a civil complaint of 23 March 2003 by a dozen librarians against the library's management for a claimed failure to prevent sexual harassment over many years by library patrons having unlimited use of library computers for accessing pornography. The case followed an EEOC determination on 23 May 2001 that "the Respondent did subject the Charging Party to sexually hostile work environment. This is in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended." The case settled when the library agreed to pay the plaintiffs $435,000 and to take corrective action to prevent further harassment. Funding crisis and merger Despite city funding and some private support, the library had suffered from reduced funding from external sources, including the federal government and Local Government Aid (LGA) from the State of Minnesota. In the recession of the 2000s following the Dot-com bubble, hours were drastically cut and money for acquisitions sharply declined. Because Minnesota library card holders could borrow from other systems in the state, MPL also duplicated services offered by Hennepin County Library (HCL), which saw shared use by MPL patrons. This was especially apparent on Mondays, when Minneapolis libraries were closed. In 2007, the Minneapolis Library Board agreed to pursue a merger with the county system. The Minneapolis Library Board and Minneapolis City Council approved the merger in March 2007, the Hennepin County Board approved the merger in April 2007, and on May 19, 2007 the Minnesota State Legislature approved a bill merging the systems during 2008. The merged system is the Hennepin County Library with 41 locations. On January 1, 2008, the library was merged into the Hennepin County Library. The last meeting of the Minneapolis Public Library Board of Trustees took place on December 19, 2007. Directors There were 11 full-time directors in the history of the MPL. Herbert Putnam, 1888–1891 James Kendall Hosmer, 1892–1904 Gratia Countryman, 1904–1936 Glenn M. Lewis (interim), 1936–1937 Carl Vitz, 1937–1945 Glenn M. Lewis, 1946–1957 Raymond E. Williams, 1957–1963 Margaret M. Mull (interim), 1963–1964 Ervin J. Gaines, 1964–1974 Mary L. Dyer (interim), 1974–1975 Joseph Kimbrough, 1975–1989 Susan Goldberg Kent, 1990–1995 Mary Lawson, 1996–2002 Jan Feye-Stukas (interim), 2002–2003 Katherine G. Hadley, 2003–2007 Jane Eastwood (interim), 2007–2008 See also References External links Minneapolis Public Library (Archive) Minneapolis Planetarium America's Most Literate Cities Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects web site Architectural Alliance web site 1885 establishments in Minnesota 2008 disestablishments in Minnesota Hennepin County