| New York State Library |
At the December 6, 2005, hearing in Albany, representatives from New York State's library community and the New York State Education Department described in considerable detail the physical condition of the state's library facilities. The transcript includes the oral testimony of witnesses, questions from legislators, and other discussion. Appended to the transcript as exhibits are the written testimony submitted by those who were unable to attend the hearing and the written testimony of those who spoke.
The witnesses before the New York State Assembly Committee on Libraries and Education Technology spotlighted the widespread need for renovation, modernization, and replacement of aging library buildings that cannot accommodate the increasing demand for library services statewide. Library spokespeople described the financial stresses being experienced by libraries and library systems and the need for assistance from the state to enable and mobilize essential local construction projects.
The full transcript of the hearing is also available. [.PDF, from the New York State Library]
The witnesses testifying at the hearing included the following:
LIBRARY CONSTRUCTION IN NASSAU COUNTY
Many public libraries in Nassau County were built 30 to 50 years ago and need physical upgrades to their plants. These include new heating systems, HVAC systems, elevators, and roofs. In addition, enhancements are required to meet ADA specifications and to accommodate new technologies.
Libraries are now required to provide materials and services that were never contemplated when their facilities were designed. The need for space for new collections including, VHS, DVD, and books-on-tape is one example. When the Port Washington Public Library was renovated and expanded in 2001, our needs were very similar to many libraries throughout the State. The Library needed space for teens, computers, quiet study, preschoolers and their parents and caregivers, and additional meeting rooms. In short. the library had outgrown its original design. The Port Washington community approved a $6,000,000 bond to fund the library's plans but state construction aid only paid for about $9,000 of this cost.
To encourage local support for library construction, it is beneficial to demonstrate other financial support. If the Library can make the case that the State is supporting its efforts, support within the local community is more likely to follow. However. the amount of state aid available for construction is too little to leverage local support within Nassau County. There are 55 public libraries in Nassau County. Currently only a total of $48,000 in state construction is available for the Nassau Library System and all of its member libraries. Only minor projects can be undertaken with these limited funds.
Once the State's budget is approved, there is a very short window for the state construction aid application process (generally only four to five weeks), and a limited time frame to complete the project. The application requires that all approvals for the project be secured before the application is reviewed. Most libraries in Nassau County are school district libraries. These libraries need the approval of the Facilities Planning Office of the State Education Department for projects over $10,000. Generally it takes months to receive such approval, therefore many libraries are not able to apply for state construction aid because they cannot meet this approval requirement within the allotted time frame. It would help libraries fund meaningful projects if the time frame for application and the completion process were more realistic, ie. longer. The goal should be to help libraries fund meaningful projects instead of having the projects fit the funding cycle.
Attached [see below] is documentation regarding current library construction needs of the member libraries of the Nassau Library System and the System's Service Center.
The New York Library Association has proposed a $1.85 million increase in the State's support for public library construction. I hope you will support at least this increase if not more. It is my understanding that New York ranks 11th in the country in on-going State funding for library construction. Other states: Florida ($5.4 million), Georgia ($4.7 million), Illinois ($2.9 million), Massachusetts ($16.4 million), and Pennsylvania ($2.5 million)... while New York currently allocates only $800,000!
Thank you for your interest in state aid for public library construction and this opportunity to share my concerns about this very important but underfunded state aid program.
