Spotlight on financial issues

Citation

Fitzsimons, E. (2003), "Spotlight on financial issues", The Bottom Line, Vol. 16 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/bl.2003.17016bab.002

Spotlight on financial issues

Keywords: Fund-raising, Politics, Library users, Libraries, Government libraries, Public libraries, School libraries, Funding, Government, Local government

In May of 2002, John N. Berry III wrote an editorial on the dangers of relying on fundraising titled "Don't let government off the hook" (Berry, 2002), While he admits that fundraising is useful and can "make adequate library service superior", he also points out that what is even more important is to ensure that libraries be seen as essential public services that deserve to be supported primarily from tax revenues, not donations (Berry, 2002). It appears that the American Library Association (ALA) and at least some libraries feel the same way.

ALA President Maurice Freedman's (2002) focus for his term of office is the "Campaign to save America's libraries". In a letter to members announcing this initiative, ALA points out that statewide budget cuts are a certainty in over 30 states. The association then urges members to use the campaign kit to influence legislators so that library budgets will not be cut simply because librarians were not heard from; to help patrons become aware of library funding issues; and to contact the media. The campaign began with a rally at the ALA 2003 Midwinter Meeting in Philadelphia, 24-29 January, and a program that included speakers who shared how recent budget cuts are affecting operations in their libraries. American Libraries quoted ALA President-Elect Carla Hayden as telling attendees: "We have a right to mobilize. We don't have to be quiet any more. We have to make sure America's libraries survive and thrive; it's in your job description" (American Libraries Online, 2003a).

The Campaign to Save America's Libraries could not be timelier. The news is full of reports about budget cuts that are impeding the provision of services at a time when library use is increasing. In its "Year in review", American Libraries (2002) listed budget cuts as one of the significant happenings for libraries in 2002. For example, the governors of North Carolina, Colorado, Virginia, and Wisconsin dealt with their shortfalls by drastically cutting aid to libraries. In Washington, the Seattle Public Library system had to close for two weeks, the governor tried to close the state library altogether, and the Minnesota State Library was as good as closed after its budget was slashed. Cost-cutting measures have ranged from Sunday closings in Erie, Pennsylvania, and in Binghamton, New York, all branches will close permanently (American Libraries, 2002; American Libraries Online, 2003b). The state librarian in Hawaii, Virginia Lowell, was probably right when she told the 11 February Honolulu Advertiser: "It's never again going to be business as usual. Traditional libraries, while lovingly held, are not the direction we are headed" (American Libraries Online, 2003c).

The following are just a few more examples of the difficulties facing libraries at a time when the failing economy is creating a demand for increased library services for everything from entertainment to job hunting. These cutbacks affect every type of library, from the one-person library to the state library, and every part of the nation.

In Washington, this January, the state senate voted to approve an acceleration of the two-year budget Governor Gary Locke had proposed, which includes cuts of $6.7 million to the budget of the state library in Olympia and would eliminate 39 positions. And, the cuts will now be effective 30 April 2003, instead of in June. Library operations and research assistance to state agencies would be affected, and the library would effectively be closed to the public.

One of the libraries in the news lately is the Florida State Library (Tallahassee). Governor Jeb Bush has proposed that the library, which is 159 years old, be closed. This will include cutting 55 jobs and saving $5.4 million. The plan was to move the state library's collection – nearly one million books, microfilms, and documents – to Florida State University at Tallahassee. However, the university announced that it does not have any space on campus for the 10.7 linear miles of shelving needed for the materials and there are no funds in the budget for such an acquisition. According to President T.K. Wetherell, the decision was final. "I don't see that they have the money. I don't see that they have a facility", he said in the 31 January, Tallahassee Democrat. "We're not playing a game. We're out of it."

Library directors throughout the state gathered in Tallahassee to identify alternatives. There were even directors who suggested that they would be willing to donate a portion of their state budgets to keep the library open. "One of the important roles of the state library is to provide an interface between citizens and their government", Marilyn Mason, chair of the Leon County Library Advisory Board, told the Democrat. "When you remove the state library, you remove the librarians that make access to that information possible; you are removing the ability of citizens to know what their governments are doing." To add insult to injury, Governor Bush's budget recommends cutting $111.5 million from university budgets statewide, including $17.6 million from FSU (American Libraries Online, 2003a).

