Library funding crisis

It's that time of year again.

State and city library budgets are increasingly in jeopardy, and it's up to the public to lobby in their favor.

Last year the proposed cut for the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh system (which includes 29 libraries) was 65 percent, but after the public rallied, it was reduced to 35 percent.

Now that I am a library intern/volunteer there, I know firsthand how important the library is to people. It's sad that we have to beg for such a valuable public service. I am thankful to those who support funding, including these lawmakers. (Still, this is only to keep the libraries open until December 2010!)

House members scold Ravenstahl over funding for Carnegie Library

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

By Joe Smydo, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Eight state House members from the city of Pittsburgh have sent Mayor Luke Ravenstahl a strongly worded letter complaining that he hasn't lived up to a commitment to provide Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh with $1.2 million over two years.

City Council last year approved, and the mayor signed, a bill giving the library system $600,000.

But Mr. Ravenstahl returned unsigned a bill council passed June 1 allocating the system another $640,000 -- money the system says it needs to keep all branches open through December. The bill now becomes law without his signature.

"This is an issue that we have all worked collectively on as elected officials, and we hope we may rely on you to finalize your piece," said the June 8 letter signed by Democratic Reps. Dom Costa of Stanton Heights, Paul Costa of Wilkins, Dan Deasy of Westwood, Dan Frankel of Squirrel Hill, Joe Preston of East Liberty, Harry Readshaw of Carrick, Chelsa Wagner of Beechview and Jake Wheatley of the Hill District.

By June 8, however, the mayor already had returned the bill unsigned, according to council records.

At the time the letter was written, the signers were all of the House members representing city neighborhoods. Mr. Ravenstahl's brother, Adam, of the North Side, was sworn in the next day to serve out the term of Don Walko, now an Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge.

Ms. Wagner, the chief author, acknowledged in an interview that the letter was unusual because of the signers' unanimity and the unusually stern language directed at the mayor.

The lawmakers said long-term and short-term financing plans for the library were ironed out at a Nov. 23 meeting of state, county, city and library officials at the Regional Enterprise Tower, Downtown. The leaders convened as the library system was preparing to close a handful of city branches.

"At this meeting, which was attended by your chief of staff, Yarone Zober, we all came to an agreement that the city would provide $1.2 million in stop-gap funding for the libraries, and the state representatives would direct the city's share of the table-games revenue to (the library system).

"If you did not agree with this arrangement, then, as your representative, Mr. Zober should have voiced that opposition before the decision was made or could have alerted us within a reasonable time frame after that meeting."

The library system did not ask the lawmakers to send the letter, spokeswoman Suzanne Thinnes said.

So far, the library system hasn't received any money from the city; the first $600,000, though approved by council and the mayor, has not yet arrived, Ms. Thinnes said.

In recent weeks, mayoral spokeswoman Joanna Doven has said another $640,000 would amount to a "blank check" for the library system and come at a time when the city has its own financial worries. Besides, she said, there's nothing to prevent the library from returning next year and demanding yet another grant to keep branches open.

CLP's Eleventh Stack

This is my first blog posting and bio for the library's blog, Eleventh Stack. The photo at right is of Turtle Beach on Buck Island near St. Croix.

Island Dreaming
Looking for a great vacation location? I lived on the beautiful island of St. Croix, and highly recommend the U.S. Virgin Islands. No passport is needed since it is a U.S. territory. I’ve identified some library materials to get you in the mood for a trip, or just to immerse yourself in island dreaming.

Travel guidebooks include Frommer’s Virgin Islands, Fodor’s the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, and Moon Handbooks’ Virgin Islands. While these are great resources to start your research, the best way to learn about the islands and get the inside scoop is to hear from people who live there or have visited there, which you can do before or during your trip.

In the fiction book Don’t Stop the Carnival, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Herman Wouk draws on his own experience managing a hotel on an island near St. Thomas in the 1960s. The comedy about living out your fantasies on an exotic Caribbean island gives a pretty realistic account of the ups and downs of island life.

Wouk’s novel was turned into a short-lived musical by Jimmy Buffet in 1997 and an interactive multimedia CD, Don’t Stop the Carnival, words and music by Jimmy Buffett, can be found at the Library.

Other music and film recordings offer a glimpse of island life:

Zoop Zoop Zoop: Traditional Music and Folklore of St. Croix, St. Thomas, and St. John features folk music field recordings from the U.S. Virgin Islands. Various artists perform the pieces, including “Sly mongoose,” “Me mother had tell me,” and “Cigar win the race.”

Caribbean Dreaming: U.S. Virgin Islands. This DVD brings the island atmosphere to life, with sumptuous visual images and music. From sunrise to sunset, go “behind the scenes” of the islands, visiting the most serene beaches, and observe breathtaking landscapes and ocean views.

Hollywood has shot several films in the USVI. The final scene in The Shawshank Redemption was filmed at Sandy Point National Wildlife Refuge on St. Croix. It is one of the most beautiful beaches in the entire Caribbean and is only open to the public seasonally during specific times in order to protect sea turtle nests and hatchlings.

Movies with scenes shot on St. Thomas include The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Weekend at Bernie’s II, and Trading Places.

-Apryl

Apryl is an intern on the First Floor of the Main Library. She loves the redesigned bookstore/café-style space — a library trend that influenced her decision to pursue librarianship as a new career rather than open a bookstore. A magazine junkie, she is excited to help with the First Floor’s amazing magazine collection, among other projects. Having worked in continuing and graduate education for many years, she’s taken the plunge herself as a master’s student in the University of Pittsburgh’s library and information science program. When not working on her online courses, she indulges in popular fiction and is currently obsessed with audio books.

Summer Internship and Travel Plans

This summer I am interning with the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh's First Floor: New & Featured department. I love it! This is a quite a relief since I am halfway through the graduate program at Pitt. Now I'm even more excited to earn my MLIS. (It would be a very expensive venture if I didn't want to pursue it as a career, after all.)

I completed spring semester's courses with A's. This summer I'm taking the internship for credit. Later this month I'm traveling to Baltimore to visit friends and family and to DC to attend the ALA annual conference at the end of the month. It is a huge conference with big name authors! I'll be rooming with my friend Merritt from St. Croix, who also earned her MLIS though Pitt's program (which is how I learned about the program).