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Monday, October 13, 2008
Read All About It: Libraries Need Bonds
By Christina Miles, Chair
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Library Advisory Board
Voters in Albuquerque/Bernalillo County appreciate and support the library. Since 1970, voters have said "yes" to all library bond requests by an impressive majority. On Nov. 4 voters will have the opportunity to again say "yes" to two bonds for materials acquisition to support our Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Public Library system.
Bonds are the only funding source for library materials such as books, periodicals, audio-books, film DVDs, music CDs, databases and reference materials. Without voter approval of these bonds, the library cannot purchase any new materials.
State Bond B — Library Acquisitions is an $11 million materials request for school, public and tribal libraries; $3 million would go to public libraries, with $853,000 for the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Library system. The annual cost to voters for this bond over a 10-year period is a mere 77 cents per $100,000 assessed value.
County General Obligation Bond 1 requests $1 million for materials for the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County libraries. Since old bonds are being retired there is no tax increase associated with this bond.
Approval of these bonds will allow the library to purchase many needed resources, but voters should be aware that library material costs have skyrocketed, and that state, county and city funding is not keeping pace. In addition, recent economic downturns forced the city of Albuquerque to cut the proposed expansion of library hours and personnel. Despite these difficulties the library system led by director Julia Clarke and her able, dedicated staff continues to provide excellent service to its patrons.
The library's popularity with the community is evident as usage climbs. From July 1, 2007, to June 30, 2008, there were more than 2.4 million library visits, a 5.1 percent increase over the previous 12-month period. In the same time period over 4.7 million materials circulated, a 6.4 percent increase. This increase in visits and circulation illustrates the need for continuous materials acquisition which the bonds will support.
However, the library is not just a place to check out hard copy materials. All Albuquerque/Bernalillo Co. libraries have computers for public use and patrons with laptops can use the free wireless connection available at the 17 branches.
The library Web site at www.cabq.gov/library is available to everyone with a library card every day of the year, 24 hours a day. From home it allows patrons to reserve and/or renew books, access databases including newspapers, magazines, and language programs, download digital books for MP3 players, and connect to a homework hot line for students in grades K-12. Passage of the bonds will allow the library to continue purchasing these popular databases.
In addition, the library sponsors various programs for the community. Recently, over 16,350 children participated in the annual summer reading program. Currently The Big Read is encouraging the entire community to read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Individual branch libraries sponsor other programs too numerous to mention in entirety here such as:
Read to the Dogs, which encourages children to practice their oral reading skills to a friendly, uncritical dog audience;
Teen programs with Teen Advisory Boards;
Every Child Ready to Read consists of free one-hour workshops for parents and caregivers of pre-school children;
Pre-school story times;
Book discussion groups;
Genealogy clubs and history programs;
Music at the Main Library.
The impact of our public library upon the community at large cannot be overstated. The library is committed to supporting literacy, economic development and an improved quality of life for all residents of Bernalillo County. Citizens depend on the library to provide the most recent, reliable information. This can only be done with constant updating of materials, which the two bonds address. The Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Library Advisory Board urges all voters to support our public library system with a rousing "yes" vote on State Bond B and County Bond 1 on Nov. 4.
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