MILLERTON — Like the rest of the country, the state’s financial situation is not good and that’s trickling down to programs and services at the local level.
Case in point, the Mid-Hudson Library System (MHLS). The New York State Division of Budget has suggested Gov. David Patterson cut $20 million worth of aid to libraries throughout the state. That equates to a 20-percent reduction in state funding for library services, bringing library aid down to a level not seen since 1993, according to Joshua Cohen, executive director of the Mid-Hudson Library System and 2008-09 president of the New York Library Association.
“The library community is outraged by this proposal and the continued targeting of libraries to solve the state’s budget shortfalls,� stated Michael Borges, executive director of the New York Library Association. “Library aid has already been cut twice this year, in April by 2 percent as part of the adopted 2008-09 state budget and then again at the special session in August by another 6 percent.�
In April 2007 library aid was cut by $3 million, from $103 million to $100 million. In August of 2008 it was cut again to $99 million. According to NorthEast-Millerton Library Director Midge Quick, library aid has remained stagnant for eight years, from 1998 to 2006, after the state Legislature started to calculate aid based on the 2000 Census instead of the 1990 Census.
“So we seem to always be playing catch up, but without the support of a library system we really would have to go back to functioning as a really small town library,� Quick said. “The state cuts are to the library systems, so it would affect the MHLS, which is what gives us the automated catalog and interlibrary loans. It may result in having to charge for interlibrary loans, which we really don’t want to do.�
As a member of the library system, the NorthEast-Millerton Library has access to 2 million items, which its patrons can search through when looking for a book, CD, DVD, etc. And the service is fast; loans are usually made available within two days.
“It’s a terrific system,� Quick said, adding that through the sharing of resources the libraries save money.
The fact that money can be saved by going to the library is not lost on its patrons. In fact, business is booming.
“We’re seeing an increase in our circulation,� Quick said. “It’s just logical, now that everybody is having a tough time and trying to save money. People come to the library to use the Internet because it’s high-speed here, or to borrow books instead of purchase books. And the programs we offer at the library are great ways for families to come out and do stuff together that doesn’t cost a lot of money, if anything. We’re seeing such an increase in use but we don’t see it in the support we get from the funding.�
“No other educational institutions have been targeted for a 20-percent cut in state funding,� Borges added. “There seems to be no recognition by state budget makers that library usage has skyrocketed over the last year as more people turn to libraries for finding jobs, improving their literacy skills and for free reading materials and programs for their families.�
There are 73 library systems in the state that will feel the burden of the cuts; in the Mid-Hudson Library System alone there are 66 libraries covering five counties. The library systems provide their local libraries with shared services, including inter-library loans, centralized cataloging, Web site hosting and staff training.
“The state is proposing to cut the very mechanisms that enable libraries to serve 75 percent of New York households in a cost-effective and efficient manner,� Borges stated.
“Times are tough, there’s no doubt about it. We knew that earlier than a lot of other services in the area as libraries are on the front lines of helping our communities deal with these tough times — use of our services is up 15 to 20 percent,� stated Cohen. “Libraries have already been cut twice this year. We’ve done our part. An additional $20 million cut in the 11th month of our fiscal year is unfair and damaging.�
Adding to the problem is that the county is also looking to make cuts in its funding of local libraries. The cuts, if approved, will vary from library to library. Quick estimated that about 70 percent of the $3,000 the library usually receives from the county could be cut in the 2009 Dutchess County budget.
“That money has been to support the summer reading programs for children and the databases we offer that students and everyone else use for research ,� she said. “It’s a 68 percent or so decrease — that’s a deep cut.
“I know it’s tough. I know everybody has to do some sort of cutting,� Quick added. “But to put that burden on the library and the community itself, it’s difficult. Obviously the community is going to suffer.�
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