Governor Proposes New Cuts

At the end of last week, Governor Rendell announced revisions to his proposed budget for 2009-2010. It included bad news for libraries.

Originally, Governor Rendell proposed a 5% cut. Now, he proposes a 16% cut that includes cuts to other important library programs like the state's POWER library databases for students, interlibrary delivery, and more. Rendell still calls for chopping state library services 50%.

Proposals from the General Assembly aren't any better. The Senate calls for 50% cuts. If state funding is cut that much, Cumberland County will immediately lose about $750,000, plus many services provided by the state.

This comes at a time when public libraries are busier than ever across the state. While I understand that the state has difficult budget decisions to make, it's hard to understand why libraries are being cut when libraries are supporting the very people that need the most help: families on a tight budget, people looking for new jobs or education to improve their lives.

You can see many of our own customer's comments about how important the library is at: http://cumberlandcountylibraries.org/index.aspx?NID=855

Please consider contacting your legislators and the Governor about this. Let them know that library services are important to you.

Pulitzer Prize Winner is a Winner

Normally, I'm not a big fan of short stories, but I am a huge fan of this year's Pulitzer Prize winner, Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout, a novel told in thirteen short stories.

The novel tells the story of Olive, a retired school teacher, and the people who surround her in a small coastal Maine town. Her story along with the stories of her husband, a lounge singer haunted by a past love, her Olive's own resentful son.

Kirkus Reviews (February 1, 2008) said it is:

A perfectly balanced portrait of the human condition, encompassing plenty of anger, cruelty and loss without ever losing sight of the equally powerful presences of tenderness, shared pursuits and lifelong loyalty.

I listened to the book and enjoyed the narrator, Sandra Burr, tremendously. She really made Olive's character come alive. I will remember Olive's voice for a long time.

Summer Reading

Well it's June 5 and it's raining outside. I even am wearing a sweater (and shoes and socks!) However, after having read "A Book Lover's Summer" in the Wall Street Journal, my mind is on summer...summer reading, that is.

Here's what I'm thinking about reading this summer:

• The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. (A Newbery Award winner I've been meaning to get to for about 9 months now.)
  
• Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson. (I really enjoyed his earlier novel Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and seem to have developed a real taste for dark Swedish/Scandinavian thrillers)
• The Story Sisters by Alice Hoffman (I've always got to read her latest. Hoffman's blend of psychological fiction with magical elements can be hypnotic.)
• The Leisure Seekers by Michael Zahoorian (About an elderly married couple who venture off on one last road trip...the reviews made me think it might be funny and I need a laugh)
• A Devil to Play by Jason Rees (About one man's year long quest to perform a Mozart Horn Concerto - in public - after a 22-year lapse in ever having touched the instrument. As a former horn player, I think this'll also be funny.)
• In the Woods by Tana French (I've always heard it was good.)
• Something from Dean Koontz's Odd Thomas series. (I have to confess I've never read any of his books and he's from Mechanicsburg! Shame on me!)

What are you reading?

Email Notices - Great Service & Great Money Saver

About 2 years ago, the Cumberland County Library System was among the first library systems in Pennsylvania to start sending out our notices via email. This includes notices for overdue items, things that are ready for pick-up, or reminders that your items are due in two days.

This service has been a real favorite among our customers. In fact, it's probably one of the things that I receive the most favorable comments about each week.

Even better, not only have email notices become a customer favorite, but they have also resulted in some big savings for the library system. Since funding is getting tighter and we are busier than ever, finding ways to save staff time and money have become even more essential.

With email we've not only been able to reduce printing and mailing costs, but we've also been able to free up staff to do other things. Last year alone, we sent out about 320,000 email notices to customers. If we had mailed all those notices out, each one could have cost us $.42 in postage. That's a $134,000 savings right there in postage.

If you would like to try this service, fill out the form at:

http://cumberlandcountylibraries.org/forms.aspx?FID=67

Weight Gain & Vision Loss: A Web Site is Born

As I reported earlier this spring, I haven't blogged much because of all the hours we were putting into the development of our new web site: http://cumberlandcountylibraries.org.

And, yes, the headline is true. Because of all the time I invested in the new web site, I've gained weight and had to get a new pair of glasses. (Perhaps the glasses aren't directly related, but it certainly felt that way!)

But, complaining aside, I have to report that I'm very, very excited about our new site -- both its new look and its functionality are light years beyond where we were with our old site. Plus, all of its features haven't been added yet. (For example, we expect to add the ability to pay fines and fees online this summer.)

In our initial testing with real users earlier this spring, comments were very favorable. But, we can always learn more from real people using it day in and day out.

The site should be live by the end of this week. Right now we are waiting for our new site to 'propagate' across the web. (Kind of puts me in mind of the old Star Trek episode "The Trouble with Tribbles".) Anyway, let me know your thoughts as you get your first look.

Our staff here have spent a lot of long hours trying to get it right for you. And, we hope it is!

Surge in Library Use

We thought we were busier, and we are!

For the past five years or so, the Cumberland County Library System has ranked first among all county library systems in Pennsylvania for the number of books borrowed by person (library circulation per capita).

But, since the economy took a nose dive, we have been even busier. Our first quarter numbers are in, and they show quite an increase:

	1st Qtr 2009	1st Qtr 2008	% Change
Library Catalog Search Sessions	3,087,668	1,112,707	177% Increase
People Using Computers	45,867	34,436	33% Increase
Library Card Holders	130,008	98,249	24% Increase
Materials Borrowed	683,817	653,127	5% Increase

Why all this increased demand for the library?

The reasons vary, but most point to tighter family budgets, job seeking, personal skills development, student literacy or a need for inexpensive leisure-time resources.

New Library System Website Coming Soon

I haven't been keeping up with my blog recently because we are immersed in a major website re-design for the library system.

You can get a sneak peek at it here on my blog.

The new design will be a major improvement over the old one. It will have feature many new and recommended titles, easy ways to find out about our programs, new areas that will meet the needs of children, teens, adults, older adults, parents and the homebound or disabled, and new ways to stay in touch with what is going on at your library.

We even plan to provide a way for you to make online payments and donations.

All of this is being made possible by a Library Services and Technology Grant from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Look for the new site to debut in May 2009.