Governor's Budget and What it Means for Library Systems
It is distressing that Governor Patterson has chosen to propose yet another cut to our library system funding. If supported by the legislature, this is the fifth cut in two years: from $102.8 million in 2007/2008 fiscal year to the proposed budget of $84.5 million for 2010/2011. For more information on New York Library Association's position, see http://www.nyla.org/index.php?page_id=1883.
The three NY Library systems (NY 3Rs, Public Libraries and School Libraries) cannot sustain these severe budget cuts. To make matters worse, there does not seem to be a library champion in the legislature to help us fight these cuts. Please click on the tab Find Your Representative to find out who represents you. Now is the time to contact your legislators and help us fight for libraries.
User Stories Posted
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Library Advocacy Day
Happy New Year to all of you who are back to work after the holidays! This is a friendly reminder to all librarians and library support staff in Western New York that Library Advocacy Day in Albany is scheduled for Tuesday, March 2, 2010.
It's critical that we visit our legislators before and after Library Advocacy Day, but it's also important to have a strong showing in Albany. The most important item we are asking of legislators is to restore the library funding that has been cut both in 2008/2009 and 2009/2010 fiscal years - a total of $11 million. Another critical agenda item is the legislation (S.4248/A.6155) that proposes the modification of the Public Library Construction Grants program to lessen the burden on local governments by requiring a 25% match instead of a 50% match. The legislation is also requesting that the construction grants be used to purchase vacant land or buildings. These changes will encourage more projects and enable cash-strapped communities to participate in the program. For a complete list of 2010 Legislative budget priorities, see http://www.nyla.org/index.php?page_id=1837 on the NYLA website.
What's Happening Now
by Sheryl Knab, Executive Director of the Western New York Library Resources Council
All three library systems in New York State are still waiting for the remaining distribution of 2009/2010 system aid. Library system funding has already been cut three times in the last 20 months from $102 million in 2007 to $99 million in 2008 to $91 million in April 2009 and more recently to $87 million with the latest round of deficit reductions. This $4.2 million overall cut brings Library System Aid down to funding levels not seen since 1998.
What is especially frustrating is the legislature voted to increase the dollar amount of library funding to be cut over what Governor Paterson had proposed in November. This has never happened before. In the past libraries had champions in both the assembly and in the senate. This no longer appears to be the case. For more information about library system funding cuts see NYLA's website at http://www.nyla.org.
What do the cuts mean for Western New York libraries and the systems that support them? Coordinated Collection Development Aid (CCDA) that the 16 Western New York academic libraries receive through their regional 3Rs will purchase less resources than it did last year - if any at all. The NY 3Rs have not received any indication that CCDA funding will even be distributed which is typically sent in September. Hospital libraries in Western New York depend on state funding the NY 3Rs receives for the Hospital Library Services Program to provide doctors and nurses access to highly specialized databases and resources as well as expertise from the program's circuit librarians.
Continuing education opportunities may not include much needed technical training that may have been affordable just 12 months ago. Funding that in the past has been awarded directly to member libraries in the form of grants may be reduced or eliminated all together as library systems determine which core services (delivery, database access, training, etc.) take priority. Hours of operation at many public libraries will be less with some prime coverage eliminated including evenings and weekend hours. Fewer hours means less access to computers and the Internet for job searchers. Prompt delivery of books between a public library system's branches is sure to be impacted as delivery options such as fewer stops are considered.
Library system funding provides benefits to all types of libraries. When systems experience the severity of the cuts like they have in the last two years, it is reasonable to expect that the aggregated services the systems provide to their member libraries such as system wide access to databases, central cataloging, training, programming, grants, delivery, centralized online catalog, technical expertise, and information services will also be impacted.
What can you do? As a librarian who works for or as a patron who uses a library in Western New York, it is very likely that your local library belongs to one or more of the three state funded library systems - Public, School, or the 3Rs. Inform your legislators that you find this funding situation untenable. Encourage them to be the champion libraries so desperately need. Use the resources on this website to help you make a statement.