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Letters: Why Librarian is Needed |
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Donna Scott
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Friday, 04 May 2007 |
 Soon Lansing voters will decide whether to put the Lansing Library on the tax rolls. As one of several volunteers who started the library six years ago, I want to address the misconception that we “promised we would always be all-volunteer”.
Certainly we started the library as an all-volunteer group; we steadily raised funds, gathered and organized books, and operated the library as volunteers. We also raised $385,000 to renovate the library because the need for services kept growing. However, we never promised “all-volunteer” indefinitely.
It has become apparent that we can no longer operate or fund the library on an all-volunteer basis. Operations have gotten more complex and we cannot get enough volunteers to provide reliable service or raise funds. We cannot expand the hours the library is open – something our public wants. We need to hire one librarian to oversee operations, organize the still-necessary volunteers, and provide more hours when the library is open.
Putting the library on the tax rolls and then getting a NYS Charter will allow a small, stable source of annual income for the library; in addition, we’ll be eligible for grant money and county and state income we cannot get now. We have been extremely responsible fiscally; the library is debt free. We continue this conservatism by requesting only enough taxpayer money to run the building and pay one employee. Certainly, our wonderful, debt-free Lansing Library with all it provides is worth this small expense. Please vote YES May 15.
Donna Scott
Lansing, NY 14882
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