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Dear Friends, Welcome to National Library Week, a celebration of all types of libraries. Besides the programs that are part of each library's calendar, many of our libraries are taking particular note of National Library Week with additional programs for adults, teens, and children. BCCLS will host two of its virtual chats on Thursday and Saturday afternoons at 2PM. If you haven't participated before please join us. There's no video, but the discussion subject is libraries and library services, so YOU determine where the discussion will go. We'd love to hear your thoughts on the future of libraries, what you like about BCCLS and what you think we could do a little better. Using the same chat software, there will be a One Book New Jersey discussion on this year's titles on Thursday morning. Here are the links: BCCLSChat with the Public
One Book New Jersey
I want to salute our Library Champions who now number more than 250 from 53 BCCLS members. This is a remarkable number of sign-ups in a very short time. Our goal for this year is to have 50 BCCLS libraries represented (already surpassed), and 30 champions from each library -- we're more than 15% there and we're asking for your help to keep the momentum going by spreading the word with your friends and neighbors. Ask them to sign up to be 'Library Champions', too. This "virtual" community of library advocates and patrons is open to all with a BCCLS member library card. These are challenging times for libraries. Library use has been setting records every month but there are threats to library funding. For the moment, the bill cutting minimum library funding in half has been set aside, but Governor Corzine's proposed budget more than doubles last year's 8% cut in direct state aid to local public libraries with an additional 10% cut. While total state expenditures have more than doubled from $12 billion in 1991 to something like $30 billion in the governor's current proposed budget, the amount from ALL library budget lines is at the same $16 million. Libraries didn't create this pain for the state lawmakers, and their 10% "trim" isn't really going to solve their financial problems. At the County level, BCCLS has been fortunate to receive a grant from the County of Bergen for each of the last 29 years. For our 30th anniversary, the membership has asked the County to continue the $300K level of funding that has been the grant level for more than a dozen years. What is different this year, is that all requested monies will go back to libraries affected by increasing use from out of towners. For those of you numerically inclined the 2008 data for library outputs and expenditures are now online. The overall figures for municipal, school, and county property taxes are still 2007, but will be updated in the summer for 2008. Libraries still account for 2% of your property tax bill even with the old tax numbers. And to end on some very positive notes, be sure to hold the date of June 14, when BCCLS and the Paramus Public Library will be holding BooksNJ2009 - a book festival with more than 70 authors scheduled to appear. Keep an eye out on the BCCLS website (www.bccls.org) for more news on BooksNJ2009. Mark your calendars for the evening of June 24th as Selected Shorts, the award winning WNYC radio program devoted to the short story, makes its fourth trip across the Hudson to the Millburn Public Library. More on that soon, too! There's always lots going on at BCCLS and in all our libraries and we are thrilled to have you all as patrons and hopefully as Library Champions so we can share our good news and call on you when we need your advocacy. Thanks again and Happy Library Week! Robert White, Executive Director
April 14, 2009 |