Libraries by System |
County |
2003 Need |
2005 Need |
| Albertson (Shelter Rock) | Nassau |
$18,000,000 |
$18,000,000 |
| Bellmore | Nassau |
0 |
$150,000 |
| East Meadow | Nassau |
$250,000 |
$4,250,000 |
| Floral Park | Nassau |
$8,000,000 |
$8,000,000 |
| Freeport | Nassau |
$502,000 |
$650,000 |
| Garden City | Nassau |
$137,000 |
$300,000 |
| Glen Cove | Nassau |
$6,000,000 |
$7,000,000 |
| Great Neck | Nassau |
$10,000,000 |
$15,000,000 |
| Hempstead | Nassau |
$9,545,000 |
$9,545,000 |
| Hicksville | Nassau |
$1,400,000 |
0 |
| Island Trees | Nassau |
0 |
$20,000 |
| Jericho | Nassau |
0 |
$100,000 |
| Lawrence (Peninsula) | Nassau |
$500,000 |
$10,000,000 |
| Long Beach | Nassau |
$1,250,000 |
$1,480,000 |
| Manhasset | Nassau |
$17,000,000 |
0 |
| Nassau Library System | Nassau |
$300,000 |
$1,000,000 |
| North Bellmore | Nassau |
$5,000,000 |
$5,000,000 |
| Oceanside | Nassau |
0 |
$200,000 |
| Oyster Bay- East Norwich | Nassau |
0 |
$2,000,000 |
| Plainedge | Nassau |
0 |
$211,000 |
| Plainview | Nassau |
0 |
$150,000 |
| Rockville Centre | Nassau |
$75,000 |
$1,000,000 |
| Roosevelt | Nassau |
$400,000 |
No Response* |
| Roslyn (Bryant) | Nassau |
$8,000,000 |
$18,000,000 |
| Syosset | Nassau |
$13,000,000 |
0 |
| Wantagh | Nassau |
0 |
$1,500,000 |
| West Hempstead | Nassau |
$12,000,000 |
$910,000 |
| Valley Stream | Nassau |
$750,000 |
$600,000 |
| Total: |
$112,109,000 |
$105,066,000 |
*Roosevelt is in the preliminary planning stages of a major expansion renovation project but has not supplied NLS with a cost estimate.
Hicksville and Manahasset are nearing completion of the projects listed as needs in 2003. Syosset and West Hempstead have secured funding for the projects that they listed as needs in 2003. The Syosset project is underway. The amount listed in 2005 is for West Hempstead.
Good afternoon. I am Tom Galante, Director of the Queens Library. I am here today to represent over 2.2 million people who live in Queens County. Throughout my 18 years with the Queens Library, I have been privileged to work with many dedicated public servants such as each of you before me. I want to begin by thanking Committee Chair Sandy Galef for her steadfast support of libraries. I also want to recognize the hard work and dedication of the members of this Committee for all you have done and will continue to do on behalf of libraries. Thank you for holding this hearing to discuss the capital needs of libraries across New York.
I would also like to thank the entire Queens State Senate and State Assembly delegations for their support in restoring the Governor's $4.5 million proposed reduction in library aid this past year. While Queens Library is fortunate to have such great support in the State legislature, the truth is that New York State simply does not fund public libraries adequately and it has failed to do so for quite some time.
This great State, a State that prides itself in supporting public education, has left its public libraries behind despite the fact that libraries are an integral part of education. Just this year, the State took needed steps to increase funding for public school education by $953 million. Other education aid increased $316 million. Higher education funding increased $832 million. That totals over $2 billion of new State funding that is needed to support education. We support this wonderful investment in this State's future but the $88 million in total funding allocated for the State's libraries does a disservice to the role public libraries play in educating those we serve. The sad fact is that State support for its public libraries did not increase in 2005. As you know, State funding for its public libraries, has not increased for 15 years. In addition, the funding formula established 15 years ago was violated again this year when the State failed to use the most current census to calculate library aid. Instead, the State continued to use the 1990 Federal census. The most current census would increase public library funding by $2.6 million.
There is something wrong here. I know you know this is true, or we would not be here today. People need public library service more today than ever before. Last year the number of items borrowed from libraries in Queens increased more than 12%. This growth in public library usage is in sharp contrast to the support received from the State. It takes money to deliver library service, money for operations and money for library buildings. We must make certain that all of our library facilities are clean, comfortable, safe, and full of all the life-enhancing information so desperately needed by millions. To do this, public libraries must receive capital funds to get the job done right.
Queens Library recently reviewed our system-wide construction requirements; needed capital funding totals $448,275,000. However, State capital aid for the Queens Library is embarrassingly low. We receive $65,000 from New York State for capital improvements. Let me repeat that. A system with a need of nearly $450 million in capital funding receives $65,000 a year from the State. This is not even close to what is needed to maintain first class facilities and the State must do better.
