Pico Iyer: "To save money by reducing library services and resources is like trying to save a bleeding man by cutting out his heart"

Call rewrite! A bit cumbersome and too wordy for a sign.

Unscientific poll

Sanctuary amid the stacks. (Los Angeles Times, 3/7/2011)

Excerpt: Our state and city budgets are in desperate shape, we all know, but to save money by reducing library services and resources is like trying to save a bleeding man by cutting out his heart. Or — if we could reach it — his soul. Measure L on the Los Angeles ballot March 8 proposes to use a greater share of city funds not only to ensure that every library around town is open at least six days a week, but also to support such library programs as student homework help, adult literacy courses and job search facilities. Vote yes on Measure L if you don't want to see how costly saving money in the wrong place can be.

Related article:
Los Angeles to vote on March 8 library funding ballot question. (2/25/2011)

A funny thing happened on the way to the forum

LINK

Or you could just visit your local (brick-and-mortar and digital branch) public library

Paid content.  Ay-yi-yi.

Whoever Builds A Good Tool To Help Us Find New Books To Read Will Get Rich. (Paid Content, 3/7/2011)

Excerpt:   The race to build this better discovery tool for readers is not only on—it is crowded. For the companies leaning hard on engineering, like Discoverreads  [Thank you for your interest in Discovereads; however, we are not taking any new members at this time] and WhatShouldIReadNext [OMG, look at these pathetic results], book data from the user (usually beginning with books they’ve already read/liked)) is crunched against preference patterns created by other users and run though a proprietary algorithm. Others services create a social experience around reading itself (BookGlutton with online annotation, Copia with discussion while reading or afterwards), and view discovery as a secondary benefit of participation. More general recommendation services like LivingSocial and GetGlue are hybrids—treating your new favorite book, video game or beer as a set of fertile data but only good for growing recommendations when planted alongside those of your friends and extended social network.

Book discovery is as necessary for the publishing business as it is difficult for the startups to solve. Readers seek out books for four primary reasons: familiarity with the author; interest in the subject; a recommendation from a trusted source; or hearing about it through the media. But readers state their book-reading preferences via dozens of smaller criteria—price and format, genre and setting, length and likeability of the protagonist or point of view.

Iowa’s public libraries squeeze every nickel out of every state dollar

Iowa librarians stress need to maintain funding. (Cedar Rapids Gazette, 3/1/2011)

Excerpt: Iowa’s public libraries “squeeze every nickel out of every dollar” they get from the state Legislature, according to Dale Vande Haar, president of the Iowa Library Association.

“We’re quite good at that,” he said after a recent legislative hearing on a plan to streamline services to libraries. “We just don’t want to have any more dollars taken away because you can only squeeze so many nickels out of a dollar.”

Vande Haar and other librarians around the state realize they’ll have to squeeze harder because the governor’s proposed budget calls for a cut of about $600,000 from the current $3 million state appropriations for the State Library and Library Service Areas.

Mike Huebsch Wants to Hear From You

Uh, well, maybe not.

Search results for "Huebsch".

That's right; no listing for Department of Administration Secretary in the State of Wisconsin employee directory.

It's in the Wisconsin Blue Book

266-1741
"Good morning.  Department of Administration.  How may I direct your call?"

DOA Secretary Mike Huebsch Makes the 9/11 Connection in Elevated Capitol Security Alert

Yeah, I suppose, with all those union thugs and outside agitators.

CAPITOL SECURITY TO REMAIN ELEVATED FOR ‘FORESEEABLE FUTURE’

DOA Secretary Huebsch said Friday security will remain elevated and access to the building somewhat limited for the “foreseeable future.” He said the general rule will be public access will be through the North and South Hamilton Street entrances or the King and State Street entrances, depending on events.

Access for Capitol staff and handicapped persons will be through the Martin Luther King (MLK) entrance. The East Washington and Wisconsin Avenue entrances will not be used. Media will be directed to the West Washington Avenue entrance for access to the building.

Persons entering through the public access areas will continue to have metal detection screening, another issue Huebsch said could continue beyond the current events. Huebsch noted that after 9/11, entry doors on the first floor of the Capitol were closed to public access and have remained that way since.

And here's the latest in a series of reality checks from Madison Police Department spokesperson Joel DeSpain.

700 Walker Supporters Hold Rally at the Edge of Madison

Visualizing Walker's budget, thanks to James Rowen's colorful description, as a 'steaming pantload'.

Supporters of Gov. Scott Walker's budget repair bill hold rally in Madison. (Appleton Post-Crescent, 3/6/2011)

Excerpt:    About 700 people rallied Sunday in support of Republican Gov. Scott Walker and his anti-union plan to balance the state budget. (Compared to the tens of thousands who have rallied against Walker's budget repair bill and 2011-13 budget proposal during the past 3 weeks.)

[snip]

Matt Seaholm, the state director of Americans for Prosperity, said the purpose of the bus tour and rallies was to show that Walker still has support among those who voted him into office in November. (Apparently, these folks are now hard to find.)

LINK

What Walker's Budget Means for Oshkosh

And, to be sure, the rest of us.

Editorial: Budget's first 
blush leaves 
a pale shade. (Appleton Post-Crescent, 3/6/2011)

Excerpt: Officials figure that even with 
higher public employee contribution 
rates outlines by the governor, the 
city will have to cut about $50,000 
above and beyond the difference between that savings and the cut in 
state aid. In addition, the budget bill 
reduces the amount municipalities 
can increase spending each year 
from 3 percent to 0 percent.

However, 
about 50 percent of the city’s spending goes to public safety expenses, 
mainly salaries and benefits for police officers and firefighters, two 
public employee groups the governor 
puts off limits when eliminating 
most collective bargaining rights.

In order to hold spending flat or 
risk losing $1.2 million in state revenue as a penalty, where can the city 
cut costs? Remember, public safety is 
off limits. Parks, the public library, 
public museum, seniors center, on-
going street maintenance and street 
plowing. Municipal spending is one 
small example where the state budget makes Scott Walker the defacto mayor and city manager of Oshkosh.

Indeed, pondering the impact on 
communities and loss of local control should leave us all pale.

The Final Thought: Early reviews of state 
budget are not encouraging. As we dig deeper, 
we’ll share other thoughts on how the budget 
falls short and how it can be improved.

On the List of 100 Best Jobs for Mom, Librarians Ranks #37

Behind movie star at #25.

100 Best Jobs for Moms. (The Stir, a cafemom blog, 2/25/2011)  Thanks to Cat Smith for sharing.

The top 10
1.  Interior designer
2.  Homeopath
3.  Landscape architect
4.  Life coach
5.  Organic farm manager
6.  Day care operator/employee
7.  Sonogram technician
8.  Market research analyst
9.  Lactation consultant/doula
10.  City Planner

37. Librarian -- Don't forget your sexy librarian glasses when you're organizing the stacks. Just be sure you get up to date on the digital revolution that's putting Dewey to shame.

Naperville Illinois Mayoral Candidates: We Love Our Library (Slimmer)

Naperville mayoral candidates debate library spending. (Daily Herald, 3/2/2011)

Excerpt:   Naperville Public Library officials believe they’ve been as frugal as can be in recent years without affecting services.

Naperville’s three mayoral candidates in the April 5 election mostly agree, but challengers Kenn Miller and Doug Krause believe the library can do more to help the city’s bottom line.

Library officials already have sliced $400,000 from their proposed 2011 property tax levy and are waiting to learn if the city will take any more. They’ve also seen a 21 percent decrease in spending on collections since fiscal 2008 and the reduction of more than four full-time employees at a savings of $211,000 since fiscal 2009.

Miller, a Naperville councilman, said the city should be proud of the library’s decade of nationally ranked service but said it needs to “play a part” during the economic crisis.

“They do an excellent job and I fully support the library, however when we’re in this economic downturn, all of the departments, including the library, need to play a part in reducing the cost so we overall are reducing the costs to residents and taxpayers,” he said.

Related articles:
Another take on the library budget situation.  (1/17/2011)
Library trims its budget. (1/15/2011)
Library to offer voluntary buyouts.  (4/3/2010)
Library cuts $1.1 million from budget.  (10/16/2009)

News Stories on HarperCollins eBook Decision Go Mainstream

Publisher puts new limits on library e-books. Librarians say HarperCollins' decision to allow just 26 downloads will add financial burden. (Chicago Tribune, 3/6/2011)

Excerpt:    For library users, that could mean longer waits for popular titles, tighter limits on how many times an e-book can be renewed and the possibility that e-books that are not repurchased would be available at the library for only about a year.

Librarians across the country are outraged and fear other publishers could adopt a similar model. Some have organized a boycott of books published by HarperCollins. They argue the restrictions place an additional burden on financially strapped public libraries, some of which have reduced their inventories because of budget constraints.

The added expenditures on e-books, they said, will make it more difficult to compete in an industry that is quickly becoming dominated by electronic readers such as the iPad, the Nook and the Kindle.

"This strikes at the heart of what we do," said Chicago Public Library Commissioner Mary Dempsey, who described electronic media as the new virtual library. "With limited financial resources affecting all libraries across America, people are asking, 'Why would you do this?'"

Walker Socks It To Madison

Close  enough.

Madison faces $11 million cut in state aid and a budget hole. (Wisconsin State Journal, 3/4/2011)

Excerpt: The city of Madison would take a cut of about $11 million in state aid next year, a more severe loss than nearly any other city under Gov. Scott Walker's proposed budget, according to city estimates released Friday.

[snip]

For 2011, the city received $54.9 million in state aid. Of the $11 million cut expected in 2012, Madison would lose about $1 million in payments for municipal services like fire and police, $1 million in state highway money, $1 million for recycling and $1.8 million for Madison Metro, according to city of Madison estimates
.
It would also lose $6.2 million in shared revenue, a larger percentage cut than almost any other city in the state because the proposed formula treats cities with higher populations and property values more severely.

Survey Influences Charlotte Mecklenburg's Future of the Library Task Force Recommendations

Library closings hurt, but may be best option. Panel did research, polling that buttress recommendations. (Charlotte Observer, 3/5/2011)

Excerpt: The local residents who made up the Charlotte Library's Future of the Library Task Force recognized that Wednesday. Their preliminary recommendation for six library branches to close or be run by volunteers or groups not funded by the county seems the best option based on current resources. But task force chair Jim Woodward spoke for many residents in saying: "None of us are comfortable with that."

Still, that's a well-thought out option, as are proposed funding cuts and a switch to per capita funding. Those ideas followed months of study and a survey done by Marketwise in January. The research findings buttress many of the panel's recommendations - the survey particularly so.

Survey says.....

87% say library system is extremely or very important to this community.

48% of all respondents and 55% of library users say county should provide more funding.

79 percent say remaining branches should be located where most number of residents can be served most efficiently, even if it means closing the library closest to them.

77% say branches should remain open in economically challenged areas.

59% support dedicated tax or fee for libraries

Related articles:
$7.50 per household per year to keep 6 branch libraries open? Sounds reasonable to me.  (3/4/2011)
Up to 6 libraries could close under proposal.  (3/2/2011)
Tuesday vote of Future of Library Task Force likely.  (2/27/2011)
Future of the Library Task Force to release recommendations soon.  (2/8/2011)
Banker to lead Charlotte Mecklenburg Library.  (1/22/2011)
And what about the cost of a joint library-county study committee?  (12/22/2010)
The future does not look bright.  (12/9/2010)
Library boosts fines, fees.  (11/23/2010)
CML libraries and parks:  Survey says...  (10/26/2010)
Future of the library task force.  (10/21/2010)
Volunteers to the rescue.  (10/17/2010)
Charlotte Observer to Harry Jones:  Check your ego at the door.  (9/21/2010)
County manager regrets hitting the 'send' key. (9/18/2010)
Library steering committee veers into off-road territory.  (9/15/2010)
Bank of America and Carolina Panthers kick off library fundraising campaign. (9/14/2010)
Another branch extends hours thanks to volunteer support.  (9/12/2010)
Volunteers step up.  (9/10/2010)
2 branch libraries to open one more day per week.  (9/5/2010)
Library urban legend in the making?  (9/4/2010)
Library launches pilot program to expand hours with volunteers.  (8/31/2010)
Group to study county library merger.  (7/28/2010)
Book stores help out the library.  (7/21/2010)
Libraries hope to expand hours with volunteers at 4 branches.  (7/20/2010)
Another change in hours.  (7/18/2010)
Matthews branch library sends out plea for volunteers.  (7/13/2010)
Most county commissioners cool to sales tax hike.  (7/9/2010)
New hours in effect.  (7/6/2010)
Charlotte Observer editorial board laments the passing of the Novello Festival of the Book.  (6/28/2010)
Shuttered branch could  become Friends' used book store.  (6/25/2010)
A reduced future.  (6/23/2010)
Interlocal cooperation pact.  (6/22/2010)
Three branches close.  (6/19/2010)
Town of Mint Hill perspective.  (6/18/2010)
Five towns tentatively OK $730,000 for libraries.  (6/18/2010)
Carmel, two other branches to close.  (6/16/2010)
Now that the ax has fallen.  (6/16/2010)
Commissioners to vote on budget today.  (6/15/2010)
Charlotte Mecklenburg Libraries:  It's complicated.  (6/9/2010)
Mayor wins straw vote at emotional council meeting.  (6/7/2010)
Editorial:  Should city 'stay in its lane' on libraries.  (6/4/2010)
County commissioners restore some cuts to libraries.  (6/4/2010)
Straw votes begin on Mecklinburg County budget.  (6/3/2010)
Charlotte Mecklenburg Libraries continue to look for one-time financial help.  (5/31/2010)
High school junior speaks out eloquently for libraries.  (5/30/2010)
Mayor Foxx on the art of governing.  (5/30/2010)
Mayor supports financial help for library.  (5/27/2010)
County budget:  Oh, yeah, this is fair.  (5/25/2010)
Bailout proposal not gaining traction.  (5/23/2010)
Library trustees vote to close 4 branches.  (5/20/2010)
Mecklenburg County tightens its belt.  (5/20/2010)
County manager cuts $14.7 million from library budget.  (5/18/2010)
2010-11 Mecklenburg County budget to be unveiled today.  (5/18/2010)
North Carolina woman plans on "going straight to the top" to keep Charlotte libraries open.  (5/16/2010)
Charlotte Mecklenburg officials ask local municipalities for $3 million contribution.  (4/30/2010Library Board chair speaks out.  (4/25/2010)
County commissioners seek ways to ease library cuts.  (4/23/2010)
Mecklenburg County needs to reduce $85-90 million deficit.  (4/16/2010)
County manager takes library board to task.  (4/10/2010)
Libraries now open fewer hours.  (4/6/2010)
"Save Our Libraries Sunday".  (3/29/2010)
Charlotte Mecklenburg users owe average of 55 cents in fines.  (3/27/2010)
Library announces new hours for branches.  (3/26/2010)
Library Board applies a Band-Aid to its bleeding system.  (3/25/2010)
Follow-up on Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Board vote.  (3/25/2010)
Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Board votes to keep all branches open.  (3/24/2010)
Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Board presented with 2 budget-cutting alternatives.  (3/24/2010)
More and bigger cuts looming on horizon. (3/23/2010)
Charlotte Mecklenburg Library System Rethinks Closings. (3/22/2010)
A New Day is Dawning in Charlotte/Mecklenburg County. (3/21/2010)

Charlotte Mecklenburg libraries haven't seen such large-scale reductions since the Great Depression. (3/17/2010)

UW-Madison Libraries Creates Guide to Wisconsin State Budget Government Documents

LINK

Thanks to Beth Harper, Government Documents Reference Librarian at Memorial Library, and UW-Madison SLIS student Kim Pittman.

Detroit Public Library to Reduce Staff by 20%

Detroit Public Library

Detroit Public Library to cut 83 workers. (Detroit Free Press, 2/27/2011)

Excerpt: It's the troubling consequence of an economic downturn: Funding drops while the demand for government services rises.

The Detroit Public Library is no exception.

Facing what leaders call an unprecedented fiscal crisis, the 23-branch system plans to reduce its staff by 20%, or 83 employees, at the end of March. Library officials also are weighing branch closures and fewer hours of operation.

The culprit is plummeting property values that are eroding dozens of government services across metro Detroit.

While library visits increased 16% over the past three years in Detroit, funding dropped roughly 30%, creating a deficit that could exceed $10 million, according to library records. The library's budget is $50 million. Most of that money comes from a 3-mill tax on Detroit residents.

Related article:

Budget woes.  (2/5/2011)

Walter Dean Myers: An Appreciation

Walter Dean Myers, 73, a hero to young readers. (Tacoma News Tribune, 3/4/2011)

Excerpt:  Myers, 73, has written dozens of novels, plays and biographies. He has received three National Book Award nominations and won many prizes, including a lifetime achievement honor from the American Library Association and five Coretta Scott King awards for African-American fiction. He is also the most engaged of writers, spending hours with young people at schools, libraries and prisons, giving talks and advice on life and work, his own rise from high-school dropout to best-selling author, a story that translates across generations.

LSSI's Fairly Pathetic Track Record

California libraries targeted for takeover by private equity firms. (Boing Boing, 3/4/2011)

But I wouldn't get too concerned.

Here's LSSI's track records after 30 years of operation.

Public libraries in the United States

Source:  Institute of Museum and Library Services, "Public Libraries in the United States. Fiscal Year 2008".

Source:  The New York Times, "Anger as a Private Company Takes Over Libraries", September 26, 2010.

Related article:
Camarillo sez goodbye to Ventura County, hello to Library Systems.  (10/26/2010)

Texas Department of Criminal Justice Bans 11,850 Books

Here's the list.

LINK

‘Banned Books in the Texas Prison System: How the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Censors Books Sent to Prisoners’. (Texas Civil Rights Project)

Excerpt: The banned books list includes Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award winners, New York Times bestsellers, and books by Nobel Peace Prize nominees, National Public Radio correspondents, Ivy League professors, civil rights leaders, and even the Bard himself, William Shakespeare. Conversely, the report sites two clear of examples of allowed books that could be banned: Adolph Hitler’s Mein Kampf (along with several other White Supremacist books), and Che Guevara’s Guerilla Warfare (which includes instructions on how to build a mortar).

Initial Analysis of Governor Walker’s Budget Proposal by the South West Education Association

South West Education Association.

$7.50 per Household per Year to Keep 6 Branch Libraries Open? Sounds reasonable to me

Reasonable. What a hurdle of a word it's become.

Related articles:
Up to 6 libraries could close under proposal.  (3/2/2011)
Tuesday vote of Future of Library Task Force likely.  (2/27/2011)
Future of the Library Task Force to release recommendations soon.  (2/8/2011)
Banker to lead Charlotte Mecklenburg Library.  (1/22/2011)
And what about the cost of a joint library-county study committee?  (12/22/2010)
The future does not look bright.  (12/9/2010)
Library boosts fines, fees.  (11/23/2010)
CML libraries and parks:  Survey says...  (10/26/2010)
Future of the library task force.  (10/21/2010)
Volunteers to the rescue.  (10/17/2010)
Charlotte Observer to Harry Jones:  Check your ego at the door.  (9/21/2010)
County manager regrets hitting the 'send' key. (9/18/2010)
Library steering committee veers into off-road territory.  (9/15/2010)
Bank of America and Carolina Panthers kick off library fundraising campaign. (9/14/2010)
Another branch extends hours thanks to volunteer support.  (9/12/2010)
Volunteers step up.  (9/10/2010)
2 branch libraries to open one more day per week.  (9/5/2010)
Library urban legend in the making?  (9/4/2010)
Library launches pilot program to expand hours with volunteers.  (8/31/2010)
Group to study county library merger.  (7/28/2010)
Book stores help out the library.  (7/21/2010)
Libraries hope to expand hours with volunteers at 4 branches.  (7/20/2010)
Another change in hours.  (7/18/2010)
Matthews branch library sends out plea for volunteers.  (7/13/2010)
Most county commissioners cool to sales tax hike.  (7/9/2010)
New hours in effect.  (7/6/2010)
Charlotte Observer editorial board laments the passing of the Novello Festival of the Book.  (6/28/2010)
Shuttered branch could  become Friends' used book store.  (6/25/2010)
A reduced future.  (6/23/2010)
Interlocal cooperation pact.  (6/22/2010)
Three branches close.  (6/19/2010)
Town of Mint Hill perspective.  (6/18/2010)
Five towns tentatively OK $730,000 for libraries.  (6/18/2010)
Carmel, two other branches to close.  (6/16/2010)
Now that the ax has fallen.  (6/16/2010)
Commissioners to vote on budget today.  (6/15/2010)
Charlotte Mecklenburg Libraries:  It's complicated.  (6/9/2010)
Mayor wins straw vote at emotional council meeting.  (6/7/2010)
Editorial:  Should city 'stay in its lane' on libraries.  (6/4/2010)
County commissioners restore some cuts to libraries.  (6/4/2010)
Straw votes begin on Mecklinburg County budget.  (6/3/2010)
Charlotte Mecklenburg Libraries continue to look for one-time financial help.  (5/31/2010)
High school junior speaks out eloquently for libraries.  (5/30/2010)
Mayor Foxx on the art of governing.  (5/30/2010)
Mayor supports financial help for library.  (5/27/2010)
County budget:  Oh, yeah, this is fair.  (5/25/2010)
Bailout proposal not gaining traction.  (5/23/2010)
Library trustees vote to close 4 branches.  (5/20/2010)
Mecklenburg County tightens its belt.  (5/20/2010)
County manager cuts $14.7 million from library budget.  (5/18/2010)
2010-11 Mecklenburg County budget to be unveiled today.  (5/18/2010)
North Carolina woman plans on "going straight to the top" to keep Charlotte libraries open.  (5/16/2010)
Charlotte Mecklenburg officials ask local municipalities for $3 million contribution.  (4/30/2010Library Board chair speaks out.  (4/25/2010)
County commissioners seek ways to ease library cuts.  (4/23/2010)
Mecklenburg County needs to reduce $85-90 million deficit.  (4/16/2010)
County manager takes library board to task.  (4/10/2010)
Libraries now open fewer hours.  (4/6/2010)
"Save Our Libraries Sunday".  (3/29/2010)
Charlotte Mecklenburg users owe average of 55 cents in fines.  (3/27/2010)
Library announces new hours for branches.  (3/26/2010)
Library Board applies a Band-Aid to its bleeding system.  (3/25/2010)
Follow-up on Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Board vote.  (3/25/2010)
Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Board votes to keep all branches open.  (3/24/2010)
Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Board presented with 2 budget-cutting alternatives.  (3/24/2010)
More and bigger cuts looming on horizon. (3/23/2010)
Charlotte Mecklenburg Library System Rethinks Closings. (3/22/2010)
A New Day is Dawning in Charlotte/Mecklenburg County. (3/21/2010)

Charlotte Mecklenburg libraries haven't seen such large-scale reductions since the Great Depression. (3/17/2010)

"The Information" by James Gleick

Information, please. We don't just rely on data - we are data, from our genes to our social networks, says author James Gleick. (Philadelphia Inquirer, 3/1/2011)

Excerpt: "All of human history has been about information," Gleick explains. "It's not an accident that we humans named our species homo sapiens" (loosely, "wise man").

From the cave paintings at Lascaux to papyrus scrolls to the printing press and DVDs, we have sought to understand and record our experience of the world. Our collective identity is constructed from information.

Information has been an important part of Gleick's life. Born in New York City and educated at Harvard University in English and linguistics, Gleick, 56, pursued a career as a journalist, most notably at the New York Times, before turning his hand to science books.

His books, which include Chaos: Making a New Science (1987) and the biographies Genius: The Life and Science of Richard Feynman (1992) and Isaac Newton (2003), are celebrated for translating complex scientific ideas for the general reader.

Seven years in the making, The Information is his most ambitious project. And perhaps his magnum opus.

Boston Globe's Alex Beam Muses on a Series of Exaggerated Pronouncements

"Say it with me."  (Although it focuses on reading, Paul Saffo's quote still serves as a useful antidote.)

Long gone?. From landlines to e-mail to movies to print, their demise has been greatly exaggerated. (Boston Globe, 3/4/2011)

Snippets from Alex Beam's column.

Everything is obsolete. Or is it?

“We consistently find that states in the Northeast are more likely to retain their landlines,’’ the CDC’s Dr. Stephen Blumberg told me, making me feel better about being un-young and un-restless.

Maybe you didn’t get the memo, but voice mail is no more.

Scenester extraordinaire Choire Sicha — he was one of the first editors at Gawker.com, worked at the New York Observer when that still meant something, and cofounded TheAwl.com — recently declared that “e-mail is over."

Aren’t movies obsolete?

Books? No one has read a “p-book’’ — that’s industry jargon for “print books’’.

Wait — aren’t libraries obsolete? The subject of my next column, perhaps.

Your Wisconsin Recall Election Scorecard

LINK

Referenda Remain an Option to Exceed Property-Tax Caps

LINK

I suspect a new and heavily edited version of the above manual is in the works.

Local governments may turn to referendums to maintain service levels. (Wisconsin State Journal, 3/3/2011)

Excerpt:     In his proposed 2011-13 budget released Tuesday, Walker is seeking a $59.5 million, or 8.8 percent, cut in state aid to municipalities for 2012. Aid for counties would be cut by $36.5 million, or 24 percent. He also wants 10 percent cuts in payments to municipalities for untaxed state properties and general transportation aid, and to eliminate recycling aid. Officials in Madison and Dane County are still analyzing how those cuts would affect them.

The governor also wants to limit increases in local property tax collections to the gain in value due to new construction.

To help local governments, Walker earlier offered a budget repair bill that would make most public employees pay more for health insurance and pensions and impose limits on collective bargaining.

Not My Wisconsin, Scottie

(highlight added)

Gov. Walker Sez Adios to Maintenance of Effort Requirement for Public Library System Membership

 Budget provision could mean end of decades-old libraries sharing system. (Wisconsin State Journal, 3/3/2011)

Excerpt:    Library officials are concerned a provision in Gov. Scott Walker's budget proposal could unravel Wisconsin's library system, which allows patrons to access books, movies and other material from anywhere in the state.

To help municipalities control costs, Walker wants to eliminate a requirement that library funding levels be maintained minimally at the average of the prior three years.

The requirement has been in place since the library system was established in 1972 to ensure municipalities can't slash services and book budgets while taking advantage of the resources at neighboring libraries, according to the Department of Public Instruction (DPI).

"Wisconsin is just an incredible shining beacon of shared library resources," said Martha Van Pelt, director of the South Central Library System, which covers Dane and six other counties.

So....what needs to be done about this situation, you might ask.

As I noted in a recent email to LD&L and SRLAAW members......

What we need to do is find 3 Republicans senators and 16 Republican assembly representatives willing to sponsor MOE compromise language that WLA, in conjunction with DPI/DLTCL, proposes. That's assuming all Democrats from both houses are on board.

And, if we somehow deflect the lobbying efforts of the Wisconsin League of Municipalities, we'll then need a two-thirds majority to override the Governor's veto.

Taking a Look at HarperCollins Books in Print with More Than 26 Circs

Mayor Richard M. Daley's Greatest Cultural Legacy: Reading and Libraries

Daley's last one for the books. (Chicago Tribune, 3/2/2011)

Excerpt: A man known for his discursive and staccato sentence structure, Daley may nevertheless pass on as his greatest cultural legacy his support of reading and libraries - 59 of which have been built or renovated since he became mayor in 1989. That may be his largest cultural legacy. Despite the precarious times for the city's budget, four new libraries will open in Chicago by the end of the year.

Library Ireland Week 2011

Charlotte Mecklenburg Future of the Library Task Force Proposes to Strengthen Regional Libraries

Up to 6 libraries could close under proposal. (Charlotte Observer, 3/2/2011)

Excerpt: The closures are part of a trade-off that would take staffing dollars from those branches and use it to restore services cut last year at the county's six regional libraries, according to a preliminary model released Tuesday.

"None of us are comfortable with that," said task force chair Jim Woodward. "We just feel the regionals need to be strengthened ... because they offer the full range of library services you can't get at the smaller branches."

The plan also prioritizes sparing branches in three fragile neighborhoods: Scaleybark, Sugar Creek and West Boulevard. All would remain at current service levels of 32 hours a week.

Any money left over after that would go to branches that are farthest away from regionals, including Steele Creek, Mint Hill, Mountain Island and Matthews.

Keeping all the branches open is considered the best possible solution, but that would require the library getting an additional $2 million from the county next year, officials said.

The shift in resources to regional libraries is part of a series of recommendations the task force intends to present to the Mecklenburg County commissioners and library board in a joint meeting on March 21.

