Briscoe out as PCPL director

Thursday, July 11, 2019
Brian Briscoe

A year after he came to Greencastle to lead the Putnam County Public Library as its director, Brian Briscoe has now left his post.

In a special executive session and public meeting convened Wednesday afternoon, the library’s board of trustees voted to not renew Briscoe’s contract into next year. Comments from the public were also not allowed during the public meeting.

Briscoe came to the library in June of last year, after former director Grier Carson departed from PCPL the previous March.

He has set his focus on engagement with people in Putnam County, especially in towns like Russellville and Bainbridge. Briscoe has also pushed technology updates, most recently a transition to the Evergreen cataloging system.

However, Briscoe’s tenure has been beset by ongoing issues with the library’s elevator, as well as a major shutdown of PCPL’s online services at the beginning of this year due to a server malfunction.

At this juncture, Briscoe’s departure, according to him, seems to be rooted in issues of communication with the board. In a call from the Banner Graphic Thursday morning, Briscoe also provided that there were differing viewpoints in how the board evaluated his performance.

“I think the gist is that they (the board) felt that I was not prepared for questions that have been asked,” he stated. “I spent more time trying to get out in the community and make sure we were reaching out to people.”

Briscoe provided that board members called an executive session following their regular meeting last month to discuss those points, though it has only been within the past two weeks that he was informed of the board’s position.

Briscoe also expressed some concern about the speed of the evaluations, given that his year-long contract was up for consideration and that a review had to be done in turn.

“I don’t think my evaluation represented fully what I have actually done, or totally recognized that we do have a great staff which I’ve helped build,” he said.

“I was just caught off guard,” Briscoe said simply.

Though the board’s decision may have been based on a lack of these considerations, Briscoe stated that he was more concerned about the viability and progression of initiatives which are waiting in the wings.

“One of the concerns I have is that certain things that were going to happen are going to slide by,” Briscoe said. “I thought we were doing those things well, and that we were moving forward.”

Despite these reservations, Briscoe strongly emphasized that the library has offered him a “fair” severance package, and that there is not any true animosity about the decision on his part.

“I love people and the library,” Briscoe added. “I’m concerned about the community, because Putnam County has a lot of good people. And it has been wonderful working with the people here at the library.”

Though his definite next steps and where he will go from here are still to be discerned, Briscoe also said that he will soon be leaving Greencastle as a resident.

Board President Alan Zerkel was overseas in Japan when the meetings took place. Board member Shannon Green was also out-of-state.

It is unclear as of this time when or how a search will be conducted to find Briscoe’s replacement, or who will be PCPL’s acting director before that search can be completed.

Treasurer Lisa Barker acted as the interim director between Carson’s departure and Briscoe’s coming to the library last year.

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  • It is obvious that I do not know all of the details. That said, Brian inherited the elevator problem, and is there a way to know if the server is about to crash? Are those really failures on his account? One of Brian's accomplishments was in reaching out to all of Putnam County (except Roachdale, which has its own library) to try to actually be a County library. Remember that his predecessor eliminated the bookmobile. And it does seem suspicious that the Board President and a member were not available.

    From my observations as a patron, we have lost a good one.

    -- Posted by mandp523 on Thu, Jul 11, 2019, at 3:50 PM
  • Typical political BS in Greencastle.

    -- Posted by Queen53 on Thu, Jul 11, 2019, at 4:09 PM
  • I have had the utmost respect for Brian. He cared about the library and our community. He will be missed.

    -- Posted by Nit on Thu, Jul 11, 2019, at 5:47 PM
  • How about more details regarding the severance package? Shouldn't that be public knowledge?

    -- Posted by Ben Dover on Thu, Jul 11, 2019, at 9:21 PM
    Response by Brand Selvia, Reporter, Greencastle Banner Graphic:
    Ben Dover: Mr. Briscoe did not provide any specific details on this at all. The severance package itself might not be made public, because it is common practice to have a provision stipulating that he cannot disclose it.
  • Suspicious activity by some board members with the Board President out of the country and a board member absent.

    Was a 24 hour notice to the public given for the meeting?

    Who presided over the meeting?

    Maybe some new board members are needed without preset agendas of their own.

    -- Posted by Lookout on Thu, Jul 11, 2019, at 10:34 PM
    Response by Brand Selvia, Reporter, Greencastle Banner Graphic:
    Lookout: Vice President David Taylor presided over the meeting to cover for Alan Zerkel. According to library staff, a notice was posted on the library doors five days before the meeting took place.
  • Wow!! Sounds like another set up plan by the board members that waited until other members were out of town!

