IMLS Releases Public Libraries in the US Survey FY 2010 Report

The Public Libraries in the United States Survey report published by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) analyzes data supplied annually by over 98% of public libraries across the country. This year’s report features nine performance indicators and examines differences in library service at the locality levels (city, suburb, town, rural and national). Nationally, public libraries have seen reductions in operating revenue, service hours, and staffing. Numbers for circulation, program attendance, and computer use continue to trend upward.

SEE IMLS Press Release

All things Library Advocacy Day 2012: March 6

Library Advocacy Day in Albany
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Empire State Plaza Meeting Room 6
Albany, New York

Library Advocacy Briefing WEBINAR
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
This free webinar provides a detailed review of NYLA's 2012 Legislative Priorities and Talking Points, to better prepare library advocates for their upcoming legislative visits.

To register to participate in the webinar - click HERE.
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Pre-Advocacy Day Activities 2012 – Monday, March 5, 2012
NYLA Institute is pleased to offer workshops to allow to you to make the most of your visit to Albany.
Courtyard by Marriott on Wolf Road - 189 Wolf Road, Albany, New York 12205
(see link for detail)
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Tuesday, March 6, 2012 – Library Advocacy Day
8:00am - 9:30am - Legislative Meet & Greet: NYLA hosts an informal buffet breakfast for legislators and staff to meet with library advocates from around the state in Meeting Room Six in the Concourse of the Empire State Plaza. Legislators are also given the opportunity at this time to have their photos taken for the annual READ posters and bookmarks that are used to promote the Statewide Summer Reading Program.
9:30am – 11:00am - Advocacy Day Briefings: Briefings on the current status of budget negotiations and NYLA’s Legislative Priorities will be given at regular intervals in Meeting Room 6, Concourse Level of the Empire State Plaza.
11:30am – 12:00pm - Rally and Speeches: Library advocates rally in Meeting Room 6 to voice their support for library funding and provide a visual demonstration of the strength of the library community to legislators and their staffs. Various speakers are scheduled (elected officials, NYLA leaders, etc.).
Special Guest
Kenneth C. Davis is the author of Don’t Know Much About® History, which spent 35 consecutive weeks on The New York Times bestseller list, and gave rise to the Don’t Know Much About® series, which has a combined in-print total of some 4.7-million copies. In June 2011, Don’t Know Much About History: Anniversary Edition was released in hardcover by HarperCollins. A newly revised, updated and expanded edition of the book that started the series, it now presents a complete survey of American history, from before the arrival of Columbus in 1492 right through the events of the past decade –from 9/11 through the election of Barack Obama and the first years of his administration.
To learn more about Kenneth C. Davis - Visit dontknowmuch.com.
Several publishers have donated books that will be available for free to Library Advocates who visit Meeting Room 6 on Library Advocacy Day.

Meetings / Materials & Handouts
Library advocates can visit one-on-one with their legislators to inform them of NYLA's 2012 Legislative Priorities.
Organizing a Group or meeting with a Legislator? Please fill out the Library Advocacy Day Contact Form.
Advocacy Day Handout: Advocacy materials are distributed to Library Advocacy Day attendees to use in their meetings with legislators and staff.
Stop by Meeting Room 6 to pick up handouts.
Getting There & Getting Around
Directions & Logistics

