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Thread: People always seem to ask, “Why do we have so many libraries?”

  1. #1
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    People always seem to ask, “Why do we have so many libraries?”

    People always seem to ask, “Why do we have so many libraries?”

    I saw this article on www.speakupwny.com and thought I'd share it here. The 'real' numbers to why the B&ECPL is so successful.

    People always seem to ask, “Why do we have so many libraries?” Here are the reasons behind Erie County’s successful Public Library System. Current statistics from the B&ECPL indicates the Cazenovia & Dudley branches are within the top five of all citywide libraries for material circulation.

    Comparing the numbers between 2003 and 2004, materials that have been used by borrowers has had a 5.2% increase at the Cazenovia Branch; Dudley Branch measures up to a 21.1% increase while the Central Library downtown has see an enhancement of only 2 percent. The two lesser-sized libraries in South Buffalo are circulating about one-third to that of the bigger Central Library downtown.

    To date, the Audubon Branch in Amherst has the highest number of circulated materials in the County, 56,000+ items above the Central Library in downtown Buffalo, or more than the total of yearly circulation of the East Clinton Branch. At present, the Cazenovia and Dudley branches are under the radar as a consolidation project put forth by County Executive Joel A. Giambra, yet the two branches have proven their achievement in the communities they service. The consolidated branch being considered in South Buffalo would be the only County-owned branch after the Central Library; ‘Save our Libraries’ advocates fear that if the County falls deeper into dept the new branch would close and the City of Buffalo would be without two prosperous branches.

    The Crane Branch in the City is the second highest next to the Central Library, which circulated more than 136,000 items in 2004, but took two-tenths of a percent decrease. The City of Buffalo, having the most number of branches also remains with one-third percent of the total Erie County population.

    Twelve of the City’s fifteen Branches including the Central Library have seen increases in material circulation from 2003 to 2004. The North Jefferson Library on the east side is holding a 21.9% raise in circulation, the highest of all Buffalo Branches. Overall the library branches in the City of Buffalo circulated more than a million pieces of materials in 2004, a 7.5% boost.

    The ‘fiscal crisis’ in the County has cut $4 million in the B&ECPL’s operating budget for 2005 forcing cuts to be made at all branches primarily by reducing the number of hours and staff layoffs, but the libraries have triumphed; not one branch is compelled to shut down in 2005. The Dudley Branch is one of the City libraries that is now is closed on Sundays, a specific day that for all of 2004 circulated 5,733 items. On the other hand, the Clearfield Branch in Amherst will maintain Sunday hours as a result of volunteer fund-raising efforts. The total Sunday hours showed a 10.4% increase in material circulation from 2003 to 2004.

    Thirty-six contracting libraries outside of the City add up to 6,528,447 items being circulated, a 3.0% increase from 2003. Only twelve of the contracting libraries saw a decrease in material circulation, but none higher than 5.6 percent. The Julia B. Reinstein Branch in Cheektowaga experienced the largest increase of 25.6%

    One of the largest entities that took a plunge was the mobile services, which had a 49.3% decrease; one of the major cuts within the B&ECPL budget was the complete removal of this those moveable services. In reality, the Correctional Facility circulation was more than 51,000 items than the total Mobile & Urban Services. The e-Branch increased 20.4% from 2003, having circulated 623,858 items in 2004.

    Moving on to the Internet computer use statistics, all 52 branches are designed with the highest quality T-1 connections. Of the branches outside of the City of Buffalo, the Audubon Branch had more than 17,000 Internet sessions for both juvenile and adult users. In the City, the Crane Branch had more than 13,000 sessions for both juvenile and adult users. In fact, the combined contracting branches had 214,432 Internet sessions for the year 2004; fourteen of the City Branches contained 101,352 sessions of Internet users and the Central Library included 70,568 sessions; almost 400,000 internet sessions at all 52 branches for 2004.

    The Sheridan Parkside Branch in the Town of Tonawanda holds the largest increase of Internet sessions, an 80.9% increase from 2003 to 2004. In the City of Buffalo, the Riverside Branch had the largest increase of 57.9% Internet sessions. Only 4 branches of the 52 saw a decrease in Internet sessions, two in the City and two outside of the city, but nothing higher than 17.5 percent.

