Mid-Continent Public Library Reviews

The system administration does not care about staff at all. They are most concerned with kowtowing to public opinion, even if that means making systemwide decisions that marginalize minority groups including the homeless and LGBTQ+ people. Any resistance from staff is met with a systemwide email from the CEO telling them essentially to sit down and shut up. Admin's response to COVID-19 did not take staff safety into consideration at all, leading to several branch closures within the first month of reopening, high turn over because of burn out, and a hiring freeze that left branches understaffed and vulnerable. The pay is much lower than what neighboring library systems offer and there is very little upward mobility.

Talks a lot about diversity, equity, & inclusion, but does not provide supportive workplaces for queer, POC, or neurodivergent workers in practice. Steve Potter is a cowardly leader who won't ever stand up to the Board for the sake of his employees' safety, whether facing direct and blatant homophobia and transphobia from Board members in letters to the editor, or in choosing safety above all during the pandemic. Not the absolute worst library to work for during COVID-19, but still reopened services way sooner than staff were ready for on multiple occasions. Including having to begin curbside services nearly immediately with almost zero standardized practices and resources across branches. They haven't even sent any information about how to get vaccinated as of March 17, 2021. They only sent out a survey asking IF they should send out info. I don't believe they advocated to state officials for us to get vaccinated, either, which they should have done. The communication divide between a controlling but insufficient central headquarters and the eager but under-resourced branches prevents a lot of good change from being made. If you aren't a branch manager, HQ doesn't really care about what you're thinking. (There are some exceptions, like with the new Youth Services Department, which has worked to draw on branch staff professional expertise and practical experience to rebuild services better. But their exceptions just show how out of touch everyone else really is.) I'm hoping things are going to get better for MCPL in the future. It moves very slowly & likely won't happen until Steve Potter resigns.