    -- Posted by Falcon9 on Fri, Jul 12, 2019, at 7:41 AM
  • sad that the public is not asked how they feel - outreach is so important and fired for an elevator issue?? since when is that the directors job?

    -- Posted by small town fan on Fri, Jul 12, 2019, at 8:06 AM
  • Like I said before, typical underhanded under the table business. Maybe one of the board members has a relative that wants the job.

    -- Posted by Queen53 on Fri, Jul 12, 2019, at 4:16 PM
  • 1. According to the B-G article, ..."the library's board of trustees voted to not renew Briscoe's contract into next year." Was this a unanimous vote by the board of trustees to not renew the contract? The article doesn't state the vote number ayes or nays.

    2. Though it is the law,I have never approved of a posting on the door. A matter of this importance should have been in the Banner-Graphic at the least !

    -- Posted by Lookout on Fri, Jul 12, 2019, at 6:35 PM
    Response by Brand Selvia, Reporter, Greencastle Banner Graphic:
    It was a unanimous decision by the board.
  • *

    I would like to thank The Banner Graphic, and specifically Brand Selvia, for responding to the queries posted where they/he were able to further inform.

    This is much appreciated.

    -- Posted by dreadpirateroberts on Mon, Jul 15, 2019, at 11:49 AM
  • Indiana public libraries are actually considered a government unit as they are supported by public dollars. Employee salaries are public, and available at https://gateway.ifionline.org/report_builder/Default3a.aspx?rpttype=employComp&r...

    Other reports are also available at https://gateway.ifionline.org/report_builder/

    Also, from the Indiana Code:

    IC 36-12-7-12 Severance pay

    Sec. 12. (a) A library board may provide severance pay to a library employee who is involuntarily separated from employment with the library.

    (b) A library board may provide severance pay to a library employee who is voluntarily separated from employment with the library if the library board makes the following findings in a public meeting:

    (1) The library is subject to financial difficulties and revenue shortfall.

    (2) The library:

    (A) will not hire an individual to perform the duties of the employee separating from employment at the same or comparable compensation and benefits for at least one (1) year after the date the employee separates from employment with the library;

    (B) will hire a permanent or temporary employee for less compensation and benefits to perform the duties of the employee separating from employment; or

    (C) will satisfy both the conditions in clauses (A) and (B).

    (3) The library will pay the separating employee a stated amount of severance pay.

    (4) The library will reduce its expenditures by:

    (A) paying the severance pay stated under subdivision (3) to the employee separating from employment; and

    (B) fulfilling one (1) or more of the conditions set forth in subdivision (2).

    As added by P.L.63-2011, SEC.3.

    http://iga.in.gov/legislative/laws/2018/ic/titles/036/#36-12-2-24

    -- Posted by Reader88 on Mon, Jul 15, 2019, at 1:40 PM
    Response by Brand Selvia, Reporter, Greencastle Banner Graphic:
    Reader88: While the library may be a public entity itself, PCPL's budget is not totally controlled by the County Council. Regarding the severance package, Mr. Briscoe may still not be at liberty to disclose it. While it could show up in 2019 salaries, PCPL's Board of Trustees controls when that can be revealed. It still stands that it is not public knowledge at this point.
  • The Banner can edit its comments but subscribers can not.

    The article states "Brian Briscoe has now left his post." So who is running the library at this time?

    -- Posted by Reader88 on Mon, Jul 15, 2019, at 6:26 PM
    Response by Brand Selvia, Reporter, Greencastle Banner Graphic:
    I will know when I cover the board's regular meeting next Wednesday. For the record, their meetings are public. They have not announced PCPL's interim director at this time, and I don't expect them to do so before the meeting.

    You've tried to make your points, and I've tried to make mine. The severance package was not at all the main one of this article when it was published.

  • The severance package, whatever it was, is not my main point either. I have sympathy for Mr. Briscoe. It sounds like he was blindsided, and that as the library director he tried to be part of this community and actually showed up for his job, which is more than can be said for his predecessor. I do, however, have issues with the library board's history of not following rules and guidelines, and with its lack of transparency and failure to listen to public input. Thank you for allowing comments.

    -- Posted by Reader88 on Tue, Jul 16, 2019, at 2:12 PM
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