    When you look at the total of the operating budget for all 52 Erie County Branches, it averages out to about $501,368 per library, which is an all-inclusive amount together with staff, materials; books, maintenance, utilities, T-1 connections to the Internet at all the branches, etc. Sustaining a vast library system on a shoestring budget is next to incalculable when the numbers show exactly how much the Buffalo and Erie County Public Library services the residents.

    When the Legislature held four public hearings late last year, it was recorded that about 95% of Erie County residents who attended stood opposed to a library system that could have been shut down with the County Executive’s original budgeting plan. The B&ECPL alleges the 2004-year was its best 12-month period for material circulation and made the crucial cuts prior to the Legislature’s “no” vote on the sales tax increase a few weeks ago.

    However, the disadvantage of the County financial disaster has already begun to show, with four million dollars in County cuts, there was a 120-hour reduction to all City branches, 400 hours slashed throughout the countywide system. As a result, distress may be more visible as the 2005-year advances, comparing the numbers of January 2004 and January of this year, circulation at the City Branches is down by 13.1% and 7.5% at the Central Library downtown.

    The Contracting Libraries outside of the City are at a loss as well with a 15.9% reduction in circulated materials. The B&ECPL is facing a 15.1% overall decrease in circulation from January 2005 when evaluated with January of last year. As January lines up between this year and 2004, only 3 of the City Branches showed an increase in circulation, the Mead Branch had the highest number of reduction at 31.1 percent. Of the Contracting Branches outside of the City, the North Collins Memorial is the only Library that displayed an increase of just 3.7 percent, and the highest decline of 36.5% in circulated materials was the Greenhaven Branch in the Town of Tonawanda.

    Sunday hours are also effected when comparing January 2005 to January of last year, of the five branches currently open on Sundays an 87.4% decrease occurred due to the loss of five branches that included Sunday hours.

    Even with the existing losses from the countywide budget cuts, the B&ECPL maintains they will stay afloat for 2005 and are now looking into other means of making supplementary monies for the system by selling off music CDs and as well looking into suspending about $7 million in future new library construction People always seem to ask, “Why do we have so many libraries?” Here are the reasons behind Erie County’s successful Public Library System. Current statistics from the B&ECPL indicates the Cazenovia & Dudley branches are within the top five of all citywide libraries for material circulation.

    Comparing the numbers between 2003 and 2004, materials that have been used by borrowers has had a 5.2% increase at the Cazenovia Branch; Dudley Branch measures up to a 21.1% increase while the Central Library downtown has see an enhancement of only 2 percent. The two lesser-sized libraries in South Buffalo are circulating about one-third to that of the bigger Central Library downtown.

    To date, the Audubon Branch in Amherst has the highest number of circulated materials in the County, 56,000+ items above the Central Library in downtown Buffalo, or more than the total of yearly circulation of the East Clinton Branch. At present, the Cazenovia and Dudley branches are under the radar as a consolidation project put forth by County Executive Joel A. Giambra, yet the two branches have proven their achievement in the communities they service. The consolidated branch being considered in South Buffalo would be the only County-owned branch after the Central Library; ‘Save our Libraries’ advocates fear that if the County falls deeper into dept the new branch would close and the City of Buffalo would be without two prosperous branches.

    The Crane Branch in the City is the second highest next to the Central Library, which circulated more than 136,000 items in 2004, but took two-tenths of a percent decrease. The City of Buffalo, having the most number of branches also remains with one-third percent of the total Erie County population.

    Twelve of the City’s fifteen Branches including the Central Library have seen increases in material circulation from 2003 to 2004. The North Jefferson Library on the east side is holding a 21.9% raise in circulation, the highest of all Buffalo Branches. Overall the library branches in the City of Buffalo circulated more than a million pieces of materials in 2004, a 7.5% boost.

    The ‘fiscal crisis’ in the County has cut $4 million in the B&ECPL’s operating budget for 2005 forcing cuts to be made at all branches primarily by reducing the number of hours and staff layoffs, but the libraries have triumphed; not one branch is compelled to shut down in 2005. The Dudley Branch is one of the City libraries that is now is closed on Sundays, a specific day that for all of 2004 circulated 5,733 items. On the other hand, the Clearfield Branch in Amherst will maintain Sunday hours as a result of volunteer fund-raising efforts. The total Sunday hours showed a 10.4% increase in material circulation from 2003 to 2004.

