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November 26, 2008

Close libraries, diminish us

Philadelphia Inquire

Posted on Tue, Nov. 25, 2008

Walter Fox
is a Philadelphia writer

In 1787, Thomas Jefferson wrote to a friend, "Were it left for me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate to prefer the latter."

Often quoted as proof of Jefferson's commitment to press freedom, this statement offers a more profound observation: A democratic society cannot survive without an informed citizenry. Jefferson underscored this view in his next sentence: "But I should mean that every man should receive those papers, and be capable of reading them."

Were Jefferson to revisit Philadelphia today, he might be tempted to update his remarks by including libraries along with newspapers, because this great champion of a free marketplace of ideas would be the first to condemn a government act that restricts citizens' access to information.

Philadelphia faces a fiscal crisis of monumental proportions, and serious efforts must be made to trim expenditures. But there is a qualitative difference between cutting back on snow-plowing and closing libraries. One inconveniences citizens; the other diminishes their ability to govern themselves.

While Mayor Nutter would deny that the decision to close libraries was anything more than a budgetary measure, the effect is tantamount to deciding which citizens have access to information and which do not. It is as much an affront to democratic principles as circulating newspapers only in areas where residents can afford the products advertised.

Both reverse a long-standing American trend: the democratization of information. Its milestones have included the appearance of the "penny press" in the 1830s and the expansion of the neighborhood library system at the end of that century.

The implication is that the governing process henceforth will be in the hands not of all citizens, but of an elite who can afford their own personal computers and other big-ticket information technologies.

Libraries, like newspapers, have long served as continuing-education systems for those whose thirst for knowledge exceeds their means. Generations of immigrants and working-class Americans whose financial straits excluded them from university lecture halls educated themselves in the reading rooms of public libraries.

For retired senior citizens, libraries are places where they can maintain an active connection to the community and the wider world. For city schools without libraries - sadly, about half of them - the local Free Library branch fills the gap. For many of the city's young people, the local library is a cultural oasis amid abandoned housing, drug trafficking and gang warfare. They may use the library to read newspapers and magazines, or to access the Internet.

If the mayor and City Council really want to cut the fat out of the city's budget, there are still plenty of places left to do it. They could end the real estate tax-abatement program for buyers of new homes and luxury condominiums. They could scale down the Fourth of July celebration and reduce the number of fireworks displays. They could even require Council members to use their own cars for transportation.

All of these measures, while causing no small amount of disappointment or inconvenience for the people affected, would save considerable sums of money.

But closing libraries is another matter. Rather than cutting fat out of the budget, it cuts the heart out of the democratic process.

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'Star reader,' 10, among honorees at Newark Public Library gala

by Jamie Duffy/For the Star Ledger
Monday November 17, 2008, 7:55 PM

Jamie Duffy
Reaching for the stars: Cory Booker, Newark's mayor, introduced Mahishan Gnanaseharan, a future astronomer and honoree at Newark Public Library's annual gala, Thurs. Nov 13 at Nanina's in the Park, Belleville. Booker escorted Mahishan to his waiting parents.
Someday Mahishan Gnanaseharan will discover some planet or meteor. "That's my goal," says the ten-year-old, born in Sri Lanka and now a gifted and talented student at Abington Avenue School student in Newark.

For now, his aspirations to become an astronomer will grow at the Newark Public Library's First Avenue branch, a milieu so inspiring he once gobbled up the first six Harry Potter books in one month.

That was when he was in second grade.

Since then, he's read more than 1,000 books, won a gold medal for reciting poetry and won three spelling bees including the big one in his adopted city of Newark.

Accompanied by his parents, father Selliah, an ESL teacher in Clifton and his mother, Nirmala, a nurse at Clara Maass Medical Center, young Mahishan was introduced by Newark Mayor Cory Booker at the Newark Public Library's annual gala Thursday, held at Nanina's in the Park in Belleville.

Organizers for the gala named "Booked for the Evening" hoped to raise for the library's annual fund.

