Library Budget: FFxCo Candidate Forums, September and October

We recently learned from Supervisor Jeff McKay that a school supporter asked him to "zero out" the parks and library in order to fully fund the schools.  Supervisor McKay told the supporter that the combined budgets of both parks and library are only 2%.  Eliminating parks and library would not accomplish full funding of the schools.  Are other school supporters out campaigning to eliminate the library?   All of the county supervisors are campaigning now for the November election and the Library Advocates need to have a presence at the League of Women Voters' candidate forums to speak up for the library.  

It would be useful to know what the supervisors are planning for the future of the Fairfax County Public Library.  Do they want continued cuts as we have seen the past decade?  County documents obfuscate the planned cut to the library budget for FY2017, but previously a budget cut of 20% was mentioned.  There is no way to absorb a budget cut of that magnitude without significant damage to the library including elimination of core programs, a reduction-in-force, reducing the hours of library operation, or possibly branch closures.

We hope you will attend, ask questions, and report back with comments made by the candidates so those comments can be shared on the Fairfax Library Advocates' blog.

Below are the dates of the League of Women Voters (LWV) candidate forums for September and October, the Library Board meeting for September, the Board of Supervisors' budget committee Carryover and Lines of Business (LOB) review presentation by County Executive Ed Long, and the regular Tuesday BOS meeting with the public hearing on the Carryover proposal.

Also at the bottom of this email is a link to the DMB carryover recommendation and a link with addresses for the League of Women Voters' candidate forums.

Kathy Kaplan
Fairfax Library Advocates

Upcoming dates: 

September 2:  National Assoc of Retired Federal Employees (NARFE) Candidates Forum, Mason District Gov't Center, 10 am.  

September 9:   Library Board of Trustees monthly meeting.  George Mason Regional Library, 7 pm.

September 9    LWV Springfield District, West Springfield Govt Center, 7 pm

September 11:  FfxCo Board of Supervisors (BOS) budget committee meeting on Carryover and LOB with Ed Long,  Govt Center, 1 pm.  Rooms 9 and 10.

September 16:  LWV Mt. Vernon District, Sherwood Regional Library, 7 pm

September 21:  LWV VA Senate and House of Delegates for Sully District, Sully district gov't' center, 7 pm

September 22:  BOS public hearing on budget carryover, regular Tuesday BOS meeting at Govt Center.

October 5:  LWV, Lee District, John Marshall Library, Alexandria, 7 pm.

October 7:  LWV, Providence District,  Providence Community Center, 7 pm. 

October 8:  LWV, Braddock District, Kings Park Library Community Room, 7 pm.

October 13:  LWV, FfxCo Chairman of Board of Supervisors and at-large School Board members, James Madison HS, 7 pm

October 14:  LWV, Dranesville District, McLean Community Center, 7 pm.

October 21,  LWV, Mason District, Woodrow Wilson Library Community Room, 7 pm

October 24, LWV, Hunter Mill District, Reston Community Center, 2 pm (afternoon).

October 28:  LWV, Sully District candidates for County Board of Supervisors and School Board.  Sully District Gov't Center, 7 pm.


Carryover recommendations by Ed Long: http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/news/2015/fy2015-budget-carryover-recommendations.htm

LWV Fall 2015 meet and greet calendar, Sept and Oct:    http://www.lwv-fairfax.org/files/2015_MandG_Fairfax_Co_All_Districts_Flyer.pdf

Letter to Charles Fegan, Chair, FfxCo Library Board of Trustees

The following letter was sent to Charles Fegan, Chair of the Library Board, August 13, 2015 by Dennis Hays:

Dear Mr. Chairman:

Congratulations again on your re-election as Chairman of the Fairfax Library Board of Trustees.  On behalf of all of us concerned about the state of our libraries let me say we are pleased you have chosen to continue to serve.  I am sure you will find the upcoming year both challenging and rewarding! 

One of those challenges is upon you and your colleagues now - the selection of a new Director for the Fairfax system.  This responsibility is the single most important personnel action your Board will take and one that rests with your Board alone - both State law and County policy are unequivocal: "the Director shall be selected and appointed by the Fairfax County Public Library Board of Trustees."