Bus & Regional Coordinator Information - Find a bus heading to Albany for Library Advocacy Day! - Don't go it alone!
Security Information
Please plan for airport-like security measures in place in the New York State Capitol, the Legislative Office Building and its surrounding buildings. Please be prepared to pass through a metal detector and have your belongings go through an X-ray machine to enter. All adults (16+) must show a photo ID to enter - it is recommended that attendees carry a photo ID at all times. In addition, items that are sharp or may be construed as weapons are not allowed in any of the Empire State Plaza buildings (including "sticks" attached to Rally signs). Due to the security measures and the number of people expected in Albany that day, please leave yourself plenty of time to travel between Meeting Room 6 and meetings with legislators.
Who's going to gain?
• ALL NY libraries and citizens.
• ALL libraries and systems which receive direct state aid.
• Many libraries and systems which receive indirect state aid in the form of cooperative services and shared programs from their library system.
• Legislators who need to understand how libraries can help them.
What can I do now to support this effort?
• Call your legislator's office, either at his or her district office, or in Albany.
• Tell him/her how important your library is to the community—and its voting citizens.
• Tell him/her that increased funding for libraries is ESSENTIAL and CRITICAL.
• Use our helpful advocacy tools to help shape your personal message.
We have a great opportunity to speak out for additional funding for electronic resources, construction, and aid for all libraries. It's not hard—and we all need to do our part in strengthening New York's libraries, systems, and special collections.

Buffalo: "A stronger library will be able to enhance the region"

From the Buffalo News by Sharon A. Thomas, chair of the
Buffalo & Erie County Public Library System board of trustees:

"There's been a lot of talk lately about the future of our libraries, and
I want to update you on discussions taking place that will stabilize and
revitalize the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library Systems financial
footing. For 175 years, the library has encouraged lifelong learning
through free access to information a valued and valuable service that has
contributed to this communitys innovation and prosperity."

Read the rest HERE.

College Libraries Team Up With Their Local Counterparts

From the Article:

Even though it’s the big colleges that typically have the largest budgets and facilities, several universities are teaming up with their local public libraries to bring better service to patrons. At the American Library Association’s annual conference this week, a session titled “Our Town, Common Ground” highlighted some of those partnerships.

Definitely a good news library story

From the Guardian comes the story of how the local people in Wirral saved their public libraries by various protests etc. causing the intervention of the Culture Secretary (not sure the U.S. has someone like this in the cabinet).

Read the story here.

New York State Public Library Construction Needs Total $2.2 Billion

From NYLINE:

The 2009-2013 "Estimated New York State Public Library Construction Needs" survey is now complete and is available on the New York State Library’s website here.

This important document provides an overview of the anticipated construction and renovation needs for public library and neighborhood branch facilities for the next five years. Libraries and systems report planned or needed construction projects totaling more than $2.2 billion.

Facility limitations can diminish the quality of service that libraries provide to their communities and inefficient buildings can rob libraries of vital fiscal resources that could be used for program and collection enhancement. A 2006 State Library survey of public libraries and systems found that more than 30% of the libraries participating in the survey were not fully accessible to patrons with disabilities, 38% did not have sufficient space to house their collections, and 42% lacked sufficient space for public access computers.

100 Awesome YouTube Vids for Librarians

Librarians should no longer be thought of as fuddy duddy types with long dusty cardigans or pince-nez dangling around their necks. These days, public librarians and academic librarians are on the cutting edge, dedicated to bringing their resources and their patrons into the 21st century with technology. Librarians are also bloggers, IT professionals, database managers, technology mavens; and these YouTube videos and tutorials are just for them. Watch these vodcasts and recordings to learn about new library tools, interesting literacy campaigns and outreach programs, and even hysterical videos about library stereotypes that are circulating on the Internet.

From last night's News Hour on PBS

The Reading Room *
Guest essayist Julia Keller of the Chicago Tribune reflects on the future for public libraries.
Go to http://www.pbs.org/newshour/. In the right-hand column, click on
Reading Room.
-- a really great piece on libraries!

Some quotes:
" ... it's not what you come for [books,computers, dvds] that really counts, it's what you leave with..."

"How we get our knowledge may change, but human nature doesn't. And there is something profoundly consoling about a public library, about a shared space brimming with stories..."

If Public Libraries Didn't Exist, Could You Start One Today?

An interesting article from Freakonomics.

The library fix by Garrison Keillor

When politics gets mean and dumb, you can cheer yourself up by walking into a public library.
From Salon.com, June 27, 2007