Leaders from the Rochester Area Library Systems (RALS) group, a collaboration among local public, school and academic library systems, met at Churchville-Chili Elementary School in February to discuss the important role libraries play in the community. It was also an opportunity for the group to thank New York State Assemblyman Stephen Hawley. Funding for libraries has been drastically reduced over the past few years, pushed back to levels not seen since the 1990s. Hawley has championed the library as an equalizer between the haves and have-nots – a resource for eBooks, online access and subscriptions, databases, and even conferences and free professional development.
As a result of the work of library leaders from across the state, along with the RALS group who met with supportive state leaders including Hawley and NYS Assemblyman Harry Bronson, the assembly, for the first time ever, voted to approve an increase in library system aid in 2014.
The gathering began with a first-hand demonstration of the power of libraries: Hawley enchanted a group of second-grade library fans with his reading of “The Bravest Dog Ever – the True Story of Balto,” about a courageous Alaskan sled dog. A question-and-answer session for the young readers in the school’s newly-renovated library followed.
“Libraries are education,” said Jim Belair, library systems director for Monroe 2-Orleans BOCES. “Restored funding means more and better resources for our students and our patrons; for everyone in our neighborhoods and communities. The need is greater than ever to provide access to ever-changing technology tools and up-to-date information.”
The RALS group members are: The Monroe County Library Systems (MCLS), the Rochester City School District, Canandaigua’s Pioneer Library System, the Rochester Regional Library Council (RRLC), and the Monroe 1 and 2 BOCES, Genesee Valley BOCES, and Finger Lakes BOCES library systems.
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