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April 17, 2010

Libraries 'will be decimated'

cournierpostonline.com

By BILL BOWMAN • Gannett New Jersey • April 16, 2010

Sherri Alberts minces no words in describing the importance to her of the Long Branch Free Public Library.

"It was a lifesaver for me," said Alberts, 50.
She received computer training at the library that helped her apply for and get two jobs, said the lifelong Long Branch resident.
"And they weren't just any jobs," she said. "They were good jobs."

But now, Alberts said, she fears others like her won't be able to avail themselves of these services if state aid cuts proposed by Gov. Chris Christie are enacted.
In Cherry Hill, the township's public library board is taking a hard look at its budget, said spokeswoman Katie Hardesty.
"No decisions have been made, but the Cherry Hill Library board is looking at all possible alternatives, including reduced library hours, staff cuts and charging for programs that used to be free of charge," she said.

Librarians throughout the state predict massive service and program reductions if the governor's proposed 74 percent cut in state aid becomes part of the state's fiscal 2011 budget.
Christie has proposed slashing state aid to libraries from $14 million to $3.7 million as part of his effort to close an $11 billion deficit.
That would end statewide programs such as interlibrary loans and a program that offers electronic resources for small businesses, said Patricia Tumulty, executive director of the New Jersey Library Association.

It also would eliminate JerseyConnect, the program that allows the state's public libraries discounted access to the Internet.
Three of the four programs that serve libraries throughout the state and receive state aid would be eliminated, she said.
Speaking before the state Senate budget and appropriations committee on March 25, Tumulty said state funding for programs supporting or coordinating library resources has been eliminated.

"They are simply gone without any discussions on the impact to the residents of New Jersey," she said of the programs. "This takes our funding level back to the 1970s when only books were required for library service, not computers, the Internet or electronic resources."

The domino effect of the cuts, Tumulty said, will be the loss of $4.5 million in federal money, forfeited because the state's libraries will not be able to maintain their systems.

Should that happen, she said, programs such as the state's library for the blind and handicapped will be affected. "Although most services will not disappear exactly on July 1 (when the fiscal 2011 budget takes effect), I can certainly assure you that by January 2011, library service in New Jersey will be decimated," she said.

Ingrid Bruck, executive director of the Long Branch Public Library, said libraries such as hers will not be able to replace services and programs easily once they are gone.
One database now provided under a state contract costs about $80,000 a year, she said.
"We've got a $1.8 million budget," she said. "We can't just replace what we don't have in our budget. Cuts have to come from someplace to replace those essential services, and for libraries, that means people. And when you cut people here, you cut services to special populations, such as teens."

Cuts would be detrimental to minorities in a city such as Long Branch, Alberts said.
"A lot of minority kids use the library," she said. "That's sometimes their only contact with books, besides school. The computers bring them in, and if the computer room is full, they go out and touch a book, which is excellent."

A Christie spokesman did not respond to a request for comment on the topic.
At the same time as Christie's proposed aid cuts, state Assemblyman John DiMaio, R-Warren, has introduced a bill that would end the practice of municipalities funding public libraries based on the assessed value of the community's real estate.

DiMaio's bill would repeal that formula and replace it with a figure municipal governments feel is sufficient to run their libraries.

Posted by tumulty at April 17, 2010 12:00 PM

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