    Thirty-six contracting libraries outside of the City add up to 6,528,447 items being circulated, a 3.0% increase from 2003. Only twelve of the contracting libraries saw a decrease in material circulation, but none higher than 5.6 percent. The Julia B. Reinstein Branch in Cheektowaga experienced the largest increase of 25.6%

    One of the largest entities that took a plunge was the mobile services, which had a 49.3% decrease; one of the major cuts within the B&ECPL budget was the complete removal of this those moveable services. In reality, the Correctional Facility circulation was more than 51,000 items than the total Mobile & Urban Services. The e-Branch increased 20.4% from 2003, having circulated 623,858 items in 2004.

    Moving on to the Internet computer use statistics, all 52 branches are designed with the highest quality T-1 connections. Of the branches outside of the City of Buffalo, the Audubon Branch had more than 17,000 Internet sessions for both juvenile and adult users. In the City, the Crane Branch had more than 13,000 sessions for both juvenile and adult users. In fact, the combined contracting branches had 214,432 Internet sessions for the year 2004; fourteen of the City Branches contained 101,352 sessions of Internet users and the Central Library included 70,568 sessions; almost 400,000 internet sessions at all 52 branches for 2004.

    The Sheridan Parkside Branch in the Town of Tonawanda holds the largest increase of Internet sessions, an 80.9% increase from 2003 to 2004. In the City of Buffalo, the Riverside Branch had the largest increase of 57.9% Internet sessions. Only 4 branches of the 52 saw a decrease in Internet sessions, two in the City and two outside of the city, but nothing higher than 17.5 percent.

    When you look at the total of the operating budget for all 52 Erie County Branches, it averages out to about $501,368 per library, which is an all-inclusive amount together with staff, materials; books, maintenance, utilities, T-1 connections to the Internet at all the branches, etc. Sustaining a vast library system on a shoestring budget is next to incalculable when the numbers show exactly how much the Buffalo and Erie County Public Library services the residents.

    When the Legislature held four public hearings late last year, it was recorded that about 95% of Erie County residents who attended stood opposed to a library system that could have been shut down with the County Executive’s original budgeting plan. The B&ECPL alleges the 2004-year was its best 12-month period for material circulation and made the crucial cuts prior to the Legislature’s “no” vote on the sales tax increase a few weeks ago.

    However, the disadvantage of the County financial disaster has already begun to show, with four million dollars in County cuts, there was a 120-hour reduction to all City branches, 400 hours slashed throughout the countywide system. As a result, distress may be more visible as the 2005-year advances, comparing the numbers of January 2004 and January of this year, circulation at the City Branches is down by 13.1% and 7.5% at the Central Library downtown.

    The Contracting Libraries outside of the City are at a loss as well with a 15.9% reduction in circulated materials. The B&ECPL is facing a 15.1% overall decrease in circulation from January 2005 when evaluated with January of last year. As January lines up between this year and 2004, only 3 of the City Branches showed an increase in circulation, the Mead Branch had the highest number of reduction at 31.1 percent. Of the Contracting Branches outside of the City, the North Collins Memorial is the only Library that displayed an increase of just 3.7 percent, and the highest decline of 36.5% in circulated materials was the Greenhaven Branch in the Town of Tonawanda.

    Sunday hours are also effected when comparing January 2005 to January of last year, of the five branches currently open on Sundays an 87.4% decrease occurred due to the loss of five branches that included Sunday hours.

    Even with the existing losses from the countywide budget cuts, the B&ECPL maintains they will stay afloat for 2005 and are now looking into other means of making supplementary monies for the system by selling off music CDs and as well looking into suspending about $7 million in future new library construction projects.

  2. #2
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    Remember citizens have spoken over and over again against wasteful "CONSTRUCTION" projects.

    Buffalo is about neighborhoods. Libraries are the vital instution in all areas. Remember Buffalo had over 20 libraries, and now has 15, with much LESS service hours. Residents pay for their neighborhood branches. If the B&ECPL is going to abondon libraries, the community may have to run them ourselves!

    We are already getting 14% LESS funding. The EXTRA penny would not be put toward library services, so you can understand the unpopular "PENNY". proposal.

    BF

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