Let’s Do a Merger!

........Robert Minor, St Louis Post-Dispatch (1908).........

Today's trivia question to prepare you for the “Clash of Civilizations”.
Guess how many libraries Carnegie built in Indiana: 26, 75, 96, or 165
Click here and Scoll down to "Interests" for the answer.


This is the heyday of World Capitalism: Mergers, Acquisitions, Leveraged Buyouts, Venture Capital Funds, Hedge Funds, Private Capital Buyouts. You name it; there’s a way to play the system for fun and profit.

Knox is the home of the main library of the Starke County Public Library System. There are 4 libraries all told with teeny-tiny branches in Koontz Lake, Hamlet, and San Pierre. The name, Starke County Public Library System, is not accurate, because, in fact it does not include all of Starke County. It excludes Wayne Township, with its own North Judson-Wayne Twp. Public Library.

So here is the Knox situation. It seems that Knox Library has 3 Professional Librarians, each one accredited in Library Science. This is truly an astoundingly fortuitous situation in light of the fact that there is a nationwide shortage of professional librarians. The Starke County system is in excellent financial condition. The staff is well paid and loyal. The main library building is in good condition with excellent technology. But they have 3 very wasteful branches. The Koontz Lake, Hamlet, and San Pierre branches have insignificant patronage and meager collections. Very large amounts of money have been wasted on computers and technology for these 3rd rate facilities. The situation is political. Appointees from the outlying townships will fight tooth and nail to keep their pathetic branch alive.

The North Judson-Wayne Twp. Public Library bit off a bit more than they could chew a few years ago. Their old Andrew Carnegie building was beautifully and extravagantly remodeled. They overbuilt, just as The Knox Schools overbuilt. Both systems have found it difficult to maintain the physical plant and quality of service on the Indiana frozen levy. North Judson Library has had to sacrifice an efficient operating budget. They have one very underpaid professional Librarian. Their collection is starving and the catalog remains off-line. When their librarian retires, they will be screwed as they have insufficient funds to recruit a new librarian.

Ah Ha! A Merger! North Judson merges with the Starke County System. San Pierre branch closes with no loss to anybody. The San Pierre budget is transferred to North Judson. North Judson acquires (basically for free) the advanced technology they can’t presently afford to bring their collection online. There are plenty of well-paid professionals. The oversize North Judson debt becomes manageable. More books, better service, less waste.

Wow what a good idea Marian! Too bad this has no chance, eh? If this was “real” money, that is not governmental “play” money, this would have happened years ago.

PS: The coming growth in Hamlet makes it quite sensible to plan to build a new library on US 30 near Grovertown and close Koontz Lake and Hamlet branches.