We all know that library usage is up as the economy has headed south. Has your library been featured in local press stories? If so, leave a comment telling us about it and include a link to the story if it is online.

Here's one article featuring my Portsmouth Public Library and several other libraries on the Seacoast, "Bookin' it, More people are making their way to area libraries"

"Robin Smith of Portsmouth uses the Internet at the Portsmouth Public Library to check her e-mail and print some documents, as well as to prepare for a presentation this month. Seacoast library staffers say lately, they’ve seen more people taking advantage of library resources." Rich Beauchesne photo

Posted by Steve B. at 06:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I don't usually post news about a single library, but this is such a happy ending to what looked like a terrible disappointment that I have to write about it. Yesterday, in a 176-112 vote, the citizens of Rollinsford, NH voted in opposition to eliminating the town's public library.

Why is this particularly special? Because the Rollinsford Public Library was built a year ago through donations following a campaign that gained nationwide attention. The books, computers and Internet access were all funded through donations. This year however the library was in danger of being shut down. While it had raised $18,000 for this year's budget, it needed another $28,000 in order to operate. Thanks to yesterday's vote, library director Tamara Niedzolkowski lives to see another day!

Read more in these articles:

• Library Rescued in Rollinsford 
• Town Considers Closing Donated Library Over Budget Request

Posted by Steve B. at 07:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A number of libraries have been updating their website to include a library use value calculator. NHLA has added one to its own website here, http://www.nhlibrarians.org/calculator.html. Feel free to add a link to this page if you aren't able to add a calculator to your own website.

A link to this page has also been added to the top of the Library Links page, http://nhlibrarians.org/librarylinks.html.

Posted by Steve B. at 11:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I'm late in posting this, but in case you haven't heard about the story, take a look. The story comes from the November 18, 2008 New York Times and is titled "Town Seeks a Library Benefactor to Ward Off Taxes".

Basically, a group of volunteers in Gilmanton, NH (named the Gilmanton Year-Round Library Association) raised sufficient funds over a decade to build and furnish a new library, but so far have avoided asking for a local tax increase to cover the library's annual operating budget. As the article states, "instead, the group is scouring New England, even placing advertisements in the alumni magazines of Harvard and other Ivy League universities, looking for someone who will provide at least $1 million for a private endowment."

According to the article, Gilmanton is one of only two towns in New Hampshire without a full-time public library. They do have three small, seasonal libraries that operate on shoestring budgets, mostly in the summer.

If any of our members are familiar with Gilmanton's project, please leave a comment!

 p.s. If the NY Times link goes dead, you can find the article elsewhere on the web, for example, here.

Posted by Steve B. at 03:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)