Federation of Friends

Washington, DC-Mayor Adrian M. Fenty and Chief Librarian for the DC Public Libraries (DCPL), Ginnie Cooper, announced today that funding has been identified to maintain library branch hours for Fiscal Year 2009.

“Public libraries serve as a resource, gathering place and anchor in our communities,” said Fenty. “Residents can rest assured that they can continue to access all of DC Public Library’s resources seven days a week next year.”

The Mayor located funds after DCPL reported that its budget for FY 2009 would require libraries to close one day a week in order to stay within budget. The approximately $2 million needed to keep DCPL open seven days a week will come from debt service savings.

“We were delighted to see how swiftly the Mayor responded to the need for additional funding,” said Cooper. “This funding will allow library staffing levels to remain the same next fiscal year. This funding means that these libraries will be remain open seven days a week next fiscal year.”

In addition to traditional library resources such as books, DCPL has internet access, literacy programs for adults and serves as a meeting place for community groups. DCPL is the first public library in the country to provide books on tape that are iPod and MP3 compatible. For more information on library hours, services and locations visit www.dclibrary.org.

At the Board of Library Trustees meeting Wednesday night, July 23, 2008, Chief Librarian Ginnie Cooper presented a grim picture of the FY2009 Library Budget and staffing plan. While the Library Budget will go up slightly (by $16,000), that budget includes $5.6 million in earmarked enhancements and the elimination of 74 library positions. This is a 14% reduction in the staffing for DC Public Libraries. The DC Public Library needs $2 million by October 1, 2008 or the Library will be forced to drastically cut the hours of operation of all our libraries.

Mrs. Cooper laid out the changes to the Board and the community. They include closing all Libraries on Fridays, reducing basic operating hours to 10:00 am - 6:00 pm at all branch libraries and opening 12:00 pm - 8:00 pm on days when libraries are open in the evening. Regular hours at the MLKJr Library would also change to 10:00 am - 8:00 pm. All libraries would remain open on Sundays during the school year but would all be closed on Sundays during the summer months.

There are a number of impacts that these changes would create: community groups would have difficulty holding meetings that must end by 8:00 pm; daycares and caregivers would have difficulty using their libraries in the mornings when they open later or not until noon; seniors will not have an opportunity to use the library consistently in the mornings; working families would have reeduced access to the library during the summers and commuters will find it difficult to get to their branches by 8:00 pm on the nights their library branches are open.

The Library System needs your help to appeal to the District Council to find the $2 million that will avoid this calamity. A number of things converged to create this problem and a number of promises have been broken along the way by the Council and the Administration. Our communities should not have to suffer the mistakes of our leaders.

Please, write to your councilmember today. Share this message in your community, and let’s make sure our libraries remain open and available to everyone in our community.

Books and Other Library Resources at DCPL- now and in the future
Books are critical to fulfilling the library’s mission. It is what people expect.

Now: Branch library collections are crowded and uneven in quality and content. Why?

• Money: DCPL has not had the funds for books needed by District of Columbia residents. Staff has understandably been hesitant to discard older books for fear that there would be no money for replacements.
• Interlibrary Delivery System: The ability to share books among libraries is a key value of a system. DCPL’s delivery system needs improvement.
• Access to information about what the library owns: The Library’s computerized catalog serves as the gateway to the collection. DCPL’s catalog is inaccurate and difficult to use.

In the future: DCPL will have a collection for the diverse needs of those who live in the District of Columbia through the purchase of a wide range of materials in formats that are popular and on subjects that draw interest:

• By appreciating the printed word and its continued popularity and recognizing that artistic and informational expression comes in many formats.
• Buying books because they are popular for an extended period of time (Popular Fiction, Feature Films) or will always be in demand (Classic Literature, Practice for Standardized Testing).
• Collections specific to local need. Examples: Local History, Ethnic Interest, Homework Help for branches with heavy school-age populations.

We provide books and other library materials in a timely manner. This will be accomplished by:

• Timely ordering and processing so that we buy at a good price and each book and media product is relevant when it lands on our shelves.
• Work with our new procurement authority to assure the timely award of bids and an even flow of material to branches throughout the year.
• Providing accurate information about what we offer through regular upgrades and maintenance of the technical infrastructure.

We will actively maintain the library’s collections by:

• Regularly removing material that is not being used to make room for material that will be used. This activity will vary from library to library, from subject to subject, and from book to book. Having one rule for all materials and all libraries would not work.
• Removing material that is torn, frayed, or moldy and replacing if necessary.
• Beginning a regular replacement schedule of books on a variety of topics to assure that each library will have a core collection of titles.

We will improve DCPL’s electronic collection:
DCPL has been slower than most other libraries to provide electronic resources. People look for information online in databases and on web pages both at the library and from home. Increasingly, people download books, music and video, etc. The library helps bridge the Digital Divide. The growth of the electronic collection will coincide with an increase in computers and computer access at the neighborhood libraries.

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Is the Library buying schlock?
There have been many complaints about the “series” books such as the “For Dummies” and “Complete Idiot’s” guides. While these series may not exude grandeur, they are popular among many of today’s readers. Libraries are very often at the whim of the publishing industry, and the industry has changed dramatically over the last twenty years…as have reading tastes. The series guides contain much of the same information as their more dignified predecessors. They are just presented, branded and marketed differently because publishers have found that this approach sells more books.

Does circulation-the number of books checked out- matter?
Circulation is not the only measurement for public libraries; but it is an important one. When a book is checked out, it means that people using the library are satisfied with what is being bought with their tax dollars. Many appreciate popular materials. Many use the libraries books and other library materials for research and education. One person’s “junk” is another person’s insight into the unknown and pathway to a better life.

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