So how can libraries survive in the face of the kind of drop in cash support that we’re seeing today? Well, for starters, let’s look at some of the other libraries in the state for examples of what could be done. Most of the steps that are being taken to counteract the funding crisis right here, right now involve quick and easy solutions to cut costs as opposed to the formulation of strategies that focus on raising money. Chief among these is the layoff of staff, reduction of services, and lastly, the closing of physical locations, whether they be branches of, or main libraries themselves. Some libraries have even gotten involved in some pretty heavy borrowing, with city funds going to construction and maintenance of libraries instead of equally critical areas such as the funding and maintenance of roads and public works. Obviously, working into the negative is not a sustainable option– there are only so many workers you can lay off, only so many services you can cut, and only so many physical locations you can close, with those who borrowed left out in the cold, owing cash they can’t possibly afford to pay back. This is not an option– it’s just prolonging the inevitable. The two best options at this point are simple ones– finding a way to raise money or changing the way we do things altogether.



How does this work? How does it apply to the future? Well, let’s focus on the two, almost incongruent and irreplaceable aspects of the modern library– public access to the internet and preserving the knowledge contained in books for public access. Giving the library an online branch where texts can be stored (and viewed) electronically to supplement the physical branch is a start in the right direction, but one we’ve yet to see wholly implemented as yet due to copyright issues and other corporate scares. Consider also the library’s possible role as museum or reliquary, a place where books are kept in physical form for historical value. Lastly, consider the need for public access terminals– if funding could be secured for all three of these separately, whether from a government or private source, it could give libraries the edge they need to persist, a veritable triumvirate of functioning sectors or public agencies/entities that would operate separately and yet as a whole, breathing new life into a system that could suddenly become not only more efficient, but also more sustainable than it has ever been before.

Now, you’re probably asking yourself: “would any of these ideas, present or future, work in my community for a library short on funding?” It depends– how ready are we for change? Can the staff of any given library handle an upgrade of the caliber of which I’m talking, or will they have to rely on fundraising (at best) and cuts (at worst) to save or generate money? It all takes money, and if we’re already in a financial crisis, making massive changes that cost money isn’t likely to be on the books. I think instead of asking ourselves “what strategies are available to save libraries and do these strategies work in this case,” we need to be asking ourselves what we can do, as people and concerned citizens, to save our libraries from disappearing under the waves of financial hardship– forever.

