It's easy to read politics in move to replace library head

RE "TRUSTEES to replace BPL head" (City & Region, Nov. 4): Under Bernard Margolis, the Boston Public Library has become home and host to world-class exhibitions of unrivaled educational content, has restored important treasures and archives, and has fostered private-public partnerships and entrepreneurial initiatives that have funded projects without burden to taxpayers.

That he has done this during a period of vast technological change, through cost-effective and well-considered choices, is all the more remarkable.

The BPL has gone from an also-ran on the city's cultural scene to one of its most valued centers. And yet, it is at the neighborhood branches that Margolis has done his most effective work: We now have a dedicated children's librarian at every branch, offer in-person and online tutoring, and have created a nationally recognized homework assistance program.

As a member of the Associates of the BPL board for 11 years, and a professional in the publishing world, I know all of this firsthand.

No wonder Mayor Menino's spokeswoman has proclaimed that Margolis has done a "great job." The expressed desire for "change," without so much as a suggestion as to what those changes might be, smacks of political muscle-flexing at City Hall and extreme moral cowardice among the mayor's appointed trustees. Bernie Margolis is one of the best things to happen in Boston in a long time. To lose him to political whim is an outrage.

SCOTT-MARTIN KOSOFSKY
Lexington