Mahishan was part of an impressive peer group of honorees that included Trish Morris-Yamba, executive director of Newark Day Center and former library board president and her husband, A. Zachary Yamba, president of Essex County College; recently retired Newark superintendent of schools Marion Bolden and Dennis Bone, president of Verizon New Jersey and chairman of New Jersey's State Council on Adult Literacy and Education Service who also chaired the gala.

Honorees Andrea and Warren Grover not only support the library but met there in the microfiche room more than 40 years ago. Warren, a founding member of the Newark History Society and former president of the Jewish Historical Society of Metrowest penned Nazis in Newark, the story of the Minutemen, a band of Jewish hoodlums, boxers and college boys who fought a bunch of local Nazis in the time leading up to World War II.

She is an adjunct professor of humanities at New York University where she teaches Italian cultural and Italian Jewish history.

Sandra "Sandy" King, executive producer for NJN's "Due Process" and the evening's emcee, had her own Newark Library story. Speaking of her friend Brooke Tarabour, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan New Jersey-Newark who was seated next to her at dinner, she told of how the two of them would walk home from the library "a bagel from Watson's in one hand and our books for the week in the other."

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$159K Bookmobile nearly ready to roll

by Warren Cooper / Hunterdon County Democrat
Tuesday November 25, 2008,

Photo by Ben Scheetz
The county library's new vehicle replaces one that toured Hunterdon's roads for 18 years. Graphic artist Jim Thatch based its paint job on the county library card, which he created in 2007.

The county library's new bookmobile could hit the road as early as next week. The $159,000 vehicle replaces one that carried books and other materials around Hunterdon roads for 18 years.

The brightly painted blue and gold bookmobile has custom wooden shelves, skylight fans, automatic snow chains and a retractable windshield curtain to help keep the interior warm during the winter. It also sports a retractable awning to shade patrons and offer some protection against rain in the summer. According to Floyd Saums, assistant library director, the bookmobile will carry about 2,500 items, the same as the vehicle it replaces.

The bookmobile's exterior graphics were designed by Jim Thatch, the library exhibit artist who intended it to match the library cards he designed and that the library introduced in the summer of 2007. Mr. Thatch said the colors and logo advance the library's "brand."

"You can't miss our brand," said Library Director Mark Titus, "it's all over there."

"The color combination makes you feel really happy and good," said Library Commission Director Thomas Valesek at the Commission's meeting on Nov. 21, the day the bookmobile was on display at the library on Route 12.

"Spiffy," said library patron Kathy Chaconas of Raritan Township as she passed the bookmobile while she was exiting the library. "You certainly won't miss it."

During the declining years of the old bookmobile, the library was forced to reduce its scheduled runs around the county. Even so, 2008 bookmobile circulation exceeds what it was last year at this time by more than 45%, according to library records.

"This is definitely a bookmobile county," said Mr. Titus.

Now that the new bookmobile has arrived, the library can expand the service, said Mr. Saums. Officials want to use it to reach seniors and nursery school children and everyone in between, he said, perhaps adding runs to supermarkets and other spots residents already go. They're even trying to work out a plan to bring the bookmobile to large county employers.

"It's a wonderful service," said Ms. Chaconas carrying library books to her car. "Everyone should read more," she said, "especially me."

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November 25, 2008

Tough times squeeze Princeton Public Library

Friday, November 21, 2008 Princeton Packet
By Greg Forester, Staff Writer

Worsening economic conditions and falling revenue have Princeton Public Library officials mulling a reduced 2009 budget that leaves open the possibility of reducing the hours the library will be open and layoffs.

The $4,573,021 operating budget, which was under review by the board of trustees Tuesday and may still be amended, represents a 2.3 percent decrease from last year’s version.

The reduction was possible through the elimination of two vacant positions, a freeze on non-emergency hiring, reductions in office costs and employee cost of living increases, and the elimination of a longevity payment program that provided bonuses to long-term employees.

But those cost-saving measures leave the library with little recourse should economic conditions worsen and revenue fall further, according to library officials. If that were to occur, the library could be forced to resort to staff layoffs and a reduction of services, according to a budget memorandum prepared by Ms. Burger.

