Darien Library: The Great Good Place
Nov 17th
Plenty of inspiration here, folks.
Darien Library: The Great Good Place from Darien Library on Vimeo.
Will Your Local Library Lend E-Books? (Or Can They?)
Nov 15th
The ReadWriteWeb story is here. In my mind, library access to first-rate digital content is inextricably connected to the future (and future success) of libraries. We have got to get this right. Wanna get it right? Check out LibraryRenewal.org.
And in related news today… Libraries reinvent themselves as they struggle to remain relevant in the digital age.
Save The Buffalo & Erie County Public Library
Nov 15th
From Save the BECPL Facebook campaign:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=100001743521599
BECPL Fast Facts
* SITUATION: The Buffalo & Erie County Public Library faces a $6.8 million shortfall for 2011 if the budget proposed by County Executive Chris Collins stands. Library hours will be reduced from 332 to 205.
* COST: Buffalo/Erie County library services cost $28.64 per capita while comparably sized cities pay $43 and up per capita.
* VALUE: If you take out just 2 books and 10 movies a month, that is $74 value in a month and close to $900 value in one year.
* INCREASING IMPORTANCE OF LIBRARIES: In tough economic times, especially with high unemployment, people need libraries.
o Circulation of library materials continues to trend at over 6 million items per year.
o People depend so much on the libraries’ Internet connection that many people drive closed libraries, sit in their cars and connect on laptops through the libraries’ wifi.
o Bookstores and high speed Internet are not available in some of the small communities B&ECPL serves so these residents rely on the reading material and high-speed Internet that their local libraries provide.
o Economically challenged households in Buffalo and across Erie County can’t support the purchase of books, CDs or DVDs, let alone have a computer with Internet access.
* LIBRARY USE INCREASE: Computer usage in Buffalo & Erie County Libraries has always been high but it has increased 25% since 2008—the beginning of the economic downturn.
QUALITY OF LIFE: Libraries contribute to the community’s quality of life economically, equal access to information resources; children’s introductions to libraries; the future role of libraries; the impact of physical development on the sense of community; life skills, including accountability and responsibility; and career paths
**There’s also an online petition and blog at http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/savebecpl/**
Pending Library Cuts in Cattaraugus County, NY
Nov 15th
Excerpted from the Olean Public Library Blog:
Cattaraugus County Administrator Jack Searles released a budget last week that includes 20% cuts across the board for all contract agencies. For your local library, this could be devastating.
$17, 105 in county aid would be lost to the libraries in Cattaraugus County. However, this is not the only cut that would occur. This cut would be more than 5% of the library’s local funding, which would result in a loss of 25% of State Aid. In total, this would mean a loss of approximately $270,000.
In the past two years, State Aid to the library system has already been cut by $250,000. The current amount of County funding has been the same since 2005. One of the consequences of these cuts was the elimination of the bookmobile. As a result of the current proposal several programs could be cut including weekly delivery of books requested from other libraries, the interlibrary loan service that allows patron to access books outside of the CCLS system, and service to the County’s nine nursing homes and senior centers.
Economic times are difficult, but in times like these more and more people are turning to the public library for help. People visit the library each day to fill out job applications, look for potential employment, update their skills, and more. The library lends out books, DVDs, and video games which saves people money. Is this the time to cut funding, when the library’s services are in high demand?
What you can do to help:
- Call or write your legislator and ask him or her to restore library funding. (The names, addresses, and phone numbers of the District 10 Legislators appears at the bottom of this page as well as a link to information on the other Cattaraugus County legislators.)
- Sign the petition available at the library.
- Attend the Legislature’s public hearing on the budget on Tuesday, November 23rd at 3pm in the Legislature’s Chambers (Cattaraugus County Center, 303 Court Street, Little Valley, NY).
- Sign up to speak at the budget hearing on the 23rd.
- Pass this information on to your friends and family. The library could use the support.
The library can’t do this without your help! Thank you for all you have done over the years for the library and all that you continue to do.
**Thanks to Carol Kowalik for sharing this information.**
Redefining the library in the age of Google and Wikipedia
Nov 4th
Today in the International Business Times: “To stay relevant to the changing needs of the people, the library has to reinvent itself. Today the library is no longer a place, but a space – both physical and virtual. People sitting in the library may be surfing for information outside the library, while people sitting outside the library may be accessing information inside the library.” more…
Troy MI Library In Deep…Mud
Nov 4th
The future of the Troy Public Library is “as clear as mud,” the city’s lawyer said Wednesday, after voters defeated four millage proposals designed to create and fund an independent library board.
