Youth Library saved from chopping block - Sentinel & Enterprise

Library Director Ann Wirtanen said Mayor Lisa Wong has restored about $88,000 to the library's budget to pay for the Youth Library, which will be open on the same limited schedule as the rest of the library ...

[Barb]

The budget cuts made by the mayor to the Fitchburg library which causes us to have to give up the ability to use inter-library loaning by the state should be a crime! Not only do we get limited hours that start when the children are on summer vacations and need things to occupy their time, but the citizens of this city are being punished for two years by not being able to check books out of other local libraries. I feel that the education of our children and adults is supported by library usage and is too big a price to pay for the financial errors made in the past on the city's budget. We could use volunteer staffing to keep the library open more time, and petition the state to continue the inter-library loan to assist us while we get thru the time it will take to recover as a city. I think cutting the availability of the literacy program in this multi cultural city will be an effect we will see in our children and residents for years to come! Libraries give us a window not only into the past and present, but also into the future. Because of the budget we would not be able to purchase new books anytime soon for the library, and I feel the inter-library loan is an additional right that the citizens of Fitchburg should not have to give up. Not everyone has the funds to purchase books from book stores, but this should not limit our ability to gain whatever knowledge we can in our lifetime.

[res]

The loss of inter-library loan for two years is a killer. That means there will be only the what they have on hand for TWO YEARS!!, no new books,DVDs, CDs. With no money they can't buy anything new and we can't borrow from other librarys. Boy add unitil, new water rates, pay as you throw, less teachers, police, firemen.Good times good times

[Rob]

Barb wrote:

The budget cuts made by the mayor to the Fitchburg library which causes us to have to give up the ability to use inter-library loaning by the state should be a crime! Not only do we get limited hours that start when the children are on summer vacations and need things to occupy their time, but the citizens of this city are being punished for two years by not being able to check books out of other local libraries. I feel that the education of our children and adults is supported by library usage and is too big a price to pay for the financial errors made in the past on the city's budget. We could use volunteer staffing to keep the library open more time, and petition the state to continue the inter-library loan to assist us while we get thru the time it will take to recover as a city. I think cutting the availability of the literacy program in this multi cultural city will be an effect we will see in our children and residents for years to come! Libraries give us a window not only into the past and present, but also into the future. Because of the budget we would not be able to purchase new books anytime soon for the library, and I feel the inter-library loan is an additional right that the citizens of Fitchburg should not have to give up. Not everyone has the funds to purchase books from book stores, but this should not limit our ability to gain whatever knowledge we can in our lifetime.

AS a mother I am sure you will find things to do with your child to occupy their time. It is not the responsiblility of the city to assure that your child is occupied. You sound like an intelligent thoughtful mother, who I am sure will do wonderful things with her children this summer.
With that said, we are all under the gun. Services are going to be cut. Fees are going to be raised.
Taxes, that is usually a sure thing.(Personally, I am hoping for an override)

At this time, for the sake of Fitchbur, I would like to think level heads will prevail.
I am confident that the mayor and the city council are headed in the right direction.
We wanted change. We voted for this. Do you remember?
We wanted a new direction for Fitchburg.

The only way to acchieve great things it to go for it. Great things do not just happen. We make them happen with hard work and intelligent thinking.

It may hurt in the beginning, but we will all be happier for this in a couple of years.

[Jen K]

yes, we want a new direction for Fitchburg, but not a downward direction. There aren't libraries in the schools (don't even get me started on the schools), where are the children, the FUTURE of Fitchburg going to obtain the information they need to be educated? Don't tell me the internet, because we (my children and I) go to the LIBRARY to utilize their internet! I WAS one of the homeless that utilized the library and the CW-MARS to help suppliment my children's' ongoing education. The homeless of Fitchburg aren't just the smelly drunks that live under the bridge.

I am one who understands that the CITY doesn't have it in the budget to support the qualification that the STATE imposes for the accreditation. Fine. My point is, give us the chance to save our own library. If the STATE won't allow the citizens to raise the funds during drives and bake sales and such, please let the citizens vote the override. Then the blame (if any need to be placed)will be on the idiots who voted no on the ballot.

Mayor Wong and the city council are just doing a difficult job, left to them by past mismanagement. They've tried to meet the demands to the best of their abilities.

I didn't appreciate how it was just sprung like this on the citizens. Oh, well, I don't have to like it, just give me the opportunity to continue fighting to save my city, which I do feel will suffer greatly if we lose the library's accreditation. I'll get over the social niceties.