The New York Library Association has proposed a Library Bond Act for New York's Libraries (Senate Bill S.4181)
which calls for $500 million to be spent over a 10-year period, with local matching requirements similar to bond
acts passed in California and New Jersey. We support this, and other measures, which will allow us to maintain
and enhance our libraries thereby making them available to the millions of people for whom libraries represent
hope and opportunity for a better life.
State funding for library operations has been flat since 1991 eroding our purchasing power by 50%. In addition
to this annual cut by inflation, the State continues to use the 1990 census data which deprives the Queens Library
of needed funding every year. The 2000 Federal Census data shows a 14% increase in Queens' population -- more than
278,000 people. Even so, the State has not provided any funding to support public library service for these people.
Per capita state aid lost totals nearly $600,000 each year. This means that since the current census data became
available the Queens Borough Public Library has lost $3 million of needed funding.
Open and free access to information is the cornerstone of democracy. Public libraries are the gateway to knowledge for young and old alike. I ask that you take the needed steps to increase public library funding, use the most current census to determine library aid, and that you substantially increase new capital funding for libraries.
As the Library embraces the challenges awaiting us in the future, adequate funding is essential today to accomplishing our mission of service to the Borough of Queens. On behalf of the people of Queens, thank you for the opportunity to address these issues before the committee.
The General Building Contractors of New York State represents over 175 of New York State's leading general contractors and construction managers doing the vast majority of this State's public building work for state agencies, public benefit corporations and local governments. The Association this year celebrates its 50th anniversary and throughout that history we have had, as a priority, the protection of the competitive bidding system while seeking to afford both public and private consumers of construction services reasonable flexibility. The Association offers these comments today in hopes of aiding the deliberations of the Assembly Standing Committee on Libraries and Education Technology and to help the Committee ensure that public construction dollars are spent appropriately and efficiently.
The GBC has long supported legislative efforts to fund the State's infrastructure. We were pleased that New York's voters approved the Transportation Bond Act last month. However, in order for New York State to thrive, it must not only have the roads, bridges and transit systems necessary to move its population from place to place. New York State must also provide the vertical infrastructure required to keep its citizens educated and to provide the community resources that are so important to ensuring that New Yorkers have access to knowledge and technology. For that reason, the GBC strongly supports funding for the construction of libraries.
As your Committee reviews the State's construction needs for libraries, it is important to look at the issues of procurement and project delivery. Those issues need to be more than afterthoughts to the financing. They must be given such consideration as to guard against fraud corruption and improvidence while, at the same time, not imposing such restrictions on the financing that it is perceived that the cost of accepting the money is greater than the money itself. Furthermore, in authorizing construction projects, legislation must be cognizant of the construction process to avoid creating disputes because of blurred or overlapping lines of authority on the project. It is also important to remember that public libraries and non- profit or private libraries are not the same. We believe that while both types of libraries need and deserve public support for construction, there are valid reasons for legislation to treat them separately.
On the public side, ways to improve efficiency and effectiveness of the procurement and construction process should be explored. As an example, GBC has long advocated the proposition that public owners deserve the freedom to choose when it comes to the "Wicks" or multiple contract requirements of General Municipal Law. That flexibility may be particularly important here when looking at such issues as climate control for protection of books and other documents. At the least, you should diligently avoid encumbering such financing with any additional mandates.
On the private side, while we recognize that certain restrictions may be necessary to protect the public's investment, it is important that the temptation to attach public work construction- type requirements to the financing for privately held libraries be avoided. Too often, such restrictions amount to square pegs for round holes. They create confusion and frustration and, we fear, will cause such libraries to throw up their hands with a view that the money is more trouble than it is worth. Were that the case, all the hard work done in creating this financing mechanism will be for naught.
On these points, GBC stands ready to provide whatever assistance is needed. We have a vast array of knowledge in the areas of competitive bidding and construction project delivery on both the public and private sides of the business. GBC offers its help in any way to answer the Assembly's questions and develop appropriate solutions.
