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.”

 

 

Preserve library funds petitions presented to City Council

Library supporters: Anne, Jennifer,John, Susan, Ali, and Kevin

Much of the public testimony before Seattle City Council’s budget meeting , April 20, 2009, was about the importance of our libraries.  Friends of The Seattle Public Library Vice President, Jennifer Johnson-Fong, presented petitions signed by more than 800 library supporters at: Wallingford, Northeast, Ballard, Queen Anne, Douglass Truth, Central, and Lake City Libraries  as well as from independent booksellers and the Friends of The Seattle Public Library Book Sale.

She told Council, “All of us who collected signatures on these petitions heard from people who recognize the value of The Library, not just in these hard economic times, but as a steadfast, egalitarian neighborhood institution that anybody in Seattle can visit.

Branch  patrons, book lovers from the Friends Booksale and Independent bookstores, and Seattle neighborhood residents are thanking you all for your past support and urging you to continue to preserve Library funding as you begin to think ahead to the budget for 2010.”

Friends of The Seattle Public Library thank all of you that helped with this Spring Campaign drive or who signed our petitions for preserving library funds. Thanks to many of you that emailed your elected officials with library support. Thanks as well to booksellers that graciously hosted a petition. Each and every one of you made a difference for The Seattle Public Library by bringing attention to the important ways it stabilizes families, individuals, and neighborhoods.

Library supporters who came to the budget meeting today are patrons from: Queen Anne, Highpoint, West Seattle, Mt Baker, Northeast, Central, and Douglass Truth libraries. If you’d like to help Friends of The Seattle Public Library keep our library system strong and vibrant contact us at advocacy@friendsofspl.org.

Library Funding Petition: Find It and Sign It! April 15, 2009

Friends of The Seattle Public Library may be coming to your neighborhood branch this week seeking signatures for a petition to preserve library funds. Look for representatives of our organization standing outside these libraries:  Northeast on April 16,  Wallingford and Lake City April 17,  Columbia, Beacon Hill and Capital Hill on April19.  You may also see us at Magnolia and Douglass-Truth. Would you like to help us petition to preserve library funds? Contact us at advocacy@friendsofspl.org We’ll also have petitions at the Book Sale this weekend. You can also sign our petition at the following independent book sellers: Secret Garden Bookshop in Ballard, Queen Anne books,  Elliott Bay Books, Leisure Books in West Seattle, Open Books: A Poem Emporium in Wallingford and Left Bank Books in Pike Place Market. Thanks to everyone that has signed our petition to preserve library funds.  We hope to have at least 1,000 signatures to turn in to City Council on Monday, April 20.

We don’t know yet how the operations budget of the library may be affected by the City’s budget crisis.  The final public meeting on budget matters is April 20 at City Hall at 10:30 a.m. You’re welcome to join us. Please RSVP to advocacy@friendsofspl.org Library supporters were mentioned in a KOMO report on the second of three budget meetings  at City Hall which we attended on April 13. Any reduction in library operating and collections funds will have a deep impact on our neighborhoods. Please join us in our efforts to preserve library funds.

Ianne’s testimony to City Council April 1, 2009

My branch is Capitol Hill.  Thank you for your terrific support of our library. 

Our library usage has sharply increased.  Our 14 computers are harder to reserve.  Tables are full of personal laptops connected to the library’s free internet service.  

 

I realized what was happening when I walked past a computer and the large banner of an online Unemployment Insurance Form caught my eye.  A man in his mid 40′s was filling out the form, in the middle of the library.  A woman with a young child on her lap searched a web page of children’s clothing, 50 to 70% off.  One day, a college age woman’s resume got my attention; it was blue, her name was bright red.  Another day, a very senior citizen was reading the Mariners’ summer jobs press release.   

 

Connecting the dots:  Jobs are advertised on line and applications are submitted on line.  Those with no computer or internet service at home are stuck.  They’re cut off.

 

Today’s library is part of our social safety net.  It’s the only place critical resources are available to all.

 

Please continue your support.  

