Dear Library Patron,

96% of the library's funding comes from the State of Ohio.  The remaining 4% of our revenue comes from fines, fees, donations, and interest income. Dramatic loses of funding from the State of Ohio have seriously impacted the library's ability to continue to provide library service county-wide.

To stay in the black, the library has had to make many cuts to our spending. These reductions include:

• Laying off 1/3 of our staff, reducing the number from 41 to 26
• Reduced work hours or salaries for remaining staff
• Library materials cut by 70% since 2001 - books, magazines, newspapers, DVD's, books on CD, electronic books, music CD's, computer software and online research databases
• Bookmobile service reduced by 40%, nearly eliminating community stops in rural areas of the county
• Library hours system-wide reduced from 180 hours per week to 126
• Reduced service contracts for cleaning, landscaping, maintenance and equipment
• Library programming suspended system-wide

In order to restore many of the above items and prevent the closure of library branches as well as further reductions to library services system-wide, the Library Board of Trustees placed an .8 (eight-tenths) mil operating levy on the ballot in November 2009. Because the levy failed, the Board of Trustees is forced to consider the closure of one or more library branches and further reductions in bookmobile service.

The Holmes County District Public Library does not own or provide facilities for each branch location. Each branch has an official representative that is responsible for providing the facility and maintenance of the library.

For each branch, the library system pays for:

• Staffing
• Library materials
• Access to the online catalog
• Delivery of interlibrary loan materials
• Supplies
• Equipment
• Internet and telephone connections
• Office equipment purchases and/or leases for each branch

The Library Board of Trustees is committed to providing library service county-wide and so have given each branch community an opportunity to preserve library service by sharing the cost of delivering these services in 2010. This goes for the communities served by the bookmobile as well. The Board of Trustees has requested that each branch provide 50% of the cost to operate the branch for the second half of 2010. The amount needed is about $25,000 for each branch location. We have given each branch representative a deadline of April 1, 2010 to commit to funding these locations for the last half of the year. We have communicated to them that we do not have the funds to operate all four branches for the last half of the year. If they are unable to raise these funds, the Winesburg and Walnut Creek Branches would close on July 1, 2010 and the Berlin and Killbuck Branches would close on November 1, 2010.

Further, the Board of Trustees has unanimously agreed to place the .8 (eight-tenths) mil levy back on the ballot in May to ask voters to save our libraries. The Board has also requested assistance from the branch communities in helping to pass the levy in May 2010 so that library service can continue in 2011 and beyond.

Here are some ways you can help:

• Give what you can to keep your branch library open in 2010. Information about where to send donations is listed below.
• Support the library's effort to restore library services county-wide and prevent the closure of library branches as well as stop further reductions in service at the main library and on the bookmobile. Ask family, friends and neighbors to do the same. The levy on the May 4th ballot is .8 (eight-tenths) mils and is renewable after 5 years. It will cost the owner of a home valued at $100,000 - $2.10 a month to restore library services and prevent the closure of library branches.
• Volunteer to help the campaign committee - Citizens for the Holmes County District Public Library - that will work for passage of the levy.

Branch Representative/Bookmobile Contact Information:

Berlin Branch Library - Berlin Township Trustees, contact Duane E. Miller, P.O. Box 25, Berlin, OH  44610.

Killbuck Branch Library - make checks payable to Killbuck Community Library Association and mail to: P.O. Box 402, Killbuck, OH 44637. Contacts are Lisa Kauffman and Linda Wilcox.

Walnut Creek Branch Library - make checks payable to the German Culture Museum and write Library Fund on memo line, send to Jeremy Kauffman, P.O. Box 218, Walnut CreeK, OH 44687 - contacts are Jeremy Kauffman and Dr. Eric Miller.

Winesburg Branch Library - make checks payable to Paint Township Trustees and write Library Fund on the memo line of your check. Mail to: Paint Township Trustees, 7091 S.R. 515, Millersburg, OH 44654 - contact is Jean Hostettler, Township's Fiscal Officer.

To support the Bookmobile, make checks payable to the Holmes County District Public Library, 3102 Glen Drive, Millersburg, OH  44654 and write Bookmobile Support Fund on the memo line of your check.

For more information, please contact:

Arlene Radden, Director
Holmes County District Public Library
3102 Glen Drive
Millersburg, OH  44654
Phone:  330-674-5972, ext. 201
E-mail: at aradden@holmeslib.org