She said there is an expectation that income could be as down by as much as 14 percent this year.
”Right now, we’re doing the best we can,” Ms. Burger said.

Some of the impetus for proposing this “no growth” budget came from municipal officials, according to library budget documents.

In total, the library is requesting $3,734,913 from the two Princeton municipalities, or approximately $37,000 more than what the library received from the municipalities last year. The borough and the township covered 79 percent of last year’s budget, Ms. Burger said.

Besides the money coming from the municipalities, the library generates revenue through a variety of sources, including private support donations, fees, fines, grants, and income from the library’s endowment.

But endowment income is expected to be down by as much as $37,000 due to economic conditions, according to Ms. Burger.

She said revenue from late fees on library books and money generated through DVD rentals and other library business is also expected to decline.

Major cost increases in the new budget include rising energy costs, which have not yet experienced the same price declines as retail gasoline, and a dramatic increase in employee pension contribution, Ms. Burger said.

There was also a minor increase in state health benefits and building maintenance costs.

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November 18, 2008

Bridgeton considers best way to decide library's fate

The Press of Atlantic City

(Published: Tuesday, November 18, 2008)

BRIDGETON - City Council members briefly discussed Monday night how to best decide the fate of the city's small public library, which may end up on the chopping block if the cash-strapped city's budget woes get worse.

The issue was brought up yet again during City Council's pre-meeting work session, and it followed a presentation Business Administrator Arch Liston made earlier this month about possible solutions to the fiscal and structural problems at the library.

Councilman Bill Spence suggested City Council hold a public hearing to discuss the issue, which officials acknowledged will be highly controversial. Council President Celeste Riley agreed.

Riley also said she believed it best to hold off on tackling the issue until after the New Year. Funding for the library will continue, she said, until the city's current budget year ends June 30.

"Let's not ruin anybody's Christmas over it," Riley added.

Currently, the city only pays personnel costs for the six full-time and three part-time employees at the library, which was founded in 1923 by public referendum and initially located in a historic 1816 bank building at the corner of Bank and East Commerce streets. It underwent an expansion in the 1960s and currently holds a collection of about 60,000 items.

According to library Executive Director Gail Robinson, utility and other operational costs are paid for by revenue the library brings in on its own.

Problems with the building's roof and heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems, however, are causing alarm for city officials, who estimate that repair costs will range from $600,000 to $1.5 million.

In his comments to City Council, one solution Liston suggested was to close the library and offer a citywide shuttle service to the county-run library located further down the street, less than two miles away on the city's eastern edge.

That alternative, Liston said Monday, would bring a cost savings of up to $1 million over five years.

"(The library) is an impact on the tax rate every year," he said. "From a business standpoint, it's a logical decision."

Riley, though, said she was certain the shuttle plan would draw resistance.

"It would be very difficult to go the bus route without fighting," she added.

Lake Street resident Al Tugman, who serves as treasurer on the library's board of trustees, said after the meeting that the library - and its location in the heart of the city's downtown - performs a critical function for the many city residents who use the facility.

"It's in the population center," he said.

Robinson, who was walking past City Hall on her way home from work Monday night and ran into officials leaving the City Council meeting, said the library is very well utilized and that its absence would be sorely felt by its patrons.

"Clearly, I think there's a need for this library," she said. "We're very busy."

Tugman said the library draws an average of about 6,500 visitors a month, a figure based on statistics that have been kept since the library began counting patron visits in October 2007.

"A lot of children who do not have a computer at home - who may not have any books at home or who may not have parents who speak English - are finding resources in the library that make it possible for them to compete with kids who take all these advantages for granted," Tugman said. "In wealthy New Jersey towns, the public library is a luxury. But in a struggling city like Bridgeton, it is an absolute necessity."

Aside from Tugman, there were no other citizens at Monday night's City Council meeting, which had been rescheduled from its regular Tuesday date to avoid a conflict with the League of Municipalities convention in Atlantic City.

Councilmen Al Kelly and Dennis Thompson were also absent.