Dear Ladies and Gentlemen
My name is Joyce Latham. I am the Executive Director of the Onondaga Co. Public Library. I've worked in libraries
in some way shape or form for 30+ years. While the majority of my experience is in public libraries, I have also
worked in academic and special libraries. I have been a library educator at the University of Illinois and I have
been a consultant for the Carnegie Corporation.
I'm very proud of my career, and I am honored to be ask to address this membership today. Thank you for inviting me.
There are, of course, some things that don't show up on resumes. For instance, I took my first computer course in 1976. I was working at the Community College of Baltimore and they offered a class in BASIC. I took the class, f wasn't sure what I would do with it, exactly, but I took it. It actually came in handy when a few years later I had to take a course in COBOL, in library school. Despite the fact that I studied to be a children's librarian, my background launched me into the technological aspect of librarianship.
My first public library job, in North Carolina, involved me in the conversion of ye olde carde catalogue into a CD based online public access catalog, shared among four rural counties in the foothills of the Appalachians. This was back when CDs were the newest thing.
After that project was complete, I returned to Maryland to automate the three counties in the south of the state, and became involved in the design and development of what would become the Sailor network in that state -which predated the world wide web. From Maryland I moved out to the Midwest, as the Director of IT for the Chicago Public Library. We basically forklifted 80 libraries, including the largest single public library in the country, into the modern age, replacing old technology with new. I spearheaded the development of an extensive online digital collection for the city: the Chicago Public library website contains over 25,000 web pages, and experiences 4 million hits per month. As an instructor at the University of Illinois I taught web site management and design, and also supervised the Linux lab for the networking class.
Obviously, I'm not a Ludditte
The point of sharing all this information about my career is to underscore the significance that I, as an experienced professional, attach to technology, I know how important it is and I understand perfectly well how it changes librarianship.
But, despite the predictions of the post-modern philosophers and pop culturalists, technology is not the end of the library. If anything, technology has invigorated the profession. Nor is technology the end of the public library building, because public libraries have always been about more than books and information.
As an example, I'd like to share a story from the USA Today issue of 11/29/05. Some of you may be familiar with the column written by John Seigenthaler:
It begins:
John Seigenthaler Sr. was the assistant to Attorney General Robert Kennedy in the early 1960's. For a brief time, he was thought to have been directly involved in the Kennedy assassinations of both John, and his brothel', Bobby. Nothing was ever proven. -- Wikipedia
Seigenthaler goes on to write:
This is a highly personal story about Internet character assassination. It could be your story.
I have no idea whose sick mind conceived the false, malicious "biography" that appeared under my name for 132 days on Wikipedia, the popular, online, free
encyclopedia whose authors are unknown and virtually untraceable. There was more:"John Seigenthaler moved to the Soviet Union in 1971, and returned to the United States in J 984," Wikipedia said. "He started one of the country's largest public relations firms shortly thereafter."
At age 78, I thought I was beyond surprise or hurt at anything negative said about me. I was ~Tong. One sentence in the biography was true. I was Robert Kennedy's administrative assistant in the early 1960s. I also was his pallbearer. It was mind-. boggling when my son, John Seigenthaler, journalist with NBC News, phoned later to say he found the same scurrilous text on Reference.com and Answers.com.
There is more to the story in the paper but I want to highlight:
"Wikipedia, the popular, online, free encyclopedia whose authors are unknown and virtually untraceable."
Unknown and Untraceable are key words here. So much of the information on the Internet is unvetted -- never subjected to authoritative scrutiny .
Much as book publishing once was -- short on oversight.
What people often fail to realize is that libraries were not built just to house books. They were built to establish collections of quality materials, to pull them together into one location accessible to all, no matter your background, your income or your ideology.
Librarians were trained to identify and select the best materials on a subject, material with an established authority behind it, either as the writer or the publisher.
People don't walk into a library and question whether they can trust the content of the publication. It's an assumption they can make, even more than they can when they walk into a bookstore, and certainly much more than when they are out browsing the Internet.
Unless, of course, they come across a library website.
