[Publib] Budget Cut lists -- Philly Mayor Booed

[James Casey]

I couldn't agree more with Kent, Robert and Fred as to the importance of rallying public opinion in support of public libraries in the face of severe budget cutting.  Whenever it is suggested that cuts in newsletter and PR are needed, my tendency is to keep those lines funded so that we can continue getting our message out to the community.

One argument that is sometimes overlooked is that public libraries are quite often the ONLY libraries available for students in k-12 schools where school media centers either don't exist or are closed promptly at 3:30 PM each weekday.  A look at any property tax bill will show that about 67% of all property taxes go to support public education.  That shows how important our communities believe education for our children is as a major priority.  Good schools can't prosper without library service in support of homework and study.  Public libraries deliver that service for students not only of the public schools, but of parochial and private and home school students as well.  And Public libraries provide that vital service often 7 days per week for a small fraction of the money that public education requires.

James B. Casey  -- My own views
Director - Oak Lawn Public Library
ALA Council Member



________________________________
From: publib-bounces at webjunction.org [publib-bounces at webjunction.org] On Behalf Of Kent Oliver [koliver at starklibrary.org]
Sent: Tuesday, December 30, 2008 2:00 PM
To: 'Robert Balliot'; publib at webjunction.org; Fred Beisser
Subject: RE: [Publib] Budget Cut lists -- Philly Mayor Booed

This is an intriguing line of discussion. We target personnel and materials because they are the largest portions of our budget (67% and 13%). We are routinely tough on bidding for services and supplies.  We attempt to forecast budget revenues well in advance.  At SCDL we began freezing selected open positions and adjusting staff about 12 months ago.

One example of a cost savings measure we took was to change from internal public security (guards) to totally contracted services. We plan on saving about $40,000 this year.

This marketing comment caught my attention.  We are being out marketed. I have always contended that public libraries are the best kept secrets in their community with a loyal following.  It is a challenge to budget enough for advertising and promotions to compliment the good will and visibility achieved through such services as programs.

Regarding priority services,  the article about Pasadena’s planning process in this issue of Public Libraries and the questions they asked was interesting. (  How many of us are really willing to ask the tough questions and make a 180 degree change in our service delivery?)  Some of our staff recently attended PLA boot camp in Cleveland and are very excited about this adjusted strategic planning approach.

Kent

Kent Oliver, Executive Director
Stark County District Library
715 Market Ave., N., Canton, OH 44702
W: 330 458 2710 FAX: 330 455 9596
KOliver at starklibrary.org<mailto:KOliver at starklibrary.org>
For ALA President at: www.KentonOliver.com<http://www.KentonOliver.com>

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