Cities push back against library closings

[IndianaGreen]

Cities push back against library closings

Will patrons here take a cue from those in other states and fight back?

By Heather Gillers and Tim Evans

Posted: April 10, 2010

In suburban Cleveland, people voted to raise property taxes to help fund libraries. In Cincinnati, voters approved a new library tax instead of closing libraries. And in Pittsburgh, residents rallied, wrote council members and successfully pushed the city to find the money to keep open libraries it threatened to close.

Across the nation -- as a sour economy straps government funding -- cities are confronting the possibility of library cutbacks and closures.

On Thursday, that reality hit home like the thud of "War and Peace" dropped on a tabletop.

The Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library announced it will consider closing up to six branches -- the result of declining revenues exacerbated by the state's newly enacted property tax caps.

The question now is what, if anything, will people in Indianapolis do about it?

"Indianapolis has a phenomenal reputation, a great service model," said Sari Feldman, president of the Public Library Association. "I'm sure people who live in Indianapolis want that to continue."

But will they be willing to pay for it?

http://www.indystar.com/article/20100410/LOCAL/4100332/Other-cities-have-fought-back-to-keep-library-branches-open-and-won

[indypaul]

1. How far would $5.5 Million have gone to prevent this?

Our stalwart City/County Council recently took funds
in the amount of $5.5million collected from Navistar
when they did not abide by their property tax abatement.
And gave the bulk of those funds to a "public-private"
partnership to promote convention and visitor business.
Had those funds been distributed in the same ratio as
the current property tax rates. This would have been
an amount in excess of $200,000 for the libraries.
Would that have prevented the closing of any of these
branch libraries now being considered? What is more
deserving for the citizens of this community and what
is more beneficial to our well being? The current
government leadership of this community has answered
that question by their recent actions. What must we
sacrifice next for the benefit of sub-standard wages
and employment opportunities?

[AngryOldDem]

2. Dayton, OH's libraries faced a similar situation a few years ago.

Ohio threatened to cut funding to libraries, which would have spelled disaster for the Dayton-Montgomery County Public Library. It launched a full-out campaign of petitions, public service meetings, and meetings with state legislators to get some of these cuts rolled back. It worked. Also, voters overwhelmingly passed an operating levy.

I think most people realize that there are some things that a society that is pretensed on civilization can't do without -- libraries are at the top of the list.

When I lived in Indy in the early to mid-'90s, I was impressed with the IMCPL I patronized, and I'm almost as impressed at the Hamilton County library I go to now. I hope somehow IMCPL can avoid closing doors and cutting services.