Please email Councilmember’s today asking them to preserve the library budget. Libraries are essential. Your voice makes a difference. Councilmember emails: jean.godden@seattle.gov, richard.mciver@seattle.gov, bruce.harrell@seattle.gov, sally.clark@seattle.gov, tom.rasmussen@seattle.gov, jan.drago@seattle.gov, nick.licata@seattle.gov, tim.burgess@seattle.gov, richard.conlin@seattle.gov

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.

Impact Of Budget Cuts July 1, 2008

Just in case you were wondering “does it really matter if I show up to support my library” – the answer is YES! In May, your fellow community members attended the City Council’s Budget Hearings. Check out their committee website for the summary of comments from the public meetings. There is an Instant Polling Result under the latest update box at the top of the page.

Some interesting data points:

Taken from Seattle Central Library Economics Benefit paper: understand how budget cuts affect your local branch…reduction of hours, circulation and support.

Budget Cuts have Reduced the Library’s Operating Hours in Recent Years

In response to annual budget cuts in effect since 2001, The Seattle Public Library has reduced operating hours at the Central Library and all branches in the system, in addition to making non-personnel cuts and reducing the amount spent on collections. With both the 2002 and 2003 budgets, the entire Library system was closed for two non-contiguous weeks.

Hours at branch libraries have been more significantly reduced, with most libraries now open from 1:00 to 8:00 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, 10:00 am to 8:00 p.m. Wednesday, and 10:00 am to 6:00 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. Some branches are open 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, and others are closed.

The Central Library’s current operating hours, totaling 58 hours per week, are shown in Exhibit 3. Prior to the reduction in operating hours imposed in 2001, the Central Library was open 70 hours per week, from 9:00 am to 9:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

For more information check out the Tracking the General Fund: How the City Gets and Spends

Presence Matters: Local Support at the Budget Hearings May 30, 2008

Last night I had the opportunity of attending my first city council budget hearing. The event is designed to give the community the chance to share their priorities with City Council, so that they may take public opinion into account when determining the budget.

To those (and I include myself in this camp) who think that government sometimes operates independent of the people, there is sincere interest on behalf of city council to include the community’s opinion – and presence matters. Seattle is really a great place to make a difference because of the access people have to their government.

A gentleman from the community spoke up on behalf of the library and I had the pleasure of speaking with him briefly; here is his story:

Keo Capestany

I was born in Cuba and have lived in Seattle since 1962. We used to live in the High Point Housing Project half a block from the library branch there. My daughter Victoria, who was a precocious speaker, was able to say the word “biblioteca” when she was two. My wife used to take her and the other kids to the biblioteca regularly since we could not afford our own books.Before I could read  English well enough to derive pleasure from reading I sustained my appetite with the Spanish collection at the Central Library.  It was there, comparing several translations of Don Quijote, that I was infected with the virus of the passion for the impossible job of interpreting and translating.Once I met somebody that knew my children at John Muir Elementary and she told me that “the Capestany children were famous there for not having a TV set at home and for always being seen carrying books.”  (Most, almost all, of those books were from the Columbia Branch.) Among them today they boast six bachelor degrees and three masters.  All of them have done well in life and continue to be voracious readers. We have lived in Mt. Baker since 1966 and I was an Independent Claims Adjuster until I retired in 1998 after 25 years in that business. In preparation for retirement I passed the exams to become a court interpreter and I am one of less than 10 certified for the Federal  courts in the Seattle  area. When I surrendered circa 1994 to the inevitability of progress and purchased a computer it was at the Central Branch that I was initiated into the rudiments  of mouse and web. I have been a member of the Friends and for years I have volunteered to the preparation for the book sale where  I purchase way more books that I would be able to read in two lifetimes but I look forward to continue so doing for many years. Sin lectura no hay cultura.

 

Related Links:

• Budget Committee and Events
• Learn more about the budget process
• Budget tips on supporting your organization effectively – like FSPL!
• FSPL’s Flickr account: see your local community in action!

What can you do?

• Sign Up for City Council Meeting Updates
• Email your city council member to support the SPL
• Read or leave a comment on our blog