“We need our libraries,” said Mindy Garverick.
“Government entities need to make due with what they have,” said Jo Ellen Myers.
This was part of the recent debate between South-Western City Schools board members over the levy request from Southwest Public Libraries.
The library board voted to place a 1-mill operating levy on the November ballot. This would cost the owner of a $100,000 home about $30 per year or $2.55 a month.
Because the school board is the library’s taxing agent, they must vote on the issue as well.
All board members voted in favor of the levy, except Myers.
No Comments »Getting funding for public libraries is a huge concern after last year’s state budget cuts. Library leaders are trying to get political support.
The Toledo-Lucas County Public Library held a Candidate Information Day Wednesday. The goal is to convince lawmakers and those running for office that library funding should be a top priority.
Budget numbers are down, but the number of people using Toledo-Lucas County libraries is up, including checking out books, using computers, and even movies and video games. Linda Murray of the Ohio Library Council says, “it used to be just books. We do a lot of programming. We do a lot of help in early literacy and helping people find jobs online. Not everybody has a computer at home, not everybody has high speed internet.”
Ohio legislators cut public library funds 31-percent this year forcing cuts in both staff and operating hours. Next year could be just as bad. Murray says, “Well, we know that we’ve got a probably even larger budget gap. I think it’s a little early to tell the size of it and how things are going to go.”
No Comments »The Chillicothe and Ross County Public Library has decided its Northside branch will reopen for patron use Jan. 18.
The Northside branch, located on Buckeye Street, was closed in summer 2009 as a cost- cutting measure because of severe reductions in state funding for library systems. Other cost-saving measures taken at the time included reducing operating hours in other library facilities in the system, staff reductions and severe curtailing of new book and materials purchasing.
Because of the 56 percent of county residents who voted in May in favor of a five-year, 1-mill property tax levy, the library can reverse the 2009 shortfall when levy funds start coming in early 2011. The levy, which will cost the owner of a home valued at $100,000 about $31.50 per year, will generate about $1 million annually and bring library funding back up to 2001 levels.
No Comments »WEST CHESTER TWP. — Following the approval of a levy on the May ballot, the Middletown Public Library system is preparing to restore hours at libraries in Middletown, Trenton and West Chester Twp.
Currently, the libraries are closed on Fridays due to funding cuts from the state of Ohio. But in May, voters approved a .75-mil levy that will generate approximately $3.2 million annually, which will allow the three libraries to re-open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays starting Sept. 7. The levy will cost homeowners $23 for every $100,000 in home value, according to Middletown Public Library.
No Comments »From Ohio Library Council:
A total of 29 public library levy issues appeared on local ballots throughout the state, of which voters approved 25 or 86%. Twenty-one new library levies were on the ballot, of which 18 were approved. Now, 137 of the 251 public library systems in Ohio have local levies. The successes experienced by the libraries in yesterday’s elections continue a trend. In November 2009, Ohioans approved 81% of the public library levies on local ballots.
Please remember to vote for your local library today!
No Comments »Be sure to check out our updated May Levies page. Some libraries that considered being on the May ballot–such as Southwest Libraries– are not and some other libraries are. Also, here is the offical list from OLC.
No Comments »If you’re concerned about the continuation of library services across the United States, I encourage you to take a look at our new sister site: http://savelibraries.org/
As you may have heard, library funding in North Carolina, New Jersey, Florida, and several other states has been in the new recently.
No Comments »Tomorrow, March 16th, is Ohio Library Legislative Day. On this day, library trustees, directors, and members of friends of the library come to the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus to talk to our legislators.
As you know, this has been a very challenging year for Ohio libraries and it’s very important to keep our legislators informed of the good work that our public libraries are doing.
For more information, please see Ohio Library Council’s Legislative Day webpage.
No Comments »Be sure to take a look at Citizen’s for the library’s future 2010 levy website.(Akron-Summit County Public Library). In addition to many fine features, including a levy events calendar, downloadable bookmarks, an interactive branch map and more, they have a request form for speakers. This is an excellent way to get the word out to community groups about the library’s importance. So, if you live in the greater Akron area, think about requesting a speaker for your PTA, Lions Club, or other organization!
No Comments »
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