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The Library Board of Trustees will likely hold off voting on a controversial reorganization plan that would mean pink slips for an estimated 12 employees. 

“The feeling is we need more information and more time to study the facts before making a decision,” said Darryl Moore, the City Council’s representative to the library board. 

Library Director Jackie Griffin had originally hoped to win approval for her plan at Wedesday’s monthly meeting to stay on track with the city’s schedule for adopting next year’s budget. 

Facing a $1 million shortfall, and not wanting to further reduce service hours, Griffin had proposed reorganizing library staff and cutting positions, primarily library aides and library assistants. 

If the plan is approved, the library would be the only city department to issue lay-offs. 

At last month’s trustee’s meeting SEIU Local 535, which represents library workers, offered countermeasures it said could save money and reduce lay-offs. The union proposed, among other ideas, reducing work weeks from 40 to 37.5 hours and instituting mandatory and voluntary time-off days. 

Moore said the board is looking for library officials to return with a cost analysis of the union’s proposal. The analysis, Moore added, might be difficult for the library to produce since it lost its long-standing finance head, Bob Derbin, retired last month. 

The board meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday at the South Berkeley Library at the corner of Russell Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Way. 

—Matthew Artz›