FL-BREVARD-GENSOC-L Archives

From: "jean coberly" <>
Subject: [BGS] Fl budget impact on genealogy services
Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2001 17:57:17 -0500

This is special, and important, information from George Morgan:

The Florida State Legislature is in the midst of its second special session
at the request of Governor Jeb Bush, and their purpose is to continue to cut
state budget funding. Florida's library system is in real jeopardy, and
needs the action of all concerned citizens and organizations to help avert a
very real crisis.

In the earlier special session this month, the legislature cut $3,400,000 in
this year's funding to Florida libraries.

In the current special session, the Senate subcommittees completed their
work on additional cuts from the Senate Bill they passed during Special
Session B and the reported issues will go before the full Senate
Appropriations Committee on Wednesday, November 28th, and the plan is to go
into conference committee over this coming weekend. This action includes a
critical recommendation to change $11,500,000 in recurring funding for
Florida libraries to non-recurring funds. What this means is that these
funds will not be automatically included in next year's budget; instead,
they will have to be applied for, justified, and begged for by the libraries
and the Multi-type Library Cooperatives (MLCs).

The change in designation of $11,500,00 from recurring to non-recurring
funding is a cause for genuine alarm. While it may not seem critical at
this point, it is vitally important to note that the Jeb Bush Administration
was able to balance this year's budget by axing the vast majority of funds
in areas which they had re-designated as non-recurring expense items last
year. Little known outside the library community in Florida is that
initially, at the beginning of this year's budget review process, library
funding was "inadvertently omitted" from the budget. It took action by the
six MLC directors and the State Library lobbying in person in Tallahassee
with the Finance Committee members to get the funding reinstated to the
budget.

Should Florida's libraries lose another $11,500,000, in addition to the $3,4
00,000 already slashed, Florida residents can expect a number of vital
services to be scaled back or altogether eliminated. Genealogists' and
family historians' interests are unfortunately lower on many libraries'
priority lists, trailing behind children's services and other programs.
Some of the negative impacts that the Florida legislature's actions would
have on genealogy patrons could include: reduction in library staff and
hours; employee attrition; reduction in collection development funds to
purchase books, microfilm, and CD-ROM products; cutbacks in the purchase and
maintenance of equipment such as copies, microfilm reader/printers;
curtailment of cataloging activities that improve access to materials
through the libraries' online catalogs; reduction or elimination of services
such as Interlibrary Loan (ILL); reduction in the availability loss of
special programs and/or the free use of library meeting room space;
compromised or eliminated programs such as bookmobile, large print
materials, storytime, and others.

Florida's libraries are an essential part of our communities, and any
funding cuts or changes undermine the quality of life in our communities.
It is essential that the genealogy societies immediately organize their
members and their communities, and make contact with their legislators and
with Governor Bush's office to express their concern over this critical
funding issue. People need only express that they support their libraries
and the Multi-type Library Cooperatives, that they do not want to see any
further funding cuts, and that they are opposed to the change in designation
of this $11.5 million from recurring to non-recurring funding.

Please make contact with your society members immediately and have them take
action this week. The loss of any library funding compromises our access to
important information and materials, and degrades the quality of life in our
communities.

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• [BGS] Fl budget impact on genealogy services by "jean coberly" <>