Save LaSalle Library
LaSalle Library still needs our help: Download Library appeal Feb 2011
Text of Recommendation to keep LaSalle Library Open Download LAS_Recommendation_10-25-10
WORKING TOGETHER TO SAVE THE LIBRARY UPDATE – 9/30
September Library Board meeting
The room was overfilled; a small number of latecomers left because there was no more room. The public was there to oppose the closing of the LaSalle Branch. At least fifteen attendees spoke to the Board about our reasons for keeping LaSalle open. The arguments were well developed, informed, and we believe persuasive. One of the things that was made clear at the meeting is that the proposed budget, which will be voted upon by the Library Board on October 25, provides for a full restoration of library services throughout the County. What Director Don Napoli is anticipating is that the budget will be cut down state. As a result, full services will not be restored and further cuts may be needed. However, those events will not take effect immediately, and so the question of seeking additional sources of money for the library is not a moot point. This is one of the issues we will discuss at the next meeting of the Save the Library group.
Next meeting: Working together to Save the Library – Wednesday, October 13, 6 P.M.
We’ll meet at the LaSalle Branch. Come at 5:30 if you intend to check out books, etc. The Library proper will close at 6 but we can remain to complete our meeting. This meeting is an opportunity to plan for the October 25 Library Board meeting.
Activity at the Library
More volunteers are needed for the October 9th “Fall into Fun,” a Fall Party for Children. It will be held from 1 to 3 P.M. More adults are needed for decorating, game stations, face painting, help with pumpkin painting, etc. Contact the library staff (282-4633) for more information.
The following Saturday, October 16, Memorial Hospital will sponsor an educational program on Diabetes from 1:45 to 3:45. In addition to lots of vital information about diabetes for adults, there will be activities for children, healthy snacks and prizes.
After school tutoring continues with students from St. Mary’s College. Movie nights are in the works! Lots of meetings and activities at the LaSalle Branch Library.
Report from the July 20th Public Meeting: “Working Together to Save the Library”
On July 20th, about 65 community residents gathered at the Charles Martin Center to share ideas and information and to develop plans to save the LaSalle Branch Library. A decline in revenues for the St. Joseph County Public Libraries has led to a proposal by Library Director Napoli to close the LaSalle Branch Library so that its operating funds could be used to support services at other branch libraries within the system.
In response to this threat, the Community Forum for Economic Development and the Lincoln Way West Gateway Association sponsored a “working meeting” to develop and begin the implementation of plans to oppose the closing of the LaSalle Library. Eight topics were identified by the group as a whole, participants in the meeting divided into groups addressing each topic, and reporters from each group shared the main ideas developed by each group.
What follows is a short summary of the focus for each of these groups as well as one or more contact persons whom you can call to become involved. Some groups have met since July 20th and have begun working on their project goals. Others will meet soon.
Please become involved in our efforts to save the LaSalle Branch Library by participating in one or more of the following project groups:
1. Programs for Adults
One of the groups focused on increasing library use by developing or supporting programs and activities for adults (e.g. computer assistance for job applicants, book clubs, adult literacy, arts and craft lessons and activities, etc.).
Contact: Jennifer Reith jreith@monarchlinen.com, 287-8347 or Marilyn Gachaw, marilyngachaw@aol.com, 233-9887.
2. Programs for Children
A second group focused on programs and activities for children (e.g. children reading to adults, celebrity reading programs, reading competitions, after school homework assistance, etc.).
Contact: Teresa Marcy tmarcy@saintmarys.edu, 272-3089.
3. Searching for Money
This group discussed grants and other forms of fundraising. They have begun to investigate a “Friends of the LaSalle Branch” group as well as a fundraising “Festival.”
Contact: Pat Lorenc lorenc2137@comcast.net, 232-4528 or Vera Smith, 287-8859.
4. Outreach and lobbying efforts. Some of these efforts are already underway through the LWW Gateway Association petition, the campaign to contact the Library Board and the elected officials who appointed the Board, and lobbying efforts by TAP (Transforming Action Through Power).
Contact: Pat Frazier j-and-p-frazier@juno.com, 287-6092 or Jerry Niezgodski jniezgod@yahoo.com, 250-5147.
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The other four groups focused on issues that had been discussed during previous public meetings about the proposed closure. In each of these groups, participants sought a deeper understanding of an issue with the intent of sharing that understanding community-wide.
5. Framing the issue
This group discussed how to “frame” the issue: a county-wide system should not make any one community suffer disproportionally and there should be community input into how budget cuts would be determined.
