We’re a few months into the new fiscal year and I thought it would be a good time to check in.
All Arlington County departments took budget cuts for FY 2011:
- Arlington County, like almost every local government in the nation, faced and still faces serious revenue shortfalls. The budget was presented publicly and carefully reviewed by the County Board at time of adoption.
- Arlington has been and must continue to be fiscally strong in order to keep the library system one of the best into the future.
- FY 2011 adopted expenditure budget for Department of Libraries is $11.4 million – 7% decrease from previous budget.
- 17.5 FTEs were eliminated (6.2 permanent and 11.05 temporary), saving $670,582.
- Central Library reduced service hours by one hour Monday-Saturday; each branch library reduced by 1 service day/week, except Plaza Library, Glencarlyn and Cherrydale (service cut in latter two branches, FY 2010). Detention Center library staff hours cut by half.
- These cuts on top of service cuts in FY 2009 (4 hours/week) at Central Library. Programming reduced for all ages; less access to all Library facilities, including computers and meeting spaces/Central Library Auditorium.
- Library materials budget reduced by $17,604 (1.5 %), resulting in fewer: adult collection; children’s picture books; electronic databases; music CDs purchases. Popular paperback purchases eliminated.
Arlington’s library system is highly regarded in both the region and the nation and the department is making significant efforts to balance the cuts.
- The system remains accessible. In FY 2011, the system is open 384 hours per week. System service reductions total 61 hours (13.7%). The online “branch” is the second largest in the system, next to Central and is open 24/7.
- Emphasis on core library services: public-access computing, system-wide coordinated children’s programs and adult programs/computer classes, ESL groups, Books by Mail, Talking Books, reference service (in person, by chat and email and telephone)
- Targeting collection reductions based on demand and use patterns.
- Expanded 24/7 access to online collection content, including reference databases, eBooks, eAudiobooks. Expanded use of donated materials for collection replacements.
- Strategically focusing support from Friends of the Library to provide cutting-edge library programs and services including life-long-learning support and downloadables.
- Expanded self-serve processes, e.g., self-service checkout and Holds. Library staff working at more than one location during the week.
- Partnering with Arlington Public Schools to upgrade library system infrastructure for enhanced user functionality and technology cost-control.
- Despite a 13.7% cut in hours, the Library system gained 2.5% increase in circulation (July 2010 compared to July 2009).
- Despite a 25% cut in program events, the “Get Caught Reading” summer reading program for public school students increased participation by 52% (2007-2010).
Context is important.
- Arlington’s cuts are less extreme than in other area systems.
- City of Alexandria’s Beatley (Central) Library cut 6 service hours/week. Alexandria’s three branches lost 15 hours each/week, and the City fully funded steps (merit increases) and added a new step to the top of the salary range.
- Fairfax County system lost 9% of hours/week from FY 2010. Comparing FY 2011 to FY 2009, service hours are down 19%. For FY 2011, the materials budget cut by $1 million. The system also ended its virtual reference service.
- City of Falls Church eliminated Sunday hours (4 weekly) and cut its materials budget 6.5%. Local history room lost 12 hours per week
- Prince William County cut its materials budget $50,000.
- Arlington County’s compensation plan is behind others in the region, leaving us at significant risk of retaining staff. See full discussion (pdf) in FY 2011 budget book.
Thanks for supporting Arlington Public Library,
– Diane
Emphasis on core library services: public-access computing, system-wide coordinated children's programs and adult programs/computer classes, ESL groups, Books by Mail, Talking Books, reference service (in person, by chat and email and telephone)I find it rather troubling that you don't consider selecting and lending books as a core library service, if not THE core library service.
Dear Anonymous, The selection and availability of books (and other materials) are obviously core to any public library. But unlike the services mentioned in the post, the Library's Materials Management and Technologies Division, the staff responsible for books (and other materials) does not have a direct interaction with the public on a day-to-day basis like the services mentioned in the post. Businessdictionary.com defines services as "Intangible products that are not goods (tangible products), such as accounting, banking, cleaning, consultancy, education, insurance, know how, medical treatment, transportation. Sometimes services are difficult to identify because they are closely associated with a good…"
Bravo for handling most of the cuts the way you have. I have personally been affected by the loss of the paperback collection and the slower acquiring of best sellers and the fewer number of copies being obtained — but I have no complaint about this.Kudos, as well, for providing WiFi access in public libraries. There are two decisions made that I do question: If you are eliminating the music CD acquisition, why did you not at least cut back on DVDs. In this day with online Netflicks and $1 kiosk DVD rental in every grocery store, surely this medium could have taken a "fair share" reduction, as well. I do not see this as fair to those of us who use the library for reading materials rather than TV.My second question has to do with fine amounts for overdue materials. Norfolk, VA, public library system charges $1 per day in overdue fines. Surely raising the late fees would both enhance revenue AND result in more materials being returned on time, thus serving more customers with the same materials. And while public libraries are historically free, I'd be more than willing to pay $10 per year for the use of the system. Heresy, I'm sure, but I borrow upwards of 200 books per year and wouldn't mind paying a bit for the privilege.Now, can you find some way to allow Kindle users to download ebooks?
