The New York Public Library, at least the research libraries where I work, is very similar to the Big Three U.S. automobile manufacturers. Both industries share a heavily unionized aging workforce that fears change. In addition, the attitude among the research libraries staff is that “we’re NYPL. We’ll always be important — people don’t have any place else to go.” Yes, attendance is down, but the staff can come up with a million and one excuses why this is the case. The only reason they don’t give for the attendance decrease is that attendance is down because nobody wants the services that they’re providing.

Instead of seeking continual improvement, a large percentage of the staff has just settled into their jobs; doing the same things that they were doing twenty years ago. The structure of the LPA hasn’t changed since its formation 50 years ago and the NYPL as a whole is organized in the same way it was at its creation 100 years ago. While NYPL will never be the Toyota of information management, I want to help remodel the library so that it is sustainable and provides the services that people want.