As many of my colleagues make clear today, the public library is much more than a downstream distribution site of the publishing field. Children's programming, adult programming, meeting room access, literacy coaching, quilting, digital collection development -- equipment access -- these are not enhancements to the role of the public library: they are the role of the public library: information collection and dissemination comes in many shapes and sizes.
As I was automating the 80 locations of the city of Chicago, the libraries were growing and changing. Two little store fronts would be merged to create a larger community library, or a crammed and cramped corner location would be expanded so It could include technology among all the crowded shelves
As the CPL website states:
Since 1989, the City of Chicago and the Chicago Public Library have built or fully renovated 42 neighborhood libraries serving all areas of Chicago. ...By the end of the current library building campaign in the year 2005, another 14 new projects will have been undertaken and completed.
Now, as the director of Onondaga County Public Library, I face my own "brick and mortar" challenges.
First and foremost is White Branch, located in the old Little Italy community of Syracuse, NY. Built in 1923, it is currently the oldest of the Syracuse branch libraries. and is incredibly popular to its young, ethnically diverse user population In other words, the kids cram the place after school. An evaluation of the building done five years ago rated its electrical system as "of vintage age and approaching the end of its normal life expectancy," The windows are the original windows. We are concerned about the heating bill this winter, as you can imagine.
White Branch has a second floor which could be converted to office space, which would create room for expansion on the first floor. A computer lab in an enclosed space for the children to use would greatly reduce the noise volume in the small building.
The estimated costs, developed in 2001, for minimal recommended upgrades to the White Branch is $700,000. This does not include build out of the second level, and includes no technology infrastructure costs which, in the year 2001, were inexplicably left unaddressed.
The city of Syracuse has just announced an enterprise zone initiative for the community adjacent to the library.
A strategy of paired enterprise zone development and library construction was a key element in the Chicago initiative.
Chairwoman Galef, Members of the Committee, ladies and gentlemen. Good afternoon, I am Paul LeClerc, the President of The New York Public Library.
I would first like to thank the Committee, under the leadership of Chairwoman Sandy Galef, for your work to protect and improve New York State's public libraries. It was through your great stewardship that libraries were spared a 5% cut to formula aid in the past budget. The impact of these cuts, had they been accepted, would have been extraordinary and on behalf of the 15 million people who use The New York Public Library every year, I thank you for restoring this funding.
I thank you as well for calling this hearing today to discuss the state of our libraries and the dire need for investment in repairs and renovations. The New York Public Library is comprised of four Research Libraries and 85 Branch Libraries, 31 of which are housed in original Carnegie buildings that were built at the turn of the 20th century. With this rich history comes great need for capital investment to preserve the historic integrity of our libraries while ensuring that our buildings are safe, technologically advanced and ADA compliant. It is also important that our libraries can accommodate the latest models of library service. These upgrades come with great cost -- however, it is simply one of our highest priorities that we provide safe and welcoming environments in all our libraries -- so we are committed to thinking creatively to find ways to fund these renovations.
When renovations are possible, they allow us to better serve the public. Public libraries play a vital role in the community -- encouraging children to read, counseling entrepreneurs seeking to start a business, offering computer training so people can have more job opportunities or helping immigrants to learn a new language. A modern local library can help to change communities through the many resources that we make available. At The New York Public Library we have witnessed, time and again, the effects a new or renovated facility can have on a neighborhood. For example, the Mott Haven Branch Library, located in the Bronx, saw its attendance rise after a substantial renovation with more people accessing materials and attending programs than ever before. People take pride in their local library and we know that the continued demand for library service will only increase with capital improvements.
As this Committee well knows, the availability of a steady stream of State funding for library construction projects is limited. As a result, our approach has been to piece together funding from different levels of government, in partnership with the private sector, to renovate our libraries. We rely on our Assembly Members who very generously give us C-CAP funding when available. We depend on the Mayor and City Council of New York City to invest significant capital funding in our branches. Finally, we count on the philanthropy of others, who give of themselves to invest in our neighborhood libraries.
