June 30, 2004
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE…
Contact: Candace Ouillette Gaumond 413-599-4785

BOSTON - State Representative Gale D. Candaras (D-Wilbraham) announced today that her efforts to restore $200,000 in cuts to the FY'05 budget for the state’s libraries were successful. The Governor’s budget cut the funds, which pay for the networking software that connects all the Commonwealth’s libraries and allows them to share resources throughout the system.

Programs funded through the “Library Resource Sharing” line item include the C/WMARS, (Central/Western Mass Automated Resource Sharing) system, which is familiar to students and library patrons locally. Candaras said:

“Individuals with ‘MARS’ cards have Internet access to the most current, in-depth and specialized reference materials and other library resource databases throughout the state. The $200,000 we restored to the budget pays the yearly costs for the software or ‘glue’ that holds the thousands of online reference databases together and saves libraries the expense and storage space of having to replicate resources available elsewhere in the Commonwealth.”

Wilbraham Library Director and former C/WMARS’ president, Christine Bergquist recognized the importance of restoring these funds and was alarmed when they were eliminated in the Governor’s budget. Bergquist said, “Over the past few years, library resource sharing monies have been cut from $1.4 million to $600,000. The library resource sharing monies directly affects all the libraries who are members of C/WMARS. It will help maintain our novelist database, which is widely used to assist people to locate books through out the C/WMARS network. It will also keep membership (or what is known as assessment) fees down for the libraries who participate in the program. This is a good sign for libraries.”

Other local librarians expressed relief that the cuts in funding were restored. Long time East Longmeadow Library Director, Gloria Carver said, "Networks are so important to the overall functioning of libraries. Without the automated networks, many services would be decimated. It would have been extremely difficult had we lost this funding.”

Springfield Library Director, Emily Bader, was also elated over the FY’05 budgetary increase to the libraries’ resource sharing program. Bader affirmed that, “this funding impacts the libraries tremendously. It will increase services we can offer to the general public.”

Bergquist applauded Candaras’ advocacy efforts on behalf of libraries by saying “Representative Candaras has been very good to the libraries and recognizes the importance of libraries to our communities.”

“The C/WMARS system is especially important in Central and Western Mass where we do not get the extra funding given to the Boston Public Library, which is designated as the Commonwealth’s Library of Last Recourse. This designation funnels millions of state dollars to the Boston Public Library under a formula that provides more than $1 per capita for every person in the Commonwealth,” said Candaras.

Candaras added, “in addition to the extraordinary facilities and resources of the Boston Public Library, Boston has many other premier libraries such as the Social Law Library, now housed in new quarters.”

Candaras argued that the great distance and scarcity of public transportation from Springfield to Boston makes a Western Mass library of last recourse a practical necessity.

Candaras has filed legislation several times to make the Springfield Public Library the Library of Last Recourse for Western Massachusetts. The bill would give the Springfield Library system additional funding on a per capita basis as well. She arranged for Springfield library trustees to meet with senior house leaders and plead their case. The bill died when lawmakers west of Springfield argued their libraries should be accorded the same treatment.

Candaras hopes people will donate to local library capital campaigns. “Boston libraries raise many millions of dollars yearly from library patrons at glittering, black tie events. Inner city people really appreciate libraries. I know that, as a child, I loved my local library and spent many summers there. Many children can’t go to summer camp and the library is a safe, cool place to escape the city streets and lose yourself in another world. The hours I spent there just flew by.”

The library resource sharing monies survived the conference committee process and was not vetoed by the Governor this past Friday when his list of vetoes was announced.