B(u)y the books: City budget success story

Two weeks ago, we told you about local library advocates’ call to let city councilmembers know the new budget needed to give libraries a better deal. This morning, two days after councilmembers approved a budget (which we reported here), Sarel Rowe from Friends of Southwest Branch Library, one of those advocates, sends everyone these words of thanks:

The City Council passed a $2 million increase for The Seattle Public Library materials budget in 2008. In addition they passed funding guidance requesting a baseline for future materials budget proposals of $1.5 million more than that included in the proposed 2008 budget. Your readers were instrumental in this progress. Thanks to you we can all celebrate renewed materials vitality at our branch Libraries.

For more info, Sarel points us to the Friends of the Seattle Public Library site. And you can celebrate by checking out any of West Seattle’s four branches: Southwest, Delridge, High Point, and West Seattle (Admiral). (They’ll be closed on Thursday and Friday for the holiday, though.)

E November 21, 2007 (8:00 am)

Yay! I love the Seattle Libraries. I hope this means I will never again have to wait three months for a book or movie.

JumboJim November 21, 2007 (10:05 am)

Thank goodness! Beautiful buildings with little in them isn’t in the public interest. As a person who likes to get a lot of my books by the “browse the stacks” method, I have found Seattle libraries pretty dissapointing. If Renton (where I grew up) can have lots of books in its libraries surely Seattle can!

Library Junkie November 21, 2007 (12:23 pm)

I would add to Sarel’s note that it would be great for people who are looking forward to more books on the shelves to write and thank the city council for this! They had to balance competing interests to get it.

It will be necessary, if that increased baseline is to hold in future years, to keep up the support for libraries to the council; it’s not automatic, and without the pressure, despite everyone’s very good intentions, it won’t happen. Jumbo, E, tell the council (and the mayor, for what it’s worth).

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