@Dixie, great idea! There are probably lots of people who wouldn't mind paying a little to support the library!APL, How much money would it take to restore *all* of the cuts in the last few years-everything from reduced or eliminated magazines, books, CD's, to reductions in open hours? If the funds could be raised through donations, would the county let these cuts be restored?
Hello Dixie,Thank you for your kind words regarding the Library, its offerings and the way the system has handled the recent budget challenges.Regarding DVDs, they are the most popular items in the collection and based on public usage, it was decided not to reduce or eliminate the acquisition of new DVD titles. Because access to library materials is free, many of our users rely on the Library collection rather than commercial services, especially in these times.Please note that regarding music purchases, the Friends of the Arlington Public Library have generously made it possible to buy some new compact disks. In addition, the Friends are also funding the new streaming music collections available through the Library website: http://library.arlingtonva.us/departments/Libraries/info/LibrariesInfoMusic.aspxIn terms of overdue fines, levels are set by the County Board and they were raised for a variety of categories two years ago. During this past budget cycle, another increase in fines was not sought because users were still adjusting to the new levels.While we appreciate your offer to pay a fee to use Arlington Public Library, our very mission is based on free access to everyone regardless of wealth or income. In addition, state funding of the Library prohibits us from charging usage fees.As to Kindle, Amazon.com controls what its eBook reader can download and the company has decided not to participate in free Library eBook programs. Other machines including the Nook and the Sony Reader do accept downloadable books from libraries. Speaking of which, we hope you can stop by Central Library next Wednesday, Sept. 29 between 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. to visit the Digital Bookmobile. It will be a great opportunity to learn all about what the Library offers in the form of free downloadable audiobooks and eBooks. http://arlingtonvalib.blogspot.com/2010/09/board-digital-bookmobile-sept-29-at.htmlHope to see you there. Thanks for writing and your strong support of Arlington Public Library.
Hello Anonymous 11:15 AM,The FY 2011 Arlington County Budget, including funding information on the Library, can be found here:http://www.arlingtonva.us/departments/ManagementAndFinance/budget/page72453.aspxPlease see the response to Dixie above regarding usage fees and public libraries. The Friends of the Arlington Public Library welcome donations in a variety of forms that go to materials and programming: http://library.arlingtonva.us/departments/Libraries/support/LibrariesSupportGivingOpportunities.aspxThank you for your appreciation of the Library.
Thank you so much for the budget year check in. It is helpful. I am a frequent user of Arlington Central Library, and I really enjoy and appreciate the library. While I am sorry that budget cuts have been necessary, it seems like you have handled them well. I appreciate that Arlington Central Library is still open seven days a week, with long hours most days, and still has a great selection of books. I hope that your budget situation improves soon.
10/2/10More cuts could be made in the pre-school childrens' programs. These programs require a librarian to run them and that cost could be cut.Parents still have access to all the other children's resources our libraries have. It does not seem practical in times of budget problems to have a librarian lead the group in singing, etc.Also, since much of the check out process is automated, it seems that the library staff could also be cut some.
Hello Anonymous 10/2/10:Library Youth Services staff plan and conduct storytime programs as one small part of their overall range of tasks. Library childrens programs were overwhelming rated as "essential" in a December 2009 survey of library users. Library programming has been reduced for all ages.The technology of self-service allows our staff to focus more on other circulation tasks: checking-in returns and processing holds, getting carts ready for shelving, and helping patrons over the phone. For the current fiscal year, 17.5 full-time equivalent Library positions were eliminated (6.2 permanent and 11.05 temporary), saving $670,582.
Could you post a link to the full results from the December 2009 survey?
