[Publib] re: budget cut

[James Casey]

I've also heard of scenarios where a public library reduced the most popular hours to protest cuts and public sentiment turned against the Library for "playing politics".  Cutting the busiest hours to "send a message" could end up punishing the Library's most loyal supporters and making the Library less relevant to the community.  We have heard of situations where the Library was totally eliminated (Corning, Salinas, school libraries by the thousands, etc.) under the pretext that "we have the Internet and don't need libraries."

I'm not saying that eliminating the most popular hours doesn't work on occasion, but such battling doesn't necessarily have the same impact in all communities.

Jim Casey
 Director of Oak Lawn Public Library
  ALA Council Member



-----Original Message-----
From: publib-bounces at webjunction.org [mailto:publib-bounces at webjunction.org] On Behalf Of Sara Weissman
Sent: Friday, August 08, 2008 12:30 PM
To: publib at webjunction.org
Subject: [Publib] re: budget cut

From: "Catharine Cook" <cathcook at chickasha.lib.ok.us>
Back when Melvil Dewey was still alive and I had just started library  school,I heard
this story -- possibly apocryphal -- about the University of Colorado libraries and
assaults on their budget made by the Colorado
Legislature.  Some staff members suggested cutting serials for those departments
with the fewest graduate students because that would disadvantage the fewest
people.  However, so the story goes, the wise Director said no.  Instead he cut all
evening hours just before finals week.
This caused a hullabaloo, which was just his point.  The funds were restored.

I have always remembered this and think there is some truth in this philosophy.
Make the cuts where the most people will be disadvantaged  and where the cuts
will be most visible.  Let the funders then take the heat.
If you cut in some less visible way, no one will ever know or care.

Catharine Cook


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