The Public Library of Tomorrow make that today

1
Over 1 million times each year, people come
through the doors of Mahoning County Libraries
700,000 a year enter the website
127,000 local residents are active users
2
The Library

• Main Library
• 15 branches
• Special Delivery
• Virtual Web Services

3
Two decades ago
Most libraries in Mahoning county were between 35
and 60 years old.

• Boardman 1965 Main 1910
• Poland 1965 Austintown 1965
• Springfield 1974 Sebring 1965
• East 1930 South 1929 / 1972
• Campbell 1966 Struthers - 1957
• Brownlee Woods 1968 Canfield 1969
• West 1928 / 1965 Greenford - 1978
• North Jackson 1986 Lake Milton - 1989

Few people contemplated anything but books.
4
Change
130 Years Ago Library was founded In one roo
m of one building Started with 792 books


Now Nearly 1 million books, DVDs, videos, musi
c, newspapers, magazines Instant access to 10 m
illion more through Search Ohio.
300 highly sophisticated research databases use
d by students, businesses, educators, others
5
Change
Then Do story times for children to -stimu
late an interest in reading -encourage self-dev
elopment

Now Early literacy programs for children, pare
nts, caregivers Teach and develop pre-literacy
skills, a precursor to success in life

6
Change
Now 212 public access computers - are in nea
r continuous use - by local residents nearly 9,
000 hours a week, every week

Then Libraries were just books Computers in
libraries didnt exist

Some customers are highly literate and
technically proficient. Others struggle to use
basic services. Librarians have become technolo
gy tutors for the masses.
7
Change

• Population countywide has declined.
• Concentrations within the county have shifted.

8
Change

• In some areas of the county, populations have
  declined, leaving fewer people to use a library.
  

• In other cases, populations have grown, but
  libraries have not.
  
• The result is inadequate resources to meet public
  demand.
  

Geography and transportation are important
factors in making libraries accessible.
9
Change
Some branches have as few as 4 visitors an hour
while others have 60.
Six libraries account for 75 of circulation.
Some libraries have experienced rapid increases
in use. Use of others has declined.

10
Change
Mail service to homebound, predominantly seniors,
is up 300 since 2000
Red dots are place of residence of Special
Delivery users
11
What the Public Wants

• More Books and Other Material
• Larger collections Improving the depth and
  quality of collections is the publics highest
  priority
  

• Longer Hours
• Saturdays are preferred

12
What the Public Wants
Larger collections.
Require more space to house the collections
Feeds an appetite for being open more hours
More space and more hours drive costs higher
The general mood regarding increased taxation to
support higher cost is negative
13
What the Public Does
People use libraries based on convenience.
They go where they can get the service they want
. Library use is not based on any jurisdiction
al boundary.
14
What the Public Does
Red pins are addresses of people that used the
Austintown Branch Library
15
What the Public Does
Red Pin (Austintown) Blue Triangle (Canfield),
White Triangle (Boardman), Black Square (West),
Blue Pin (Main), Purple Pin (Newport)
16
What the Public Does
17
What the Public Does
People turn to libraries when times are hard

• 20 jump in borrowing in December 2008 at 9 of
  15 branches
  
• 17 increase in first 2 months 2009. Another
  17 jump in March.
  
• Increased use of libraries in economic hardship
  not new. Same thing happened in the Great
  Depression

18
What the Public Does

• People use electronic services

Number of times people use services from the
Librarys website risen from nothing in 1997 to
nearly 698,000 in 2008.

19
Funding
2001 Funding Sources
State 87
Local 9
Library 4
20
Funding
2009 Funding Sources
State 72
Local 23
Library 5
21
Funding
Mahoning County Residents Support Libraries
61 of voters supported a 1.0 mill countywide le
vy in 2005 2,500,000 annually in new local supp
ort

• State funding and change in State law results in
  decreased income
  
• 1,808,274 annual funding has eroded since 2001
• 400,000 will be eliminated under current
  biennium proposal
  
• 320,000 Tangible Personal Property Tax
  being phased out
  
• 2,528,274 annual loss in State funding

22
State Funding

• Cumulative reductions FY 2001 2010
• 10,258,589 assuming biennium budget adopted as
  proposed

Loss exceeds an entire year of funding
23
Funding
40 of new income has been created by the Library

• Book Carts and Bookstore/gift shop (lower level
  of Poland Library)
  
• 60,000 a year raised by 50 volunteers support
  ALL libraries
  
• 2.2 million raised since 2001 for projects and
  programs
  
• Cafes pay library a of gross income

But library generated revenue generates only a
fraction of the funding that has been lost
24
The Librarys Conundrum
25
Its hard to make money when your business is
giving things away
26
The Challenge
Continuing to provide high-quality library
services while, at the same time, exercising
stewardship of public funds so that the people of
Mahoning County receive the best return on their
investment, especially when they need it most.
27
The Challenge
Every community values their library.
Yet many people use other libraries instead.
The number of outlets operated dilutes resources.

Available resources such as staff, materials and
technology must be spread out over many
locations.
28
The Challenge
The result is limitations, such as reduced
collections and hours open, for all locations.

No one has access when a library is closed.
29
CHOOSE TWOThe Library would like to know what
you want. Your input will help the Library with
future choices. It is impossible to provide
unlimited branches services without a high
cost. Therefore... You can choose any 2, but not
all 3.
30
Funding
Mahoning County Residents Support Libraries
61 of voters supported a 1.0 mill countywide le
vy in 2005 2,500,000 annually in new local supp
ort

• State funding and change in State law results in
  decreased income
  
• 1,808,274 annual funding has eroded since 2001
• 400,000 will be eliminated under current
  biennium proposal
  
• 774,588 will be eliminated due to
  collections received in May
  
• 320,000 Tangible Personal Property Tax
  being phased out
  
• 3,302,862 loss in State funding