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Funding Change Proposed For County's Libraries

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Jun 25, 2009 5:45 pm US/Eastern

Funding Change Proposed For County's Libraries

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ― A library has long been the heart of any community, but some local brick and mortar circulators of the printed word are struggling.

Forty-four independent, locally supported libraries are members of a federation called the "Allegheny County Library Association."

Next year, the association wants to change the formula for dividing the $5 million plus it gets from the "Regional Asset District," or RAD.

"The process itself allowed all of the member libraries to participate and design something that they felt in fact would be more equitable," says federation director Marilyn Jenkins.

Under the current formula the more a community supports its library financially; the more RAD funding comes their way.

Under the new formula, the number of people in a distressed community served by the library along with the amount of circulation would determine how much RAD funding the library gets.

The new formula would benefit the McKeesport Library the most. It would get nearly 133,000 more dollars for its 2010 budget.

Library Director Jo Ellen Kenney was elated, "First, I was in shock, and then I was extremely ecstatic."

Aside from the city of McKeesport the library serves school districts in Duquesne, Elizabeth-Forward and White Oak Boro with four branches, "We're far reaching, we serve over 60,000 people in this corner of the county."

The extra RAD money would be used for family programming, possible adding more computers, staffing and stocking shelves.

The Wilkinsburg Public Library is located in the municipal building and although it is also a distressed community, it has a dedicated library tax that brings in $200,000 plus in-kind support, which amounts to another 200,000 for utilities and maintenance.

Because of that support the library stands to lose more than $54,000 in RAD money under the new formula.

Library spokesperson Betsy Swartz says, "We are going to lose probably the amount of money that is equal to what we would purchase in new materials."

That means fewer books, DVD's and children's materials.

A number of people are concerned and they are making their voices heard.

"I've spent my entire life in libraries," says Wilkinsburg library patron, Charles Reaves, who believes in what libraries can do. "Education is the method by which one can transcend one's socio-economic class."

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