Library faces downsizing issue it dearly wants to avoid

  • By Dave Mast
  • February 8, 2010
  • 547
                        
Last November, the five year, 0.8-mill levy put on the ballot by the Holmes County District Public Library had programs, personnel and hours hanging in the balance. This time around, in a must-win situation, the library is facing the loss of entire library branches. The library will be putting the identical levy on the upcoming May ballot, and according Arlene Radden, Holmes County District Public Library director, things have gotten to the point where, should this levy fail, very painful decisions will have to be made by the board. “More than 90 percent of our funding is from the state, and to date, we have lost one-third of that funding due to state cuts,” said Radden. “The money from the state level simply is no longer there. It isn’t sufficient. We are not alone in this, because it is happening to libraries everywhere, and we are having to turn to the public to help support us financially.” While more than half of Holmes County people own a library card, it hasn’t translated into the success of the library’s call for financial aid. It has gotten so dismal that not only is the library turning to the public, it is also seeking help from the various library branches that have become such an integral part of many of the small towns in the county. Recently, the board informed each of the branches that they will need to come up with 50 percent of the funding for the 2010 year. In the meantime, the library hopes that it can create enough of an awareness to the public as to the dire straits it is in, and to the necessity of having a quality library in the county, that people realize the value the library offers, and the need for the passage of the levy this May. “The board is already resigned to the fact that should the levy fail, if individual libraries can’t raise the funds to help them stay open, we will have to close down one or more of our branches,” said Radden. “That will come as early as July 1 if the levy fails again and branches can’t raise funds themselves.” According to Radden, each branch will have the opportunity to create a fundraising campaign to pay for the final six months of operating expenses at their branch. The branch fundraiser liaisons will have until April 1 to tell the board whether they feel they can come up with the necessary financial commitment to remain open. “This is so painful for all of us on the board,” said Radden. “We have invested so much time, energy and money into each of our branches over the years, and they are so valuable to each of their respective communities, that it would be awful to see any of them go away. Unfortunately, that’s where we are financially right now.” Should the levy not pass, what kind of funding each branch comes up with will have a great impact on which of the branches is chosen as the sacrificial lamb. Radden said that there has been no prioritization of which branches would be gone first. She said the board wants to be as open and honest as it can to the public when it comes to the needs for the library, and they want the public to know that there will be dire consequences to another levy failure. While nothing has changed in terms of what the levy provides, Radden said she hopes that people have become more aware of the needs, and have seen many of the quality programs cuts, and hours pared back over the past six months. She said that the library has experienced $353,000 worth of cuts from the state since 2008, along with steadily declining funding up to that point for years, forcing the district library to seek help from its branches and the communities that rely on them. How and where the branches receive the money for their portion of the funding is totally up to the inventiveness of the group doing the fundraising, as well as the local community which uses the facility. The Killbuck Library branch is currently scurrying to meet the demands of raising the necessary $26,000 commitment it needs to survive by the April 1 deadline, and the Killbuck Community Improvement Council (CIC) has taken the fundraising task on its collective shoulders. The group understands the value the library branch has in its community, and is working diligently to get the financial commitment needed to keep its doors open. “Every branch is in jeopardy, and it is now each of the community’s job to support their local branch,” said Rebbie Baker-Chaney, CIC secretary. “We get so much use out of our library here, and it is an important part of our community, especially for the kids.” Baker-Chaney said that after seeing how the fundraising operates, and the commitment it will take to generate the funds for just one six-month period, let alone the annual task of going through the process year after year should the levy fail, she can see how useful it would be to pass the levy, thus forgoing having each community raise its own operating expenses. “If this levy doesn’t pass, there is no way a community can continue to raise the money needed to keep its branch open year after year,” said Baker-Chaney. “At what, $25 per year per household at the current levy rate, that’s equal to six cents per day. We spend a lot more than that on frivolous things that we don’t even need. I know people are hurting financially, but we’re talking about our libraries here, and that’s a lot more important than one or two cans of pop every week. I think we need to get our priorities right.” Contributions and questions may be directed to the following branch representatives: Berlin: Duane Miller, P.O. Box 25, Berlin 44610 Killbuck: Killbuck CIC, P.O. Box 402, Killbuck 44637 Walnut Creek: German Culture Museum (Library fund on memo line), Jeremy Kauffman, P.O. Box 218, Walnut Creek 44689 Winesburg: Paint Township Trustees (Library fund on memo line), 7091 SR 515, Millersburg 44654 To support the Bookmobile, make checks payable to: Holmes County District Public Library, 3102 Glen Dr., Millersburg 44654 (Bookmobile Support Fund on memo line)


Loading next article...

End of content

No more pages to load