Drew Carey on Proposed Ohio Library Budget Cuts
Comedian Drew Carey, who grew up in Cleveland, is a proud supporter of public libraries in Ohio. In 2000 he donated all his winnings ($500,000) from an appearance on a special celebrity edition of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" to Ohio public libraries, and was also at the same time working on a series of public service announcements for the Ohio Library Council. While these days he is living out in California and working on "The Price is Right", Carey still keeps up with the goings-on back in his hometown. Needless to say he was rather disheartened when he heard about Governor Ted Strickland's plans to slash library budgets by nearly 50 percent.
We recently caught up with Drew, and asked him about his thoughts on the crippling blow that Ohio public libraries could soon be dealt:
"I hate these library funding cuts but it looks like the Gov has his heart set on it," he said.
So what does Drew propose Ohio libraries do if the devastating cuts do in fact make it into the biennium budget?
"This would be a good time for local community leaders to come up with creative money-raising plans of their own. Yep. It's come down to this. Car washes for libraries," he continued.
The truth of the matter is, if the cuts do go through, many libraries will have to get creative. Cuts to service and staff would be inevitable, and any creative fund raising scheme would have to be seriously considered. So Drew, we'll be calling on you if these cuts go through, hoping you can round up some of your celebrity friends for a few car washes.
Comments
1. Eliminate seniors late fee waiver
2. Dispense with free copies at microfilm readers
3. Cut hours by one hour per day - open later? Close earlier?
4. Set out donation containers around the library (bolted down) or one large one at entrance.,
5. Charge a nickel more at the copy machines
6. Charge groups small fee for meeting rooms. Doesn't have to be much. ($20. ?)
7. Stop buying so many copies of new books and tapes. Start with one or two.
8. Charge 50 cents per hour for computer use for adults. Kids free.
Libraries across the country have seen increased usage, especially because of the economic downturn. People are coming for the free computers, free books, free DVDs, and free programs. People are using the libraries in order to find jobs and put a little fun in their lives. Libraries across the country are needed now more than ever and they are supposed to be free to all.
Did the Ohio libraries see if they could get money from the federal stimulus? I know it worked for some other library systems around the country.