Due to city-wide budget cuts, the Englewood Library lost $215,000, 10% of the funding that we were alloted at the beginning of 2010. The loss of this money must be made up in service and program reductions, and cuts in our hours of operation. If we can get this funding restored, we will be able to resume the programs and services that we were forced to cancel, and to return to our regularly-scheduled hours.
Subject: Restore Library Funding
We are writing to request that funding for our library be restored. Over the last several months you have heard from people like us who depend upon this funding and the services that our library provides. While we appreciate the challenges faced by our city and state at this time, we ask that you please consider the following as you work on the final city and library budgets:
- libraries are being used in record numbers in NJ. Decreasing funding for library services and programs will hurt our economic recovery.
- the library provides free access to new books and CDs, and free or low-cost access to movies. With $40,000 of the library's new materials money lost due to budget cuts, patrons like us will have to wait longer for a smaller number of new items.
- the cuts that the city is making to the Englewood Public Library are in addition to library service cuts that are being made at the state level. It is likely that the governor's budget will eliminate access to services such as online databases, BCCLS interlibrary loan delivery, and Jerseycat state interlibrary loan will be decreased or eliminated entirely. Further budget reductions will negatively affect this library's patrons.
- going into 2010, cutbacks made it necessary to reduce the number of Sundays that the library was open. The new budget adopted by the library's board of trustees has completely cut Sunday service for the remainder of 2010, and has also resulted in a reduction in regular weekday operating hours.
We urge you to support the restoration of funding for the Englewood Public Library, so that our patrons and supports do not have to suffer from service and hour cuts.
Thank you,
