Post by title1parent on Jun 12, 2010 5:28:02 GMT -5
www.suburbanchicagonews.com/beaconnews/news/2380496,3_1_EL11_09LIBRARY_S1-100611.article
Book sharing in a bind
Deadbeat state leaving area's lending systems on life support
June 11, 2010
By KATIE ANDERSON kanderson@stmedianetwork.com
Escalating state budget problems have decimated Illinois' library systems.
"We're running out of money," said Jan Hayes, co-director of the North Suburban Library System. "We've laid off our director, and we've laid off all of our staff except the delivery people," she said.
The NSLS serves Kane, Cook, McHenry and Lake counties. It makes possible, among other things, the popular interlibrary loan and material-sharing programs at Elgin's Gail Borden Public Library and other local libraries. This service, for example, allows students in School District 300 to check out books housed all over the four-county area through their school libraries at no charge.
In 2009, the NSLS ferried 5 million books, DVDs and other materials among its members. It also provided consulting, networking, subsidized technical support, an online catalog and dozens of other services to school and public libraries.
Robust and rapidly growing for the past several years, late payments from the state to the tune of $880,000 have left the North Suburban system with no operating funds left, Hayes said. Last month, the system was forced to abandon the majority of its regularly provided services and lay off its director and nearly all its staff.
Today, the system is running on about $223,000 in donations from its members. It's focusing on keeping a skeleton staff to run the van-delivered material-sharing program as long as possible.
"Our public libraries have donated money to keep the delivery services going for another three months, but we are just up against the wall," said Hayes, who works part time now for the system.
Trouble in Hampshire
The Prairie Area Library System, whose members include the Ella Johnson Memorial Public Library District in Hampshire, also is facing crisis-level budget problems. Many of its services will be cut or severely scaled back as of June 30.
"We won't be able to use PALS for our IT consulting, and as of right now we don't have an IT consultant," said Carol Schrey, director of the Hampshire library.
"If a computer goes down, we have to figure out how to fix it in-house or wait until we find a new one," she said. IT services were not offered free, but were heavily discounted.
Schrey also is concerned about the loss of consulting services.
"That's who myself and our library staff goes to when we have questions about legal issues, for example, or continuing education or planning our summer reading program ... . The support of the library system has really been crucial to the public and school libraries in this area, so this could be very rough, once we see what happens with the cuts and everything," she said.
Unfortunately, all nine library systems in the state are in the same boat, said Anne Craig, director of the Illinois State Library.
"In our department alone, we have about $24 million in vouchers and invoices waiting to be paid," Craig said. "Much more money was appropriated than has been collected. The issue is, quite simply, there is not enough money in the checkbooks to write the checks. Our $24 million is just a peanut in the pile of the $4.5 billion waiting to be paid."
Craig noted the growing tab of unpaid obligations to schools and other public service providers across the state.
The DuPage Library System -- which serves 383 facilities in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall and Will counties -- also is under stress, although it has not announced any cuts in services. The DuPage system has received only 57 percent of a $1 million grant it was due this fiscal year and only about 3 percent of another, smaller grant, according to the system's website.
Search for way out
As the state's library systems anticipate continued budget problems this fall, each is surveying members and investigating how to move forward. Workshops on strategic restructuring already have been scheduled. Meanwhile, the Illinois Library Association, the ILA Advocacy Committee and the directors of the Illinois Library Systems invite residents to make appointments with local legislators about the issue.
"Sharing is the key," said Carolyn Friedlund, head of information services at the Dundee Township Public Library in East Dundee. She spoke about the importance of library systems for a Courier-News story earlier this year.
Sharing information, services and materials saves libraries time and money, she said, because each library doesn't have to devote as many resources to selecting and purchasing items and services.
Book sharing in a bind
Deadbeat state leaving area's lending systems on life support
June 11, 2010
By KATIE ANDERSON kanderson@stmedianetwork.com
Escalating state budget problems have decimated Illinois' library systems.
"We're running out of money," said Jan Hayes, co-director of the North Suburban Library System. "We've laid off our director, and we've laid off all of our staff except the delivery people," she said.
The NSLS serves Kane, Cook, McHenry and Lake counties. It makes possible, among other things, the popular interlibrary loan and material-sharing programs at Elgin's Gail Borden Public Library and other local libraries. This service, for example, allows students in School District 300 to check out books housed all over the four-county area through their school libraries at no charge.
In 2009, the NSLS ferried 5 million books, DVDs and other materials among its members. It also provided consulting, networking, subsidized technical support, an online catalog and dozens of other services to school and public libraries.
Robust and rapidly growing for the past several years, late payments from the state to the tune of $880,000 have left the North Suburban system with no operating funds left, Hayes said. Last month, the system was forced to abandon the majority of its regularly provided services and lay off its director and nearly all its staff.
Today, the system is running on about $223,000 in donations from its members. It's focusing on keeping a skeleton staff to run the van-delivered material-sharing program as long as possible.
"Our public libraries have donated money to keep the delivery services going for another three months, but we are just up against the wall," said Hayes, who works part time now for the system.
Trouble in Hampshire
The Prairie Area Library System, whose members include the Ella Johnson Memorial Public Library District in Hampshire, also is facing crisis-level budget problems. Many of its services will be cut or severely scaled back as of June 30.
"We won't be able to use PALS for our IT consulting, and as of right now we don't have an IT consultant," said Carol Schrey, director of the Hampshire library.
"If a computer goes down, we have to figure out how to fix it in-house or wait until we find a new one," she said. IT services were not offered free, but were heavily discounted.
Schrey also is concerned about the loss of consulting services.
"That's who myself and our library staff goes to when we have questions about legal issues, for example, or continuing education or planning our summer reading program ... . The support of the library system has really been crucial to the public and school libraries in this area, so this could be very rough, once we see what happens with the cuts and everything," she said.
Unfortunately, all nine library systems in the state are in the same boat, said Anne Craig, director of the Illinois State Library.
"In our department alone, we have about $24 million in vouchers and invoices waiting to be paid," Craig said. "Much more money was appropriated than has been collected. The issue is, quite simply, there is not enough money in the checkbooks to write the checks. Our $24 million is just a peanut in the pile of the $4.5 billion waiting to be paid."
Craig noted the growing tab of unpaid obligations to schools and other public service providers across the state.
The DuPage Library System -- which serves 383 facilities in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall and Will counties -- also is under stress, although it has not announced any cuts in services. The DuPage system has received only 57 percent of a $1 million grant it was due this fiscal year and only about 3 percent of another, smaller grant, according to the system's website.
Search for way out
As the state's library systems anticipate continued budget problems this fall, each is surveying members and investigating how to move forward. Workshops on strategic restructuring already have been scheduled. Meanwhile, the Illinois Library Association, the ILA Advocacy Committee and the directors of the Illinois Library Systems invite residents to make appointments with local legislators about the issue.
"Sharing is the key," said Carolyn Friedlund, head of information services at the Dundee Township Public Library in East Dundee. She spoke about the importance of library systems for a Courier-News story earlier this year.
Sharing information, services and materials saves libraries time and money, she said, because each library doesn't have to devote as many resources to selecting and purchasing items and services.