Sunday, November 8, 2009

Pittsburgh's Declining Population Major Factor in Library Funding Crisis

Link to November 3 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article, "CMU study that spurred library service cuts released today".

Excerpt: Pittsburgh's Achilles heel -- its declining population -- has undermined the Carnegie Library's ability to maintain its system of 19 branches. Coupled with declining public revenues, inflation and the recession, the nature of a shrinking city spurred the library's board of trustees last month to order the closing of four branches and the merger of two in 2010. The action was based on factors contained in a study by Carnegie Mellon University's Center for Economic Development prepared for the library last year. That study will be made public today when the library board releases it to the Allegheny Regional Asset Board, as part of the library's defense for the closings. The Asset District is the library's major source of funds -- $17.6 million this year and the same amount next year.

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