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byronm
PA Budget - Killing the Library System :(
If you live in PA, what's your take of the potential killing of the state library system through massive budget cuts?
If you're not in PA, have your state budgets killed your public library system or are pushing to kill it?
Recent Budget updates for PA:
1. The Public Library Subsidy would be funded at $50 million, a 34% cut from the 2008-09 budget level of $75.7 million.
2. The now-combined Library Access funding (which includes POWER Library, Ask Here PA, the statewide library card, interlibrary delivery, and the Access Pennsylvania database) would total only $3 million, a cut of 73% from 2008-09’s combined total of $11.1 million.
What your take on this? For me, its sort of saddening. I use the libraries a LOT and i mean a LOT. I could never afford the books that i get through the library system.. everything from the expensive science books to periodical access and archival searches to expensive courses from the Teaching Corporation. For me the #2 item above is going to break my most pleasurable experience with the library system - the interlibrary loan where i can go online, request a book and be notified when its available for me and or delivered to my local branch. If #2 happens i forecast my local branch being shutdown entirely.. and that's sad because its built right next door to a great pre-school that often takes kids to the library as well.
such drastic cuts seem like a deathblow to me.. small communities will most certainly lose their local public libraries and often these small communities don't even have a local bookstore to supplement that loss.
i wrote my congress critters but I'm not expecting a miracle..
If you live in PA, what's your take of the potential killing of the state library system through massive budget cuts?
If you're not in PA, have your state budgets killed your public library system or are pushing to kill it?
Recent Budget updates for PA:
1. The Public Library Subsidy would be funded at $50 million, a 34% cut from the 2008-09 budget level of $75.7 million.
2. The now-combined Library Access funding (which includes POWER Library, Ask Here PA, the statewide library card, interlibrary delivery, and the Access Pennsylvania database) would total only $3 million, a cut of 73% from 2008-09’s combined total of $11.1 million.
What your take on this? For me, its sort of saddening. I use the libraries a LOT and i mean a LOT. I could never afford the books that i get through the library system.. everything from the expensive science books to periodical access and archival searches to expensive courses from the Teaching Corporation. For me the #2 item above is going to break my most pleasurable experience with the library system - the interlibrary loan where i can go online, request a book and be notified when its available for me and or delivered to my local branch. If #2 happens i forecast my local branch being shutdown entirely.. and that's sad because its built right next door to a great pre-school that often takes kids to the library as well.
such drastic cuts seem like a deathblow to me.. small communities will most certainly lose their local public libraries and often these small communities don't even have a local bookstore to supplement that loss.
i wrote my congress critters but I'm not expecting a miracle..