Archive: Around Town

This year the Lansing Community Library is doing something different: the annual vote will be held in the library, separate from the school vote.  The election is set for next Wednesday, April 25th from 9am to 8pm.  Three new trustees will be elected and voters will decide whether to make a modest increase in the library budget.  The rise will amount to about fifty cents for the average property owner.  Trustee Barbara Barry says is is much needed.

"It is mainly because our expenses are going up," she says.  "Each year we have salary raises.  We have the same pressure that the schools and other government organizations have had... pension requests from the State have gone up.  This year we had to take some money out of our special fund in order to pay for the pensions.  We couldn't pay for the whole thing ourselves."

Currently the average property owner pays about $25 per year in library taxes.  The fifty cents is the total additional amount, not the amount per thousand dollars of assessed value.  Last year the Library tax rate was $0.123138 per $1,000.  Trustee Dale Baker says the library budget hasn't gone up since the library was chartered four years ago.

"We're asking to increase the budget," he says.  "It's always been about $105,300.  We're asking for an increase of $8,000.  The first couple of years we were OK, but for the last few years we've been feeling the pressure.  We finally said it is time we decided to do something about it.  We made a conservative increase in the budget.  $8,000 is not a lot of money to run a library."

The money goes for salaries, books and equipment, and the physical plant.  There are two full time employees, Librarian Susie Gutenberger-Fitzpatrick and Library Assistant Michelle Calupca.  Library Clerk Maureen Dean fills a half time position.  About $28,000 comes from Tompkins County to help pay for salaries, though that amount has been decreasing as the county struggles with its own budget.

At the same time library usage has gone up.  The number of borrowers rose from 1711 in 2010 to 3469 in 2011.  Almost 30 new library card holders join each month.  Book circulation went from 29,000 to 37,800 in that period.  In 2010 the library hosted 42 adult programs.  In the past year that number went up to 169.  The library has always focused on children's programming, and in the past year the number of preschoolers attending went up by 400, and children't attendance in general went up by about 700.  Computer usage has gone from 6,500 to 8,320.  Room use by outside groups has also boomed to the point where it is hard to get a reservation.

"Everything has just boomed," Barry says.  "One of the things we are realizing is that the two and a half employees we have are really busy all the time.  There are people coming into the library all of the time, and most of the rooms are in use a lot of the time.  There's a book club, tai chi classes, programs from Lifelong..."

The library has also been lending about ten Nook ereader tablets.  Borrowers get to take them out for two weeks and read books that are preloaded.  The tablets have been so popular that there is a waiting list to take them out.

"The ways we use the library are changing," Baker says.  "We're seeing those changes take place.  Fortunately our library staff like the change and adjust for it."

Four candidates are running for three seats on the Board of Directors, the official governing body that manages the library.  Dale Baker and Marce Bean are not seeking another term, but Trustee Matt Montague is.  Ami Stallone, Tania Lawrence, and Ron Ostman are also running for the board.

Voters will get to meet the candidates and hear them speak at the library's annual meeting Tuesday at 7pm.  Baker says that the vote will provide an opportunity for people to see the facility, especially voters who don't typically go to the library.

"We're trying to get the word out," Baker says.  "We'd like to get as many people as possible out to vote.  That, to us, would be a success, to have a large turnout.  We've tried as many ways as we know how to get the word out."

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