I realize this is an weighty responsibility and I am grateful for the hard work and diligent service of your search committee.  The new Director will be charged with restoring the Fairfax Library system to a position of excellence.  The years' long deterioration of the system's budget, collections, and employee morale has caused great damage.   It is thus crucial you identify and select a new Director with a proven history of restoring large library systems to their appropriate position as a cornerstone of their communities.  The District of Columbia and several jurisdictions in Virginia have successfully come back from similar self- inflicted wounds and under your leadership I am confident the Board can select a Director to restore the Fairfax system to its former prominence too.   

While it has been important and useful to have had input from non-Board Member advisors to the search committee, it is imperative no individuals other than the Members of the Board have any "vote" or "veto" on the actual selection process - this is reserved by law to the Members of your full Board.  The Supervisors of Fairfax County have placed their confidence in you through the appointment process.  As such, neither they nor any other official have any further role in the selection process other to ensure appropriate State and local laws are observed.   Inappropriate involvement in the Board's deliberations at this stage would taint the entire process and leave any decision potentially subject to well -merited criticism and open to challenge.     

Again, my thanks for your service.  Please let me know if I can ever be of assistance.  

Very best regards,  Dennis

Dennis K. Hays

Chairman, Fairfax Library Advocates 

 

 

 

Duties and Responsibilities of the Library Board

Since the Fairfax County Library Board of Trustees is about to hire a new Library Director, we are re-posting our May 10, 2015 article and a link to the Fairfax County Library Board of Trustees Policy Manual:  http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/library/aboutthelibrary/manual/

Policy regarding Library Director:  The Library Director shall be selected and appointed by the Fairfax County Public Library Board of Trustees.   http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/library/aboutthelibrary/manual/librarydirector.htm


From May 10, 2015:

Duties and Responsibilities of the Library Board

On May 2, 2015, the Fairfax County Library Board of Trustees was joined by Kim Armentrout, a member of the Library of Virginia staff to discuss the duties and responsibilities of the Library Board.   The following notes were taken at the work session by a member of the Fairfax County Public Library Employee Association. 

Library Board of Trustees Chairman Charles Fegan opened the work session of the Board on Saturday May 2.  All Trustees were present except for Michael Cutrone (Hunter Mill District) and Darren Ewing (Dranesville District.) Mr. Fegan extended a special welcome to the two newest members of the Board, Fran Millhouser, representing the Mason District, and Miriam Smolen, representing the Providence District.  He noted that the Library Board has become a focal point in the community at large – and this is not a bad thing.  In his view the Board needs to listen and respond to the concerns of citizens as the Library needs the goodwill of its patrons.  Mr. Fegan reported that he and Library Board Vice Chair Karrie Delaney traveled to Richmond to speak with a member of the staff of the Library of Virginia, Ms. Kim Armentrout, a specialist in assisting local library systems. Arrangements were made for Ms. Armentrout to conduct a training seminar for the Trustees entitled “Ensuring Trustee Success” at their work session planned for May 2.  Ms. Armentrout was joined at the work session by her Library of Virginia colleague Cindy Church who presented the second part of the training, “Hiring a New Library Director.”

 

Ms. Armentrout gave a detailed explanation of the duties and responsibilities of Boards of Trustees.  A Board’s most important responsibility is to employ a qualified competent library director and maintain an ongoing performance appraisal process.  The Board determines the mission and goals and objectives of the library and adopts written policies governing the library. It secures adequate funds to carry out the library’s program, assists in the preparation of the annual budget and officially approves budget requests.  The Board ensures that the library has a long-range planning process that considers the library’s strengths and weaknesses, a process that can be implemented and evaluated. Ms. Armentrout said that libraries are required under the Virginia Administrative Code, 17VAC15-110-10, to submit five year plans to the State Library Board; a library’s strategic plan also needs to be filed with the Library of Virginia.  Strategic plans typically cover a period of less than five years.  For the five year plan, an annual revision is required. Community input is recommended – otherwise, how relevant is the library to the community?  Mr. Fegan noted that the Library Board is preparing to conduct a public survey as a prelude to developing a long-range plan.  

 

The Board also has a duty to be familiar with local, state, and federal library laws.  The Virginia Library Association has a Legislative Committee that can be a resource to help.  VLA’s website has a link to CQ Engage which enables the monitoring of key bills and key votes in Congress and enables the user to contact legislators.  VLA’s web site also has a page entitled Legislative Action Center with policy tools at www.capwiz.com/ala/va/home/

 

Trustees have a responsibility to attend all board meetings and see that accurate records are kept on file at the library.  Agendas and minutes should be produced in a timely manner.  Trustees should attend regional, state and national trustee meetings and workshops.  This allows them to talk to their peers and get ideas.  Trustees have a duty to report regularly to the governing officials and the general public.  People want to know what is going on; such reporting allows trustees to talk about their successes.

