How do donors feel after Seattle library vaporizes $365K on rebranding

The Seattle Public Library will keep its “y” after rejecting an “ies.”

The library board of trustees unanimously rejected a name and logo change Wednesday evening, The Seattle Times reports.

It was a decision that followed months of criticism. The rebranding proposal itself cost $365,000 in private funds from the Seattle Public Library Foundation. That money was used to study a name change from Seattle Public Library to Seattle Public Libraries. It was also used to pay for new logo designs. All of it was rejected, however.

The effort to rebrand went so far as to send out a survey, which the Times reports generated more than 14,000 responses. The most negative responses came from a question asking if a name change would help the library system “move forward as an essential part of the Seattle community.” That question garnered a 70 percent “no” vote, the Times reports.

Though $365,000 was spent on something that was ultimately rejected, it could have cost much more. Had the board of trustees continued with the effort, it could have cost an additional $570,000 for 2016-2017 to implement the name change, the Times reports.

The decision prevented more money from being spent, but how do donors feel? KIRO Radio’s Dori Monson asked.

“How do you feel, as a donor, that they just vaporized $365,000?” Dori asked.

Additionally, Dori wonders how Marcellus Turner, the city librarian, can keep his job after this.

“Can you really blow $365,000 and keep your job?” Dori asked. “Can we find someone with a little more common sense?”

With that out of the way, the library can turn its attention back to building its membership with the help of the Seahawks.

.@SPLBuzz distributed nearly 15,000 limited edition @Seahawks library cards- more than 5,500 to new cardholders! pic.twitter.com/Yj94WzMPSq

— Ed Murray (@MayorEdMurray) October 28, 2015