Will Your Neighborhood Library Hours Be Cut on 2/3? What Can You Do to Help? January 28, 2010

Due to budget cuts, operating hours at many Library branches will be reduced starting on February 3.    Click here to see how your neighborhood branch will be affected.

What can you do to help prevent further reductions in Library services?  Our elected officials are setting 2011 (yes, that’s right, 2011) budget priorities now, so here are 3 things you can do now:

1. Attend the Citizen’s Budget Conference 2010 on Sunday, January 31^st at the Seattle Center House

Why: The Mayor, City Council members and City agency representatives will be there, and you can ask them questions and tell them why it is important to maintain funding for Library hours and collections.

How: Click here for more info.  There are two key times for speaking in support of The Seattle Public Library

• 2 to 2:55 pm when The Seattle Public Library gives a presentation
• 4 to 5 pm for a special meeting of the Seattle City Council Budget Committee to discuss the budget and take public comment

If you plan to attend, please email the Friends’ Advocacy Committee at advocacy@friendsofspl.org so we can keep an eye out for you.

2. Send  Mayor McGinn a comment in support of The Seattle Public Library today

Why: Mayor McGinn acts on community voices.  Please tell him why The Library is important to you and our community.

How: Click here for a link to the Mayor’s website, where you can give him your comments and suggestions.  Feel free to send him your own message, but here’s a sample you can use or adapt:

Topic/Subject Line:  No More Budget Reductions for The Seattle Public Library in 2011

Message:  I use [FILL IN YOUR BRANCH ] neighborhood library.  On February 3^rd my branch hours are changing.  I want you to support The Seattle Public Library in the 2011 budget.  [PLEASE ADD A PERSONAL MESSAGE ABOUT WHAT THE SEATTLE PUBLIC LIBRARY MEANS TO YOU AND HOW YOU USE IT]

3. Email Councilmember President Richard Conlin today

Why: Councilmember Conlin now chairs the council’s Library committee, and needs to know how important continued funding is for the Library.

How: Email him at richard.conlin@seattle.gov.  See the sample message above, or come up with your own message.

If you’d like more information about the 2010 Library budget, click here.  And stay tuned to the Friends’ blog for more information about the 2011 budget.

Thanks for your support; your voices made a difference last year, and can make a difference again this year!

Supporters Share Stories April 21, 2009

As people across the city are learning of the library’s budget challenges, stories of the library’s community importance are coming forward. In these hard economic times anyone walking into a branch library can see more people using the computers or plugging in their laptops. In fact all aspects of library service are up at least 10% over last year. Friends of The Library members who participated in the petition drive that wrapped up on Sunday, April 19, heard many stories about the particular ways patrons use their libraries. In this testimony,  library supporter and freelance artist, Kevin Wildermuth, tells Councilmembers how the library is important in his life and the lives of people he met outside Douglass Truth.

“I’m a freelance photographer and web designer working out of my home not far from the Douglass-Truth branch. I rely on the library for many of the books that I read to stay competitive in my business. They are expensive and it’s helpful to have access to those that I don’t buy.

I am concerned about the library budget and that’s why I’m here today and why I was on the sidewalk in front of my library last week collecting signatures for this petition. I was gratified with how easy it was. Everyone signed without hesitation, few refused, and I collected 47 signatures within an hour and a half. People from all walks of life really appreciate and rely on their libraries. I’d say we consider it an essential government service.

I talked to mothers with small children, a city attorney, high school students, job-seeekers, all kinds of people. One patron said that the library system was key to his faith in government. One woman told me that she believes money spent on libraries is leveraged to help people more than almost anything the government does.

People love their libraries. So I urge you to continue to preserve funding when you deliberate the budget in the fall so that we have the staff, the hours, and the acquisitions budget to serve these patrons and all the others that I did not get to talk to.”

 

 

Tony Talks Budget March 27, 2009

Tony waits to sign in 3/26

Here are Tony’s complete remarks from the March 26th Budget Hearing at Seattle City Council Chambers. We hope you’ll consider joining us at the next meeting: April 6 at 10:30 a.m. Your presence matters! RSVP advocacy@friendsofspl.org Keep checking this blog for updates on the library and library budget.

Tony’s Testimony:

I live in the Ravenna/Wedgwood neighborhood and I am with the Friends of the Seattle Public Library.

I want to thank you all for your support of the Seattle Public Library and ask you to preserve the current level of budgeted funding.

