PA Library Association Online "Talking Points"

The PaLA has a number of online resources available for talking about the state budget.

The relevant (to us) core of their "Talking Points" is this:

Library users across the Commonwealth will be affected by the devastating 50% cut in the line item for State Library operations. In addition to providing support for legislators and Pennsylvania government officials, the State Library is the agency that collects and preserves material by and about Pennsylvania, including genealogical and local history information.

Other cuts in the Governor’s budget proposal affect important library services such as shared databases (POWER Library), interlibrary loan, and Ask Here PA, the state’s virtual reference service.

Don't legislators already know this stuff? I guess not.

Pages 3 and 4 of their FAQ on the state budget give a series of bullet points that help clarify the damage that will be done at the State Library of Pennsylvania by governor Rendell's proposed budget. Good stuff there! Readers, please send that FAQ to people who will do something helpful with it.

(Of course, there is some silliness in it, too. One of the bullet points answering the question "What does the State Library do for people in my community?" is this:

The Rare Collections Library is a treasure for all Americans and a special source of pride to Pennsylvanians. In 1745, Benjamin Franklin ordered the first volumes of British Law for use by the Pennsylvania Assembly. The collection has grown and includes rare volumes, maps and newspapers. The cost-effective techniques developed in the Rare Book Project and now used to preserve these materials assist local libraries and community organizations to preserve books, maps, pamphlets and other materials that are important to their community pride and history.

Most of us here don't see how this even helps in the Harrisburg community since they can't even get the new rare books room open to the public. Maybe the "cost-effective techniques" part is that if your community spends millions of dollars building along the lines of the model here, moves your books into it, and then closes it up to everyone for a year or more, then you save money by not having to provide any access to it.)

Pennsylvania Library Association Lobbying Help

The Pennsylvania Library Association's Executive Director, Glenn Miller, has sent out a letter (via e-mail on March 31st) to members saying (in part) that:

On PaLA’s behalf, along with our lobbyists from Greenlee Partners and some local librarians, I have been meeting with state senators and state representatives and staff, both in Harrisburg and in the district offices of some legislators. In general, we can conclude several things from these conversations thus far:

1. A number of you have contacted your legislators already and those messages are heard. Many more voices need to be raised.

2. The concerns we express about losing federal LSTA dollars clearly seem to ring true with legislators at a time when Pennsylvania is trying to maximize every dollar from Washington.

3. Legislators recognize the truth in our argument that cutting library funding in the midst of a recession is a really bad idea since libraries are busier than ever serving people hard-hit by this economy.

4. No legislator understands the rationale behind the proposed devastating 50% cut to the State Library.

The bad news is that the economic projections for next year’s state budget suggest that the deficit might be as high as $2.6 billion for Pennsylvania. Since under the constitution, each new state budget is required be balanced, this looming deficit presents a major challenge.

Did you note his point 4?? We, of course, don't understand the rationale, either. And they, of course, have to present a balanced budget. Just because they don't understand the rationale, that doesn't mean they will overturn the proposal. It's a no-win situation.

But thanks, Glenn, anyway. Thanks for trying. Maybe your lobbying will save a few of our jobs and thereby help a few more Pennsylvanians with their information needs.

Governor Makes a Mistake!

This just in! (Well, just in yesterday's Philadelphia Inquirer.)

"Budget proposal had error on state library staffing"

Amy Worden, whose story earlier this week caught national and international attention (see posts below), shares the following news with the world:

Apparently, doomsday has not arrived at the historic Pennsylvania State Library.

In his February budget address, Gov. Rendell proposed chopping library funding in half, from $4.84 million to $2.39 million, a steep cut in a lean budget laden with across-the-board reductions.

But yesterday, Rendell said a figure published in his budget proposal that projected a 90 percent staffing reduction was wrong.

Rendell said he would never allow staffing to get to the point where the library would have to close.

He said the library's 50 percent cut would mean a similar staff cut - from 56 to about 28 employees. But more jobs could be preserved if savings can be found in other areas, said his spokesman, Chuck Ardo.

One of Pennsylvania's four major research libraries, the state library was founded in 1745 by Benjamin Franklin. Across the street from the Capitol, it houses the state law and education libraries, and has one of the largest newspaper collections in the country.

State Librarian Clare Zales said she was assessing the role of the library with the goal of trying to balance materials preservation and access.

Nevertheless, she said, with fewer employees, hours and services will be reduced.

Library advocates say there is little doubt the cuts will have a "negative impact" on services such as interlibrary loans and research requests.

