Hard Times and the Library (Updated)

It cannot have escaped anyone's attention that these are hard times--certainly a recession (now 16 months and continuing) and some would say a depression.  The economic climate has many effects on libraries. An earlier post discussed the problems that many libraries are having with their current budgets (see March 16, 2009, "Libraries Get You Through Times of No Money...") For this year, however, funding is not a major problem for the Pleasant Valley Free Library because of a New York State law that allows voters to lock in the Town portion of a free-assembly library. Yet the Town money is not the only source of income that our Library has, and the other sources have been shaky during the recession.  Fierce lobbying failed to preserve the State Library funds for the forthcoming year, which will be cut by $8 million according to the recently passed budget.  This will affect the Mid-Hudson system directly and our Library indirectly as Mid-Hudson is forced to raise fees to member libraries.   

However, the $14 million in the New York State budget for library construction funds has been preserved. Our Library has not been able to access these in the past because we don't have enough funds in our building or capital accounts to match the level of funding we might receive from the State (in the best possible outcome). The State refuses to grant construction money to a library unless it can show that it has enough cash on hand to complete the construction project without using State funds.  Talk about your Catch 22! We are actively seeking funds from individuals, foundations, and other sources for both capital (repairs and improvements on the Manse) and the building expansion, funds which may be more difficult to obtain during hard times. As always, we invite you to contribute to our Building Fund at the Community Foundation. 

Meanwhile, our Library, like libraries across the country, have become a first line of defense for joblessness. Our computers and printers are used for resume preparation.  Our newspapers are available for checking the want ads (also checkable on computers). Our collections provides many opportunities for self help.  And the Library, during open hours, is a place of refuge for those with no available home or workplace--although we do have a policy against using the Library as a bedroom, developed a few years ago when a homeless person regularly slept through the day at the Library.