Demoted and transferred, Sonoma library staff files lawsuit 

By Jonah Raskin | Sun Insider —

Patrons of the Sonoma Valley Library have been surprised and shocked recently by the absence of long-time librarian, Lisa Musgrove. A resident of the Springs, Musgrove didn’t take a leave of absence or go on vacation. The powers-that-be at the Sonoma County Library demoted her, and transferred her to the Rohnert Park-Cotati branch. 

“I had to clear my desk, under observation, and be gone by the end of the day,” Musgrove says. “My key card and email account were deactivated. I was made to feel like a criminal. It was surreal.”

Musgrove was demoted from manager, a post she occupied for seven years, until May 2, 2019. 

Not surprisingly, Musgrove is unhappy with the unilateral decision to move her away from the library and the patrons she grew to love, and to deposit her in a branch which is further away from her home, forcing a longer commute. 

Musgrave, who holds an M.A. in Library and Information Studies from the University of Arizona, is not the only librarian to be transferred and demoted recently. Nancy Sampson, who was the branch librarian for Guerneville, Forestville, and tiny Occidental, was demoted and transferred to the Central Santa Rosa Library.

The reasons for their demotion and transfer: Musgrove used the “f word” in the library; Sampson didn’t follow through with routine procedures that weren’t spelled out. “Nancy and I have both taken responsibility for making mistakes,” Musgrove says. “But those mistakes don’t deserve the treatment we’ve received and the punishment we’ve had to endure.”

Both women have initiated legal action against the Sonoma County Library, its fledgling director, Ann Hammond – newly arrived from Kentucky – two recently appointed division managers, Lana Adlawan and Sarah Vantrease, along with HR manager, Suzanne Silva.

In their lawsuit, Musgrove and Sampson charge discrimination based on sex and gender. They’ve also filed a grievance, backed by their union, the SEIU, which claims that they were demoted and transferred before a proper disciplinary process was put in place.

At a meeting in Petaluma with their attorney, Ellyn Moscowitz, of O’Brien Law Firm, Musgrove and Sampson painted a picture of a library system with huge cash reserves that’s mired in a “culture of fear,” suffering from a case of “institutional dysfunctionality,” and a reliance on a “nuclear approach” to solve employment issues. 

Hammond took the job in January. The 12-branch system had been running under interim directors since May of 2017. According to a 2012 Sonoma County grand jury report, the previous director was “unilaterally” making decisions and steering policy “away from public participation.”

The picture that emerged from a recent discussion with Musgrove, Sampson, their husbands, and their lawyer – a long-time well-respected employment law attorney, conversant with the rights of workers – was that libraries, at their best, are centers of learning and storehouses of information, and, at their worst, places with backstabbing, petty jealousies and vindictiveness in the workplace.

“The leadership at the library wanted to get rid of us, and to use any excuse to bring in their own people,” Musgrove said.

When she was first hired at Sonoma Valley Regional library, she told friends that she had “died and gone to library heaven.” After her recent demotion and transfer, she said she was “devastated.” But she’s doing her level best at her new job and demonstrating that librarians are often the heart and soul of a community.

In an interview with The Sun three years ago, an enthused Musgrove explained that “her” library was a quiet, well-lit, non-commercial public space, not selling anything, and supporting artists and writers by giving them a spot to interact with the public. Musgrove added that, “the library’s role is also to teach patience, politeness, and civility.”

Ellyn Moscowitz suggests that the powers-that-be at the library have not behaved with fairness or civility. In response to requests for comments, the library has consistently said “no comment.” Ray Holley, the library’s community-relations manager, said in an email, “Our library leaders take employee concerns seriously, and we are working diligently to conclude this matter, so we can again devote our full attention to serving our communities.”

The case against Musgrove and Sampson, Moscowitz says, offends her “sense of justice in the workplace. They’re both really good people who got a raw deal.” Moscowitz adds that should the Sonoma County Library fight Musgrove and Sampson it could cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars.