Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Erie County Exec's 2012 Library Allocation Will "Necessitate Major Changes"
Collins plans to cut 300 jobs in 2012. (Buffalo News, 6/7/2011)
Excerpt: Collins will keep the county's operating support for the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library at the $18.2 million level that sent library officials scrambling for more money this year. Collins cut the subsidy by $4 million for 2011 but later restored $3 million in a one-time-only gift to coax his budget through the Legislature.
"They need to do better. They need to understand they need to do more with less," Collins said of the library's trustees when reporters asked why he cannot provide more when the county's reserves are projected to reach $80.5 million by the end of 2014. He said library officials rely too much on the county when they should do more to raise money on their own.
Sharon A. Thomas, who heads the library system's board of trustees, said the Collins allocation would "necessitate major changes," such as shorter hours, the closure of facilities and fewer services from the staff.
She said trustees are devising "strategies and options" for next year and beyond, and intend to work with Collins and the Legislature "to alleviate these proposed severe cuts to library services for the people of Erie County who love and use their libraries."
Related articles:
County Exec builds a surplus by pulling the rug from under the library. (4/27/2011)
Funding picture gets progressively worse. (2/26/2011)
Unhappy times continue. (1/21/2011)
Library officials ask for final decision on budget. (12/22/2010)
Additional funding for library but not for arts groups. (12/12/2010)
Legislators restore County Executive's $4,000,000 cut to library - for now. (12/2/2010)
"No more worthwhile program of service". (11/14/2010)
A bibliopocalypse @ the library. (11/6/2010)
WBEN online poll offers 3 general options for public library future. (10/31/2010)
Reimagining the library. (10/27/2010)
Budget cuts = reduced hours. (10/21/2010)
Deep cuts (again) in the works. (9/17/2010)
Editorial puts in 'a word about libraries'. (8/30/2010)
Library could lose 25% of funding. (8/19/2009)
Iowa Writers' Workshop Celebrates Its 75th Anniversary
Tradition trumps Twitter at Iowa Writers' Workshop. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 6/7/2011)
Excerpt: Inside the 154-year-old Victorian home that houses the Iowa Writers' Workshop, you won't see many Amazon Kindles. Twitter is viewed as a potentially disastrous distraction. And you can even anger an instructor for mentioning Google in your writing.
At a time when so much has changed in the publishing industry, the nation's oldest and most prestigious creative writing program embraces tradition. And why not? For more than seven decades, the nation's best young fiction writers and poets have escaped from life to spend two years in Iowa City writing, reading, hearing criticism of their work and meeting lifelong trusted readers. And that formula continues to have success helping top-notch writers develop their craft.
The program, which has helped train everyone from Flannery O'Connor to Michael Cunningham and T.C. Boyle, remains a powerhouse in American literature as it turns 75 this week. To mark the milestone, hundreds of alumni are coming back to campus in what amounts to an all-star gathering of writers who have breathed the air in Iowa City and that of its once-smoky bars.
An Unintended Consequence of Section 25 of UW System Omnibus Motion?
John A. Krogman, Chief Operating Officer
Division of Information Technology, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Division of Information Technology, University of Wisconsin-Madison
A Crowbar: A Tool We Don't Need for WiscNet
A crowbar, a tool of destruction.
A crowbar, a tool offered as a way to dismantle WiscNet, the very successful collaborative network that has fostered cooperation among higher education, K-12 schools, and libraries over the past 16 years.
A crowbar, a tool that threatens to cause damages running into the thousands of dollars to every state campus, public school, and public library -- if we can manage the cuts to the UW system, state aids to K-12 education, state shared aids to municipalities and counties, and the elimination of maintenance of effort as a requirement for public library system membership.
Why are we being penalized for saving the taxpayers of Wisconsin money?
A crowbar? No thanks. As far as WiscNet is concerned, we already have the tools we need.
Please contact your legislator immediately and request that they remove sections 23-26 of the UW System budget bill. Please do so with courtesy and respect. Otherwise, your contact will be counterproductive.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Flint Journal Editorial Board: Take another look at library consolidation
Our Voice: Time to take another look at consolidating library systems in Genesee County. (Flint Journal, 6/5/2011)
Excerpt: Carolyn Nash, who heads up the Genesee District Library, said past figures show only a “small savings.”
“Any talk we hear about merging the two library systems comes from people who were not involved in the study and the public meetings back in 2002, so aren’t perhaps fully informed,” Schwartz said.
Even assuming she is right, no one is “fully informed” now when it comes to the potential savings and benefits of a combined system. Nearly a decade has passed since such a proposal was last explored.
Since the last try, the county, in particular the city of Flint, has lost population and seen its tax base erode to the point that even essential services such as public safety have had to be trimmed.
The county has closed buildings and laid off scores of workers to balance its budget. The city, meanwhile, is swimming in so much red ink its leaders went to the state and received permission to sell $8 million in budget-balancing bonds.
We also now have a governor who is encouraging and rewarding communities that consolidate and share services to get the most bang for their buck.
Despite this, the city and county continue to be at loggerheads when it comes agreeing on the most basic things.
Excerpt: Carolyn Nash, who heads up the Genesee District Library, said past figures show only a “small savings.”
Kay Schwartz, the director of the Flint Public Library, agreed. She said the 2002 study found consolidation could save 5 percent to 7 percent, an amount that would be less now, thanks to budget cuts.
“Any talk we hear about merging the two library systems comes from people who were not involved in the study and the public meetings back in 2002, so aren’t perhaps fully informed,” Schwartz said.
Even assuming she is right, no one is “fully informed” now when it comes to the potential savings and benefits of a combined system. Nearly a decade has passed since such a proposal was last explored.
Since the last try, the county, in particular the city of Flint, has lost population and seen its tax base erode to the point that even essential services such as public safety have had to be trimmed.
The county has closed buildings and laid off scores of workers to balance its budget. The city, meanwhile, is swimming in so much red ink its leaders went to the state and received permission to sell $8 million in budget-balancing bonds.
We also now have a governor who is encouraging and rewarding communities that consolidate and share services to get the most bang for their buck.
Despite this, the city and county continue to be at loggerheads when it comes agreeing on the most basic things.
"Devil's Lake, Wisconsin, and the Civilian Conservation Corps" by Robert J. Moore
History of Devil's Lake written with elbow grease. (Baraboo News-Republic, 6/6/2011)
Excerpt: During the dark economic times of the Great Depression in the 1930s, young men of the Civilian Conservation Corps helped make Devil's Lake State Park what it is.
Using only the most basic of tools, workers raising buildings and cleared boulders from trails, says the author of a new book on the subject.
From The History Press.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
South Knox Library Still Closed After Storm Damage
South Knox library still closed after storm damage. (WBIR, 6/3/2011)
Excerpt: It's been more than a month since a hail storm ripped through South Knoxville, and there are still plenty of homes and buildings in need of repair, including the South Knoxville library.
"When I walked in, I thought everything was a complete loss, I mean, it was raining in here as hard as it was raining outside," said Cody Miller, Knox County's library facilities manager. "It was pretty amazing, it was overwhelming."
Miller got the call on the night of April 27 after a fire alarm at the branch alerted a security company.
As soon as he saw water pouring from the ceiling, he called in the rest of the team, and the crew worked into the early-morning hours, moving books and furniture to the few dry areas available and covering everything else with plastic.
It was quite a shock to see it," said Myretta Black, interim library director.
The End of WiscNet As We Know It
From the University of Wisconsin System motion submitted by Senator Sheila Harsdorf and Rep. Pat Strachota.
University of Wisconsin System omnibus motion.
I'd like to think that Harsdorf sealed her recall doom with this ill-advised action. Not to mention the rest of the Republicans.
According to a reliable source, if this language stands, it is doubtful that WiscNet will be able to provide Internet service to Wisconsin's K-12 schools and libraries. About 80% of school districts and 95% of libraries get their Internet access from WiscNet. Schools and libraries will be forced to get access from one of the commercial providers that the Wisconsin Department of Administration has under contract. As a result, their costs will increase by as much as 400%.
The Chief Operating Officer of UW's Department of Information Technology called it the "equivalent of sending us back to rotary telephones".
University of Wisconsin System omnibus motion.
I'd like to think that Harsdorf sealed her recall doom with this ill-advised action. Not to mention the rest of the Republicans.
According to a reliable source, if this language stands, it is doubtful that WiscNet will be able to provide Internet service to Wisconsin's K-12 schools and libraries. About 80% of school districts and 95% of libraries get their Internet access from WiscNet. Schools and libraries will be forced to get access from one of the commercial providers that the Wisconsin Department of Administration has under contract. As a result, their costs will increase by as much as 400%.
The Chief Operating Officer of UW's Department of Information Technology called it the "equivalent of sending us back to rotary telephones".
Apparently, some shrubbery was damaged in the process
Car Smashes Into Kent Memorial Library, State Police Say. (Hartford Courant, 6/4/2011)
Excerpt: A car smashed into the Kent Memorial Library Saturday afternoon, state police said.
The driver of the car appeared to have sustained only minor injuries after crashing into the partial brick building around 1:20 p.m.
Library staff were inside the building at the time of the crash and said the library will remain closed at least until Monday. It was unclear whether any patrons were inside the building at the time of the crash.
Odds are, there were patrons inside the library at the time.
Boston Globe Interviews Oscar Hijuelos
A collector of signed editions and 1911 encyclopedias. (Boston Globe, 6/5/2011)
Excerpt: When Oscar Hijuelos won the Pulitzer Prize in 1990 for “Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love” he became the first Hispanic writer to win the award. In his new memoir, “Thoughts Without Cigarettes,” the writer explores the incubator of his literary talents, his childhood in working class 1950s New York City. Hijuelos will discuss his new book Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Brookline Booksmith.
Curiously, Peggy Lee doesn't sing.
Ebooks, Netflix, and Library Building Projects (Part 55, Somerville Public Library)
New library proposed. (Boston Globe, 6/5/2011)
Excerpt: The city of Somerville could have the opportunity to build a new central library, with almost $13 million from the state.
At the May 26 Board of Aldermen meeting, Mayor Joe Curtatone asked the aldermen to authorize the library trustees to apply for a grant from the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners and approve the preliminary architectural design of the new structure.
“The existing Central Library has not been upgraded in 35 years and is sadly inadequate to meet contemporary library needs,’’ Curtatone wrote in his formal request.
According to Curtatone, the grant would cover about 40 percent of construction costs. Cities are required to match the funds. The new library would be in Union Square, not far from the current site.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Ebooks, Netflix, and Library Building Projects (Part 54, Ludington Library)
Library expansion stirs hopes in Bryn Mawr. (Philadelphia Inquirer, 6/4/2011)
Excerpt: The Bryn Mawr library's massive $9 million expansion is progressing more slowly than expected but is already redefining the look of the central intersection there.
The building's two-story, wraparound, glass-enclosed reading "porch" will be the project's centerpiece when the library reopens, now tentatively set to happen in the fall.
With the newish Bryn Mawr Farmers Market across the street and the Bryn Mawr Film Institute also being spruced up and expanded a half-block away, the area near the Ludington Library has been revitalized even as the number of empty storefronts is growing in the village.
"It's great, just great," said David Broida, who was in the area Friday to set up for the Bryn Mawr Twilight Concerts, which he runs in a gazebo near the library. "It will be a magnet. I hate to use a cliché, but it's like a field of dreams - if you build it, they will come."
Letters to the Children of Troy Michigan from 1971
August 2 a "this is it" moment. (5/17/2011)
Working to keep the library open. (5/10/2011)
Will there be a library after June 30th? (4/20/2011)
Keep the Troy Public Library open: Council members told to 'figure it out'. (4/19/2011)
May Day! May Day! Two Michigan libraries set to close on May 1. (4/17/2011)
Library to close on May 1. (2/23/2011)
Troy Michigan (population: 80,000) still on track to close its library. (2/8/2011)
Voters wave bye-bye to their library. (11/3/2010)
Giving voters more choices than they need. (8/13/2010)
Library threatened with closure, part 2. (5/19/2010)
Library threatened with closure, part 1. (4/25/2010)
Bill Passed by California Assembly Sets Up Roadblocks to Public Library Privatization
Make it hard to privatize libraries, California Assembly says. (Sacramento Bee, 6/3/2011)
Excerpt: Despite strong opposition from Republicans, the Assembly narrowly passed a union-backed bill to make cities and counties blow through a series of roadblocks before they can privatize their libraries.
Under Assembly Bill 438, library systems would have to:
• pick a contract after a competitive bidding process.
• give four straight weeks of public notice before enacting a change, doubling the current requirement.
• prove through a broad analysis that a switch away from the free public library system saves the city or county money.
• show that the cost savings are not simply a factor of lower pay for the private company's employees.
• require an audit before hiring a library contractor charging more than $100,000 a year.
• ensure that the public employees don't lose their jobs.
National contractor Library Systems & Services, which already runs some libraries in the state, and the Service Employees International Union engaged in dueling lobbying efforts on the measure.
Both the League of California Cities and Republicans in the Assembly said the state shouldn't be interfering with local issues. They also said local officials already trying to save money through library sell-offs likely would drop their efforts if this bill became law later this year. The bill would also touch renewals of existing contracts.
Related articles:
LSSI's fairly pathetic track record. (3/4/2011)
Camarillo sez goodbye to Ventura County, hello to Library Systems. (10/26/2010)
Privitizing @ your library. (9/27/2010)
Milwaukee Police Chief to Gov. Walker on Concealed Carry: Exhibit statesmanship and provide adult supervision
Milwaukee police chief slams concealed-carry measure. (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, 6/2/2011)
Excerpt: Milwaukee Police Chief Edward Flynn urged Gov. Scott Walker to "provide some adult supervision" and ensure that the final version of a concealed-carry bill outlines a strict permitting process for carrying guns and stipulations including basic training and not being a "criminal, drug abuser or insane." He also called for changing the charge of carrying a concealed weapon from a misdemeanor to a felony.
The news conference came after a gunfight Wednesday night between Milwaukee police bicycle patrol officer Jose Viera and a 21-year-old armed suspect in the Sherman Park neighborhood. The officer escaped unharmed despite a chase during which the two exchanged gunfire. The suspect was shot multiple times and arrested.
"I also want to take this as an opportunity to call upon Gov. Walker to exhibit statesmanship and provide adult supervision over the chaotic legislative process that seems bent on inflicting a reckless and foolish concealed-carry law on the citizens of Wisconsin," Flynn said. "This is not a political talking points issue. This is an officer safety issue. This is the second time in less than a week my officers have been in a gun battle with armed, reckless assailants. We cannot afford a reckless bill."
The City of Menasha police chief, who served on the Library Director Selection Committee, is against any kind of concealed carry legislation.
"We already have too many guns on the street," he noted during lunch on the day we interviewed candidates.
I'm not aware, though, if he's made an official public statement. He has nothing to lose, as he begins his retirement on Tuesday, June 7.
Policy item "tucked away in massive state budget"
:-o
Bill would make it harder to see if state officials have conflicts of interest. (Wisconsin State Journal, 6/3/2011)
Excerpt: The measure was sponsored by Vos and the other five GOP Assembly members of the joint committee and is part of the Legislature's budget bill, which now goes to the Senate and Assembly for passage.
Vos, who owns businesses including a popcorn distribution company, defended the measure through his aide, Kit Beyer.
Beyer said the measure is meant to discourage those who merely want to snoop on officials' private lives or steal their business clients while continuing to make the statements available to "people who want to have it for a true reason rather than people just fishing around."
The statements themselves are not online. Currently, members of the public can request an official's statement be sent to them electronically or in the mail for 25 cents a page. The measure would require requesters to go to 212 E. Washington Ave. to review or copy the forms. All officials whose forms are requested are notified of the request and who made it.
The Government Accountability Board also publishes an online index that allows the public to search for all state officials who own stock in a specific company. But Ahmuty said the measure approved by the legislative budget committee likely would prohibit the GAB from providing that online search service.
Members of the Legislature, judges, top agency officials and members of state boards and commissions are required to fill out the statements.
Officials must disclose employers, investments, business activities, clients, business partners, real-estate holdings, creditors and other financial information for themselves and their immediate family members.
Bill would make it harder to see if state officials have conflicts of interest. (Wisconsin State Journal, 6/3/2011)
Excerpt: The measure was sponsored by Vos and the other five GOP Assembly members of the joint committee and is part of the Legislature's budget bill, which now goes to the Senate and Assembly for passage.
Vos, who owns businesses including a popcorn distribution company, defended the measure through his aide, Kit Beyer.
Beyer said the measure is meant to discourage those who merely want to snoop on officials' private lives or steal their business clients while continuing to make the statements available to "people who want to have it for a true reason rather than people just fishing around."
The statements themselves are not online. Currently, members of the public can request an official's statement be sent to them electronically or in the mail for 25 cents a page. The measure would require requesters to go to 212 E. Washington Ave. to review or copy the forms. All officials whose forms are requested are notified of the request and who made it.
The Government Accountability Board also publishes an online index that allows the public to search for all state officials who own stock in a specific company. But Ahmuty said the measure approved by the legislative budget committee likely would prohibit the GAB from providing that online search service.
Members of the Legislature, judges, top agency officials and members of state boards and commissions are required to fill out the statements.
Officials must disclose employers, investments, business activities, clients, business partners, real-estate holdings, creditors and other financial information for themselves and their immediate family members.
Friday, June 3, 2011
BookExpo America Panel Discussion on Book Banning
Excerpt: At a lively and thought-provoking BookExpo America panel, two bestselling authors and two nationally noted free speech advocates presented an overview and a frontline account of the tactics and trends of contemporary book banning.
The panel — “Book Banning 2011: A Report From the Front Lines of the Battle for Free Speech” — was held on Wednesday, May 25, and featured bestselling authors Laurie Halse Anderson (Speak, Twisted) and Robie Harris (It’s Perfectly Normal, It’s So Amazing!), Pat Scales, a defender of free speech in libraries for more than 30 years, and moderator Joan Bertin, executive director of the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC). The panel was sponsored by the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, the Association of American Publishers, the Freedom to Read Foundation, and PEN American Center.
Bramble's Retirement Leads to Search for 21st-Century Visionary to Lead Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library
Library seeks leader to close book on losses. Countywide system hopes to hire 21st-century visionary by November. (Indianapolis Star, 5/31/2011)
Excerpt: [Laura] Bramble, 63, started at Central Library in 1970 as a reference librarian. While she's championed programs for workforce development and childhood literacy, she knows her legacy will be having led the library during tough times.
"We've adapted, and we will continue to adapt," she said. "It doesn't mean we've stopped.
"We're still delivering good services."
The Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library has hired Kansas City, Mo.- based-Bradbury Associates/Gossage Sager Associates for about $25,000 to look for a new CEO.
The position was posted last week. Finalists will be interviewed in August, and the library board hopes to hire a CEO by November.
Related articles:
Library funding a front-burner issue. (6/3/2011)
Empty cup at the finish line? (4/30/2011)
Indiana House passes library funding bill before Democrats take a much needed road trip. (2/22/2011)
Indiana Senate moves more quickly than House on library bill. (2/10/2011)
No rest for IMCPL 'loyalists'. (2/9/2011)
'Library loyalists' provide a remedial lesson in funding priorities. (2/8/2011)
Legislative effort to provide more funding for IMCPL continues. (2/4/2011)
Show of support by IMCPL advocates. (1/25/2011)
Library angel. (1/17/2011)
Indianapolis Star editorial: "Give library a fair share of tax" (1/13/2011)
Sustainability in the form of a share of county income taxes. (1/12/2011)
Township deals comes undone. (1/8/2011)
Vote to restore library hours and rehire staff: Thanking God again in Wayne Township, Indiana. (12/16/2010)
Wayne Township's $200,000 for IMCPL: "Thank God it's a nice purpose". (12/8/2010)
Temporary fix (not yet approved ) to keep 4 IMCPL branches open. (11/19/2010)
ICMPL to lay off 37 employees. (11/12/2010)
Cuts in library hours, materials budget. (9/15/2010)
Library announces 26% cut in hours. (9/14/2010)
Indianapolis resident recommends book to local officials. (9/6/2010)
Library board votes to include 'shortfall appeal' option. (9/1/2010)
Library board to consider 'shortfall appeal'. (8/30/2010)
In close vote, library board cuts hours, staff. (8/20/2010)
Library grapples with its sustainable future. (8/16/2010)
Library projects a $7.3 million deficit by 2014. (7/29/2010)
Library board sez no branch closings in 2011. (7/15/2010)
Library supporters question Pacers deal. (7/15/2010)
High performance government team report. (7/11/2010)
Library board delays decision on libraries. (6/5/2010)
Another big turnout for libraries. (5/13/2010)
Mayor vows to keep library branches open. (5/12/2010)
Residents speak up for their libraries. (5/11/2010)
The neighborhood library as refuge. (5/2/2010)
Indianapolis Star editorial board keeps library funding issue front and center. (4/25/2010)
Efficiency experts look for ways to keep branch libraries open. (4/23/2010)
More than 1400 sign petition to keep Glendale branch open. (4/20/2010)
Editorial: Find resources for library. (4/19/2010)
What's in store for Indianapolis-area libraries? (4/17/2010)
Indiana Pacers bailout talks continue. (4/16/2010)
Postscript. (4/15/2010)
Look what's at the top of Indianapolis's to-do list. (4/14/2010)
A Challenge to Indianapolis-Marion County: Stand Up for Libraries. (4/13/2010)
Indianapolis Star Editorial: Library Funding a Front-Burner Issue
Don't drive the patrons away. (Indianapolis Star, 6/2/2011)
Excerpt: As the campaigns work their way toward November, library funding must be given a place on the lengthy list of front-burner issues facing candidates.
Just as the library's incoming boss must be prepared to adapt to rapid change in technology and patrons' needs, elected leaders must address the danger of a backslide.
Record numbers of residents were using the libraries when the decision was made to lay off 37 employees, shorten hours, add a day of closing each week and reduce the budget for books and other new materials. Since then, visits have declined 16 percent and circulation 4 percent; though, in keeping with the times, website use has seen a slight uptick.
The transforming effects of the digital age on libraries are nothing less than profound, giving rise to the temptation to view bricks-and-mortar venues and face-to-face contact as diminishing aspects that invite cost-cutting. But while economies are necessary in every category, it must be remembered that libraries fill a vital multifaceted role as community gathering places and service centers. If a spiral begins whereby residents drift away from them because they grow less welcoming, the loss to quality of life, especially in low-income areas, would be incalculable. We have seen it with IndyGo, which now represents a challenge to government far greater than stabilizing the libraries.
Related articles:
Empty cup at the finish line? (4/30/2011)
Indiana House passes library funding bill before Democrats take a much needed road trip. (2/22/2011)
Indiana Senate moves more quickly than House on library bill. (2/10/2011)
No rest for IMCPL 'loyalists'. (2/9/2011)
'Library loyalists' provide a remedial lesson in funding priorities. (2/8/2011)
Legislative effort to provide more funding for IMCPL continues. (2/4/2011)
Show of support by IMCPL advocates. (1/25/2011)
Library angel. (1/17/2011)
Indianapolis Star editorial: "Give library a fair share of tax" (1/13/2011)
Sustainability in the form of a share of county income taxes. (1/12/2011)
Township deals comes undone. (1/8/2011)
Vote to restore library hours and rehire staff: Thanking God again in Wayne Township, Indiana. (12/16/2010)
Wayne Township's $200,000 for IMCPL: "Thank God it's a nice purpose". (12/8/2010)
Temporary fix (not yet approved ) to keep 4 IMCPL branches open. (11/19/2010)
ICMPL to lay off 37 employees. (11/12/2010)
Cuts in library hours, materials budget. (9/15/2010)
Library announces 26% cut in hours. (9/14/2010)
Indianapolis resident recommends book to local officials. (9/6/2010)
Library board votes to include 'shortfall appeal' option. (9/1/2010)
Library board to consider 'shortfall appeal'. (8/30/2010)
In close vote, library board cuts hours, staff. (8/20/2010)
Library grapples with its sustainable future. (8/16/2010)
Library projects a $7.3 million deficit by 2014. (7/29/2010)
Library board sez no branch closings in 2011. (7/15/2010)
Library supporters question Pacers deal. (7/15/2010)
High performance government team report. (7/11/2010)
Library board delays decision on libraries. (6/5/2010)
Another big turnout for libraries. (5/13/2010)
Mayor vows to keep library branches open. (5/12/2010)
Residents speak up for their libraries. (5/11/2010)
The neighborhood library as refuge. (5/2/2010)
Indianapolis Star editorial board keeps library funding issue front and center. (4/25/2010)
Efficiency experts look for ways to keep branch libraries open. (4/23/2010)
More than 1400 sign petition to keep Glendale branch open. (4/20/2010)
Editorial: Find resources for library. (4/19/2010)
What's in store for Indianapolis-area libraries? (4/17/2010)
Indiana Pacers bailout talks continue. (4/16/2010)
Postscript. (4/15/2010)
Look what's at the top of Indianapolis's to-do list. (4/14/2010)
A Challenge to Indianapolis-Marion County: Stand Up for Libraries. (4/13/2010)
Listen up, West Warwick council members, Ed Fitzpatrick has some good advice
Ed Fitzpatrick: Library budgets should be last cuts in bad economic times. (Providence Journal, 6/2/2011)
Excerpt: To protect your library, you need to speak up now, Caplan said.
And West Warwick Councilman Edward A. Giroux plans to do just that at a June 14 Town Meeting. The proposed budget would cut library funding from $732,759 to $500,000, but that’s only part of the problem. State law requires that towns at least level-fund their libraries to qualify for state aid, so the proposed cut would result in the loss of $171,000 in state aid, he said.
Giroux said the town faces hard choices and council members have discussed reinstating some money. But he is sure the town can avoid devastating the library budget. He talked about tapping “rainy day” funds. He said the budget doesn’t factor in certain tax revenue. He said he’d consider a tiny tax increase. And he’d like the state to ease the level-funding requirement so towns receive aid if they maintain 90 percent of library funding.
“The library is critical to a community,” Giroux said, emphasizing that cuts would affect those who can least afford it: children, senior citizens and the poor.
Not to take anything away from Fox News, but as Walter Cronkite said: “Whatever the cost of our libraries, the price is cheap compared to that of an ignorant nation.”
Related article:
Rhode Island's West Warwick Public Library, 'The only place left to go', facing deep cuts to budget. (4/18/2011)
Ebooks, Netflix, and Library Building Projects (Part 53, Hartland Library)
Hartland Library To Reopen. (Hartford Courant, 6/31/2011)
Excerpt: A celebration of the completion of the six-month renovation project features a used book sale and refreshments. The project, which included STEAP grant assistance, was under the direction of Library Trustees, Town Selectmen, Joe Alicata, architect, and Josh Hackett of Hartland Homes LLC.
New additions feature Internet access, flooring, lighting, air conditioning, shelving, displays, a children's area with a tall arched window, and a hand-milled circulation desk. The library is funded by the town of Hartland and the Connecticut State Library, and operated and managed by a team of volunteer Trustees.
Branch Library to Open at Rutgers' Downtown Camden Campus
Paul Robeson Library
Rutgers steps in to help give Camden a new library. (Philadelphia Inquirer, 6/2/2011)
Excerpt: Sometime this fall, Camden's youngest residents will be able to walk among Rutgers-Camden students and faculty on their way to Camden County's newest branch library.
Construction has begun on the basement of the university's Paul Robeson Library to make room for a 5,000-square-foot downtown Camden branch. County and city officials gathered Wednesday to announce details of the partnership with Rutgers University.
Though a price has not been placed on the renovations, the county will pay for them. Camden residents will join the rest of county library users in paying a library tax of 4 cents per $100 of assessed property valuation starting later this year.
The much larger downtown Camden branch on Federal Street was shut in February when Mayor Dana Redd decided the city could no longer afford its 100-year-old system while facing a $26.5 million budget deficit.
The county Library Commission voted to absorb Camden's system, making it the 27th municipal participant. However, the county kept open only the Ferry Avenue branch. A small Fairview branch, shut in September, also remained closed.
Related articles:
College library will also serve as public library branch. (5/31/2011)
Branch now part of county system. (4/28/2011)
Downtown library closes for good. (2/10/2011)
Library decides to puts a positive spin on the situation. (1/16/2011)
Camden County Library System takes over Camden Free Public Library. (12/30/2011)
Reformatting the library. (10/16/2010)
2011 budget outlook remains bleak for Camden New Jersey. (10/9/2010)
Fairview branch library is closed for good. (9/8/2010)
Library board postpones decision on closing branch. (9/2/2010)
"An oasis in the desert". (8/15/2010)
Camden New Jersey squeeze play? (8/11/2010)
Camden mayor plays an odd game of library advocacy. (8/9/2010)
The library dumpster solution. (8/6/2010)
Mayor proposes 70% cut in library funding. (7/19/2010)
"My Reading History" @ your LINKcat Library
Grass Roots: Library checkout system opens patrons to scrutiny under Patriot Act. (Capital Times, 6/3/2011)
Excerpt: You might want to think twice about activating the "My Reading History" option on the updated computerized materials checkout system for the Madison Public Library. [Strictly speaking, it's not just Madison's "computerized materials checkout system". And the system, of course, does more than check out materials.]
Clicking "yes" to opt-in for the service means you'll have a handy record of what you've been reading if you need it. But the list of what materials you've checked out also will be available to federal authorities if they come knocking at the library door under the Patriot Act, the controversial anti-terrorist legislation rammed through a 9/11-stunned Congress in 2001 and quickly extended last week for four more years.
Not that you have anything to hide. The question is whether it's any business of the government what you've been reading.
All I can say is a reading history option would have been an instantly popular feature back in August 1994, when the 2nd-generation Dynix system went into operation.
Related article:
The LINKcat upgrade. (5/28/2011)
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Ebooks, Netflix, and Library Building Projects (Part 52, Margaret E. Heggan Free Public Library)
Expanded Washington Twp. library opens its doors. (Philadelphia Inquirer, 6/1/2011)
Excerpt: For Thomas Treusch, the relocated Washington Township library could not open soon enough.
"I've been unemployed for several months, and I was always using the computers and the other resources to look for work," said Treusch, 54, who lives in the township.
So when the expanded Margaret E. Heggan Free Public Library in Gloucester County opened its doors Wednesday, after several weeks to complete the move, he was first in line.
Fortunately for Treusch, the new library, on Delsea Drive, has 16 computers in a quiet area off the main room, twice as many as its predecessor about a block away on East Holly Avenue. Teenagers have their own computer lab with five stations, and younger children have six computers for their use.
The facility is much larger, too - nearly double the 10,000-square-foot former location. The old place was so tight that, in 2008, a member of the library's friends group reported that books.
Ebooks, Netflix, and Library Building Projects (Part 51, Boyden Library)
Foxborough library expansion plans stir dispute. (Boston Globe, 6/2/2011)
Excerpt: An ultramodern design for an expansion of Foxborough’s 1960s-era Boyden Library at Bird and Baker streets has caused a firestorm of controversy in the historic neighborhood, where residents have hired a lawyer to try to stop it.
According to Foxborough attorney Mark Stopa, who says he represents a group of a dozen or more residents, the $12 million renovation and expansion project is based on a design residents had never seen until recently. He said they also didn’t receive legal notice of a key meeting last August where the plan was granted zoning variances.
“Everyone agrees we should have a library that meets the town’s needs,’’ Stopa said. “We want a beautiful library we can all be proud of, not one that violates who we are as a town. And we ought to have a say in how it should look.’’
Town Meeting voters approved funding in May 2010 to upgrade and expand the large concrete library next to the town common. But controversy developed recently, particularly among those who live within sight of the library, when the voters learned that the design they thought they had approved — with a graceful, curved glass wall connecting the existing building with the new one — had been replaced with one dominated by an angular exterior overhang and dramatic glass stairway.
Ebooks, Netflix, and Library Building Projects (Part 50, Cherry Valley Library)
Cherry Valley library expansion may start in Aug. (Rockford Register-Star, 6/2/2011)
Excerpt: Construction could begin as soon as August on what leaders hope eventually will be a $4 million expansion of Cherry Valley Library.
Library Director Eve Kirk said there’s no timetable for completing the project, which aims to nearly double the size of the 13,300-square-foot building at 755 E. State St.
The expansion will be done in phases as the district is able to afford it.
“We’re not like the state or the federal government,” Kirk said. “We just can’t go into debt like that.”
The district has about $650,000 in reserves for the expansion project.
Officials don’t intend to issue bonds or levy new taxes to pay for the expansion, Kirk said.
“We could wait until we have collected all the money. That could be years from now, and we are desperately short of space right now,” Kirk said.
The district’s main source of revenue is its property tax levy, which amounts to about 28 cents per $100 of assessed property value.
About 55 percent of voters approved a 6.2-cent increase in the district’s general fund levy in 2006, an increase Kirk said will hope fund extra operating costs following the expansion.
The district has been unable to secure any grants for the project, but not for lack of trying, Kirk said.
Related articles:
Library keeps on truckin'. (8/21/2010)
Catch-22 keeps library expansion plans on hold. (2/2/2010)
Ebooks, Netflix, and Library Building Projects (Part 49, Waynesboro Public Library)
W'boro library begins new chapter. (Waynesboro News-Virginian, 6/1/2011)
Excerpt: For two weeks, a sign at the Waynesboro Public Library counted down the days until the start of construction on a $1.5 million renovation.
Excitement among staff and patrons culminated Tuesday when the number finally read zero, and construction began, said Zahir Mahmoud, executive director.
“Everyone is happy that the work has started,” he said. “We’re anxious to see the progress from beginning to end. We’re really thrilled about it.”
Lynchburg-based C.L. Lewis General Contractors began the project by partitioning off space where a new stairway connecting the building’s lower and main floors will be built, said library spokeswoman Marta Grove.
Workers then will replace the library’s HVAC unit before beginning upgrades to the lower floor, which will include a new Internet café and local history room.
Children’s spaces split between the two floors will be consolidated into an extended area on the upper floor. Other planned main-floor renovations include a new teen’s area, circulation desk and lobby.
Ebooks, Netflix, and Library Building Projects (Part 48, Athens-Clarke County Library)
A-C library turning new page. (Athens Banner-Herald, 6/1/2011)
Excerpt: But library patrons need not fear - you just have to go in the back way for a while.
Construction workers are cutting a new, temporary entrance in a back wall of the library as they prepare to give a multimillion-dollar expansion and renovation to the library building on Baxter Street.
"It's hard to believe after (only) 20 years we're overcrowded in some areas," said Kathryn Ames, director of the Athens Regional Library System.
But Athens' population and library use have grown dramatically in the years since the building opened in 1992.
About 2,000 people a day use the library for one reason or another during summer months, Ames said.
Now, the building doesn't always have enough space to accommodate children's programs, public gatherings and computer labs, she said. The library has 100 computers for the public and they almost always are in use, she said.
Beginning this month, workers will add about 20,000 square feet to the 63,000-square-foot library building, allowing for some much-needed breathing room.
Building Renovation News blog.
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