excellent ltte on public libraries by a local librarian

[w8liftinglady]

http://www.thedailylight.com/articles/2011/03/15/opinion/doc4d7f96dca08e9016699264.txt

To the Editor,

I truly don’t believe most people, including our state legislators, are aware of the devastation the proposed state budget cuts will cause to our public library system.

Cutting 99 percent of all public library funding will directly hurt every public library in the state. In our case it means the loss of our Summer Reading Program and about $2,200 for new books, movies and music and even worse the planned cuts will take away the only support structure we have — our regional library system.

The budget cuts will eliminate the matching funds needed for the state library to receive the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) federal grant, which provides the money to operate the 10 regional library system offices statewide.

Our regional library system, North Texas Library Partners, has written numerous grants for our library for educational programs and computers. They recently wrote a grant for three public libraries, including ours, to start homebound outreach programs, which made it possible for us to take library services to those who can’t come to our library. They helped us join a consortium with 13 other libraries to share each other’s materials and to afford up-to-date library software.

Our regional library system also provides free tech support for our computers, creates outstanding promotional posters and flyers for our programs and offers free continuing education workshops for our staff and the public.

I’m afraid, without our regional library system, we won’t be able to continue to provide the free services the people in our community need.

Most people in Alvarado, and the surrounding areas in Johnson County, can’t afford high speed Internet access, a computer or even a cell phone with Internet access. They use our computers to find jobs, communicate with their relatives who are serving in the armed forces overseas, to complete their GED or college education online, and to do research on subjects like finding the best hospitals or treatments for various forms of cancer.The proposed budget cuts take away our best resource for receiving grants for new computers, and free tech support for our computers.

Some public library directors in North Texas had hoped the state librarian would propose reducing the number of regional library system offices from 10 down to two. One office could be located in North Texas and the other in Austin, which would reduce the number of staff and the amount office space necessary but still leave enough staff that all of us could receive the help we need.

There must be a way to reinstate part of the funding for public libraries. If enough people contact their legislators, the governor, and the state librarian a solution will be found. Contact information is available on a hand-out at our library and on our library’s website: www.alvaradopubliclibrary.org Thanks to our Library Board Vice-president,Ruth Daniels we’ve also started a petition to reinstate public library funding.The petition is available at the circulation desk and various volunteers will be taking it around town.

Leanna Cowan

Director

Alvarado Public Library

210 N. Baugh St.

Alvarado, TX 76009-3900

www.alvaradopubliclibrary.org