First: the December 2009 survey said ‘children’s programs’ were essential, not that they have to use staff. These children are all accompanied by care-takers.Second, In response to the Director’s ‘Context is important’ paragraph, a little more context is necessary. Saying that Arlington’s cuts are less extreme than others, ignores the results: Arlington alone has midweek full day closures. All others are open at least 6 days/week [Of course you can easily check these yourselves on the internet.]Why are midweek closures such a big deal? First remember that the taxes that support Libraries are real estate taxes. We all pay this whether directly as homeowners or indirectly through landlords. Basic County services should be accessible to as many taxpayers as possible, and Arlingtonians are lucky to have neighborhood Libraries. A lot of parents can’t be home when their kids get home from school. The school system tries to make libraries and computer labs available after regular classes, but schools have to close when the late bus leaves, between 3:30 and 4:30, and kids in athletic and other programs can‘t take advantage of that hour of after school computer labs. The School Board is very aware of this problem, and wrote the County Board last March advising against school day closures for internet service and other resources and for a safe and quiet place to study. They were ignored. Community Centers help, but some don’t solve the quiet-and-resources need for studying, and none have buses for children. This is a community problem. We can’t know our neighbors the way we used to: Libraries have to be seen as part of the new social infrastructure. Midweek closures are also hard for families with children and few financial resources during summer and other breaks.If further cuts come in FY 2012, besides multiplying the effect on children, they’ll also have a bigger impact on people with disabilities [all those curb cuts were after 1990]; seniors, who are more likely to be living alone than in the past; citizens who can’t afford cars [or even buses, for non-necessities] and people who just want to avoid car trips to help the environment, a County Board goal. On Sept. 25, the Board explicitly rejected appointment of a citizen advisory group [which could survey the public and report to the Board] for Library patrons. Please ask the Board [we can still contact them as individuals] to make Library accessability a priority for FY 2012. And a word about ‘compensation’. In her mention of the City of Alexandria, the Director says it ‘fully funded steps (merit increases) and added a new step to the top of the salary range.’ For those of you who didn’t catch the reference, in FY 2011 our Board gave Arlington County Employees a step raise. But for those ineligible because they were already at the top there was only a 2% one-time lump sum payment of $1.3 Million. [Check the County Budget web page- Adopted Budget Summary of Actions]. The Director is, I believe, implying that the lump sum should have been a new step, and thus that the $1.3 M be part of future budgets as well. To put this in context, this year’s one-day closure of Branches ‘saved’ about $200,000. She goes on to say that our compensation plan is significantly behind others and this risks losing staff. I can only say those with higher compensation plans probably enacted them in times of plenty. They may not be hiring now. The Director herself notes that Alexandria’s service cuts were more ‘extreme’ than ours.
I was extremely disheartened to find, upon my trip to Central tonight, that the popular reading section was eliminated. I have spent many hours perusing these shelves and finding books that I would not normally find among the authors I typically read. Eliminating these books does a disservice to readers who are looking to find an escape from daily life with some light reading or a bedtime thriller, or those who find something new, are inspired, and really get into reading a book for the first time. As an earlier poster said, with budget cuts it's going to be harder to even get the new releases in a timely fashion. I can see my visits to the library decreasing because this service is gone – which is not, I suppose, what the library had in mind (and will not help its budget if patrons disappear). I agree with an earlier poster – DVDs, though currently the most popular service, could be cut in favor of other materials since Netflix, Blockbuster, and On Demand have grown so popular so fast. Perhaps fewer versions of the same disc could be bought. The same applies to music cds – a lot of people buy music online now (or share with friends) and that's the way the industry appears to be going. I know in the response to Dixie (above) the reasoning behind keeping dvds and cds in the collection was cited as being cost effective for people using the services during the recession. The same applies to books, however – a popular paperback these days is around $7-10; not cheap. You could also charge a small fee (25 cents an hour) for parking or some such – that might also eliminate some of the commuters/people who take up spaces for hours. Or work on ways to charge a nominal fee for bandwith on the public computers for people who sit there for hours at a time. If staffing is an issue, perhaps members of the community (retired or other) would be willing to volunteer on an ongoing, unpaid basis for a few hours a week.
Hello Anonymous Oct. 5,Thanks for your comments and suggestions. The Library has a wonderful volunteer force that is extremely generous with its time. In August alone, volunteers accounted for 3,124 donated hours.
Please clarify your policy on the children using the computers in the adult section of the Westover library when there are clearly computers available for their use in the children's section of the library. Please make your policy clearly known to the Westover library staff as they seem to not know what that policy is.The adult computers section is more frequently full and several of the computers are being used by very young children, when there are computers available and open in the children's section. When we asked the librarian to request that the children go to the children's section, the librarians on duty didn't know what to do?