And in Bloomfield Hills, voters sent a resounding “no” on Tuesday to a six-year, 0.617-mill library levy, with 61% of voters shooting down the measure, 1,342-842. Supporters sought to resume a lending contract with Bloomfield Township’s library or strike up a new deal with the library in Birmingham.
The Troy measure is likely to become a topic of Monday’s City Council meeting, where Mayor Louise Schilling is expected to bring up the possible censure of Councilman Martin Howrylak over his letter advocating the measures’ defeat.
Troy’s Proposal 1, the 10-year, 0.9885-millage, failed by 689 votes, 15,590-14,901, with 51% voting against it. The three other millage proposals failed by more than 80% of the vote each.
The library is scheduled to close July 1, after the City Council slashed funding and library hours this year and all funding by June 30.
Read more: Detroit Free Press.
Colorado Defeats Anti-Public Service Measures
Nov 3rd
Amendments 60 and 61 and Proposition 101 went down last night. They would have laid waste to public service across Colorado, resulting in at least 70,000 lost jobs, plummeting property values and thoroughly-stifled local business. At my own library, we would have lost 58% of our revenue, and been forced to close half our branches and reduce hours at the remaining libraries. Of the 332 staff members, at least 172 of us would have lost our jobs. But that didn’t happen. The public voted for public service. And today we’re all breathing big gasping sighs of relief.
So what’s next?! Here’s my blog post over at Bad3Bad4Libraries, the blog we set up to help library lovers fight the three initiatives on their own time and dime.
The news is good in Colorado today, but libraries across the nation are in trouble and we’ve all got to work together to create a vibrant future for libraries. After all, can you picture a future without libraries? I don’t want to.
Please keep following SaveLibraries.org and check out LibraryRenewal.org while you’re it. If you feel the call in your heart, consider blogging here at SaveLibraries.org. We could use your help. Let us know; we look forward to talking with you.
Wood County Library Levy is Winner
Nov 3rd
A sense of validation was evident as it became obvious that the Wood County (OH) District Public Library’s five-year .8-mill levy would be a winner.
After 18 months of cuts in materials and staff and three furlough weeks, the library district serving roughly half of the county’s population, Tuesday received a big vote of confidence.
Unofficial results show the levy received 11,263 yes votes (58 percent) to 8,180 no votes (42 percent). The levy will generate an estimated $1 million a year. The money is intended to replace state support that has fallen 33 percent in the past two years and is expected to continue to decline in the future. The levy will cost the owner of a home valued at $100,000 by the county auditor an estimated $25 a year.
“I’m ecstatic,” Library Director Elaine Paulette said. “We appreciate all of the support from our levy committee, led by Steve and Joan McEwen and Clif Boutelle, and the voters. Every single one of the levy committee members played a huge part in this effort.”
“Ecstatic is the best word to use,” echoed Library Trustee President Brian Paskvan. “We have a clear, definitive answer that people want services restored.”
Story from Sentinel-Tribune.
Troy Michigan Voters Will Decide
Nov 1st
Facing shrinking funding, library issues are on ballots across metro Detroit.
But none of the millage proposals are as convoluted as Troy’s, where an approximately 1-mill tax increase, supported by the Friends of the Troy Public Library, creates an independently funded and run library board.
Child with therapy dog @ the Troy Library
The city slashed library funding with 2010 budget cuts and the library is set to close June 30, 2011.
“There’s no big pile of money to fund the library,” said Mayor Louis Shilling. “We’d have to make cuts in health, safety and welfare services.”
But not every city official is in favor of the millage.
Shilling has called a special City Council meeting for 10 a.m. Monday to discuss censuring Councilman Martin Howrylak, who sent out a letter asking residents to vote against the measure on Tuesday.
The mayor said Howrylak’s letter was inaccurate and inappropriate for a sitting council member.
Howrylak said he supports a library, but not the proposal. What he opposes is the amount of money the millage proposals would raise — $4.6 million, as opposed to the $2.26 million the city budgeted for the library.
“At the very least, if you’re going to ask the folks here in Troy to pay more taxes, then simply make it the $2.26 million and that would be about a half a mill,” Howrylak said.
Read more: Troy Library’s future bound up with millage vote result | freep.com | Detroit Free Press http://www.freep.com/article/20101031/NEWS15/10310603/1001/News/Troy-Librarys-future-bound-up-with-millage-vote-result#ixzz142M3wc5G
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