Library funding continues to worsen
As a result of declining state revenue, our Library is now facing a $16 million funding shortfall in 2010, a decrease of 28%. Without a steady source of additional funding we are facing the unimaginable—closure of up to half of our branch libraries. Libraries that will remain open will also face severe cuts including reduced staffing, severe reductions in hours, reduced computer availability and a reduction in the purchasing of new materials.
Think about what closing 20 branches will mean to this community. First, there’s the building itself. It’s there in the heart of your neighborhood. It’s a familiar place. You walk or drive past it often. Your kids go there after school. Now imagine it empty. Doors locked. Sold, perhaps even demolished.
But a branch library is much more than a building. It’s also the people who work there. It’s the children’s librarian who leads the preschool storytime introducing a new generation of children to a love of books and reading. It’s the reference librarian who knows all the good mystery writers and shares her love of good books with you with enthusiasm. That same reference librarian also helps when you need the car repair manual for your not so new car, or a magazine article to finish a homework assignment or a travel guide for your trip to a faraway destination. And if you can’t go there in person, you can go there through books and the librarian’s there to help with that too. It’s the smile on the face of the man at the desk as he gives a young child his first library card, helps you find a book on the shelf or place a hold.
A branch library is also about the thousands of materials available to the residents of Hamilton County. Thousands of books, CDs, DVDS and other resources available at your fingertips. Not to mention free computer access for users who need it to find a new job or for school work. What happens to all these resources when a branch library closes?
Without the additional funding a local tax levy would provide our Library is faced with making cutbacks that will devastate this system. Every single branch will be affected either through closings, reduced hours, staff reductions or some other form of reduction. Our Library system will no longer have the capabilities to provide the needed services to children, families, seniors and adults who have come to depend on us year after year.
We have an outstanding public library. For the fourth consecutive time our Library is ranked among the top 10 libraries in the country serving a population of 500,000 or more. We’ve served the residents of Hamilton County for 156 years. Our Main Library is the busiest main library in the country. Our children, teens, and adults of all ages rely on the many services we offer. We know our Library is important to you—because you use our services and we’re busier than ever with circulation on pace to increase by nearly 1 million again this year. To continue this long tradition of excellence we need adequate funding. Without it the unimaginable may become reality.
