Venice Gondolier Sun
Friends are there to help
Editor:
I read with great interest your recent editorial on libraries and the
tremendous pressures they are under.
It is true that across the nation public libraries are experiencing an upsurge in usage while having to deal with the same economic realities we are all facing as individuals and families. Venice Public Library, being part of the Sarasota County Library System, is certainly doing its part in meeting these demands and tightening its belt.
At one time, the Venice library was open seven days a week and four nights for a total of 68 hours a week; with its new hours, it will be open 51 hours a week. Hiring freezes and staff transfers have required the library to do more with less staff, and it is meeting these challenges while still providing outstanding service to the public.
The fact is that libraries are struggling, and every aspect of our community has to sacrifice at this time. But the Venice library and our other county libraries are fortunate in that they have support in the form
of their various Friends groups.
These organizations are trying to make a difference in our libraries and communities. I urge those of you who believe public libraries are a vital part of our society to join one of the library Friends groups. There are so many ways that we can all join together to make a difference both small and large. The important thing is to step up and act. Lisa Backer
President
Friends of the Venice Public Library
It¹s good to have Friends
Editor:
Oct. 18-24 is National Friends of Libraries Week, making it a good time to publicly thank the members of Friends of the Venice Public Library who contribute so much of their time and expertise to significantly enhance the Venice library¹s services.
Friends began in 1962 and over the course of the past 47 years has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to cover the cost of children¹s programming, adult programming, special collections and special equipment for the vision impaired. In fact, this past year it purchased new carpeting and helped fund the new circulation desk; it is committed to purchasing new computers.
For the month of August 2009, volunteers contributed 1,128 volunteer hours, the value of which is priceless; 2,071 hours were logged on the Friends-donated library computers, which, valued at $12 per hour at an Internet cafe, would be valued at $24,852. The 9,139 DVD/BluRay discs that were circulated, if valued at $5, would be worth $45,695.
In August, 29 Friends-sponsored adult and youth programs hosted 1,033 attendees, with 151 new library cards issued and 20,532 library visitors recorded. These are statistics for one month in our ³slow² season.
Friends was the recipient of the Venice Area Chamber of Commerce¹s 2009
Nonprofit Business of the Year Award.
I hope this week everyone will come to the library to find out how you
can join and support this outstanding group or visit www.VeniceFriends.org.
Jane Morgan
Venice
Herald Tribune
Library bookstores help
Published: Tuesday, January 26, 2010 at 1:00 a.m.
Last Modified: Monday, January 25, 2010 at 5:57 p.m.
Regarding the article "Bargain books, and a hint of controversy":
Goodwill's new-used bookstore in Venice is indeed impressive, and the goals and efforts of Goodwill are to be commended. I would like to point out, however, that for many years used bookstores have been operated by the Friends group in each of Sarasota County's libraries. They are staffed entirely by volunteers, with all profits going to the library, amounting to many thousands of dollars yearly.
These library bookstores are especially important now that funds from the county have been drastically cut, and many services that the public takes for granted would not otherwise be available.
Sally Downey
Venice
Library lovers lend support
Herald Tribune - Published: Sunday, October 17, 2010 at 1:00 a.m.
National Friends of the Library Week is celebrated Oct. 17-23. We have a lot to celebrate here in Sarasota County. We are indeed fortunate to have such a vibrant public library system. Unfortunately, many libraries across the United States have had to close or reduce their hours. Even Sarasota County public libraries have had to deal with these issues by reducing service hours and cutting the budget over the past few years.
One of the main reasons that the public libraries in Sarasota County have been able to weather these challenging times is the Friends of the Library organizations.
Each library in Sarasota County is able to count on the community support of its Friends. These Friends groups have enabled the libraries to fund school-readiness programs and adult programming, and to purchase books, DVDs and technology items that were not funded in the county library budget.
So whether you are a regular library user or simply support the idea of public libraries as a place to access information for all, this is the time to show your support for your local library and join the Friends.
For more information, visit sclibs.net and click on Friends.
Lisa Backer - Venice
The writer is a member of the Alliance for the Friends of Sarasota County Libraries.
Libraries: heart of a community
Institutions have demonstrated their value in hard times
Published: Monday, December 13, 2010 at 1:00 a.m.
Herald Tribune
As local governments have struggled to cope with the Great Recession and its aftermath, elected officials and their administrators have had to make increasingly tough budget choices.
