Lib Politics Rodeo February 25, 2016

News from around the #libraries #politics world

Voters in Columbus, NE will have two initiatives to vote on the May 10th primary election ballot, the first for a 1% tax increase and the second for a .5% increase.

The 1% will fund infrastructure projects and capital purchases, the .5% tax will go towards a proposed downtown library and cultural center. While the city council voted unanimously to put these on the ballot, they have stipulated that the 1% tax must pass in order for the .5% tax to be approved. Additionally, the tax would be temporary and come to an end once the debt for the new buildings is paid off.

William A. Currin, the former mayor of Hudson, OH, recently wrote a letter is support of Issue 4 which will be on the March 15th ballot for local voters. Voting yes on Issue 4 will in act an increase tot he property tax levy supporting the Hudson Library and Historical Society. The levy will go to help cover the costs of technology updates as well as additional staff to help support an increased patron base. Currin does an excellent job eloquently advocating for the important role the library plays in the Hudson community. 

Officials in Goleta, CA said Tuesday they were willing to support a special countywide ballot tax measure to help keep the cash-strapped Goleta Valley Library open. The current financial standing for the library is scheduled to run out of reserve funds in the 2018-2019 fiscal year, according to city staff. The vote will be on the November ballot, and if it does not pass, the library will have to slash it's operating hours.

The Missoula Public Library Board of Trustees has signed a land-swap agreement to exchange the library’s current property, for full city block directly east of their current location, which is owned by a Missoula businessman. The deal would give the library room to build a 121,000-square-foot facility by November 2019 if voters approve a bond for up to $30 million this fall. The library board will vote at 6 p.m. Wednesday on whether to ask county commissioners to approve placing a bond for up to $30 million before voters in November.  The Missoula Public Library Foundation has raised $800,000 so far and hopes to contribute $5 million or more toward the price of construction. Any private funding would decrease how much taxpayers need to chip in if a bond is approved.

Other Happenings

This week President Obama announced Dr. Carla D. Hayden as his nominee for the Librarian of Congress. Dr. Hayden will bring a wealth of experience to the position: she is currently the Dr. Carla D. Hayden is CEO of the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore, Maryland, a position she has held since 1993.  Dr. Hayden was nominated by President Obama to be a member of the National Museum and Library Services Board in January 2010 and was confirmed by the Senate in June 2010.  Prior to joining the Pratt Library, Dr. Hayden was Deputy Commissioner and Chief Librarian of the Chicago Public Library from 1991 to 1993.  She was an Assistant Professor for Library and Information Science at the University of Pittsburgh from 1987 to 1991.  Dr. Hayden was Library Services Coordinator for the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago from 1982 to 1987.  She began her career with the Chicago Public Library as the Young Adult Services Coordinator from 1979 to 1982 and as a Library Associate and Children’s Librarian from 1973 to 1979.  Dr. Hayden was President of the American Library Association from 2003 to 2004.  In 1995, she was the first African American to receive Library Journal’s Librarian of the Year Award in recognition of her outreach services at the Pratt Library, which included an afterschool center for Baltimore teens offering homework assistance and college and career counseling.  Dr. Hayden received a B.A. from Roosevelt University and an M.A. and Ph.D. from the Graduate Library School of the University of Chicago. If appointed, Dr. Hayden will be the first woman and the first person of color to hold the position.