==========================================
1. Do you support maintaining the current funding level of the Arlington County Department of Libraries?
The County's FY 2008 budget, which I recently voted for, contained an increase of more than $200,000 in library funds over 2007 expenditures, which in turn represented an increase of over $700,000 from the 2006 budget. Community support for libraries continues to be high. While I am always on the lookout for ways to make our government more efficient, I am not willing to do so at the expense of essential County services like libraries. Therefore, I will likely continue to support strong funding of our library system.
Neighborhood branches also make sense from a user's standpoint. Their manageable size is less intimidating and creates a more welcoming environment. A neighborhood librarian is more likely to get to know individual patrons and be able to help them find reading material or give them reference help. Neighborhood libraries are close to home and, because of their size, are usually easier for residents to use. They are especially valuable for children, teenagers and others who can't drive.
Even for the rest of us, having many convenient neighborhood library locations encourages walking and helps keep us out of our cars.
With a strong inter-library loan program and with increased use of virtual library (including e-books and electronic information databases for homework, business and education), we can make our neighborhood libraries even stronger.