Slumping property tax revenue -- for example, a decline of $79 million in Sarasota County since 2007 -- has forced public officials to determine which services and personnel were essential, and how much they could afford for those essentials.
Law enforcement, fire protection and basic social services are obvious choices as fundamental to any community's quality of life.
Yet, with those critical community functions, at least one more service deserves special recognition. As a Dec. 6 article by the Herald-Tribune's Dale White made clear in poignant detail, public libraries can be the heart and soul of a community and its government -- especially in hard times.
Life enrichment
The public library is where an unemployed father or mother has free access to a computer to look for a job -- and where a knowledgeable staff member can help in the search.
It is where a family struggling to get by on reduced income can find a treasure of books, movies and music -- all at no cost.
The library is where a senior citizen can attend a free musical performance or a stimulating lecture, where a teenager can take guitar classes, where a child can attend a book reading or play with Lego blocks.
The services provided are too numerous to mention here, but more information is available at the websites for the library systems in Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte counties. Also available online, as White's article pointed out, are library catalogues, electronic audiobooks and, soon, electronic versions of print books.
In short, public libraries enrich the life of any community -- never more so than since the start of the recession.
Statistics reflect this value.
Since 2007 in Sarasota County, the number of library borrowers increased from about 290,000 to almost 308,000, and the number of computer sessions soared from less than 300,000 to nearly 420,000.
In Manatee County, circulated items increased from about 1.4 million to roughly 1.5 million, and reference desk queries rose from about 348,000 to more than 450,000.
In Charlotte County, sharply reduced hours due to budget constraints caused declines in overall numbers. Still, when measured on an hourly basis, circulation climbed by 37 percent from 2007 to 2009.
Charlotte's library system isn't alone in suffering budget cuts. Systems in all three counties have cut back on staff, library hours and purchases. Manatee eliminated its Bookmobile and reduced the availability of meeting rooms for children's services.
Libraries, like any government service, must share the pain of lost revenue. But as the economy improves, governments need to ensure that restoring and enhancing library services are high priorities.
Funding cuts for local libraries expected to stun, not kill
By Halle Stockton
Published: Thursday, April 14, 2011 at 1:59 p.m. - Herald Tribune
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA - The newest bestselling novels may not arrive, and updated reference guides could be scarce at area public libraries if the Legislature approves proposed cuts in state aid.
The Sarasota and Manatee public library systems are preparing to absorb a loss in state funding, which in both counties is used to purchase multiple editions of new and popular novels, children's books, reference materials and audio or web-based books and databases.
Obtaining fewer copies of new books and materials will mean longer waits for patrons.
The current level of state funding comprises less than three percent of the local libraries' multimillion dollar budgets.
So library officials admit the cuts will not be as deep here as compared to some library systems statewide that will be forced to cut jobs, reduce hours and close branches.
Both library systems have already cut back on staff and other services in the recent years, so the state cuts will hurt even though the dollar amounts are not huge.
Manatee eliminated its Bookmobile, cut the availability of meeting rooms and reduced employees from 81 to 62. Sarasota libraries reduced employment from 164 positions to 130.
"For us, it's very serious that people will see fewer items on the shelves or not have as many virtual items to download," said Sarabeth Kalajian, the Sarasota Libraries director. "But it would not mean we would have to close a library or anything so drastic."
Florida's libraries, which rely on a mix of state and local funds to stay open, would get no state money under a budget approved by the Senate last week. The House approved $17.7 million, but even that is $3.5 million less than this year's budget. With the state facing a $3.8 billion shortfall, both chambers have approved deep spending cuts to education, health care and other programs to balance the budget.
Sarasota's public libraries, which have eight branches, received $214,000 from the state for the current year, Kalajian said. Its overall budget is about $8.7 million.
Manatee County was given $167,000 from the state for its six libraries. Its total budget is nearly $6 million, said Cheri Coryea, director of Manatee County Neighborhood Services.
Both library officials say the cuts will lead to more reliance on gifts from library foundations and support groups.
"Fewer resources will be rotating among the libraries and that creates more of a time lag," Coryea said. "Basically, the number of people we can serve has reduced at a time that more people are using the libraries."
Libraries have experienced a surge in popularity during the recession as families try do do more with less and use the available computers to search for jobs or pay bills.