 

Ms. Armentrout said that a trustee should consider it his/her job to support the library and the library director, to support the community and citizens he/she represents, to support the local governing body, and to support appropriate library legislation.

 

Library boards should have a thorough knowledge of the allocating authorities responsible for library funds (meaning, find out where your money is coming from).  They should have an awareness of supplementary sources of revenue - Ms. Armentrout mentioned grants as an example.  Library boards should have a clear understanding of the current financial needs of the library and a strategic plan for helping to obtain funds to carry out the goals and objectives of the library.  They should have an understanding of the legal regulations and accountability required for library funding.  They should have a willingness to support actively requests for increased funding.  Ms. Armentrout said that Friends groups can be supportive of these requests.

 

Ms. Armentrout reviewed how to advocate:

o   Participate in public relations events

o   Be vocal, visible, and well-informed

o   Use the library and spread the word

o   Listen to the community

o   Talk to individual groups about the library’s progress, plans, and policies

o   Work closely with local officials according to the library’s plan

o   Tell people what trustees do, who they are, when they meet, and how they can be reached

o   Sell the philosophy and merits of high-quality library service

o   Support the Friends of the Library and recruit members

 

The next section of her presentation covered FOIA, also known as the Virginia Freedom of Information Act.  A public meeting under FOIA occurs when 3 members of a public body are gathered and they are discussing library business.  The place where this occurs does not matter.  There are rules in the Act that govern conference calls.  What are public records under FOIA?  Any writing, images or recordings in any format that are prepared or owned by or in the possession of a public body or its agents in the transaction of public business.  Ms. Armentrout said that notes taken during a meeting are public records until the final version of a public document is issued.  At that point, when business is done, meeting notes may be discarded.  She went over retention schedules.  Governing boards must retain minutes.  The Chairman retains his records permanently; when he leaves office, he turns these over to Library Administration.

 

Ms. Armentrout reviewed e-mail basics as they apply to record keeping.  Trustees are responsible for managing their sent and received e-mail as it relates to library business.  Requests from the public must be honored the same as any other public record request.  E-mail must remain accessible during the entire retention period.  She suggested that each trustee set up a separate e-mail account for library business so that personal e-mail does not get intermingled with library business e-mail.

 

Ms. Armentrout discussed trustee self-evaluations.  She said that this is a healthy component of being a Board.  It gives trustees an opportunity to discuss, as a Board, how are we doing?  It is beneficial for each trustee to self-evaluate and answer this same question.  Such self-evaluation could be done at a board retreat.

 

Respectfully submitted

Janice Kuch, FCPLEA Secretary

From Washington Post: Where Are The Books?

The hallmark of public libraries — the printed book, bound by covers and centuries of page-turning — is being shoved aside by digital doppelgangers.

Around the country, libraries are slashing their print collections in favor of e-books, prompting battles between library systems and print purists, including not only the pre-pixel generation but digital natives who represent a sizable portion of the 1.5 billion library visits a year and prefer print for serious reading.

[Millennials prefer reading in print. Yes, you read that right.]

Some of the clashes have been heated. In New York, protesters outside the city’s main branch have shouted: “Save the stacks! Save the stacks!” In Northern Virginia, the Fairfax County library system chief recently mused that the Friends of the Library were no longer friends — a feud fueled by outrage over a print collection that has shrunk by more than 300,000 books since 2009. The drop in the District is even more dramatic: Nearly 1 million books have vanished since 2009.

“To say Gutenberg’s days are over is a terrible mistake,” said Dennis Hays, a former U.S. ambassador and chairman of Fairfax Library Advocates, a group of residents at war with library officials. “Nothing can take the place of a book.”

