Letter: A growing, vibrant library requires budget growth

Posted 2/19/17

To the editor:

Across America libraries are valued as part of core town/city services because your investment as taxpayers or customers reaps benefits to all. Tiverton Public Library provides …

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Letter: A growing, vibrant library requires budget growth

Posted

To the editor:

Across America libraries are valued as part of core town/city services because your investment as taxpayers or customers reaps benefits to all. Tiverton Public Library provides lifelong services for all ages, meeting the needs of our community across the economic spread. Whether you seek education, entertainment, or community connections, our building is accessible and welcoming. Since opening in June 2015 statistics prove that we are a destination in town that attracts a solid customer base with circulation, computer usage and program attendance having increased significantly in both adult and children’s services.

From a children’s library aspect: computer usage jumped from 1,170 Essex Library uses in 2014 to 4,095 Tiverton Public Library (TPL) uses in 2016; program attendance jumped from 2,300 at Essex in 2014 to 3,875 TPL in 2016; as well as having 51 more children’s programs presented in 2016. Our new library has factored into the growth of our business. Statistics are a necessary measure of success but the true measure is how we reach out to our community with its population of 15,260 (per 2000 census.)

Early literacy begins with school readiness. Our library programming begins at age 8 months. Our storytimes for preschoolers build school readiness. And every child ready for school means less Kindergarten catch-up, reducing costly remedial work, thus saving taxpayer dollars. Tiverton Public Library and the Tiverton School Department work as a team to build community literacy. And a literate community is one where growth thrives. People choose to live there, businesses want to build there, and community growth happens. A safe, secure, clean environment (police, fire, DPW) with good schools (Tiverton School Dept.) and yes, a good library (Tiverton Public Library), are core town services. Two recent issues of Rhode Island Monthly Magazine (Oct. 2016 and Jan. 2017) featured Tiverton Public Library as a focal point of town, bringing positive attention to our community.

Our Children’s Library is a busy place where children gather to share a love of books and knowledge, do research, homework, use computers, attend fun educational programs, socialize and play. Our summer reading program attracts over 450 children each summer and helps students maintain or avoid a backslide of reading skills. Once again this helps save tax dollars by decreasing costly remedial work.

So why should you support Tiverton Public Library’s requested budget of $640,000 for fiscal year 2017/2018? Our successful, customer driven business needs to grow and expand to meet your needs and provide the additional requested services you want…more storytimes, after school programs, children’s book discussion groups etc. As our customer base increases so does our list of requests. Key to making that happen is an increase in staff, as it is impossible for one employee to both present programs as well as staff the Children’s Library without compromising service and safety.

Like any growing business, we need a budget that supports growth to expand service and meet the needs of our customers. We’ve proven that libraries are alive and well and will be here for future generations.

I recently read that the town of Tiverton settled a case for $175,000 with a firefighter who allegedly was terminated for abuse of sick time. $175,000 is over one-fourth of our entire library requested budget for fiscal year 2017/2018. Where are our priorities? It’s time to ‘Invest in Success!’

Janet Linhares

Tiverton Public Library

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