Joan Swirsky, in her May 6 letter, displays a lack of knowledge about library operations.
She complains about personnel expenditures in the proposed 2012 library budget. A perusal of the budget shows that 55 percent of the total expenditures proposed are devoted to personnel salaries, with additional expenditures going to health insurance, plus state- and federal-mandated funding for retirement and taxes. (Note that the salaries proposed for 2012 are actually 2 percent lower than in 2011!
The total budget proposed for 2012 increases by 2.4 percent, a tribute actually to the library board for insisting on keeping the budget as low as possible.)
This level of personnel expenditures is actually typical for libraries, which are service organizations, whose primary function is to serve their community.
Ms. Swirsky has obviously not considered the following questions about books, audio-video material, and research databases.
Who does she think orders and purchases these items? Who tags the books and audio-visual material? Who handles reserve requests and requests to other libraries for material not available at our library? Who places them on the shelves to make them readily available for library patrons? Who sees that they are properly checked out and returned, so that other patrons can then use them? How do patrons get their research questions answered? Who maintains the Great Neck History collection and makes it readily available for patron use? Who installs and maintains, as well as helps patrons with, the computer systems in continuous use?
These and a myriad of other regular library tasks are handled by a dedicated group of librarians, clerks, and other staff members.. Our unique library system of a Main Library with three branches adds to the number of librarians and clerical staff required as well.
Note that our library collection is the largest in Nassau County, if not in all of Long Island. We have the largest circulation as well, reflecting the needs of our literate, demanding, and multi-ethnic community.
But this is not all. As Jane Marino, the library director, notes in a recent elegantly-written article appearing in the Great Neck newspapers, modern libraries no longer simply circulate books, the principal function of libraries many years ago. They are now heavily-used community centers, offering a variety of programs for every age and community group. By coincidence, the latest library bulletin arrived in our homes a day or two before Ms. Swirsky’s letter appeared in this paper. Just look at all the activities going on in our library system over the next two months: a Great Neck Reads Event, the literary event “Authors@GNL”, book clubs and book discussions in all the branches as well as in the Main Library, lectures and slide shows on books and art, film showings, music performances, programs galore for children of all ages, a series of activities at our unique teen-age Levels, etc, etc.
Who organizes, coordinates, and directs, all these activities? They just don’t happen by themselves. Again librarians and other devoted staff members are required to handle these tasks.
Anyone attending events like these in past months and years will vouch for their success and popularity in the community.
I would urge everyone to demonstrate their support of this unique and heavily-used Great Neck institution by coming out to vote in favor of the library budget on Tuesday, May 17.
Mischa Schwartz
Great Neck