When all of these resources come together -- wonderful things can happen. The new Bronx Library Center -- a green building, brimming with books and computers -- will open to the public on January 17. This $50 million building was constructed with funding from Governor George Pataki, Assembly Member Jose Rivera, Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion, Jr., City Council Majority Leader Joel Rivera and a generous gift from Roger Hertog. Together, we built a state-of-the-art, 75,000 square foot library for the Bronx that would simply not have been possible without this partnership. I have attached two photos of the magnificent new Bronx Library Center to this testimony.
We are doing our part. We continue to look for ways in which the private sector can support repairs in the branches and have just announced that six of our children's rooms will be revitalized using private funds.
All of our libraries need some level of work -- ranging from life safety upgrades and ADA compliance to full renovations for extensive repairs and redesign of library service delivery. Project costs can be anywhere from tens of thousands of dollars to tens of millions of dollars. The numbers are daunting. However, when you consider that attendance increases dramatically after renovations, it is further evidence that people want to be in safe and welcoming buildings with interesting spaces for children, teens and adults.
I commend Chairwoman Galef and this Committee for considering ways in which the State might better partner with libraries to repair our branches and thank you for this opportunity to testify today.
I am happy to answer any questions you may have.
Committee Chair Galef, members of the committee and distinguished guests, my name is Dionne Mack-Harvin, Chief of Staff at Brooklyn Public Library -I am testifying today on behalf of BPL Executive Director Ginnie Cooper who is unable to join us today. We appreciate the opportunity to comment on the availability and distribution of New York State funds for library construction.
First, I would like to thank Committee Chair Galef and her colleagues in the Assembly for recognizing the important role New York's libraries play in the lives of their constituents, our patrons. Your work to ensure that BPL and all other libraries across the state receive the operating assistance they need to keep their doors open, and provide access to books, computers, and educational and cultural programming is appreciated. We also want to thank Speaker Silver and the Brooklyn delegation to the Assembly for their strong and ongoing support.
Allow me to provide a brief overview of BPL's physical plant and the challenges we face in keeping our libraries in a state of good repair so that we can provide service in the 21st century. BPL operates a Central Library at Grand Army Plaza, a Business Library in Downtown Brooklyn, and 58 neighborhood libraries across the borough. Construction on the Central Library was started in 1912, but was interrupted by the First World War and the Great Depression. The Central Library finally opened in 1941. The Business Library, which is housed in the Brooklyn Heights Branch, opened in 1961. Among the neighborhood libraries are 18 Carnegie Libraries, constructed between 1903 and 1923. The remaining 40 neighborhood libraries were constructed in the years since, with Gerritsen Beach, which opened in 1997, the newest.
As you can imagine, this huge physical plant requires significant investment to maintain and repair. At this time, BPL estimates that our construction needs in FY2007 will total approximately $160 million. It is important to note that $160 million does not include funds for any new library construction. That is what we estimate it will cost, in 2006 dollars, to restore the Central and Business Libraries, and all 58 neighborhood library to a state of good repair and to provide access to the disabled. While the cost is tremendous, this is not an extravagant request. Brooklyn's 2.5 million residents need libraries that are warm in the winter and cool in the summer and where roofs do not leak. They need libraries that are accessible to those in wheelchairs and in strollers, and where they can find thousands of books in reading rooms that are well lit. The people of Brooklyn deserve nothing less.
Let me describe some of the difficulties we face in restoring our libraries to a state of good repair. Among our greatest challenges are the Carnegie Libraries, which have suffered from years of deferred maintenance and ill-conceived "modernization" efforts. In addition, the Carnegies, while beautiful architecturally, were not designed with 21st century library service in mind. We work closely with architects to ensure that designs are historically sensitive and can accommodate new library technology. It costs approximately $4 to $6 million, depending on their size, to rehabilitate a Carnegie Library.
The Central Library at Grand Army Plaza is another significant challenge. We estimate that to restore the Central Library to a state-of-good-repair, and to complete important system upgrades will cost approximately $20 million. This is addition to a $12 million project, currently underway, to repair Central's boilers and air conditioning systems and to upgrade its electrical service.
