Federation of Friends of the DC Public Library

Testimony on the FY2009 Performance of the District of Columbia Public Library, February 25th 2010 from:
Joseph Harris, Ward 5 Resident, Treasurer of the Friends of the Woodridge Library, Washington, DC.

Good morning Chairman Thomas and members of the Committee. My name is Joseph Harris, I live in Ward 5 and I represent the Friends of the Woodridge Library, (FWL).

The FWL is an all volunteer non profit organization established to support the Woodridge Branch of the District of Columbia Public Library (DCPL) and is a member of the Federation of Friends of the DC Public Library.

Today I want to speak about the value of libraries in general and specifically about how the areas of Personnel, Technology, Service Hours and Resources are important to the value of the Woodridge Branch of the DCPL.
　
Last Summer the local affiliate of NBC news reported that across the country libraries are facing economic difficulties yet still are offering free services.

There is an increased demand for library services from patrons who are:

• looking for help in finding jobs
• borrowing movies
• utilizing public internet access and wireless services

At some libraries the demand for computers can cause waiting for up to an hour.

Some public libraries offer free job counseling seminars and during these difficult economic times libraries are often seen as a growing source of free entertainment. While many public libraries are facing cuts in funding by local governments, record attendance at children’s programs is being seen and in many locations the demand for DVDs and CDs has soared.

Unfortunately there has also been a rise in short tempered angry patrons that at times challenges the library’s code of conduct. In some locations library employees are receiving training in how to defuse explosive situations.

As the recession challenges public libraries to slash budgets, our neighborhood libraries stand to suffer consequences including:

• More layoffs
• Information Technology (IT) systems not being kept current
• Reduced hours, cuts in days of service
• Buying far fewer books and other materials

From a local point of view these four areas work together to reduce the value of neighborhood libraries like the Woodridge Branch.

• Cuts in library personnel equate to reduced customer service. Fewer library personnel attending to more library patrons can cause an increase in the number of overworked library employees, an increase in the number of frustrated patrons and an increase in the number of times the local branch is short-handed.
• Keeping IT systems up to date is important at Woodridge partly because computer training for seniors is a program that recently started and the number of participants turned out to be more than expected.
• Having no Sunday hours at Woodridge resulted in no chess for children and teens as well as other heavily attended activities.
• Buying fewer books and materials means fewer resources being made available to the neighborhood served by the Woodridge Branch and others like it.

Because attendance at our libraries continues to grow I believe that increasing funding to address the four areas of Personnel, Technology, Service Hours and Resources will increase the value of the DC Public Library and allow it to meet this growth.

At the end of my remarks to the Board of Library Trustees last July you were given recognition for the work you’ve done for the DC Public Library. I am honored now to do so in person!

On behalf of the Friends of the Woodridge Library I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge and thank you Chairman Thomas for hearing the voices of our communities and helping to ensure that our libraries continue to serve our neighborhoods during these difficult economic times.

Thank You

Testimony on the FY2009 Performance of the District of Columbia Public Library, February 25th 2010 from Patricia Goldman and Bradford Gray, Ward 2 Residents and Board Members of the Friends of the Georgetown Library

Chairman Thomas and members of the Committee, we are pleased to speak today on behalf of the Friends of the Georgetown Library.

The library has been functioning very successfully and has been very busy in its temporary quarters on M Street. Even so, we are eagerly looking forward to the opening in October of our original library on R Street, which is being beautifully restored after the devastating fire of 2007. We appreciate the planning and commitment that has made this possible.

We do have serious concerns about the consequences of the budgetary situation and the possibility of further budget cuts. Staffing is a major concern. There is a hiring freeze and even though the staff works very hard, they have had cancel some programs, outreach opportunities and other community partnerships. The branch now has only 5 full time staff members, 1 part time person, 2 teen workers and half of the librarian, Tracy Sumler, who splits her time with Tenley. There is a major concern about what will happen with the original library re-opens. That building is, of course, much larger than the M Street storefront and will involve a much wider array of services. I know the librarian is concerned about how it will be staffed. It seems unlikely that there is surplus staff at other branches that can be shifted.

Further budget reductions will also likely mean a reduction in the hours the library is open, reducing service to the community. The library is now open 6 days a week and at least 8 hours a day. Access to the library services will suffer if hours are reduced to fewer hours per day or even one less day per week. We hope that that can be avoided.

Another concern is information technology, which has become an essential part of the modern library. In Georgetown, all of the staff and public computers are old and break down constantly. There is not budget now with which to replace them. We hope that there will be new computers and laptops as has been planned for the reopening of the historical library. But at this point, the library is evening rationing printing paper for the staff and general printers. The general supply budget has also been cut.

2010 is a very exciting year for the Georgetown branch as the rehabilitation of our historical building nears completion. But a library is not just a building but is a vital set of resources that benefit the entire community.

In a troubled economy when the library is a major resource for job seekers it will benefit the city economy to help these people though the library services.

We urge the City Council to do everything in its power to assure the continued vitality of our library system, not just in Georgetown but across the whole city.

Testimony on the FY2009 Performance of the District of Columbia Public Library
February 25, 2010

Susan B. Haight

Ward 2 Resident
President of the Federation of Friends of the DC Public Library
President of the West End Library Friends, Washington, DC.

Chairman Thomas and members of the Committee:

I thank you for your time and the opportunity to testify. Your role in allocating funds and providing oversight for the operations of the District of Columbia Public Library System is an important one and the members of the Federation of Friends and individual Friends groups applaud your efforts.

I have been a resident of the District for ten years, and an advocate for the District libraries for almost that long. My background is business. In my career, I have overseen multi-million dollar budgets, and I understand the need for a decent ROI when investing, as well as the need to economize when the money is just not there.

I believe the Chief Librarian and the library staffs have done a good job in adjusting to budget cuts over the past few years. They have reduced hours, cut back programming and eliminated waste wherever possible. However, I believe that we are fast approaching the tipping point. Any further cuts in funding will jeopardize the services our communities so desperately need which only the library can provide.

Reduced evening hours, have forced neighborhood organizations to scrambling to find other locations for their evening meetings, and children, teens, and entire families have been denied a place to gather and thrive because the branches are no longer open on Sunday.

Bare bone funding has reduced the number of copies of books available, resulting in a longer wait time for materials. This same lack of funding will soon jeopardize DCPL’s ability to maintain the great strides made in providing public access computers. The computers provided in the West End Library are used all the time. But soon lack of funding will result in longer maintenance rotations and subsequently reduce computer use.

In summary, my request is that as you review the libraries performance for 2009, you consider how desperately the communities need full service libraries for 2010, 2011 and beyond.

Thank you for your time.