Could you post a link to the full results from the December 2009 survey? Requested earlier, but no reply yet?
From Dec. 1 to Dec. 12 of last year, the Library conducted a survey asking users to let us know what services they "think are essential, even in today's tough economic climate." The survey was NOT designed to be scientific or statistically valid. It was simply one informal way to take a temperature reading of the community to help inform staff decisions on the types of materials, services, and programs offered by the Library. Of the 324 survey responses, 304 were completed online. The rest were on print versions available at library locations.100% of respondents indicated books as essential; 59% or higher also rated newspaper, magazines, audiobooks, and educational films as essential. Online research databases for magazine and newspaper articles, plus encyclopedias rated 84% or higher as essential. Trained Librarians were considered essential by 97% of respondents; providing help with informational and research questions was almost as important, with 89% rating it essential. The ability to put holds on checked out items (90%) or materials currently on shelf (71%) were deemed essential by patrons. And having the library provide computers and photocopiers/printers were also valued as essential. Children and teen programming were the only area considered essential, at 79% and 59% respectively. All other programming was overwhelmingly considered "Nice."The majority of survey respondents use the library either in-person or online on a weekly basis. Central Library is used by close to 80% of the respondents.Again, The survey was NOT designed to be scientific or statistically valid.
Hello Anonymous October 21, 1:09 PM–Children are welcome to use the computers in the adult area at the Westover Branch as long as they abide by the rules governing the use of the equipment and the area. We encourage adult customers to ask staff to assess the situation if they feel that children are not abiding by the rules. Staff will evaluate the situation and take whatever action they deem necessary at that point. Staff should know this policy, but I will be happy to reiterate it so that it is clearly understood. Thank you for contacting the Library about this matter.
Yes, the children may be abiding by the rules, but we were talking about the situation when there are open computers in the childrens area and no empty computers in the adult areas. Are the adults then allowed to use the computers in the childrens area? Or, should the library staff request that the children return to the childrens area and leave the adult computers open for the adults?
Hello Anonymous October 22 1:32 PM,For safety reasons, Arlington Public Library policy prohibits adult use of PCs located in designated children's areas unless the adult is accompanying a child.Westover has 20 PCs in the adult area and four in the children's area. So far we've found those numbers have worked during peak demand.If you are concerned that there will not be a computer available to you in the adult area when you choose to visit the library, you may reserve one in advance by speaking in person with staff at the service desk. Machines can be reserved days ahead of time.Please feel free to speak with me or our staff should you have any questions. We want your visits to the library to be pleasant and productive.
You did not state the library policy when there are childrens computers available and all of the adult computers are full, some with minor children, should the library staff request that the children return to the childrens area and leave the adult computers open for the adults?
While there may be statistical survey issues, it looks like you are willing to use the results, as in your Oct. 4 post, "Library childrens programs were overwhelming rated as "essential" in a December 2009 survey of library users." That's fine, but if you are willing to list the "essential" items, you should be willing to list all the items that were NOT rated "essential". According to ARLnow.com, the county board recently asked for the FY12 budget to be limited to 1.14% growth. So now is the time to plan for what is cut, rather than cutting anything from the 100% essential item, books, as was done in the current budget.
Hello Anonymous October 26, 2010 5:54 PM,There is not a specific policy for this situation. Policies are made in relation to frequently occurring situations that impact the entire library system. Absent that, our managers are empowered to make decisions on a case by case basis about situations that arise infrequently and/or have location-specific impact. Please feel free to speak with the branch manager or a staff member in person when there is a problem. We want your visits to the library to be pleasant and productive.
It would be prudent and wise to minimize children being exposed to age-inappropriate content in the adult PC area, not just at Westover, but at all library locations. Privacy screens are better than nothing, but if your policy recognizes that adult use of PC's in the children area is a bad idea, you should have a similar policy for children not using the adult PC's. Children and adolescents have decision making processes that differ from adults in areas like risk assessment. They shouldn't be put in a position where they can choose to trade convenience or extra PC time for potential compromises to their welfare. This is an "essential".
Are people allowed to sleep, eat, or drink in the library?
The Library allows beverages, but not food or sleeping. You can read the full Library Rules on our website.
we see people sleeping and eating in the Westover library and no says anything to them.
Staff members know and enforce all Library rules but if they are not aware of a situation taking place, please discretely call it to a staff member's attention. Thank you in advance.