Your Library Connection
 

The Weight is Lifted

No, I’m not talking about not being pregnant anymore!  Though having daughter Ava did literally remove some weight (not enough, but some)!  What I am talking about is the library’s budget for the next fiscal year.  We are very happy and relieved to report that our budget from the city was approved at the level requested and there was an increase in the budget allocated by the county.  This is the first step towards getting to where the library budget should be and is part of a multi-year plan.  This means that we can maintain the current hours from July 1, 2008 to June 30, 2009 (fiscal year) in our new facility and that we can purchase more materials than we have in past years. 

Many thanks to the members of the city council, the city management, and the county supervisors for the decisions to increase the library budget allocations from the city and county.  If you see your city council representative or one of the county supervisors, make sure to tell them thank you for the improved library budget.  Thanks also to community members who contacted a representative on the library’s behalf.  It really is a weight lifted from my shoulders to know that, unless something unforeseen would happen, that we will be able to handle the increased operational costs related to the new facility, maintain current hours, and increase a few line items like materials for checkout, programming, and computers. 

Though our budget will still be below average, the library board never believed that the move towards a better future for the library, and thus the community, could all be done in one year.  The budget, like the building project, will take several years.  For more information about the library budget, see www.indylibrary.org under New.  It is a great feeling to be moving towards a better tomorrow for the library and the community.  A welcoming facility with sufficient space will be a big part of that, as will a budget that continues to increase.  What will you, as a community member and a tax-payer, get as a result of the increased city and county budget allocations in 2008-2009?

• Improved technology and a more streamlined network that should not take as much staff time to maintain per computer as is currently required.  This is improved by the technology funds that were raised as part of the capital campaign as well as through an increase in the technology line item in the annual budget.
• An increase in the number and types of programs for you, your family, and friends to attend.
• A newsletter to keep you informed on what is happening at the library.
• Materials to read, listen to, and check out…the numbers below are approximate numbers of the increase in materials that will be purchased next year:
  • 26 more audiobooks
  • 50 more DVDs
  • 280 more books
  • 8 new magazine and/or newspaper subscriptions

In addition to this, you will be able to read, relax, and gather with friends in a new facility with much more to offer!

I think you will find that the return will be good on the investment of each additional dollar towards the Independence Public Library.  Thanks again to the city council, city management, and the county supervisors for their support and decision to put the library on the road to a progressive future.  The library’s capital campaign motto is on it’s way to becoming a reality - A Proud Past…A Progressive Future!

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