Anchorage Assembly adds $50,000 to Library budget for new materials; votes down proposal to reinstate two cut positions

In a last effort to spare the Library from its fourth year in a row of budget cuts, Assembly Members Elvi Gray-Jackson, Harriet Drummond and Dick Traini proposed an amendment to reinstate the two positions, valued at over $120,000, that had been cut in the Mayor’s proposed 2012 budget. The amendment failed 5-6 at the December 13 Assembly meeting, with members Ossiander, Hall, Starr, Trombley, Johnston and Birch voting against. Assembly Member Patrick Flynn then offered an amendment to add $50,000 back to the budget for materials, which passed 9-2, with Trombley and Birch voting against.

The additional money will be a huge help for the Library, which has a materials budget that falls about $500,000 short of the national standard each year. The Library Foundation thanks all of our supporters who worked to increase funding for the Library and will continue to advocate for stronger funding in the future.

Click here to read Library Foundation response to cuts.

Library Talking Points

• A great city deserves a great library.
• Four straight years of budget reductions have had a serious, negative impact on library services and our community.
• We cannot continue to chip away at the Library's budget each year and expect to have a system that is worthy of this great city.
• Library's budget cuts do not reflect the spirit of our community, which strongly supports our library.
  
• Tell your personal story of how the library has transformed your life.
  

Click here for Library Budget Fact Sheet.

Contact Your Assembly Member or the Mayor

Anchorage Assembly Homepage
Assembly Contact Information
Office of Mayor Dan Sullivan
Click here to send a message to the entire Assembly.

Write a Letter to the Editor

• Make your letter short and clear. Letters to the Anchorage Daily News may not exceed 175 words.
• Make it personal. Demonstrate how the library affects you personally, use statistics if you have them, and give the source of your information.
• Stick to one issue, stick to the facts and be nice. Letters that are mean-spirited or contain false information are harmful to the Library.
• Write on timely issues. The best way to get published is to respond to a letter or article that was recently published in the paper.
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Use the links below to submit letters to your local paper: Anchorage Daily News
Alaska Star
Turnagain Times

Contact Your Legislator or the Governor

Alaska State Legislature
Find your Legislator
Office of Governor Sean Parnell

Attend Your Community Council Meetings

Community councils are your local voice for the issues in your neighborhood that you care about. Each neighborhood is represented by its own council and meetings are held monthly.

Community Council Homepage
My Neighborhood Homepage

Geek the Library

Get your geek on! Do you geek gardening? Do you geek hockey? Do you geek comic books? Whatever you geek, the public library supports you. Join Geek the Library in spreading awareness about the value of libraries and the critical funding issues they face.

Geek the Library

Library Resources

Libraries across the country face budget cuts and a changing landscape. Use these resources to see how libraries fare on a national scale.

Save NYC Libraries
Advocacy University, American Library Association
Losing Libraries