In Massachusetts, librarians and library supporters gathered at the State House in Boston on 12 February, in a "Campaign to Save Their Libraries". Their goal was to reinstate funds that have been cut from the Massachusetts Library in the last few years. A new bond bill, "Restore the Core" (H.B. 1199), sponsored by Rep. Carol Donovan (D-Middlesex), was filed in the House in December and will be voted on in June. The purpose of the bill is to replace $3.3 million in funding for core services, including licensed databases, automated network connections, and regional delivery.

Although the bill's sponsors and the director of the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) are hopeful that the bill will pass, in an interview with American Libraries, the MBLC director, Robert Maier, pointed out: "We are fighting an uphill battle. If we don't get this and we lose more, regional library systems will have to cut whole categories of service." And it is indeed possible that they will lose more, as Governor Mitt Romney's FY 2004 budget, which will be completed the end of February, could make additionalcuts to library funds (American Libraries Online, 2003c).

In California, budget cuts have required libraries to reduce services, and yet, at the same time, library use there is also increasing. The 8 February San Jose Mercury News reported that the San Jose Public Library froze 30 vacant positions, leaving one-tenth of the positions empty. In Santa Clara, while the vacant positions are frozen for the rest of the year, and staff are encouraged to make other cuts, they actually need more staff, as circulation in December 2002 increased by 20 percent. In the same vein, the Stockton-San Joaquin County Public Library has stopped buying books and other materials until the new fiscal year begins in July (American Libraries Online, 2003c).

A $158-million capital expansion plan for the King County (Wash.) Library System failed to garner the 60 percent supermajority of the county-resident votes required for passage. Only 52 percent voted in favor of the levy on 4 February. Had the measure passed, it would have funded a ten-year improvement plan, adding four new branches and making improvements on some of the existing 42 branches. This means that the system will have to use some of the basic operating funds for necessary building improvements, which, in turn, means cutting back hours or acquisitions in the future (American Libraries Online, 2003c).

An 11 percent tax increase in Snohomish and Island counties that would have given the Sno-Isle (WA) Regional Library System $2.4 million to maintain services and materials in the system's 20 libraries, failed as well. As in other libraries, the failure to secure this funding will adversely affect library services, operating hours, equipment, and collections. According to the 6 February, Seattle Times, library director Mary Kelly has said that the board may be resubmitting the measure later in the year (American Libraries Online, 2003c).

In Hawaii's public library system, budget cuts amount to a $500,000 reduction of the $23.4 million 2001-2002 budget, which itself had been cut by 2 percent, or $424,504. The cuts will force a reduction in hours and the elimination of four bookmobiles that serve communities on the islands of Oahu, Hawaii, Maui, and Mokokai. No library will be allowed to be open more than 40 hours per week or for more than five days per week, a cut of ten or 20 hours for some of the larger libraries. These measures will take effect in mid-March. State Librarian Virginia Lowell is proposing new ways to reach patrons and new sources of revenue:

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  Internet kiosks in long-term care facilities, prisons, and shopping malls;

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  a debit-card system for computer printout charges and telephone reference assistance; and

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  a public fax (American Libraries Online, 2003c).

In Wisconsin, the smallest libraries are concerned about their 2004 budgets. If state funding does not come through as needed, they will have to cut back on services. And, as with other libraries in the country, their circulation is growing. For some of these small libraries even a small change in funding makes a difference. "They are places where a $500 donation for encyclopedias goes a long way, where the 'Cookie Walk' bake sale is still an important fund-raiser and where the eight decorated Christmas trees are as prized as the Dewey Decimal System … several [have] annual budgets less costly than a single municipal snowplow truck" (Hummel, 2002).

Fortunately, although the state is running a budget deficit, 2003 does not look bad for these little libraries. Some of them even have slight increases. The future, however, does not look so rosy. Byron Olson, 70, president of the Winnefox Library System board and a 15-year volunteer at Wild Rose's tiny Patterson Memorial Library, who was quite satisfied with the current funding, observed that 2003 was going to be fine: "That is, if everyone comes forth with what (funding) they told us they are going to do. The really big crunch – and it's going to come – will be from the state budget" (Hummel, 2002). Pat Chevis, director of Dane County's Stoughton Public Library and chair-elect of the Wisconsin Library Association's Small Library Round Table, was concerned that losing state revenue might mean closure for some of the smallest, one-person libraries, some of which are open no more than 25 hours per week (Hummel, 2002).

