From the Director’s Chair
Change is inevitable, sometimes it is pleasant: a wedding, birth of a child or a new job,
sometimes it is unpleasant: the loss of
a job, an illness or a divorce. For this library system, the upcoming change in
funding, the loss of over $500,000 is very unpleasant and has forced both the
staff and the Board of Directors to make some very difficult decisions.
The first major change is in the number of
hours that the main library and its branches will be open. Currently the
Martinsburg Library is open 64 hours per week, beginning July 1, the hours will
be reduced to 44; instead of 7 days a week the library will be open 5 days. The
main library will be closed on Sundays and Wednesdays.Each branch library will be open 32 hours
per week also beginning July 1; instead of 6 days a week, each branch will be
open 4 days per week. Other than Sunday, the other closed day will vary by
library. Information and calendars will be posted
on our website, available as handouts and in the monthly newsletters—beginning
with this one.
These hours allow the staffing to be
reduced which results in a savings of almost $300,000. Most of the staff
positions of those who are retiring or leaving for other reasons, are not being
replaced. Part-time staff hours have been reduced by 1/3 or more in some cases.
The second major change in the library is
the budget for materials. This has been reduced by over $130,000. For the
patron this means that we will not have as many duplicate copies of bestsellers
or high demand items. Databases such as Books and Authors, Signing Savvy, Price
It! Antiques, America’s History Newspapers, Teen Health and Wellness, Gym
America, etc. will not be renewed.
Patrons who use our e-books and e-audios
will notice a dramatic decrease in the number of titles, especially best
sellers that are available. The cost is prohibitive at an average of $50.00 per
copy. The purchase of books on CDs will be drastically reduced as will
reference materials.
The third major change will be the
reduction in our operating costs which includes programming, supplies,
utilities, etc. This part of our budget has been reduced by over $70,000. We
will be relying on grants to pay for any program, such as the Maryland Zoo that
charges a fee; we will be depending on the kindness and expertise of our
patrons and staff to provide other programs free to families, children and
adults. If you have a talent or a hobby you are passionate about, please let us
know.
Some things however will NOT change: the
library’s commitment to provide quality materials and services to everyone. The
staff will still be courteous and informative; the materials we selected will
still fulfill the needs of our patrons and be of the highest quality possible.
Both the Berkeley County Commission and the City of Martinsburg fund us to the
full amount specified in the Special Law; the state of West Virginia still
provides $5.00 per capita; and, the generosity of this community is phenomenal.
As Barbara
Kingsolver said in Small
Wonder “The changes we dread
most may contain our salvation.” I am hopeful that out of this will come
dedicated funding for public libraries across the state or at the very least, a
levy passed in Berkeley County that provides the library with financial support.
-Pam Coyle, MBCPL Director
Two newer mobiles are also located in the Children’s
Department. They are a butterfly mobile
and a fish mobile, made similarly but with shapes of butterflies and fishes at
the end of the wires. Mr. Conner,
feeling that his disk mobiles no longer reflected his best work, donated the
two new mobiles, in his mother-in-law’s memory also, to the Children’s
Department in 2001.