Contact: Glenda Rae Hernandez, 287-7715.
6. Criteria that Define “Community”
This group stressed the importance of community organization and the fact that the LaSalle Library is an important anchor for economic development in LaSalle Square.
Contact: Diana Hess nrcneighbors@gmail.com, 287-0425.
7. Library Data
This group focused on learning how to understand and interpret the factual material that is being used to support the closing of LaSalle.
Contact: Cheryl Ashe clashe1952@hotmail.com, 231-8890.
8. Library Neighborhood
The final group began to examine the particular characteristics of the neighborhood around the LaSalle Branch Library. They are interested in tracking where library patrons live, understanding the Library in the context of the LaSalle Square Redevelopment Plan, reviewing public transportation services to the neighborhood, etc.
Contact: Mayadene Paysoure mayadene1@att.net, 299-8635 or Mary Craypo, 271-7113.
A report from our June meeting: Future of LaSalle Branch Library discussed
Sharp debate and lively discussion characterized the Community Forum’s June 15th meeting, when residents from South Bend’s West Side, especially from the neighborhoods surrounding LaSalle Square, were joined by supporters from throughout the County in an effort to save the LaSalle Branch Library.
A number of key issues were addressed. Underlying the controversial proposal to close the LaSalle Branch are economic constraints faced by the Library system, which reported a cut of over $1.2 million from its operating expenses during the past 18 months and a projected loss in annual income by 2011 of over $2 million. Library Director Don Napoli identified the recent property tax circuit breaker legislation as a central reason for the financial shortfalls facing tax-supported institutions in Indiana. Residents at the meeting questioned whether other sources of library funds have been pursued. Numerous suggestions were offered and many expressed a willingness to participate in such fundraising.
A second major focus concerned alternative methods of addressing the budget shortfall. For example, could different decisions about hours of operation for all branches result in keeping all branches open? There was a clear sentiment for “sharing the pain” rather than sacrificing one or two branches, especially branches located in economically stressed neighborhoods. Participants were adamant about the future of the LaSalle Square Branch. This neighborhood, that has lost two neighborhood schools (LaSalle H.S. and Kennedy Elementary — now both academies that local students must test into), that qualifies as a “food desert” with plenty of fast food restaurants but no local grocery store, that is still waiting for the economic revitalization anticipated when the area was added to the Airport TIF in 2007, is again being threatened with the loss of the local public library.
The third focus of questions and comments involved the criteria used by Library Administrators to justify the proposal to close the LaSalle Branch. Mr. Napoli contended that the decision primarily was based on circulation figures for the LaSalle Branch, as compared with other branches. Questions were raised about the quality of the data that has been collected as well as alternative ways of measuring the success of a particular branch. There were also suggestions about methods of improving circulation at the LaSalle Branch and in the library system as a whole. For example, a question was raised about the number of children without library cards. Lost books or fines (sometimes resulting from the actions of adults in the child’s life) can mean that children are unable to borrow books and increase circulation. This was an example of a contributing factor that should be investigated. Despite Mr. Napoli’s statement that he doesn’t believe in surveys, participants in the discussion advocated further investigation as to why circulation has dropped at the LaSalle Branch.
The June 18th editorial in the South Bend Tribune www.southbendtribune.com/article/20100618/OPINION/6180348 challenges all of us to “Think Outside the Books.” We agree. The struggle to save our libraries will take all of us working in the way we best can contribute. The Community Forum for Economic Development will surely do our part.
What you can do right now……
1. The Lincoln Way West Gateway Association has revised their 2006 petition to Save the LaSalle Branch Library. After all, they’ve done this before!! Here is a copy of that petition. Download Library Petition Please carry it with you, talk with friends, co-workers, neighbors, etc. about the importance of accessible access to quality public libraries, and ask them to sign the petition. When you complete petition sheets, you can return them to our (CFED) mailing address and we will get them to the LWW Gateway Association. Our address is P.O Box 11082, South Bend IN 46634.
2. Here is a list of Library Board members as well as the elected officials who appointed each to the Library Board. Download Library contacts Mr. Napoli does not make the decision; he only recommends. The Library Board makes the decision. They are not elected, but the people who appoint them are. Please communicate your views with all of them. This contact list was also provided by the LWW Gateway Association and focuses on the elected officials who represent their neighborhoods. You can find contact information for your elected representative at the League of Women Voters website, www.lwvsouthbend.org/. Click on Citizen’s Guide.
3. As the movement to save our libraries grows, there will be other meetings and activities developed. We’ll try to keep you informed. Watch for more information!