Edhat Staff
The Santa Barbara Public Library has placed Director Jessica Cadiente and Services Manager Molly Wetta on “Indefinite Leave.”
The news was first reported by Nick Welsh at the Santa Barbara Independent stating the Santa Barbara City Council and Library Board received a notice on Monday evening by acting city administrator Sarah Knecht stating the two administrators “will not be available for regular office duties” and “will be out of the office.”
The Santa Barbara Public Library Foundation sent out an email on Wednesday afternoon titled “Stand with the Santa Barbara Public Library!” confirming the two employees placed on leave and stating that René Eyerly, the Assistant City Administrator, has been appointed as Acting Library Director.
“The City has not disclosed any information as to why and has asked that we respect the privacy of the Library Director, Jessica Cadiente and Library Services Manager, Molly Wetta. It is our understanding that this is a personnel issue and the City is following protocol,” Foundation Director Lauren Trujillo wrote.
Despite the changes in leadership, Trujillo stated the library remains open and the foundation is committed to transparency throughout this process and plans to keep the community informed.
The Santa Barbara Public Library will maintain regular operations during this leadership transition.
As noted, the SB Library leadership has been a disaster for several years. They constantly close for “employee training” or to accommodate “construction” activities. They snubbed the Black Gold association and thereby hurt their own users, forcing huge numbers to go to Goleta and join that comfortable and well run library. Also as noted, access to the books was difficult and the staff was generally just standing around “welcoming” people as though this were a Walmart. Complaints to city council members were universally dismissed with whiffs of accusation that the complainers were somehow bigots. One has to wonder if the alleged malfeasance of the contractors is actually attributable to bad decisions and/or change orders and/or revisions by the library leadership?
Cadiente came to the Santa Barbara library from running (into the ground) the Lompoc library. Lompoc people warned Santa Barbara about her … but no one wanted to listen: she/Cadiente talks a good game and councilmembers preferred to not hear except what they wanted to hear. A positive of her tenure at SB is building up readership … at the Goleta Library, including donations to the Friends of the Goleta Library! There, the staff is friendly and the Black Gold system works well!
It is _such_ a shame to have the once-beloved SB Library lose so many of its books and become a shell of a public library. Public libraries have or should have an essential role in a city, especially when the reading abilities of public school children are so low and kids – 50% of SBUSD do not meet literacy standards – and adults, too, need all the help they can get.
Re: the “alleged malfeasance of the contractors” … if you are referring to the library construction project, I am fairly certain (though not 100%) that Public Works, not Library, is managing all of that.
Even if you are “fairly certain” that PW is “managing” the contact it does not speak to the question of whether or not the contract has been changed over the time it has taken, perhaps due to library indecision or revision. From an outside view there seems to have been some big changes in the design over its execution and one assumes these change orders are from the consumer, not the contractor.
Whelp, one way or another, it’s a near-certainty that the construction project has nothing to do with this story. Additionally, I haven’t heard a thing about any “alleged malfeasance” related to that project, nor is any referenced in the comment above.
I’m annoyed at the construction delay too, and not happy about this HR tumult we likely won’t ever to get to know anything about. But let’s stay grounded … or link to another story or report or facts if they exist.
be careful taking your children there, that’s all I have to say about that place
Yeah, there might be books in there that need burned.
Time for new management. During the time Ms. Cadiente has been in charge (possibly 5 years?) , the library has been a disappointment, with reductions in services, collection and access. During Covid, the only way to get a book or material was to know the name, make a request, and wait in line on the day you were told to pick up. When we had access to the library again, much of the shelves had been “cleaned out”, or purged. Then the library opted out of Black Gold, the cooperative lending agreement with local libraries which really benefited users by expanding access to other library collections.. The children’s library has been closed for many reasons, and childrens’ reading programs are weak or non-existent. The staff has introduced several new computer library systems, and at one juncture, told locals not living in the city proper (Carp, Goleta, etc) that they would have to renew their library access every year. (recently changed so one can renew for several years at one time.). There is more, but that’s some of the crazy stuff going on at our beloved local library.
Correction: Ms. Cadiente has been Director since 2015.
What really ticks me off is when our government employees state that reasons and information are unavailable because of “personnel issues”. This is a form of coverup by the administration and should not be allowed by the people that pay their salaries. Take back control.
Agreed
It is not a cover up, but I understand that some may have to think that they must know the reason. But you really don’t. As a government employee, I understand that it is often difficult to fire some one. You need a strong case applicable to the contract and federal and state employment rules. The facts are often disputed and potentially embarassing. I’d imagine how much more difficult it would become if every dismissal became a public trial. The accused would now have a much bigger reason to fight the dismissal and costs would skyrocket.
Nonsense.
Personnel matter ? ,this is a public matter we pay The salaries and are entitled to know what’s going on -oh just forget it just like the rest of them give them a half $1 million (Right or wrong will never know )and Sign a nondisclosure and hire some more
I’d be very interested to know the circumstances.
Perhaps they didn’t agree with all the weird stuff going on there
It’s more likely they ARE the cause of the weird stuff.
You’re right I thought it was the other way around
The downtown library had become so unwelcoming and its physical resources so meager that a long time ago I joined the Goleta library where patrons are greeted warmly and books can be easily obtained from the Black Gold system. I was always amazed that when a person entered the library there was no information desk immediately positioned within view and so a person had to wander about to find it. At present it is even more hidden away. Before the pandemic there was a monthly poetry reading upstairs that many of us enjoyed but it has never been restored. These are merely two of many examples of lack of services. I am not surprised these two administrators have been fired.
Yup. I know all about the Director. She has left disaster in her wake. She sabotaged me when I worked at my dream library job. She’s ruthless when it comes to her subordinates, especially those of us who are thinking, caring people. I have no idea why she was ‘laid off’ but I’m not surprised if her own actions are finally catching up with her. Maybe she will grow and evolve into a better human being through it all. One can only hope.
The library has become unsafe, unkept and unwelcoming over the years. It has become a center for the homeless to use its facilities. Employees, complaints to library management have gone unheeded for years as they have been bullied and ignored. The question that remains unanswered is why the Santa Barbara City Council has seen these horrible conditions growing in intensity for several years and had done nothing about them.
Here’s a question – do public libraries have a role in society anymore? I know what I think.
.
Why would public libraries not have a role? It’s good to encourage the populace to read, and make all the books and other media available regardless of ability to pay. And some of us who can afford to buy books would rather just borrow them.
100% agree
I use the library consistently. I borrow books on a regular basis and decide then if I want to buy them. Besides being able to read and hold a book everyone is talking about, we can rent for free, online books, listen to online audio books, online videos and rent DVD discs. And, libraries don’t just lend books; they lend ‘things’. . . in Alaska they lend fishing poles and Buellton Library lends out jigsaw puzzles. People on fixed and/or low incomes can greatly appreciate libraries. Libraries provide computer access with really good printers, way better than our own. Libraries are good meeting places for socializing with the people in your community, exhibiting art, participating in book clubs. Benjamin Franklin would be proud.
I wonder if the PPC sabotage machine will be taken offline.