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FVRL News
Library District to Scale Back Books-by-Mail Service
District-wide -
Board to determine implementation date and exceptions at Feb. 9 meeting
VANCOUVER, Wash. -- Following up on significant spending cuts called for in the approved 2009 budget, the Fort Vancouver Regional Library District board of trustees will discuss and approve cutbacks to the district's books-by-mail service on Monday, Feb. 9.
The board will hold a workshop to discuss details and options for the cutbacks, including implementation date, from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m., during which no public comment will be taken and no board decisions will be made. The workshop will be followed by the regular board meeting at 6:00 p.m., which will include a public comment period prior to Board action on the books-by-mail service. Both meetings will be held in the community room at Three Creeks Community Library, 800-C NE Tenney Rd., Vancouver.
Comments regarding the district's books-by-mail service that are received by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 6 will be forwarded to the board for their consideration prior to taking action. Comments may be emailed to comments@fvrl.org or phoned in to (360) 695-1566 or toll-free 1-888-546-2707 from area code 509. Written comments may be mailed to FVRL, 1007 E. Mill Plain Blvd., Vancouver WA 98663.
The budget the board approved in November 2008 calls for severely scaling back books-by-mail expenses. Prompted by district pleas for help in cutting costs, patrons voluntarily reduced overall requests for mailed books by about 10 percent in the last two months of 2008, opting instead to pick up holds at libraries. "We're grateful for our patrons' willingness to reduce their use of books by mail," said FVRL Executive Director Bruce Ziegman. "Unfortunately, this isn't enough to achieve the expense reductions our reduced revenues require," he said.
The board will consider eventually offering books-by-mail service for a fee. "Initiating fee-for-service is a complex undertaking since we don't have a system now in place that would make this possible," Ziegman explained.
The board also will consider whether to continue providing free service to a small number of qualified library-card holders. The criteria by which someone would continue to receive the service will be discussed by the board at the workshop.
FVRL has previously announced spending cutbacks, and staff layoffs, work-hours reductions, and reduced open hours at five libraries effective Feb. 1.
About Fort Vancouver Regional Library District
Established in 1950, the Fort Vancouver Regional Library District (FVRL) provides a vast range of information and cultural services to more than 436,000 Southwest and South Central Washington citizens in Clark, Skamania and Klickitat Counties and the city of Woodland and Yale Valley Library District in Cowlitz County. FVRL provides services through a Web site at www.fvrl.org, direct dial-up, books-by-mail for those who find it difficult to visit libraries, bookmobiles, telephone information services, outreach programs, and 13 community libraries: Battle Ground, Cascade Park, Goldendale, La Center, North Bonneville, Ridgefield, Stevenson, Three Creeks, Vancouver (main), Vancouver Mall, Washougal, White Salmon Valley and Woodland.
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Release Dated January 20, 2009 |
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For information about news releases or anything about Fort Vancouver Regional Library District, media representatives should contact:
Sue Vanlaanen
FVRL Communications Director
Phone: (360) 699-8815
Fax: (360) 693-2681
Email: communications@fvrl.org
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