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May 2, 2010

Letter to the Editor

TwinBoro news.

Much has been reported about the drastic cuts to public education, but I have seen virtually nothing regarding the even more drastic cuts to library funding. I deeply deplore the cuts to education, but am absolutely appalled by the 74% cut to library funding.

We in Bergen County and across the State of New Jersey are blessed with having one of the best public library systems in this country. These cuts will mean the loss of library services just at a time when they are most needed. It will mean the loss of delivery of library materials from one library to another, the loss of the regional library cooperatives, which supply delivery and so many other shared services, and on top of that, we will lose over $4,000,000.00 in federal funding, because we [the State of New Jersey] have not kept up the "effort" of providing adequate funding.

In addition, the legislators are proposing that the 1/3 mil mandated funding for public libraries by the municipalities be lowered and are also proposing that the New Jersey State Library and its parent organization, Thomas Edison State College, along with the New Jersey State Museum be transferred to the aegis of Rutgers University. The track record for these "shotgun" transfers nationally is poor. BCCLS libraries depend on the New Jersey State Library to enforce the large body of library law to "keep everyone honest". They are also proposing that the semi-autonomous library boards be abolished and the libraries be run by the municipalities. Can you imagine the outcry if the semi-autonomous school boards were abolished is such a manner?

As to delivery, in BCCLS (the Bergen County Cooperative Library System), we deliver over 2 million items from library to library each year. Do you want to have to drive many miles to get the materials you need? .. to use a computer for job searching? .. to have to go back to paying to rent DVDs? All of these free services, plus the invaluable guidance of a professional library expert are available locally and are essential services for all tax payers. As all of who are closely involved with library service know, poor economic times mean a boom in library use: we cannot cut this service just at the time when it is needed the most.

Please let your legislators and Governor Christie know that we cannot support these cuts. New Jersey's reputation in the educational and library communities cannot be destroyed.

Sincerely,

Carolyn R. Stefani, Retired Director, New Milford Public Library

Bergenfield, NJ

Posted by tumulty at May 2, 2010 11:30 AM

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