Please see the rest of Michael Rosenwald's article here:  

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/where-are-the-books-libraries-under-fire-as-they-shift-from-print-to-digital/2015/07/07/eb265752-1525-11e5-9518-f9e0a8959f32_story.html

Fairfax Library Advocates Chair Dennis Hays Speaks to Library Board, June 10, 2015

YouTube video at this link:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kt6Q6-BuWF4

The Cost of Ebooks vs Print Books for Libraries

Some people think ebooks are free for libraries.  Some people think libraries pay the same for ebooks as individual buyers do.  However, ebooks are not free and libraries pay more for ebooks than individuals.  They pay a lot more.  A list of policies the main five publishers have with libraries can be found at this link from the American Library Association from Fall 2014:     

http://www.ala.org/transforminglibraries/sites/ala.org.transforminglibraries/files/content/Big%20Five%20Ebook%20Terms%20091314.pdf

Ebooks are leased from publishers; they are not purchased.  The lease expires after a specified number of borrowings or a specified length of time.  Two years ago, best-selling ebooks rented for $85 for 25 borrowings.  That works out to $3.40 cost-per-checkout (CPC).  At the Fairfax Library Advocates' second meeting we were told by three Fairfax County Public Library (FCPL) branch managers that hardcovers usually survive 100 borrowings before they wear out.  With the 40% discount libraries get from publishers, a $20 hardcover costs the library $12.  Cost-per-check out using 100 borrowings in a book's lifetime is 12 cents.  In 2013 it cost the library 28 times more to put a best-selling ebook in the hands of a patron than a print book.

Since 2013, publishers have changed their pricing policies for libraries.  They all charge different amounts now.  However, most still have expirations on ebook leases.  Once those leases expire, if the library wants to be able to lend an ebook, the library has to purchase another lease.   Based on the information from the guidelines referenced above, the estimate on current ebook costs-per-checkout is that they are four to ten times the cost of print books.  If we had more precise information on what FCPL is actually paying for ebooks, we would have a clearer picture of the difference in the cost of ebooks vs print books.

There is a finite amount of money for the purchase of library materials.  Recently the materials budget has been less than 10% of the whole FCPL budget, or $2.5 million.  When money is diverted from the materials budget to rent ebooks, there is less money to buy print books.  When we rent ebooks one has to wonder what print books are not being purchased for the library.  What are we doing without?

Ebook prices are a moving target and pricing guidelines may have changed since the document was compiled last fall for ALA, but as of last fall it's clear that ebooks cost libraries much, much more than print books.  

Kathy Kaplan
Fairfax Library Advocates

Adding Richness to the Community

The following letter was sent to the Fairfax County Library Board of Trustees June 9, 2015:

I wanted to share some photos I took at the bag sale Sunday.  The second day of our book sale at Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library is only open to the public three hours and hundreds of people come to buy books for $7 a bag. The Friends of the Library put on the book sale every other month.  During the weeks before, a group of volunteers sorted, priced and stored books in advance of the book sale. 

I wanted you to see a little of what it looks like.  I hoped to convey some sense of the labor that is involved that last day when all the books have to be reboxed into cheaper boxes because we keep the expensive sorting boxes.  Manning a book sale takes bone-crushing effort.  It's the Friends' labor that brings value to books which are not wanted and are discarded by FCPL.  The wholesale value of those books is almost negligible.  Because of the work we put in creating the book sale, we get $3 each for many of those books. 

There are no pictures of the weeks in between book sales.  No pictures of what it takes to move 10,000 to 12,000 books into the sale room from the Friends' work room and get them organized by category.  This is just a snapshot of the last few hours of a two-month-long effort by our volunteers.

After the sale is over, all the left-over books have to be moved in fully-loaded carts by volunteers down two long hallways to the loading dock, and there they are loaded on a truck rented by a book wholesaler who takes them away. 

All the FCPL Youth Services Programs and all of the Summer Reading Program are paid for by Friends' contributions from book sales.  Without this money that is generated by our book sales there would be no children's programs at the libraries or a summer reading program. 

What do I do at the book sale?  I sit in the chair where the two hallways intersect and direct traffic.  When we have to move 600 boxes out to the loading dock in one hour, things can get pretty wild with empty carts and loaded carts meeting at the blind corner (where I sit).  You will see a volunteer sitting in my chair in one of the photos. 

A year ago last spring at a Library Board meeting, Peggy Koplitz asked what Friends contribute to FCPL.  We contribute labor, labor to create these wonderful events that add so much richness to our community.  Here are some photos taken Sunday afternoon:

https://kathywaldenkaplan.shutterfly.com/

Kathy Kaplan
Board Member, Tysons-Pimmit Friends of the Library
Chair, Library Committee, Fairfax County Federation of Citizens Associations
Fairfax Library Advocates