Library Board of Trustees

Catie Huggins is a Northwestern Libraries employee and member of the Evanston Public Library Board of Trustees. She can be contacted at [email protected]. If you would like to respond publicly to this op-ed, send a Letter to the Editor to [email protected]. The views expressed in this piece do not necessarily reflect the views of all staff members of The Daily Northwestern.