Change Matters, You Can Make a Difference!

Hi, Everyone,

As you have no doubt already heard, the state has cut public libraries again this fiscal year. We will be operating on about $16,000 in invested annual appeal funds in 2010 to keep the status quo in programs, operating schedules, staff and new materials. Over the 2-year period, Franklin County has lost a total of over $250,000 per year in state funding to local public libraries. This is one-eighth of our previous budget.

We just heard that to balance the cuts in federal dollars to PA, Governor Rendeel is cutting public library funding by an additional 1.9%, immediately.

Even your spare change will make a difference. We figured out that if each person using each library through less than $1.00 into the donation jar on each visit to his/her favorite library over the following year, we could meet the budget this year and next year. Awesome thought! Maybe it is doable. Please pick up the "Change Matters" bookmarks at your library desk over the course of the next month our two and consider helping us meet a level 2011 budget.