Georgia will be imposing a 2 percent budget cut for each state agency, including the Georgia Public Library Service, which will make the cut out of the allotment it gives local libraries to purchase books. For example, the Chattahoochee Valley Regional Library System's $521,000 book budget will be cut by $20,454. With the average cost of a book at $30, the library will have to purchase 682 fewer books. Unfortunately, the library cannot make up the difference from other line items. The effects of the reduced state funding will have a similar impact in libraries throughout the state. Lamar Veatch, the state librarian, sent a letter to local librarians explaining the decision to make the cut in the book budget. The intention was that because "legislators might be inclined to see the impact of the reduction and hear from their supporters how this reduction negatively affects the services they currently receive from libraries" (Rice, 2002).

In November of 2002, in spite of previous reassurances from the college president and provost that core academic offerings would be protected, Dartmouth College (Hanover, NH) announced that several departments – particularly the humanities – will be asked to reduce their course offerings. Particularly distressing to faculty is the $1 million cut from the library budget, which might reduce the size of the permanent collection, decrease the available electronic sources, and effect serious cutbacks in the specialized libraries. Many professors rank the downsizing of the 11 libraries among the most upsetting and controversial long-term effects of the budget cuts, affecting the faculty's teaching and research. "The library is a very sensitive issue. It's our pride and joy that almost anything we need is available", said religion department chair, Ronald Green (Spradling, 2002).

In Evansville, Indiana, school librarians were hit with budget cuts unanimously approved by the school board in January. The cut eliminated certified media specialist positions (22) in all elementary and middle schools in the city and Vandenburgh County. This would save $650,000 of the over $11 million in programs and personnel slated for cuts. The libraries themselves will not be closed, but will be staffed exclusively by aides (American Libraries Online, 2003d).

The Oklahoma Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped in Oklahoma City Blind, may have to close on 1 July if the proposed 20 percent budget cut goes through. This would be the first time in the USA that a library for the blind has closed because of budget constraints. Federal law requires accommodations for blind public schoolchildren. The library serves 5,300 blind and disabled Oklahomans, most of them seniors, and provides Braille textbooks for blind pupils in public schools. The state Rehabilitation Services Department is encouraging patrons to contact lawmakers to urge them to head off a budget reduction that would force the library to close. A Rehabilitation Department newsletter to library patrons directs them to a Web site that lists names and telephone numbers of legislators, and a final decision on budgeting will be made at the end of May. The response from patrons thus far has been encouraging (American Libraries Online, 2003a; Talley, 2003).

In addition to these, there are many more stories about budget cuts and, of course, library news columns usually publish reports of successful fundraising projects or projects funded by grants. These are certainly occasions for celebration, but they are often a reminder that the state or municipality has not provided adequate funding for its libraries.

Clearly libraries will – and should – continue to apply for grants and implement fundraising campaigns. However, with the enormity of the budget crises, along with the increasing need for library services, it is also evident that fundraisers will not be adequate. With so many of these cuts following on previous cuts or the first of several, it behoves librarians to take Berry's words to heart and not "let Government off the hook."

Eileen FitzsimonsFitzsimons Editorial Services

ReferencesAmerican Libraries (2002), "Year in review", American Libraries, December, pp. 35-40.American Libraries Online (2003a), "News briefs" American Libraries Online, 3 February, available at: www.ala.org/alonline/news/2003/030203.htmlAmerican Libraries Online (2003b), "Recession: libraries confront budget crisis with cutbacks and closures", American Libraries Online, available at; http://www.ala.org/alonline/news/recession2003.htmlAmerican Libraries Online (2003c), "News briefs", American Libraries Online, 17 February, available at: www.ala.org/alonline/news/2003/030217.htmlAmerican Libraries (2003d), "News briefs", American Libraries Online, 10 February, available at: http://www.ala.org/alonline/news/2003/030210.htmlBerry, J. (2002), "Don't let Government off the hook", (Editorial), Library Journal, 1 May, p. 8.Freedman, M. (2002), Campaign to Save America's Libraries, press release, available at: http://www.ala.org/pio/campaign_to_save_americas_libraries.html.Hummel, A. (2002), "Budget crisis not 'shushing' libraries yet", Oshkosh Northwestern, 22 December, available at: (WL25936331) www.westlaw.comRice, M. (2002), "State budget cuts will limit new books in Valley libraries", Columbus Ledger-Enquirer (GA), 9 October, available at: (WL18358593) www.westlaw.comSpradling, J. (2002), "Dartmouth's budget reductions force course cuts", The Dartmouth via U-WIRE, 8 November, available at: (WL104240119) www.westlaw.comTalley, T. (2003), "Library for blind might close", Daily Oklahoman, 30 January, p. 4A, available at: (WL63293530) www.westlaw.com