3/3/2004 LIBRARY BUILDING COMMITTEE Minutes

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JL cs Y 1 L. Sbj: From today" Cape cod Tines Date: 2124104 12:12:46 PM Eastern Standard Time Fr m -� T : Mashpee.library in crisis: Do you care? My View: reader commentary By CARLO U ESTE O.ver the past 20 years l as pee has evolved from a small town to one the fastest-growing communities not'only oil the Cape, but in all New England. The dash ee Public Library moved in 1987 from a small building.across from the town hall'to its present location in Mash pee-Commons. Circulation has uad rup led since that move. The three public faces of any comm unity are its fire and police departments and its public library. The Ilashpee Public Library is much more than merely a book-lending service; it is the, inf r ation and cultural center of our community for both children and adults. Last y year more than 60,000 atrons of every age group utilized this facility and circulated more than 113,900 items. . With.community rowth comes increasing dery n 'for the multitude of services provided by a public library. However,, our library faces a crisis that- threatens its very foundation,.The 1998 Ilashpee Cornprehensie Plan,pp roved by the board of selectmen, torn meeting and the cape.Cod Commission, acknowledged the need for eight full-bine equivalent staff. instead, our library, serving a growing population of 14,000, has an Proved staffing level of . fullmbme equivalent staff. � ne o these p g positions has been unfilled for a year, providing a meria3.. full-time equivalent staff, while other Cape towns of similar populations have library staffs of more than seven. Beginningwith fiscal 2002, the torn has suffered the sane financial strain affecting otherornrnunitie . In January Zoo , a hiring freeze projected to last sic months affected a vacnt library position. A year later, the 4 library is still coping with a 40 percent cut to its circulation staffing level. As a result, the library has been forced to close on Fridays. On several occasions, the library has opened late because of unexpected illnesses, with no staff backup. Even with Volunteers, the ability of its hard-working staff to cope has been stretched to the limit. be expedient to dismiss the library as simply another victim.of.. _ �t It �' the budget crunch were it not for the fact that the board of selectmen has g - spurned repeated attempts by the library trustees to redress the staffing p - roblern. Town meeting approved $152,574 for library staffing in fiscal 2004, funds that were sufficient to have reset the library's staffing needs, including filling the vacant position. Meanwhile,chile, despite the freeze, there d , nm 25, 2016 America n1 : EGGCREAM35