See the actions of IL Libraries: saveillinoislibraries.com
Feel free to comment below if you have thoughts on their reactions to and explanations of budget cuts.
Some news reports show that charitable giving is down in many United Ways. link to story in philanthropy.com
How are your local donations faring in this economy?
Your PANO membership gives you newsletters with snippets of information like this one:
New Guidestar Survey Shows Donations Dropping & Budgets Cut. According to a newly released study by Guidestar, over half of all charities surveyed, saw a drop in donations and a third have cut their budgets. Of the organizations that cut their budgets, 54% are making ends meet by cutting services, and 44% by freezing staff salaries. Of the over 2,000 public charities and private foundations surveyed, 36% of grant makers gave away less money in grants over the three-month period surveyed. Most disturbing was that 8% of the surveyed organizations reported that they were in imminent danger of closing their doors for lack of financial resources. Check out the report at GuidestarReport
What should your library know about public attitudes and perceptions of libraries?
Download the important OCLC report From Awareness to Funding here How can you harness support for your library?
In PA, District Library Centers work directly with the public libraries to find ways to serve the population most efficiently. A District Library Center is not only a strong resource library that any person can use, it is also a major source for basic services that library users rely on.
But what is reality for District Library Centers today with the PA budget 15 days past due?
We wonder what level of service we can continue to provide.
As July ticks away, 1/12 of our budget for basic services (and the staff to provide them) will be spent. Should we stop providing some services now, knowing that our budgets could be cut anywhere from 2.3%-53%? Should we continue to provide services as we are knowing that the money will run out January 1 if a 50% cut comes. (Note: 48% of the signed 09/10 negotiated district budget is staff costs.)
Can district agreements change without changing minimum standards and reducing customer and library expectations? What are libraries and their customers most willing to sacrifice? What builds the best future for libraries and their communities?
Here’s one blog viewpoint of what’s happening with the PA state budget: One update
What do you think district library centers should do? Share a comment here or email me.
National coverage of public library use showcases our abilities to serve users with so many different needs. What community needs does your library meet?
Are you collecting stories to share with those who can bring stable funding to your library?
View the Online Video about Library Use
What do you think? Leave a comment if you’d like.
Check out this article about Cumberland County Libraries: Link to article: Cumberland likely to lose library aid on June 05, 2009 in Patriot News
“Cumberland County’s public libraries could lose $300,000 a year in state money if the county shifts from fourth- to third-class status…”
Check out what ALA has to say about the stimulus package and it’s impact for libraries:
Link to ALA’s information
What can our libraries do?
Are you considering how to handle the upcoming budget year?
Do you want to make smart moves to handle decreasing incomes and increasing expenses?
Here’s a link to a Harvard Business Review case study that addresses planning for possible cuts as food for thought: Link to Case Study in HBR Use your POWERLibrary login to read the article.
Use your access to POWERLibrary to read this Case Study and the four different responses. What ideas does it give you? What do you think? Feel free to post comments here or use the case study to start the conversation with your board and staff.
The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is accepting grant applications for the agency’s 2008 National Leadership Grant (NLG) program.
The deadline for submitting applications is February 1, 2008.
Visit the following website for additional information: www.imls.gov
Use the site for information on how to use new census data on poverty which is released at the end of August to enhance the case for providing library services to meet the needs of those defined as living at “poverty” level.
http://www.bostonconferencing.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=182&Itemid=157
