Minutes 06-01-2010 - Laserfiche WebLink

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� collaborative relationship among our libraries. As for an agenda item to start a site search for a southwest library, she is not ready to vote tonight to place that on the June 15th agenda. Commissioner Nelson said that he supports doing a site search for the southwest library and doing it thoroughly. He said that he wants the Board's decision to be data based. To include a particular site complicates the search. PUBLIC COMMENT: Nerys Levy read a prepared statement. "My name is Nerys Levy. I am on the Board of the Friends of the Carrboro Branch Library and I have also been on three Orange County Library task forces — a fact which underscores my commitment to furthering the growth of Library services in Orange County. During the course of the three library task forces from 2000-2007, the constant theme was how Chapel Hill Municipal Library had to absorb the absence of adequate library services in other part of Orange County and how the County needed to develop branches. And yet the 2010- 2011 Fiscal Year budget plans to cut the personnel and hours at the Carrboro Cybrary and limit resources going into the Carrboro Branch Library. With the proposed budget cuts, Carrboro will have 1.875 librarians supporting the patron base of southwest Orange which, as we all know from the library task force pie graph, is about 30,000 people. Some of those patrons may I add live within the Town of Chapel Hill. The Carrboro Branch Library at McDougle School has 22,000 books —this taxpayer investment is locked up every Monday through Thursday until 3:30 p.m., closed on Fridays, and available for a total of eight hours on Saturdays and Sundays. Southwest Orange taxpayers use the Carrboro Branch Library when it's open. If it were open more hours then the burden on Chapel Hill Library would be even less. In 1958 the Town of Chapel Hill chose to become a municipal library. It has never been stated how the Town then thought of treating non-municipality residents re: library fines and usage. We need to know those facts. Southwest Orange residents — and particularly those within the boundaries of the Town of Carrboro- pay very high rates for library services — including supporting the Cybrary and the Carrboro Branch Library—they also contribute to the $250,000 per year received by the Town of Chapel Hill. Most would prefer to have a library within their vicinity open at accessible hours for their children to do their homework on library computers — all children of middle and high school ages have to submit their homework online —this would serve them better and would really reduce the strain on the Chapel Hill Library. So, let us all work together in creating a comprehensive system of accessible branches for Orange County residents. As the County Manager suggested last Thursday, think about merging the Cybrary and Carrboro Branch Library in a store front facility— and keep that facility open all day. With this innovation over 8,500 unwanted patrons at the Chapel Hill Library from southwest Orange County would cease to be a constant problem to the Chapel Hill Municipal Library. That would be much more cost efficient and money well invested in the future. Thank you. And thank you for an enlightened discussion." Chair Foushee said that she agreed with most of what has been said, especially Commissioner Nelson and Commissioner Gordon. She said that she does think they need to increase the funding to the Chapel Hill Library, but she does not know how much and when. She said that if they are talking about providing library services in southwestern Orange County, then she cannot see talking about ending library services at Cedar Grove for good. She said that the recommendation is too vague for her to support as it is written. As for the