Search The Catalog
My Account
The Library has Free Wifi
FREE WiFi internet connectivity within the library building. Please see the WiFi FAQ for more information on connecting.
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Sun
10 am – 9 pm
10 am – 9 pm
10 am – 6 pm
1 pm – 5 pm
10 am – 2 pm
1 pm – 5 pm
Please note: beginning July 4th the library will be closed on Sundays through Labor Day.
June 2010
The State of the Budget
The short version is the following:
• The Public Library Subsidy is cut 9% to $54.5 million;
• Library Access increases by just 1% to $3 million;
• The State Library is cut by 6% to $2.2 million; and
• Library Services for the Visually Impaired and Disabled is cut by 6% to $2.7 million.
All in all, total library funding is reduced by $5.7 million to $62.5 million for all four programs. This represents a cut of 8.4% in total state funding. On the Pennsylvania Library Association {PaLA} website (www.palibraries.org) is posted a spreadsheet that compares this new budget with recent budgets (including funds that had been set aside in “reserve” over the last two years due to the recession.)
Some facts surrounding the process:
• the economy shows some early signs of emerging from the recession;
• June tax collections in Pennsylvania are higher than expected;
• budget cuts this year—while still bad—are not as severe as last year; and
• the budget process will conclude in June not October.
In his press conference on Tuesday, Governor Rendell announced that the entire budget would total $28.05 billion compared with this year’s budget of $27.87, an increase of just 0.6%. He scaled back his top priority—a request for a $354 million increase for basic education—and instead settled for a basic education increase of $250 million. The Governor spelled out how hard the recession hit Pennsylvania causing the loss of $1.3 billion in revenue. At the same time, he noted that “mandated increases in programs” totaled over $1 billion in additional spending (this includes increased Medicaid entitlements, mandated prison costs, and mandated pension payment increases.) Then the Governor ran through a laundry list of departmental cuts:
• Agriculture cut 11.7%;
• Environmental Protection cut 9.2%;
• Conservation and Natural Resources cut 11%;
• State Parks cut 7.3%;
• State Health Clinics cut 6.9%;
• Labor and Industry cut 10%;
• Libraries cut 9.1%; and
• other cuts within the Department of Education totaled $120 million over and above the library cuts (aside from the basic education increase of $250 million.)
For more information, please contact Richard Thau, Library Director: thau@haverfordlibrary.org
Undateable
Undateable takes the reader on an itemized (and often hilarious) journey through the traits, behaviors, and fashion faux pas that can render an otherwise decent man "undateable." From excessive use of hair products to sporting socks with sandals, Undateable serves up an educational, if facetious, examination of some of the most objectionable roadblocks to male dating success.
Broken Embraces (Abrazos Rotas)
Spanish director Pedro Almodovar (Volver, Talk to Her)is back with another of his inimitable films about love, loss, and the transformative power of art.
Meet the Author: H. Michael Zal
Meet H. Michael Zal, author of Dancing with Medusa: A Life In Psychiatry: A Memoir, this Tuesday, June 29th at 7pm. Zal has been a psychiatrist for thirty-nine years and is a professor at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. While working at Haverford State Hospital, he met a patient named Bella, who became the inspiration for this book. Get a signed copy and hear about this fascinating story.
The Modern Age:Reading
Yes, People Still Read, but Now It’s Social
{Courtesy of Library & Information News}
June 20, 2010 - 12:26am — Bibliofuture
“THE point of books is to combat loneliness,” David Foster Wallace observes near the beginning of “Although of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself,” David Lipsky’s recently published, book-length interview with him.
If you happen to be reading the book on the Kindle from Amazon, Mr. Wallace’s observation has an extra emphasis: a dotted underline running below the phrase. Not because Mr. Wallace or Mr. Lipsky felt that the point was worth stressing, but because a dozen or so other readers have highlighted the passage on their Kindles, making it one of the more “popular” passages in the book.