The meeting was conducted in its entirety in about 12 minutes, although no one at City Hall on Monday night could say whether that was a record time.

E-mail John Martins:

JMartins@pressofac.com

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November 17, 2008

Trenton resolves library crisis

Agreement with state keeps branches open
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Times of Trenton
BY ANDREW KITCHENMAN
TRENTON -- Trenton's neighborhood branch libraries have been granted a reprieve allowing them to remain open at least through the end of next year, city and library officials announced yesterday.

The library branches will stay in operation partly by shifting staff from the main library and limiting hours there, thanks to an agreement with State Librarian Norma E. Blake, library director Kimberly M. Bray said.

The state granted the agreement because of the outpouring of support from residents for the branches, as well as the fact that even with a proposed budget cut, the city funds the libraries at a much higher level than the state requires, officials said. Despite the agreement, the library system plans to lay off workers and to reduce use of the main library's older sections in the coming months.

The proposed changes must be approved by the library board at its meeting tomorrow to go into effect. While the branches would remain open, the city will cut the library budget by 10 percent and the library must seek stable outside funding, officials said.

In June, city officials informed library officials that the system would receive $350,000 less than the roughly $3.5 million the libraries received last year. In September, the library board decided to close the neighborhood branches due to the loss in city funding, which provides 97 percent of the library budget.

Under the new plan, the main library on Academy Street and the Briggs, Cadwalader, East Trenton and Skelton branches would each be open 40 hours per week. However, by staggering hours, there would be at least one branch open 60 hours per week.

The library is also planning to bring library accounting in-house, with the aid of the city's business office. It plans to drop longtime library accounting firm Linowitz & Co. and publicize the results of a 2005 audit that is in the works.

Mayor Douglas H. Palmer said the library also plans to create a foundation that would work with and report to Bray and the library board.

"Let us not celebrate to the point of complacency," Palmer said, adding that the long-term goal isn't to just save the branches, but to restore them.

Palmer credited board president Adrienne Hayling for her years of advocacy for the library system and Bray for her work in reaching the agreement with Blake.

While the precise hours of operation for each branch won't be released until the board approves the changes, officials said the Briggs, Cadwalader and Skelton branches would be open on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings, respectively. In addition, the Cadwalader and Skelton branches would be open Tuesdays through Saturdays.

"We're all excited, delighted and happy that we're not going to be faced with closing" libraries this year, Hayling said.

Palmer said he planned to visit Wilson Elementary School this year to thank students for the many urgent letters asking for his support in keeping the branches open.

Layoffs and demotions are still expected. Of the roughly 64 library employees, the reduction is expected to affect 25 to 30, Bray said, although not all of those will be layoffs. She said she expects to submit a layoff plan to the state once the board approves the changes.

Bray also said costs would be cut at the main branch by reducing the use of the older portion of the building.

The city will provide $3.1 million for the library, a 10 percent cut but an amount that is three times what the state requires.

"The state library knew that throughout the years, the city of Trenton had generously supported its library," said Victoria Rosch, state deputy director of library development.

The plan to start a foundation to meet long-term needs that would report to the board drew a cool response from Kevin Moriarty, an organizer of the Foundation for the Trenton Free Public Library, a separate foundation that would be independent of the board. Moriarty said he was pleased that the branches will remain open, but that it was important for the foundation to remain independent of a board that has been criticized for its past management of the system.

Palmer said he welcomes different foundations to benefit the libraries, but that having a foundation that works with the board would bring focus and direction to fundraising efforts.

West Ward Councilwoman Annette Lartigue and Councilman-at-large Manuel Segura both expressed support for keeping the branches open.

Lartigue and her husband Wayne Lartigue, the executive director of the Trenton Housing Authority, and Kevin and Judith Moriarty are hosting a reception at the Trenton Marriott tomorrow to benefit the Foundation for the Trenton Free Public Library. The event will be from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

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Cheer overdue library purchase

Gloucester County Times
Monday, November 17, 2008
Washington Township Council did the right thing last week when it purchased a "dream" building to expand the Margaret E. Heggan Library, and resisted any urge to postpone the deal.