The Library is an important community lifeline for the residents of this city. The exploding use of the Library’s programs, resources and services has far exceeded every expectation. In this current economic climate, the Library has also become an integral part of the City’s safety net, providing all citizens with access to information and computer services that link them to city, state and federal agencies and programs. Everyone is familiar with examples of how the Library is doing more for all groups, the displaced, the unemployed, new citizens, as well as all struggling individuals, families and children.

The Library — through its Central location, community branches, and online presence — is experiencing more demands for facilities, resources and services than can be reasonably met with a reduction in funding. The Library already makes extensive use of volunteer groups to assist the professional staff in meeting these demands. And the Library receives financial support through donations from individuals and groups to help to pay for the resources and services it provides.

This unique public/private partnership came to fruition with the successful completion of Libraries For All. Citizens voted for and provided the additional financial support required to re-build and re-energize the Library. They are depending on the City to maintain its materials and operation.

For a City department, the Library is unique for the significant amount of its overall revenue base that comes from donations. Since it already operates with a very lean budget, and donations are not expected to keep pace with past years, any reduction in funding of the Library, may force drastic cuts in services.

I ask you to consider the needs of the entire community when considering a reduction in the Library’s budget. The Library is an invaluable part of the community, a product of the investment made jointly by the city and its citizens. This investment, unlike many others, has not lost its value and is still paying dividends. Now, more than ever, the Library is essential to the lives and well being of every Seattle resident.

Thank you.

Support the Library! March 26, 2009

Budget Committee

The Seattle City Council will hold a public hearing on Thursday, March 26 at 5:30 p.m. in Council Chambers to listen to citizens talk about their priorities for city government, including programs and services that they would like to see preserved in this hard economic climate. City Council is looking at potential deep cuts to the new 2009/2010 budget.

Libraries are busier than ever serving the growing number of families and individuals looking for critical resources, computer access, and budget relief.  Strong libraries need strong community support. Please join us at a public hearing.

If you can’t join us in Council Chambers on March 26, consider coming to one of three April meetings scheduled for additional citizen input: April 6, 13, and 20 at approx 10:30 a.m. RSVP to: advocacy@friendsofspl.org

If it’s impossible to come to Council Chambers in support of the library, please email your councilmembers with library support.

Councilmember emails:

richard.conlin@seattle.gov, sally.clark@seattle.gov, jean.godden@seattle.gov, tim.burgess@seattle.gov, nick.licata@seattle.gov, bruce.harrell@seattle.gov, tom.rasmussen@seattle.gov, richard.mciver@seattle.gov, jan.drago@seattle.gov

Stay tuned to this blog for up to the minute library budget information. We’ll be blogging live from council chambers on March 26.

Final Public Hearing Tonite! October 27, 2008

Kevin and Ken at City Hall

It’s four o’ clock on 27 October and lines are beginning to form at City Hall. People are coming here on a beautiful day to talk to their Councilmembers about the proposed budget for 2009-2010. The sun is shining on everyone that’s here to participate in democracy. Join us!

Pictured here are two library patrons that have come down to tell Councilmembers about the importance of library collections in their lives. They will ask Council to increase the library’s proposed collections budget. There is a 2.2 million dollar gap in this year’s proposed collections budget.

Public Hearings are interesting. If you’ve never been to City Hall. Enter on Fifth ave between Cherry and James. You can park in the Sea Park Garage just up the street. Parking is just $3.00 if you’ve been at the hearing.

There are so many economic issues in the world today that we can’t do anything about but this is a concern you can impact simply by showing up. Please come down tonite and tell your Councilmembers that you support an increase in the Library’s collections budget.

Join us at the Public Hearing Oct 8, 5:30, City Hall October 8, 2008

The first of two public hearings is tomorrow, at City Hall, at 5:30. Park at the Sea Park structure across from City Hall and they will only charge you 3$ if you tell them you were there for the hearing. Please join us. If you can speak to the issue of the importance of collections consider coming down to lend your voice of support to The Seattle Public Library. Speakers sign in first come, first serve. Each speaker has 2 minutes when he/she is called to the front.

I first spoke to the Council four years ago. It was surprisingly easy. Your back is to the audience and Council members are patient usually attentative listeners. Sometimes the hearings run 3-4 hours, It’s admirable that they can listen for so long to so many. I love the hearings. Democracy is in action and people from every walk of life attend. In that way it resembles the egalitarian environment of the library. It’s an exciting night and an opportunity to see what matters to people.

There is a second hearing on the 27th of October. Important decisions are being made about the library’s resources this month. If you can’t come down to city hall then please email city council between the hours of 4:30 and 5:30. Every email recieved at council.live@seattle.gov during that time will be considered “official testimony.”