Frankg has sent me an article from the Grant's Pass OR Daily Courier written by Howard Huntington. The Jackson County library system had been closed due to budget constraints and Library Systems and Services (LSSI) was contracted to reopen them on a reduced budget. You can find the article here. The article begins,
Officials and citizens had almost nothing but praise in interviews about the job Library Systems and Services has done running the local library and 14 others in the Jackson County system. “We couldn’t be more pleased. They’ve met and exceeded all the aspects of our contract,” says county Commissioner Dennis “C.W.” SmithMore after jump...
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“They are very creative with their personnel and all the employees seem to be very happy,” Smith says. “While the hours are limited, we are almost where we were” before all 15 libraries closed in April 2007 for lack of funds.Jackson County is operating 15 libraries on a $3.5 million budget at reduced hours. In contrast, our library, Southworth, is open 63 hours a week at a cost of almost $1 million.
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13 comments:
before you go patting yourselves on the back carefully read the article. Reduced hours from 38 to 28. Unless subsidized closed on the weekends. Only open two mornings a week. access to other libraries books $5 (similair to sail which is free).
Before YOU go dismissing the article, they went from CLOSED DUE TO FUNDING to 28 hours a week. Running 15 libraries for $3.5 mil. We run 1 for a million. Our library is going to be there, closed due to funding, soon.
I'm just beaming with pride at where our community has gone.
If we were to close the libraries due to funding we have no one else blame would we?
Correct. If we close the library due to funding it will be because the library board has refused to seek alternatives like LSSI. Some states and municipalities are starting to wake up. They are looking into what changes can be made. The Gov. of RI held a press conference yesterday and said the #1 priority is to reform pensions. Hooray! Somebody gets it. Unfortunately not Mass.
Havent we learned something from the new bedford snow plowing dpw fiasco. They privitized their service, sold off their fleet of vehicles then three years later at the end of the contract the rates skyrocketed and since new bedford no longer had a "fleet" of vehicles they were stuck. Say we priviize the library, cut hours ,get charged $5 for a out of town book ,raise money to be open on saturday,etc...like the people in the article. what happens in three years if the rate skyrockets. We also will have no recourse.There is a reason not to bid into a monopoly
but anon 10:50 - it's cheaper and since I don't use a library neither should you. Isn't that where this is headed in Dartmouth.
yes like a train out of our control
It's just like the schools or the COA if I'm not a parent, grandparent, or a senior that uses the service why should I care?
The problem here is people don't realize or won't admit for special interest reasons, that continuing with the status quo is going to be far worse than making necessary changes. Those who resist the changes are the ones who will ultimately do the most damage to the services like the Council On Aging and the library. If you don't want services for the elderly or a library then continue on the same path we've been on for several years past. That path is heading straight over the edge of the cliff.
What I find appalling is that you define a senior needing the services of the Council on Aging a "special interest." This is the "problem" a senior as well as a child is not a "special interest" they are everyone’s responsibility and the only thing forcing us off a cliff is our selfishness in not recognizing that we are all responsible to support all of these services responsibly and to stop pointing fingers at one another.
Naw, that'll cost me another $0.17 a day. I, ummm can't afford it yeah that's it, we can't afford it.
yeah ,yeah like the mello override @.41 a week we cant afford it.yeah yeah.
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