"It's not an operation loaded with people sitting around doing nothing," said Glenn Miller, executive director of the Pennsylvania Library Association. He said the smaller cuts would be "clearly a step in the right direction, and we welcome it."

As to the budget book figure, Ardo said, "We are trying to determine exactly where that number originated and how it got into the book."

Can any of you spell "backpedal"?

We all know how much Rendell loves libraries. He would never allow this kind of staff cut. Well, big whoop!

Should we breath a huge sigh of relief? READ THE ARTICLE, folks. Sure, our governor and Chuckles are mystified how the Complement section of the budget message decided (apparently all on its own) to whack 50 or 51 of our staff members. But he's only here going back to 'oh, maybe half of you are headed for unemployment!' I shouldn't think so.

This same article quotes an impartial library advocate (Pennsylvania Library Association executive director) as saying, "It's not an operation loaded with people sitting around doing nothing." You bet. So when half of those busy people are tossed out by the governor's backpedaling budget, the remaining half won't be able to pick up all their work because we're already too busy.

Does anybody else wonder why it took all the way from February 4th to March 6th for the governor to notice such a huge mistake in his budget?

Does anybody else wonder why the Department of Education's human resources folks have also been assuming the 90% staff cut was correct?

Does anybody else wonder what other sorts of retribution the governor will throw at us for exposing this particular budget goof?

Does anybody else wonder whether the announced end-of-March closing of the Resource Center over at the Dept. of Education building will now be un-announced?

Patriot-News in Print on Library Crisis

Friday the 13th was a lucky day for the State Library of Pennsylvania. Maybe.

This was the day that a longer print version of Charles Thompson's article appeared in the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Patriot-News. It came out under the headline: "Most State Library jobs could be history; Rendell's proposal would cut 50 of 57 positions, force 'rethinking' of role."

The core of the article appeared Thursday evening in an online version. This version of the article included quotes from several library patrons.

In this version of the article, Thompson opens with:

"The State Library could lose nearly all of its staff under Gov. Ed Rendell's proposed budget for 2009-10, and the proposed cuts are startling researchers who rely on the library.

"Fifty of the library's 57 positions would be eliminated, with one person transferred elsewhere in the state Department of Education, which oversees the library.

"That would leave a staff of six, presumably to maintain public access to the facility, which the administration has indicated it wants to try to keep open."

Mike Race, PDE press office spokesman, is again quoted with his 'hey, it probably won't be all that bad' official position.

Then Thompson continues:

"The State Library houses an extensive general and legal reference collection and is perhaps the state's leading repository of Pennsylvania and U.S. government reports, from election results to postings of salaries of all state employees.

"It also contains a state-of-the-art rare-books room that preserves a collection of books and newspapers started by Benjamin Franklin.

"Supporters of the library said it plays an important role during a recession as people without computers flood in to apply for jobs online. At lunchtime Thursday, the banks of public computer terminals were nearly full.

"Like proposed shutdowns of the Scotland School for Veterans' Children in Franklin County or the Governor's Schools summer enrichment programs, this proposed deep cut is causing deep concern with devotees.

"Joyce Barnhart, an amateur genealogist from East Pennsboro Twp., said the State Library can't be beaten for its breadth of research material and access to it."

While the existence of a "state-of-the-art" rare book room is questionable (it has never been open for the public's use, and half of the books are still in the old location with its window air conditioners and unfiltered air), it certainly IS true that library users, especially the genealogists, will lose out when the governor's budget cuts go into effect.

Tha article continues with more comments from genealogists, and then this remark (that sounds like it comes from the governor's press office):

"Rendell has said he is unhappy about many of his hundreds of proposed budget cuts and that he hopes for restorations of many funding lines when better times return. But he said he is focused on preserving public safety, social services and education."

Oh, yeah, real focused on education . . . as long as it isn't being done in or through a library!

The article included the obligatory "we aren't allowed to say anything" quotes from Library staffers:

"Workers at the library would not comment about their situation Thursday, saying they were advised by their supervisors to refer all questions to the Education Department press office."

(Bet you get praised for that later! Unfortunately, the press office will again say something like 'Oh, everything's fine. We support the governor and his budget.')

The article wraps up by quoting Glenn Miller of the PaLA (Pennsylvania Library Association). He's one of the "State Library advocates" who are, according to the article, vowing to fight for the Library. At this point, however, their fighting has been invisible to the library workers whose jobs are on the line. Why haven't they made it clear to State Library staff that PaLA is making a LOT of noise about this, and won't stand for it?