The needs at our 40 neighborhood libraries are just as significant, but not as costly on a per-library basis. Many of the neighborhood libraries have suffered from literally decades of deferred maintenance and are in need of basic repairs to roofs, floors, windows, doors, and heating and air-conditioning systems. It costs approximately $2 to $4 million, depending on their size, to rehabilitate a neighborhood library.
I don't want to paint too bleak a picture. While BPL's needs are great, the support we have received for construction from our partners in government, from foundations and corporations and from individual donors has been tremendous. The vast majority of support for construction comes from our partners in New York City government. We are grateful to the Mayor of the City of New York, the Brooklyn Borough President, the Brooklyn delegation to the New York City Council and to the many individual members of the City Council who support our capital program year after year. In FYO6, New York City provided a total of $23 million in capital support to BPL.
State support for our projects has been more limited. The New York Power Authority (NYPA) has provided significant technical and financial support for the Central Library Boiler Repair and Electrical Upgrade project I mentioned earlier. With NYPA's and New York City's support, we are in the process of replacing critical components that are well beyond their useful life. In addition, the Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC) has provided financial support for design work associated with the Visual and Performing Arts Library planned for the BAM Cultural District in Downtown Brooklyn. By combining ESDC funds with those allocated by the Mayor and the New York City Council, we have been able to move this ambitious project forward.
We are also grateful for the Assembly's Community Capital Assistance Program, or CCAP. Through the generosity of Assemblymember Helene Weinstein, we renovated the Paerdegat library in her district. Because BPL can spend CCAP funds directly on construction without collaborating with the City's Department of Design and Construction, they can go much further, and we can do more with less. We are currently working with members of the Brooklyn delegation of the Assembly to secure additional CCAP funding.
We are anxious to see additional state support for other rebuilding projects. We know the needs of Brooklyn Public Library and the two other New York City library systems seem daunting, and when added to the needs throughout the state may even seem overwhelming. We also know, though, that additional support from New York State will allow us to undertake other large-scale projects, repair more neighborhood libraries and restore even more Carnegie Libraries to a state of good repair. If New York State were to join New York City as a partner in our rebuilding effort, we could do so much more.
I would like to again thank Committee Chair Galef for providing us with the opportunity to testify this afternoon. I would be pleased to answer any questions you may have.
Dear Assemblywoman Galef:
In 1998, Aaron Cohen Associates Ltd. (ACA), an independent consulting firm that specializes in library design and planning, informed the Board of Trustees of the Buffalo and Erie County Public library that its county-wide network of 52 comparatively small and aging buildings was unsustainable over the long term. ACA proposed a smaller system of new, state-of-the-art facilities that serve regions, not just neighborhoods, that offer better services and collections in more appealing environments.
Of the many recommendations B&ECPL received from ACA, the proposal of "fewer, better libraries" attracted the greatest attention, generating the most controversy and open resistance. A timely opportunity to reinvent the B&ECPL was lost in the public outcry to sustain "what we have" at the expense of "what might be."
ACA's final report also warned: "Within its current context of operations, should there be a downturn in Erie County revenues and those cuts are passed on to the Library, services will have to be curtailed. The Board and administration will plan the cuts to minimize the impact, but the reductions will be obvious throughout the System. It will be difficult if not impossible, to avoid layoffs... Ultimately there is a choice: fewer outlets that provide good library service or fewer outlets that do not."
Seven years later, as predicted, reduced financial support from Erie County resulted in devastating staffing and service cuts throughout the B&ECPL. By the end of December 2005, a total of 15 libraries that had been open at the beginning of the year were to close permanently.
Many considered the ACA concept of a "Third Millennium Fund" -$45-$50 million assembled to underwrite a new B&ECPL infrastructure -unrealistic. In Erie County's struggling economic environment, the suggested sums appeared beyond almost anyone's wildest dreams.
What might appear more reasonable and realistic today is a commitment of $2-3 million per year, to engineer over a period of 10-12 years a 21st century Library System for Buffalo and Erie County.
There will be fewer libraries, no doubt, but with imagination, commitment and adequate resources they can be far better than what we have today.
