CCL Press Release Issued on March 25, 2009.
Contact: Greg Embree
703-525-9275
suza1@comcast.net
http://home.comcast.net/~suza1/library.htm
March 25, 2009
For Immediate Release
At Arlington County’s public budget hearing on March 24, 14 citizens
spoke in opposition to the County government’s proposal to curtail
the operations of Cherrydale Library from six days per week to three
days. Michael Gessel, president of Citizens for Cherrydale Library—a
neighborhood volunteer group—handed over to County Board members a petition
with over 600 signatures contesting the proposed cutbacks.
The speakers made a range of points. Some emphasized that a 50-percent
cut in Cherrydale Library’s availability as part of an effort to meet a
3.8-percent shortfall in the overall County budget was on its face inequitable.
The savings gained by such a measure, moreover, would be minuscule. The
cost of operating Cherrydale Library six days per week is less than three-
hundredths of one percent of the total County budget, one speaker noted.
Usage in the past year has risen 10 percent. One speaker proposed that any
cuts should be in things that are easily reversible—such as the purchase of
materials or the renewal of subscriptions—rather than in hours of operation.
Other remarks stressed Cherrydale Library’s close connection with nearby schools
and with promoting childhood literacy. Others pointed out that the library’s
convenience, accessibility, and personalized service were ideal for mothers with
small children and for the elderly.
Some noted that halving the hours of the library represented a crippling blow that
would discourage use of the library and lead to its ultimate closure. Another point
raised was that Cherrydale Library represented an effective use of tax dollars. Even
though its operations cost only 4 percent of the total budget allocated to all libraries
in Arlington’s system, Cherrydale Library handles 5 percent of the total patron visits
and 5.4 percent of materials borrowed from all eight County libraries. Cherrydale Library
serves most of Northern Arlington—arguably the biggest area of all the branch libraries.
Cutting the library will save only 73 cents a year for each Arlington resident. One
commentator pointed out that the County will actually lose more money than it saves
because property values—and tax collections—go up near amenities such as parks and
libraries.
None of the defenders of Cherrydale Library believes that any cutbacks would be temporary.
In their view, once a service is lost, it is gone forever. They recall that in the early
1990s, Cherrydale Library lost its morning operating hours on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and
its evening operating hours on Thursdays—all as part of a temporary cost-saving measure—and
never regained them.
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This site is maintained by Citizens for Cherrydale Library, a group of citizen volunteers seeking since 1998 to promote and preserve our most important
neighborhood institution. Contact us at suza1@comcast.net with any questions or comments.