A Library Fact Sheet 23 March 2005

Staff losses at Library Administrative Offices:
Chief of Public Services--
Que Bronson, Public Services Coordinator for Prince George's County Libraries
Chief of Technical Services--
Barbara Smith, Technical Officer at the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS)
Alan Bobowski, Director, Passaic Public Library System
Development Officer*--
Barbara Harr, Asst. Dean & Director of External Relations at McKeldin Library, University of Maryland
Human Resources/Public Services‡--
Parker Hamilton, Asst. Chief Administrative Officer with Bruce Romer
Early Childhood Services Coordinator—
Saroj Ghoting, Early Childhood Literacy Consultant; clients include Public Library Association (PLA) and American Library Association (ALA)

Loss of staff systemwide:
FY03
Full Time-- 235 Part Time-- 242 Workyears-- 405.7 (406.7)
FY04
Full Time-- 234 Part Time-- 226 Workyears-- 400.4 (401.9)
FY05
Full Time-- 223 Part Time-- 221 Workyears-- 400.4 (401.9)
FY06 (Recommended)
Full Time-- 232 Part Time-- 210 Workyears-- 400.7 (404.2)

Library Budget in actual dollars (adjusted for 1999 dollars):
FY99
$30.93 million
FY05
$31.92 million ($26.6 million)
FY06 (Recommended)
$34,379,301 ($27.5 million)


State Library Subsidy to Montgomery County:
FY99
$1.9 million (using FY05 aid ratio)
FY05
$2.2 million
FY06
(figure not available)


By the way--

In FY99 the state of Maryland had the highest proportion of librarians with a master’s degree (or better) of any state in the Union-- 5.36 to each 25,000 people. By FY02 Maryland ranked 14th; the ratio had dropped to 3.03 per 25,000 people. In the recent past, the Montgomery County Library Department has moved towards staffing that is weighted more towards two-year and library “certificate” personnel and away from “degreed” librarians.

Specialty services such as the Children’s Librarian Desks have been moved into general library services as libraries were renovated. Even where the staff remained, the focus was lost. The Special Needs Library is slated to become more systemwide and much less of a specialty service when it moves to Rockville. The large Mobile Services Van is gone with books by mail offered instead. Outreach to children in disadvantaged communities has suffered as well. For lack of staff, the “Linkages to the Library” part of “Linkages to Learning” has been greatly reduced, finally ending this summer. An association with Linkages continues as part of the Library Outreach Program with librarians visiting the Linkages schools twice each summer and one library visit for the children instead of eight library visits per summer with special Linkages programs for the families.

*currently Betty Valdes
‡ no longer handled within the department

prepared by Paulette Dickerson PO Box 598 Kensington MD 20895
pdickerson@his.com / www.librariesfriend.com

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