All politics aside----Please let us ALL band Together to Rally to "Save the Library"
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by YAHOO! SEARCH Communities Erie County Library spells out impact of deep cuts in county funds
Hours to drop sharply while use increasesBy Mark Sommer
News Staff Reporter
Published:
October 21, 2010, 7:02 AM
Font Size:
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Erie County's proposed budget cuts will have a profound impact on its system of 37 public libraries.
At eight city branches, combined hours will drop from 332 to 205 a week. Three Amherst branches will go from 162 1/2 hours to 105 hours a week.
Hours at branches in Alden and Boston will drop by more than half -- with Lackawanna's reduced by nearly two-thirds.
This means reduced access to books, media, computers and after-school programs.
The sobering news for the embattled Buffalo & Erie County Public Library was presented Wednesday by Library Director Bridget Quinn-Carey to the Erie County Legislature. The system faces a $6.8 million shortfall next year, with the biggest gap resulting from the loss of $4 million in county property tax revenue that County Executive Chris Collins has ordered.
The Legislature is expected to adopt the cuts when it votes on the budget in early December.
"There is some good news in that there are no library closures, but it is devastating for the people who are used to having a lot of access to libraries," Quinn-Carey said.
Quinn-Carey also discussed previous reductions in hours that will affect at least 200 employees throughout the system, resulting in layoffs or reduced hours for most and the consolidation of the Central Library's public operations to the first floor, forcing the closing of the Teen Room and other programs.
Library use, however, is higher than it has been in the past six years, with nearly 4 million visits and nearly 842,000 computer sessions expected before the end of this year.
The cuts are proposed despite per capita spending of $28.64 -- considerably lower than many library systems with similar service areas. The Detroit Public Library spends $45.88 per capita, Jacksonville (Fla.) Public Library about $43, and Cincinnati and Hamilton County (Ohio) $62.89.
Reducing library hours is expected to save $770,000 from city branches and $2.5 million from the suburbs.
"While it's nice to see a silver lining in having facilities remain open, it's certainly nowhere near the level the community has demonstrated it wants and needs," Quinn-Carey said.
Quinn-Carey said those in the system would "try our very best" to deal with the impact of the cuts on after-school programs for teenagers in both the city and suburbs.
The reductions are intended to be partly offset by arranging libraries into two city and five suburban regions, with each having a library center that would be open for the greatest number of hours.
Following are the breakdown and the expected operating hours for each library:
* In Buffalo, the Merriweather branch (seven days/45 hours) will be a library center, with East Delavan and East Clinton branches open 16 hours over three days a week, and the Dudley branch, 24 hours over four days a week.
The Niagara branch (six days/40 hours) is the city's other library center. The Riverside branch will be open three days a week for 16 hours, with Crane and North Park branches open four days, for 24 hours.
* Hamburg Center branch (six to seven days/55 to 60 hours) will be a library center, with Lake Shore, Lackawanna, Angola and North Collins branches open three days for 16 hours a week, and Collins and Eden branches open four days for 24 hours a week.
* Orchard Park Center branch (six to seven days/55 to 60 hours) will serve as a library center, with Boston and Marilla branches (three days/16 hours), Elma and Concord branches (four days/24 hours) and Aurora branch (five days/32 hours).
* Julia B. Reinstein Center branch in Cheektowaga (six to seven days/55 to 60 hours) will be a library center, with Alden and Anna B. Reinstein branches (three days/16 hours), Lancaster branch (five days/32 hours) and West Seneca branch (six days/40 hours).
* Kenmore Center branch (six to seven days/55 to 60 hours) will be a library center, with Kenilworth branch (three days/16 hours), City of Tonawanda (four days/24 hours) and Grand Island branch (five days/32 hours).
* Audubon Center branch (six to seven days/60-65 hours) will be a library center, with Eggertsville branch (three days/16 hours), Akron and Clearfield branches (four days/24 hours) and Clarence branch (six days/40 hours).
msommer@buffnews.com
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Our Library is the last of the Andrew Carnegie built( ironically I just started reading his Biography yesterday. What A Man!)----We need to Band together NOW to stop the County from ceasing the funding!
Cut THEIR HUGEEEEE Salaries and we will have the money!
Challenge to the Lacawanna City Council:
You just gave the Lackawanna Chamber of Commerce $20,000 to stay open-----So,----how about giving at least $20,000 to OUR Lackawanna Library? When I asked you Monday 10-18-2010 at the Council meeting Mr. Jaworski you told me/us that there is $4.5 million in the City of Lackawanna ""Unappropriated Budget"". So the City has a HUGEEE
slush fund. Please help OUR Lackawanna Library stay open.
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