Current News: The budget was approved on December 5 by the full Ulster County Legislature with the $75,000 proposed for Libraries by the Ways and Means Committee intact!
Why Fund Libraries (Powerpoint Presentation)
Application Cover Letter Follows:
August 29, 2007
Mr. Michael P. Hein, Ulster County Administrator
Box 1800
Kingston, NY 12402-1800
Dear Mr. Hein:
For over 35 years the Ulster County Library Association (UCLA) has requested and received a small percentage of county tax dollars to be invested in county libraries. Thanks to public and legislative support last year, we were grateful to receive some funding as we were not included in the recommended budget. Although 2007 funding levels were disappointing, we remain more concerned with those who maintain that library funding is “discretionary.” We fervently believe that strong libraries are essential in contributing significantly to the educational, economic, and cultural life of Ulster County.
We still realize that the legislature struggles with fairly dividing a limited financial pie. From our discussions with the Arts, Education, Tourism and Community Relations Committee, we have devised a new approach that demonstrates true countywide library cooperation. Via county funding, the UCLA is bringing Ulster County citizens premium knowledge-products that would otherwise be unavailable because they would be unaffordable. Rather than distribute funds to member libraries, we are using purchasing power to acquire premium services for libraries that could never afford them on their own. We believe that buying cooperatively merits more value than a cash distribution to member libraries would achieve.
Using prudent financial management, we have created a mechanism for providing unified county service that maximizes economic soundness. With 2007 funds, we purchased remote-access knowledge products that Ulster citizens can access 24 hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week from a home computer, or from any one of the 21 public libraries, with a library card. Through shared costs and group purchasing, most of these products were available with tremendous discounts. We seek support to continue providing this valuable and cost-effective program that libraries and the Ulster legislature together can bring to all county residents through 2008.
Sincerely,
James Cosgrove
Vice-President
Ulster County Libraries
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