Libraries are in many ways very local institutions. They were often started a long time ago as some measure of local civic pride, and often have origins and community support independent from the (sometimes arbitrary) tax districts that are used to finance them. When tax revenues disappear, the community steps up to support its library through hard times.
When regional or state government gets involved in managing library systems from a purely fiscal point of view, it's easy to see how consolidation is a way to cut costs. You remove the need to run duplicate, expensive online catalogs; you streamline purchasing; you gain economies of scale. What you lose is that sense of local control and local say in what the library does and what the library is for a town.
This is playing itself out right now in northern Indiana, where a four branch township library is facing consolidation with an five branch county library. I've clipped some newspaper articles below. My stepdad grew up in Porter County, Indiana, and we've vacationed in nearby Michigan City, Indiana (which has an awesome library). The St. Joseph County library picked up one of the Greasemonkey scripts I worked on and adapted it as their own, so this issue doesn't seem far away.
Washtenaw County Michigan has ten public libraries, so many that the local county government can't keep track of all of the branches. Someone somewhere has to be thinking that consolidating them all together would be more cost efficient.
Here's how it's playing out in Indiana - this is an active issue right now.
County takeover of Westchester library only a matter of time? 8/10/2007
“We’re in a crisis again,” said WPL board member Rick Hokanson.
In 2001 Bethlehem Steel went bankrupt, its millions of dollars in property taxes went unpaid and WPL was forced to cut service hours and employees. The community stepped up to volunteer time and resources to see WPL through that dark time, and Library Board member Sharon Robbins said it appears WPL needs a groundswell of public support again.
Board members brainstormed how to let area state legislators know the value of WPL to its patrons, and how to let the public know the programs and services they enjoy are likely threatened. Under a consolidated library system, said board members, it’s questionable whether Hageman Library in Porter and the WPL-sponsored Westchester Township Museum would remain open.
from the Chesterton (Indiana) Tribune, 9/26/2007
For her part, “I feel very strongly about keeping the library in town,” said Porter Town Council member Jennifer Granat.
Tuesday, she said she wants to learn more about the possible threat that a blue-ribbon state study committee might recommend consolidation of the Westchester Public Library with the Porter County Library System. WPL operates the Hageman Library in Porter among its four facilities.
The Westchester Library Board is in the process of developing strategies to raise awareness of the problem and garner support for WPL. Granat offered to obtain more information for the Town Council and bring it back for a discussion at that time.
The Library Board is encouraging WPL supporters to join the Friends of the Library so a database can be assembled to help in future lobbying efforts.
from the Gary, Indiana Post-Tribune, "Area libraries leery about cost cutting", Sept 17 2007:
Westchester Library Board member Vern Odom said patrons are being urged to contact the Indiana Commission on Local Government Reform, which is conducting the cost-cutting study, to voice their opinions.
"We want our patrons to write and express their feelings about whether they feel library's should be consolidated or not," Odom said.
"My impression is that people want to have their library locally controlled," he said.
Odom says he's opposed to consolidation. "I'm against big government, in general, he said. "The local library was created locally, not by somebody in Indianapolis.
"I think it's fine if local libraries want to consolidate with each other without being mandated by someone far away," Odom said.
The Westchester Library Board plans to meet in special session at 6 p.m. Thursday to discuss the matter.
another Post-Tribune story, State not releasing details for library-strategy meeting, Sept 26, 2007:
CHESTERTON -- Westchester Public Library officials feel increasingly frustrated by what they say is a lack of communication with Gov. Mitch Daniels' Commission on Local Government Reform.
At a strategy meeting last week, Library Board president Karen Nash said she had confirmed that one of four commission forums planned for October will be held in Northwest Indiana, but was told further that the location and date might be released last Friday.
By Tuesday there was no word from Indianapolis, according to assistant library director Jane Walsh-Brown.
"They keep promising her (Nash) they're about ready tell her, but all we know is still that it's in early October. The commission is waiting for confirmation from the prospective site," she said.
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