Eleven state and local officials and representatives of three others met Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh Director Barbara Mistick and three library executives yesterday to discuss ways to reverse the library's decision to close four branches and merge two other next year.

One of the funding proposals discussed was to tap revenue from a proposed tax on table games at gambling casinos, if those games are permitted under pending legislation.

State Rep. Chelsa Wagner, D-Beechview, location of one of the targeted branches,said she convened the session because she was "deeply concerned with the lack of transparency in the library's decision to close neighborhood branches, particularly because they provided elected officials and neighborhoods with no notice or opportunity for input."

She added that any additional state funding for libraries would be contingent on keeping the branches open.

Along with Rep. Wagner, other officials participating were:

State Sen. Jay Costa, state Reps. Dom Costa, Paul Costa, Jake Wheatley and Dan Frankel, City Council President Doug Shields and members Patrick Dowd and Bruce Kraus, council members elect Dan Lavelle and Natalia Rudiak, and staffers for state Reps. Dan Deasy and Don Walko and city council member Theresa Smith.

Along with Mistick, library representatives were:

Deputy Director Mary Frances Cooper, Director of External and Government Relations Karlyn Voss and Director of Communications Trina Walker.

Also addressing the library's cutback plans was State Sen. Wayne D. Fontana who asked the library's Board of Trustees to delay for a year its plan to close four neighborhood library branches and to combine two others.

In a letter the Brookline Democrat asked members to delay the plans to allow time for long-term solutions to be identified. Under the plans, the board would close Beechview, Hazelwood, Lawrenceville and West End branches and merge Carrick and Knoxville sites in February.

The news comes hours before the Regional Asset District board is set this afternoon to consider whether to conduct an audit of the library system, which is facing a shortfall of $1.2 million in next year's budget.

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