Related articles:
Tuesday vote of Future of Library Task Force likely.  (2/27/2011)
Future of the Library Task Force to release recommendations soon.  (2/8/2011)
Banker to lead Charlotte Mecklenburg Library.  (1/22/2011)
And what about the cost of a joint library-county study committee?  (12/22/2010)
The future does not look bright.  (12/9/2010)
Library boosts fines, fees.  (11/23/2010)
CML libraries and parks:  Survey says...  (10/26/2010)
Future of the library task force.  (10/21/2010)
Volunteers to the rescue.  (10/17/2010)
Charlotte Observer to Harry Jones:  Check your ego at the door.  (9/21/2010)
County manager regrets hitting the 'send' key. (9/18/2010)
Library steering committee veers into off-road territory.  (9/15/2010)
Bank of America and Carolina Panthers kick off library fundraising campaign. (9/14/2010)
Another branch extends hours thanks to volunteer support.  (9/12/2010)
Volunteers step up.  (9/10/2010)
2 branch libraries to open one more day per week.  (9/5/2010)
Library urban legend in the making?  (9/4/2010)
Library launches pilot program to expand hours with volunteers.  (8/31/2010)
Group to study county library merger.  (7/28/2010)
Book stores help out the library.  (7/21/2010)
Libraries hope to expand hours with volunteers at 4 branches.  (7/20/2010)
Another change in hours.  (7/18/2010)
Matthews branch library sends out plea for volunteers.  (7/13/2010)
Most county commissioners cool to sales tax hike.  (7/9/2010)
New hours in effect.  (7/6/2010)
Charlotte Observer editorial board laments the passing of the Novello Festival of the Book.  (6/28/2010)
Shuttered branch could  become Friends' used book store.  (6/25/2010)
A reduced future.  (6/23/2010)
Interlocal cooperation pact.  (6/22/2010)
Three branches close.  (6/19/2010)
Town of Mint Hill perspective.  (6/18/2010)
Five towns tentatively OK $730,000 for libraries.  (6/18/2010)
Carmel, two other branches to close.  (6/16/2010)
Now that the ax has fallen.  (6/16/2010)
Commissioners to vote on budget today.  (6/15/2010)
Charlotte Mecklenburg Libraries:  It's complicated.  (6/9/2010)
Mayor wins straw vote at emotional council meeting.  (6/7/2010)
Editorial:  Should city 'stay in its lane' on libraries.  (6/4/2010)
County commissioners restore some cuts to libraries.  (6/4/2010)
Straw votes begin on Mecklinburg County budget.  (6/3/2010)
Charlotte Mecklenburg Libraries continue to look for one-time financial help.  (5/31/2010)
High school junior speaks out eloquently for libraries.  (5/30/2010)
Mayor Foxx on the art of governing.  (5/30/2010)
Mayor supports financial help for library.  (5/27/2010)
County budget:  Oh, yeah, this is fair.  (5/25/2010)
Bailout proposal not gaining traction.  (5/23/2010)
Library trustees vote to close 4 branches.  (5/20/2010)
Mecklenburg County tightens its belt.  (5/20/2010)
County manager cuts $14.7 million from library budget.  (5/18/2010)
2010-11 Mecklenburg County budget to be unveiled today.  (5/18/2010)
North Carolina woman plans on "going straight to the top" to keep Charlotte libraries open.  (5/16/2010)
Charlotte Mecklenburg officials ask local municipalities for $3 million contribution.  (4/30/2010Library Board chair speaks out.  (4/25/2010)
County commissioners seek ways to ease library cuts.  (4/23/2010)
Mecklenburg County needs to reduce $85-90 million deficit.  (4/16/2010)
County manager takes library board to task.  (4/10/2010)
Libraries now open fewer hours.  (4/6/2010)
"Save Our Libraries Sunday".  (3/29/2010)
Charlotte Mecklenburg users owe average of 55 cents in fines.  (3/27/2010)
Library announces new hours for branches.  (3/26/2010)
Library Board applies a Band-Aid to its bleeding system.  (3/25/2010)
Follow-up on Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Board vote.  (3/25/2010)
Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Board votes to keep all branches open.  (3/24/2010)
Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Board presented with 2 budget-cutting alternatives.  (3/24/2010)
More and bigger cuts looming on horizon. (3/23/2010)
Charlotte Mecklenburg Library System Rethinks Closings. (3/22/2010)
A New Day is Dawning in Charlotte/Mecklenburg County. (3/21/2010)

Charlotte Mecklenburg libraries haven't seen such large-scale reductions since the Great Depression. (3/17/2010)

Stated Shared Revenues to Counties and Municipalities

Background and Payment Formulas (6 pages)

Governor Walker's budget proposal cuts aid to cities by $60 million, an 8.8% reduction, while counties would lose over $36 million, a 24% cut.

2010 Estimated Shared Revenue and Expenditure Restraint Payments
A county-by-county spreadsheet

I'll leave you to do the math and ponder where the cuts in expenditures will occur.

(It's Not Me Who) Can't Get Enough of Those Long Overdue Library Book Stories

Chattahoochee 6-Month Update

Teen's six-month library ban ends. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 2/28/2011)

Excerpt: Claudya Muller, the director of the Chattahoochee Valley Regional Library System, previously told the newspaper the ban “had nothing to do with what he was saying, but he was warned multiple times. ... As people came in, he would approach them. He prevented people from simply using the library.”

Caleb, whose parents are missionaries, lives with his family in a cabin in east Alabama. He said the library ban did not deter his efforts to share his faith.

“It didn’t make me very mad, and I’ve been praying for the people there,” he said. “It made me draw closer to the Lord. … I like to witness. The Lord is doing great things, praise the Lord.”

Related article:
North Columbus Public Library Patrons Get Reprieve from Unsolicited Religious Advice. (9/23/2010)