A few weeks ago, I stopped by Burgettstown Library to read to the kids enrolled in the Summer Reading Program. When I was little, my grandmother took me on regular pilgrimages to McDonald Library, where I was a regular in the Summer Reading Program myself. As much as I enjoyed spending time reading to the kids, I left feeling troubled about the financial situation so many of Washington County’s public libraries like Burgettstown are facing.
Recent high-profile stories in the media have highlighted the struggles of local libraries in Washington County. It would be one thing if the County was struggling financially itself, but that just isn’t the case. If Washington County wants to take the next step, they need to dedicate funding to our public libraries to keep their doors open.
Between the Meadows Casino and natural gas impact fees from Marcellus Shale drilling, Washington County is doing very well financially. It’s not a matter of money; it’s a matter of priorities. Libraries currently find funding on their own; those sources include the school district, municipality, state and the county. Unfortunately, it’s not nearly enough, especially with all the cuts to state education funding that have forced school districts to pull back on library donations.
Talk to anyone involved with a local public library and they’ll tell you they spend far too much of their time fundraising. Local fundraising is important because it demonstrates a buy-in from the community, but it should not be an operational necessity each year. Whether the library doors open on any given day should not hinge on how well the bake sale did the day before. Fundraisers should be used for programming or special resources the community can use, not to pay the electric bill.
In Allegheny County, a dedicated funding source for local libraries funded by gaming revenue from the Rivers Casino was approved in 2011. This has provided $4 million per year to the library system. Meanwhile, just a few miles away in Washington County, libraries are practically rooting through the sofa cushions for spare change to keep their doors open.
Washington County brought in $4.7 million last year from the Local Impact Fee on Marcellus Shale drilling; individual municipalities combined to bring in several million more. The Washington County Local Share Account from the Meadows Casino brought in another $6.2 million in 2013. Yet we have libraries on the brink of closing over $50,000? Where are our priorities?
Public libraries are essential community infrastructure. Libraries provide programs for children and senior citizens. Libraries provide access to technology for people who can’t afford a computer. Libraries allow people looking for work an opportunity to learn how to put together a resume and find a job. Libraries offer one of the few remaining chances to engage a child’s mind that isn’t totally dependent on a computer screen or smartphone. So why aren’t Washington County libraries getting the funding they deserve?
People will always try to pass financial responsibility for community infrastructure like libraries on to someone else, but in this instance it’s hard to argue that there is no money available from Washington County or to a lesser extent, the municipalities within the county. It almost seems like they’re laying low and hoping the public doesn’t notice. That’s unacceptable.
We all see the news stories about Washington County’s recent prosperity, which is great, but that prosperity stands in stark contrast to the financial peril of our library system. What good is all this money if it has knocked our priorities so far out of whack that we can’t keep the doors of our public libraries open?
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