For sure, the township government faces budgetary challenges. More than a few people have been wagging "I told you so" fingers now that revenue gimmicks employed to defer past local-purpose tax increases are unraveling, with warnings of rate boosts ahead.

Nonetheless, linking the township's general financial woes to this much-needed purchase is like comparing bad fiscal apples to almost-ripe library oranges. All of the money needed to buy the Education Information Resource Center (EIRC) on Delsea Drive is accounted for in the library's separate surplus and annual budget. Although a bond issue is required, the library is already making a substantial $1.2 million down payment from its reserves. The total cost, with renovations included, is estimated at $4.65 million.

"We're gonna get a new building and there's no extra cost because we covered everything," Councilman Al Frattali explained.

In fact, it was odd that the council postponed voting on this purchase last month. Perhaps some members were angling for "a better deal" in a slow real estate market; perhaps some were put off by the weak general economy. Council President Michelle Martin's claim that the township did not want to be stuck with (nominal) maintenance costs on the library's current building, once empty, was a head-scratcher.

Now, township residents can look forward to an end to cramped library space and a reasonable-cost conversion of a 20,000-square-foot building that is already well-suited for book displays and computer access.

As Frattali noted, "I think we got a good deal."

Special credit goes to Friends of the Margaret E. Hegan Library. They showed up in force at last week's meeting to back the purchase after hearing that the council was hedging on it.

Discussions about whether to conserve funds until the economy gets better, or to spend money to make the economy better, are taking place at all levels of government. Here, the Washington Township Council made a smart choice. For the library, no better deal is around the corner.

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November 6, 2008

Voters Save Borough Library in New Jersey

American Libraries Online
The voters of Jamesburg, New Jersey, decisively defeated by a vote of 959–564 a ballot measure November 4 asking for their approval for the town to “discontinue the support, maintenance, and control of the Jamesburg Public Library.”

Jamesburg library board President Carole Hetzell told American Libraries that the cash-strapped town council came up with the proposal in the hopes of reallocating the one-third-of-a-mill mandated by the state for more than 120 years for support of voter-approved libraries to other municipal needs. She explained that the ballot measure came a year after town officials proposed closing the library in 2007. “There was such a hue and cry, with people storming the borough council meetings, that the council backed off” until earlier this year she said, noting that there is nothing to prevent the borough council from revisiting the proposal in 2009.

What defeated the 2008 measure was a concerted campaign by trustees and library Friends. In addition to using yard signs, banners, and media contacts, volunteers canvassed the one-square-mile community of 6,500. “One of the big planks in our platform was that the library is centrally located, it’s within walking distance of everybody, it’s a safe place for the kids to be,” Hetzell recounted. The strategy tied neatly into the theme of an unrelated Revitalization Committee of Jamesburg campaign theme, “It’s a Walking Town.”

“When we’ve done surveys in the past, people always say they love the intimacy of our library,” Hetzell noted, adding, “Here we are in an economic crisis and you want to take out a place where people come to do resumes, to look on joblines, where they don’t have to travel to by car. I’m a taxpayer. I know money’s tight, but this is senseless.”

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November 5, 2008

Jamesburg Results

Nov. 5, 2008

Jamesburg —Council President Otto Kostbar and Councilwoman Daria Ludas, both Democrats, outpolled their Republican challenger Brian Duke in the three-way race for two council seats.

Kostbar, 58, won 1,035; Ludas netted 1,004 votes; and Duke received 810 votes.

The public question on whether Jamesburg should entered into a shared services agreement with Monroe over the library was defeated 959 to 564.

Kostbar, 58, is an attorney who has served as the Council President for three terms.

Ludas, 59, was appointed to take over the unexpired term of former Councilman Thomas Bodall after he resigned in September. She is an elementary school teacher in Fords and is a former president of the Jamesburg Library Board of Trustees.

In the presidential race, Obama netted 1,087 votes to McCain's 847. Nader won 16.

Out of 3,075 registered voters in Jamesburg, 1,974 turned out for the election, or 64 percent.

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