The Nelsonville Public Library does not operate in a vacuum; many factors outside the Library's control must be considered in the development of any plan for future Library operations. While the following discussion is not exhaustive, it attempts to describe major trends that have been kept in mind as this three-year plan was developed.
The reduced funding for the Library during the previous three-year period will continue for at least the first six months that this plan covers. Reductions in state income tax collections have already resulted in large reductions in our funding, which have primarily affected our personnel budget and our permanent improvements fund. While state income tax collections have now begun to stabilize and even make modest gains, these gains are still very tenuous, and would take about six months to start affecting our revenue stream in any case.
This plan, therefore, assumes that the library will need to focus on maintaining current services, so far as fiscally possible, at the beginning of the plan period, and will then need to have guidelines in place for an anticipated recovery in revenues at the end of the plan period.
Finally, the Library must continue to make good use of current technology, particularly the technology involved in delivering various types of information over the Internet. Our users are increasingly computer literate, and the younger users in particular expect to receive most of their information from the Internet. As we complete our remaining library building project in Athens, we will need to continue to redirect our energy toward improving our 'virtual library' at www.athenscounty.lib.oh.us.
All of the public library buildings in Athens County have had major construction since 1990, some (Nelsonville, Glouster, and The Plains) more than once. Some of these buildings may require attention to landscaping, parking facilities, paint, etc., but most should require no extensive construction work in the next three years. The only building currently waiting for major repair is the Nelsonville Library, which should have about $30,000 worth of work done on the roof whenever funds permit.
The construction of an addition to the Athens Public Library is underway and will continue until at least the spring of 2004. This construction is heavily dependent on funding from grants and donors, and lack of funds may delay the completion of the project. In such a case, the remodeling of the current library building, planned as the last phase of the construction, may have to wait until funds are available.
The mobile facilities of the Library -- the Bookmobile and the vans used for Library Home Visits -- will need to be carefully maintained over the next few years. The Library originally planned to replace the Bookmobile in 2003, at which time it will be 10 years old, but it no longer seems feasible to plan for a replacement within the next three years. The Library may want to explore the possibility of asking for a donation from a local truck dealership to reduce the cost of replacing the Bookmobile, or it may be possible to overhaul major components of the Bookmobile to extend its life. As for the library vans, one currently has 86,000 miles on the odometer, but both should last for the next three years.
Personnel cost is the tightest area of the library budget. Years ago, the Board preferred to keep personnel cost to 50% or less of the annual income of the library. Now, however, the library has seven fully staffed branches and all branches maintain a six-days-a-week schedule, whereas some branches were previously open as seldom as two days each week. In addition, the Library has undertaken to provide many more services through Outreach Services and the Internet. Key Library staff are expected to spend time establishing and developing contacts with other service agencies in the county, in order to maintain the Library's position as an important component of the community. While the Library has had an effective hiring freeze since early 2002, and has no plans to offer salary increases in 2003, Library income has been reduced faster than personnel costs, so that personnel costs will constitute almost 70% of the 2003 budget.
Beginning in 2001, the Library increased allowable personnel costs to 60% of the annual income. During the next three years, the Library would like to see this part of the budget return to 60%. The Library would also like, however, to allow employees to "catch up" on salary increases missed due to the salary freeze imposed in 2003. The Library intends to make such increases in employee salaries a top spending priority for any increases in Library revenues. New staff, including new staff to replace positions lost since early 2002, should not be added until current employees have received salary increases, and probably not until after personnel costs have returned to 60% of the budget,. Where possible, employees will be hired on a full-time basis. The Library recognizes, however, that some employees desire only part-time work, and these part-time workers can help to fill out the library staff, particularly during evening and weekend hours, at a cost savings over full-time staff. Generally, the Library will try to keep about 75% of its staff as full-time employees and 25% as part-time employees.
The Library will continue to encourage staff development through continuing education and training.
The goal of the Library during the first phase of this three-year plan will be to maintain as many services as possible. These services include: purchase and cataloguing of new library materials; hours of operation; reference services; children's programming; adult programming; young adult programming; bookmobile service; home visits; school visits; visits to correctional institutions; Internet services; meeting rooms; distribution of "Talking Book" equipment and materials; and existing programs provided in partnership with other agencies. It is the intention of the Library to continue to provide these services at current levels.
Should it become necessary to reduce services due to further reductions in income, the Library administration will need to identify which services are "ancillary" to our mission, and either find external sources of funding for those services or propose their elimination to the Board.
Once revenues recover and staff salaries have been returned to normal, the Library will have the opportunity to develop new services. Wherever feasible, existing services that have been funded by external sources should continue to be supported by those other groups, thus preserving partnerships that the Library has developed during these "lean" times.
While times are tough at the moment, things will turn around for the Library in the next three years. We will have developed stronger relationships with our communities as a result of our funding problems, because we will be calling on our communities for support. Once we reach the recovery phase of this plan, we will not only find ourselves with strong community partners, but with exception opportunities for developing new and innovative services for the public. The next three years should be very exciting.