Comments on: Save Ohio’s Libraries!

By: Margie

Margie — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 19:49:43 +0000

Thank you for raising this issue, Jenna. Although I don’t live in Ohio anymore, I have a lot of relatives who do, including my Mom, who’s an avid-librarygoer. She’s an example of a group that will be seriously affected by this: the elderly. Fixed incomes don’t allow much room to buy books, never mind that most elderly folks aren’t interested in acquiring books, they just want to read them.

By: Robyn

Robyn — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 05:11:02 +0000

Our county library system is changing the way it funds the branch libraries. We’re looking at reduced hours, at least. Sucks all around.

By: Save Ohio Libraries! « Just Enjoy Him

Save Ohio Libraries! « Just Enjoy Him — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 19:30:16 +0000

[...] June 23, 2009 by justenjoyhim I had so much to say about this topic this morning. In fact, Firemom even quoted me on this topic in her post, Save Ohio’s Libraries! [...]

By: Save Ohio Libraries! Now! | South-Eastern Ohio Moms

Save Ohio Libraries! Now! | South-Eastern Ohio Moms — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 17:09:27 +0000

[...] account and your twitter (use hashtag: #saveohiolibraries). You can blog about it yourself (as I did over at Stop, Drop & Blog). You can email friends and family. You can talk about it in your churches and your local [...]

By: Sara

Sara — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 16:16:34 +0000

I want to make it clear that ANYONE can contact the Conference Committee members; you don’t have to be from their district since they are representing the entire state in the budget deliberations.

By: Sara

Sara — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 16:14:42 +0000

FireMom, thank you SO much for mentioning this on your blog. I was going to call this to your attention because I know you’re an avid library user, but I see that I don’t have to.

If this budget passes, I will likely be out of a job. My library is one of the 70% of Ohio’s library’s that relies almost entirely on state funding because it is located in a low income area. We’re already struggling now and this is BEFORE these massive cuts. I’ve been e-mailing state representatives and senators like CRAZY.

Please, out of staters, feel free to contact the governor at the very least. Ohio has the best library systems in the country because of our state funding. If we lose it, we lose that great distinction.

You can also contact the following members of the Ohio General Assembly who are on the Conference Committee. They are dealing directly with the budget proposal and therefore have the most sway. Dale Miller is an active library supporter and seems to be on our side. As for the others, I’ve only heard back from Sykes so far, and his response didn’t sound too favorable to me, but perhaps, as more people contact him, he’ll see the impact his decision will make.

Conference Committee Members

House
Vernon Sykes- Akron area
Phone: 614- 466-3100
Fax: 614-719-6944
district44@ohr.state.oh.us

Jay Goyal- Mansfield area
Phone: 614-466-5802
Fax: 614-719-3973
district73@ohr.state.oh.us

Ron Amstutz- Wayne County area
Phone: 614-466-1474
Fax: 614-719-0003
district03@ohr.state.oh.us

Senate
Dale Miller- Cleveland area
Phone: 614-466-5123
SD23@maild.sen.state.oh.us

John Carey- Wellston area
Phone: 614-466-8156
SD17@senate.state.oh.us

Mark Wagoner-
Phone: 614-466-8060
SD02@senate.state.oh.us

FireMom, sorry for commandeering your blog! I’ll step down from my soapbox now, but as you can imagine, this has really hit close to home for me. If you could please edit your post to include the Conference Committee members, I’d REALLY appreciate it.

By: Nikki Jo

Nikki Jo — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 15:50:51 +0000

I think it’s important, when fighting for these issues that are important to us, that our representatives receive a slew of letters constantly telling them to keep spending money on whatever is important to us.

They are left to decide what NOT to spend money on and there’s always a slew of people waiting to yell at them when they make that decision.

Let me encourage everyone to include in their letters what funding you believe should be curtailed in order to keep accomodating the expenditures you believe in. It would surely help our reps know what is truly NOT important to the people if we told them what to cut in order to save the things we want saved.

By: red pen mama

red pen mama — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 14:49:33 +0000

Yep, PA libriaries (i.e. the Carnegie library system) are in the same boat. I think you’ve inspired me to blog about it, too! I’ll have to do a little research. I love, love, love the library. I depend on it for all the free books and DVDs.

thanks for the inspiration!

ciao,
rpm
.-= red pen mama´s last blog ..Bad Habits =-.

By: Judy

Judy — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 14:24:37 +0000

That’s fantastic, Jenna; your family sure had their priorities straight!

Yes, see, Ohio libraries have been at the forefront of the national libraries really — with OhioLINK and such, and cutting their budgets this way will really hurt them. And I worry most about the people who won’t have the access anymore. It’s just sad.
.-= Judy´s last blog ..this is what a happy family, without cancer, looks like =-.

By: FireMom

FireMom — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 14:10:10 +0000

Judy; Want to hear something funny? Do you know how I grew up in PA and swore I would never live in Ohio? We didn’t have a library. So we crossed through the tip of WV and into Ohio… and that’s where we went to the library. Ohio’s libraries have always been good to me (except for that one time I lost a book as a teenager) and I want them to remain here for my children. And their children. And, yes, I got weepy, too. And I’m not a librarian!