I would make the point here that libraries all over the country and here in Minneapolis, have been "frugal" in living within the budget (or within hailing distance at least) the city slots MPL for. However, most of the annual budget goes to wages, which is normal. Some goes for buildings and maintenance, and a wee tiny afterthought goes to books and materials. At this point, that doesn't even do much more than cover the basics. MPL has no grants office and has, in the past, nixed grants written by various librarians. I would emphasixe that there is money out there to be had, but one has to make getting money a deliberate part of the library's work. Through the NRP Process, Hosmer branch gathered another $450,000 to create a library with programming and additional materials. While some branches in the system may not need that amount (for three years), they will need to have additional funds as they are remodeled, enlarged, etc. to fill the mandate of the bonding money they received last election--and to fill the needs and rising expectations of the public. MPL will have to create a process by which to access funding to meet those needs. Also, for some reason I cannot as yet fathom, libraries are not well-linked to the schools. By that I mean, we have kids who need extra attention to make and keep good grades. The library is a logical place to look for partnerships to get kids moving toward achievement. But that does not exist as yet in any major way. Those partnerships have to be built WizardMarks, Central I, too, am running for Library Board. _______________________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - Minnesota E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
