This article discusses the idea of consolidating libraries, so that services are not unnecessarily duplicated and libraries can combine their resources and strengths in order to better serve their patron base.
I like the idea of consolidation, mostly because I have seen it work. The county I grew up in used to have 14 different public libraries, providing very different levels of service. The three libraries closest to us were tiny, with small, not-very-current collections, so we usually ended up driving 30 or 40 minutes once a week, just to go to a library that could support our reading needs. In 1998, 13 of the libraries decided to merge together, and the change that resulted was kind of amazing. The libraries could share collections, had a consistent set of policies, and financially support one another. One of the issues raised in the article was the loss of the local library, or the creation of a chain-store type of library, but that was never a problem at CADL. The former library directors did lose their title of director, but they are now head librarians and continue to perform many of their old duties, and each library is very strongly a part of their own, local communities.
I didn't entirely understand what the author meant by the libraries becoming an independent taxing authority. Does that mean the libraries can ask for a separate, library tax, instead of depending on a portion of property taxes?
Indiana Tax Cuts Hurt PLs
This article looks at the effect lower property taxes have had on Indiana public libraries
A lot of this article was similar to what we talked about earlier in class, when discussing budget cuts. (Which makes sense, since this article is also discussing budget cuts.) It seemed like part of the problem might have been the state's not understanding the importance of public libraries to communities. The study we read for this week talked about how local communities and community leaders appreciated what libraries do for them, but this decision was made at a higher level, so that same feeling probably wasn't present. We've talked a lot about libraries having to promote themselves and the importance of their services, but it is important to remember that promotion needs to be at all levels, not just local.
The Economic Impact of Libraries in Indiana
This study attempted to quantify the impact that Indiana libraries have on their communities.
It was interesting to see a dollar amount placed on the services that libraries provide, even though the authors say that they did not take into account any indirect benefits on libraries. We've talked about libraries' impact on communities, but I usually think of it in terms of social or quality of life benefits, instead of economic/business impacts. I thought the authors had a good point about libraries working more to support their local economy and business community. A lot of the suggestions they had seemed to tie in with our discussion last week, about creating relationships with other members of the community. (In this case, however, one would probably skip the asking for money part. At least, directly.) Either way, it's probably better for a library the more strongly tied it is to its community.
Also, I was curious to know how they placed a value on things like reference questions or program attendance when they were calculating their statistics. Where did the $10 figure come from?
I agree with you about consolidation, as long as it is beneficial to the community and not just for the sake of consolidation (not that I think that's what you're saying). That's a great example about how merging worked well and made sense. As for the independent taxing authority, I understood him to mean that libraries should be removed from being controlled by the government. Instead, they would rely solely on funding themselves through their own, independent tax levies. This aspect I wasn't so big on, as he seemed awfully flippant about allowing tax payers to do away with their library on any given election day.
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