To the Editor:
The following open letter was addressed to Mayor William D. Euille.
This letter is on behalf of the board of directors of the Alexandria Law Library. The board was greatly disappointed to learn, when the proposed budget for the City of Alexandria was released on March 2015, that the city manager eliminated the city’s contribution to the continued operation of the Law Library. The city is one of the partners who, along with the Court and the Alexandria Bar Association, formed the Law Library many years ago. (Each of these partners appoints three members to the Law Library Board.) It appears that the city manager has taken this action without discussing the matter with the Court or the Bar Association.
You may recall that in the 2015 budget cycle, the city manager proposed completely eliminating the city’s contribution to the Law Library. We believe that the council determined that continued operation of the Law Library is beneficial to the citizens of the City of Alexandria when it reinstated its contribution in the amount of $62,462. Although these funds were insufficient to employ a full-time law librarian, and the full-time law librarian position was terminated, the Law Library kept its doors open by employing temporary personnel at reduced hours. Also, as noted last year, the Law Library has discussed a possible combination with the City Library.
The city’s contribution to the Law Library is used primarily to cover personnel costs. As a result of the elimination of funds by the city, the Law Library will not be able to cover future personnel costs. The termination of the city’s contribution also eliminates any possible combination with the City Library. It is our understanding that the City Library cannot consider a combination with the Law Library if there are not sufficient funds in the budget to employ a law librarian. In addition, the termination of funding by the city caused the three city-appointed board members to resign.
Because of the fiscal impact of the city’s decision to terminate funding for the Law Library, the board voted to close the Law Library effective March 27. This leaves the City of Alexandria as the only jurisdiction in Northern Virginia without the resources of a law library available to its citizens. It should be noted that almost two-thirds of the Law Library patrons are not lawyers. Closing the Law Library will result in the loss of significant, important services to the citizens of the City of Alexandria.
We do not believe that it is in the city’s best interest for the Law Library to close. The board of directors of the Alexandria Law Library respectfully requests that City Council reestablish its commitment to the Law Library and permanently reinstate funding.
Michael L. Zupan
President, Board of Directors
Alexandria Law Library