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February 17, 2010

The Record: Libraries matter

Wednesday, February 17, 2010
The Record

PUBLIC LIBRARIES are educational bulwarks in communities. If there is a legitimate argument to be made for the home-rule mentality that created hundreds of tiny municipalities in New Jersey, it would have to include the easy accessibility of good public libraries. That could change.

Public officials champion their own jobs, clinging to two offices if they can, to multiple pension-padding positions and to the distribution of political pork. School districts are championed by powerful unions. But libraries lack for powerful defenders, and now many are lacking for cash.
Public libraries receive funding from a formula tied to the overall value of taxable properties in a municipality. If property values decline, so does funding. Property values have declined.
The effects of the current recession on state and municipal budgets have been well-documented. New Jersey has been spending more than it takes in for years. And now the piper must be paid with something other than a promissory note.

In this fiscal crunch, libraries are needed more than ever. They are filling a void for unemployed workers seeking assistance in finding a job, through the use of free computers, and help in filling out unemployment forms online. With less discretionary income, more people are using libraries to take out bestsellers or videos. Libraries are in demand.

But this demand comes when there is less revenue available to pay for these services. New Jerseyans already are paying high taxes; they cannot be charged more. Tough times require creative solutions.

There may be a lesson to be learned from the chain booksellers that have become ubiquitous fixtures of our society. Their coffee bar areas are filled to the brim with browsers and buyers, sipping coffee while reading or working on a laptop.

Public libraries should not morph into a Starbucks, replete with loud blenders, fancy drinks and sweets. But coffee bars — whether run by small local businesses or franchises — could become a source of new, recurring revenue for many libraries. Instead of spending that money outside the library, patrons will spend it in the library.

It is not the panacea for declining revenue. Selling java is no more the answer to funding libraries than the lottery is to funding education. But it can be a part of the equation.
We urge libraries to take stock of more than their books. Some libraries have rooms that could be rented out for academic programs, as well as larger spaces that could be booked for receptions and fund-raising events. Many older libraries are architectural gems and would be an attractive and less expensive alternative to a catering hall.

No single solution will plug the budget hole. A multitiered approach, one that raises revenues, not user fees or taxes, is what is needed. The people most affected by cuts or diminished services are often the people least capable of paying for an alternative.
In the best of all possible worlds, libraries would not have to go hat-in-hand for revenue. But even Voltaire's Dr. Pangloss would know these are not the best of all possible times. And if you do not know the Voltaire reference, your local librarian would be happy to explain it and direct you to the book, "Candide." It's all there waiting at the local library.

Posted by tumulty at February 17, 2010 3:32 PM

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