Frequently Asked Questions
Will hours be cut at my library if the cuts go through?
It’s hard to tell at this time, but it is a possibility. A cut of the size proposed will mean the library system has to examine public hours along with other possible service cuts. However, DCLS remains committed to being open the hours that you use us the most.
Were the hours cut in 2003-2004 ever restored, aren’t we already dealing with reduced hours?
Friday hours at the East Shore Area Library in Colonial Park and some hours at the Johnson Memorial Library in Millersburg were restored, but all other hours remained the same. This means that any reduction in hours as a result of the Senate proposed budget will be cutting into an already-reduced library operating schedule.
What about the funding provided this year by the Dauphin County Commissioners?
There’s no question that without the additional appropriation from the Dauphin County Commissioners, the dramatic cuts proposed by the Senate would cripple DCLS. Nevertheless, a loss of 17% in funding will still have a devastating impact on DCLS’s ability to meet the growing public demand for our services. The Senate budget could require us to reduce hours and collections dramatically.
Why do these cuts affect summer reading programs?
Studies show, and parents know, that kids run the risk of losing important reading skills while school is not in session. For more than a half-million Pennsylvania kids, the Summer Reading Program in public libraries maintains and improves their reading skills over summer vacation. But the Summer Reading Program’s future is bleak if state budget cuts become law. The statewide summer reading program and numerous other vital library services are supported by federal (LSTA) library funds which require state government to fully fund libraries. These two budget proposals in Harrisburg fall short of what’s needed and would cost Pennsylvania anywhere from $1 million (H.B. 1416—Rendell/House Democratic bill) to $3.8 million (S.B. 850—Senate Republican bill) in federal funds, lost money that threatens the future of the Summer Reading Program and much more. In addition, S.B. 850 completely eliminates the Educational Improvement Organization side of EITC funding. This is the program that funds the majority of the DCLS summer reading program.
Parents and teachers; kids and librarians are urged to speak up now to prevent the loss of vital federal funds that support great programs like the Summer Reading Program. Contact your legislator. Tell DCLS how the library has helped your family in these hard times.
Why do these cuts seem to be jeopardizing my borrowing from other libraries and using my card at other libraries?
Two of the programs earmarked for complete elimination are the statewide card program and interlibrary delivery. The statewide card program is a program that reimburses your library when it is used by a cardholder from another library. It allows you, once you have a home library card, to receive a free card at any other public library in the state. If the program is eliminated, DCLS will lose nearly $30,000 in income. Elimination of the program means that libraries across the state will have to decide if they will eliminate service to non-residents, charge a fee to continue service, or pay for the use out of their own operating budgets.
In addition, Access PA the database that allows you and your librarians to search for items you want that are not owned by DCLS and request them for you by interlibrary loan, is proposed to be cut by 50%. This, accompanied by the elimination of the interlibrary delivery service, will mean that borrowing from other libraries than your own will become very expensive for your library to offer. Most libraries will be forced to either eliminate interlibrary loan (ILL), or begin charging fees for it.
If POWER Library is eliminated, what research tools will you be
able to offer me?
Under the budget proposed in Senate Bill 850, POWER Library will no longer be available. These online research tools, which include children’s resources, full-text articles from a huge array of magazine, newspaper and website databases, business tools, consumer research and many other resources are all subscription databases provided to you by the state via your public library. If the POWER Library is eliminated, it is unlikely that DCLS or many other libraries could reproduce those resources on their own even without the 50% to state library funding. These important research tools would simply be gone. DCLS will still provide a small selection of subscription databases to help you with school and other research, but nothing of the size and reach of POWER Library.
How can I help?
Share your story of how the library has helped you and your family during these economic tough times by clicking here or filling out a comment card from your library.
Share your library story with your legislators. Click here for contact information.
If you don't know your legislator's name click here and type in your zip code in the upper right ("Find Members By Zip Code.") This will give you the name, address, and an email address for your state senator and state representative.
Let your friends and neighbors know their public library service is in jeopardy and direct them to their library or this website for more information
For more specifics on the two proposed budgets, click here.