For the current year, the state appropriated $21.2 million for libraries, the bare amount needed for the libraries to qualify for a $9 million federal grant that pays for statewide technology projects, including the Florida Electronic Library, an online research database that is available to library patrons and the public school system.
"Some systems use state and federal aid for personnel or computer resources, and if they lose that funding it will be significant and dramatic change in service," said Kalajian, who is also a member of the Florida Library Association board.
State funding for the 67-county public library system has gradually fallen over the years. In the 2000-2001 budget, the state gave $33.4 million.
The state gave Sarasota $700,000 in 2000, while Manatee received $500,000 in 2001.
If the proposed cuts pass, Kalajian expects Sarasota libraries to receive about $187,000, a $27,000 drop.
The Sarasota County system has also applied for a $500,000 construction grant from a state program that has not distributed funds for three years. The money would be used to help build an $8.9 million replacement for the aging Gulf Gate library.
"It's probably unlikely we get those funds, but we're hoping they reinstitute it," Kalajian said.
The board will approve an architect on April 26.
David Bishop, spokesman for Senate President Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island, said the cuts could not be helped. "Cuts had to be made with a focus on keeping priorities like education, health and human services, economic development as whole as possible," he said.
Last year, the Legislature also threatened to eliminate money for libraries but came up with funding in the final budget negotiations between the House and Senate.
Legislative leaders are expected to begin aligning the chambers' budgets this week, which will include the library funding issue.
Information from the Orlando Sentinel was used in this report.
Libraries and independence
By M.C. Coolidge
Herald Tribune
Published: Monday, July 4, 2011 at 1:00 a.m.
Americans no longer have to fight for our independence, as we did in the Revolutionary War,
but we pay homage to the hard-won struggle every year on the Fourth of July, most notably
with fireworks — our version of the "rockets' red glare."
As a community, we take that celebration of triumph very seriously. In 2008, when budget
concerns led officials to decide that the city of Sarasota should no longer fund the bayfront
fireworks, private businesses and individuals generously stepped up to the plate to continue the
tradition of lighting up the sky to celebrate our freedom.
Now, local leaders are considering new cutbacks to our budget — but this time to something
far more integral to preserving our independence than a fireworks display. They're talking
about closing public libraries on Sundays.
There are only two Sarasota County libraries open on Sundays — Selby and Jacaranda.
Closing their doors an additional 52 days a year would probably shave a couple hundred
thousand, maybe more, from our county budget. All libraries are generally open Monday
through Saturday, 10 a.m., to 5 p.m., and most stay open three days a week until 8 p.m.
Carl Sagan said, "... the health of our civilization, the depth of our awareness about the
underpinnings of our culture and our concern for the future can all be tested by how well we
support our libraries." I couldn't agree more,
Contemporary independence is not won on a battlefield, but gained largely through individuals'
ability to support and sustain themselves and their community. That ability is dependent upon
access to education and resources that allow citizens to inform their minds, gain context for
their experiences, and have access to the tools and information necessary to feed, clothe and
house themselves and their families over the long haul. By offering spaces for knowledgesharing, the communication of ideas, and technology not available in every home, our public
libraries create and preserve a culture of independence and democracy for all. An informed
public is a voting public.
The American Library Association's 2011 "State of American Libraries Report," released in
April, suggests that people are using public libraries more than ever — to search for jobs and
gather information about starting businesses, and they are particularly used by working
mothers. The recession means that more people might also be using the library to learn about
government services and assistance, and that more people might not be able to afford Internet
access and need to use the library to research career options and stay in touch with professional
contacts.
Children in particular should be plowing through one book after another to stretch their minds
and ignite their imaginations. Libraries are the most affordable way parents can feed the
demands of a growing young mind.
Sunday library closings, on top of already restricted schedules, will surely impact the very
people in our community who might need it the most — people who, because of work, family
or other scheduling constraints, are only able to get to the library on Sundays.
Sarasota County is the heart of Florida's "cultural coast." There's irony in the fact that we are in
danger of losing Sunday access to one of the most crucial elements of a cultured, democratic
and independent society.
Libraries are repositories of truth and power. They hold the veritable foundations of life,
liberty, and the pursuit of happiness within their walls. And they hold their doors open to all,
regardless of wealth or circumstance, to come inside and seek their own path to independence.
I hope we can find a way to preserve that.
M.C. Coolidge is a columnist for the Herald-Tribune's Ticket section and a free-lance writer.
Website: http://www.coolidgewords.com/