Amazon calls this new feature “popular highlights.” It may sound innocuous enough, but it augurs even bigger changes to come.
Though the feature can be disabled by the user, “popular highlights” will no doubt alarm Nicholas Carr, whose new book, “The Shallows,” argues that the compulsive skimming, linking and multitasking of our screen reading is undermining the deep, immersive focus that has defined book culture for centuries.
Library Advocacy: Action Needed!
No More Cuts to Libraries; Speak Up Now!
From the Pennsylvania Library Association and your Haverford Township Free Library:
The deadline to pass a state budget is just days away. The effects of the recession have created a hole in the state budget in the range of $1.2 billion. If we are to avoid a repeat of last year’s 101-day late budget, Governor Rendell and legislators must pass a new state budget by June 30, one that fills this revenue gap either through increased taxes and fees, or more cuts to state programs—or both.
Raising taxes and fees in an election year with the recession lingering is a tall order. This reality increases the chances that the next budget might be balanced primarily through budget cuts, a possibility that could threaten library funding once again. No specific library funding cuts have been mentioned but library supporters need to stay informed and engaged.
Now is a key moment to speak up and urge all your friends to do likewise. Tell Governor Rendell, your State Senator, and your State Representative this one simple message: No More Cuts to Libraries. Tell them that cutting libraries again is unacceptable, especially during this recession when libraries are busier and more needed than ever. Remind them that in this year’s state budget, the four library line items already were cut this year by 3%, 21%, 51%, and 73% respectively.
Send the Governor and your legislators an email here: http://www.capwiz.com/ala/pa/issues/alert/?alertid=15111281
Join PaLA’s facebook page, “5.6 Million Pennsylvania Library Card Holders Can’t Be Wrong,” here:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=123050057708453. Please share the link and invite your friends, too.
Here’s a chart detailing all library funding categories in the state budget: http://palibraries.org/associations/9291/files/State%20budg%20chart%20for%20website.pdf
Thank you for speaking out for libraries, and for spreading the word far and wide. Stay tuned for more updates as events change.
-------
P.S. Please join the Haverford Township Free Library facebook page. Our 2010 goal is to recruit more than 1,000 regional fans. At this moment, we are nearing 300. Inform your family, friends, and colleagues today!
Questions? Please contact Library Director Richard Thau soon! thau@haverfordlibrary.org
Summer Splash Book Bingo
Escape the heat and join us for an afternoon game of bingo on Wednesday, June 30th at 2pm. Enjoy complimentary refreshments while playing to win books. This event is free and no prior registration is required.
Summer Reading for Teens is NOW!
Teen Summer Reading is NOW! You're reading books for school - why not get some prizes while you're at it?!
Sign up today online (from home or at the library), log your reading online, post reviews, and you're done! We'll let you know when you win a prize, you won't be sorry!
Log on here at the TEEN ONLINE SUMMER READING CLUB home.
Make sure to check out the calendar for all the great programs and events being held this season.
Summer Reading Club is NOW!
Stop by anytime the library is open to sign up for Summer Reading Club for kids! We have tons of free programs and fun for kids birth through entering grade 5 in the Children's Room.
Looking for the ONLINE SUMMER READING CLUB? Click here!
Youth Summer Reading Is NOW!
Summer Reading Club is in full swing for kids birth through high school!
Kids birth through entering grade 5 are invited to stop by the Children's Room anytime the library is open to register and get started. We'll explain the program, give you all your materials, and even help you pick out some great reads. Check out the KIDS ONLINE SUMMER READING HOME NOW!
Teens entering grades 6 through 12 can sign up online from the library or home by visiting our TEEN ONLINE SUMMER READING CLUB HOME.
Don't miss a summer of FREE programs, fun, and learning!
From the DCLS catalog you can place a request for an item to be held for you from any library in the county. Click here to login to your account and reserve a book today.
Search
Social Networks
Syndicate RSS Feed
