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AGENCY TESTIMONY
Rising operational costs and impact on library services
0:22:22
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78 sec
Marx outlines the rising operational costs faced by libraries and their impact on services. He highlights specific areas where costs have increased significantly and the potential consequences of underfunding.
- Security personnel costs have nearly doubled in the last five years
- Software licensing costs have doubled
- Collections budget unable to keep pace with inflation
- Potential impacts include longer wait times for books, unexpected branch closures, and fewer programs
- Emphasis on New York libraries needing to lead rather than lag behind peers in other parts of the country
Anthony "Tony" Marx
0:22:22
We see that costs, as I've said, have gone up.
0:22:25
Security personnel, as just one example, in the last five years, the costs have nearly doubled.
0:22:32
We need to make sure that our staff and patrons are safe.
0:22:36
The cost of software licensing has doubled.
0:22:39
Our collections budget has not been able to keep pace with inflation, let alone get us to the increases that, as Linda said, need we need in order to get to something comparable to what our peers elsewhere in the country are.
0:22:54
This is New York.
0:22:56
We should not be lagging.
0:22:58
We should continue to be leading.
0:23:02
So we if we do not get that kind of funding, then the results are very direct, and we've seen this too many times.
0:23:11
Our patrons will no will have longer waits for books.
0:23:15
We'll have unexpected branch closures, as Linda has already referred to, due to staffing shortages as well as emergency repairs.
0:23:23
We'll have fewer programs because the branches in all three systems have now become the essential free education centers in addition to all the classical work that libraries have always done.
0:23:39
You all know that.