It will be essential to situate such facilities in optimal locations, emphasizing (a) multi- municipal partnerships that cross traditional boundaries, bridging communities, not dividing them or (b) areas where consolidations of multiple libraries can achieve genuine cost control and expanded community access. A true "model library" must be designed in modular form, so a single plan can be utilized multiple times, reducing overall design costs but allowing for reasonable modifications to accommodate variable size/ shape building lots and facades that complement unique street-scapes. To this end, the B&ECPL has developed a new generic building program as the first step in the program.
If funding can be identified, new construction can begin, but it will take time. Nevertheless, B&ECPL has immediate needs that cannot wait. Even after downsizing from 15 to 8 locations, the branch library system within the City of Buffalo has pressing capital needs approaching $600,000. These needs do not represent extravagances; they range from crumbling stairs and ill-fitting windows to ADA compliance violations. Given the age, design and size of these facilities, the preference would be to replace them over a period of years or strategically expand them on their current sites. Such a program would cost in excess of $15-20 million within the city alone. The needs in the outlying suburban community libraries might, conceivably, double that amount- depending, of course, on the number of libraries that remain in operation beyond 2006.
In 2001, the B&ECPL Board received the results of a space design study for downtown Buffalo's 400,000 square-foot Central Library. That study proposed a" $15 million multi-year renovation program designed to bring the 42-year-old building into the 21st century. Roughly one-fifth of that renovation (including asbestos abatement) has occurred over the past two years, supported by a combination of public and private funds. Approximately $12 million still must be raised to resume the currently suspended program.
When downsizing throughout the System is complete next year, we must review our capital construction needs in a new light and under new terms. Sadly, current New York State construction aid formulas provide only $39,755 annually for the Buffalo and Erie County Public Library.
This is a drop in the bucket when our needs tally in tens of millions of dollars. We need more -- much more!
If the people of Erie County must make do with fewer libraries, we must do everything we can to make those libraries the best they can be!
Thank you for your consideration and assistance. Do not hesitate to contact me directly should you wish further
information or clarification of any of the points raised above.
Good afternoon. You asked me to speak today about the needs of libraries -- specifically the construction needs of libraries -- across the State. This is a vitally important issue and I thank you for the opportunity to address the Committee.
Last month, representatives from all sectors of education, government, community organizations, and business assembled in Albany for a Summit on New York Education. Their mission -- to confront two critical problems:
Let's look at each of these problems.
The achievement gap -- from kindergarten through college and beyond -- is now well known. Too many children begin
life disadvantaged, attend poor schools, learn little, drop out in school or in college, and wind up at the margins
in low skill, low paying jobs. How wide is the gap? Nationally, African American and Latino 17 year-olds read and
do math at the same level as white 13 year-olds. We have made progress in closing the gap, but not enough. Both
research and our progress so far show that people can and must achieve at much higher levels.
Global competition, while in the news, is not well understood. Many see it simply as a problem of global out-sourcing to countries that will do the job cheaply. But that is only part of the story. Other nations compete not only with lower costs but also higher quality. The United States educates too few people through high school, college and postsecondary technical programs to achieve the skills they will need -- skills in mathematics, health care, the social and natural sciences, technology, the arts, and many other fields. At current rates, experts estimate that by 2020 Americans will be unable to fill 14 million of the most skilled, highest paying jobs because there won't be enough qualified people.
New York faces a special challenge, and it affects everyone: a potential decline in our standard of living. As immigration and diversity increase, the share of the State's workforce made up of whites is declining rapidly, while the share made up of other groups is increasing and will reach 44% by 2020. The gap between the educational level of whites vs. other groups is substantial. For example, only 58% of working age Hispanics have a high school degree vs. 91% of working age whites. And only 25% of Blacks have a college degree vs. 45% of whites. We must increase graduation from high school and college of all disadvantaged groups -- or face a declining statewide level of education, income, and inevitably the state's tax base. Already New York faces critical shortages in the major professions, including those that provide vital health and safety services.
If present trends continue, too few people will have the knowledge and skills our state needs. This is unacceptable. If we act together, we can correct this problem now.
So what does any of this have to do with libraries and library construction?
To thrive in the global arena we must use every advantage. We have some big ones. The Regents see our whole education system as a spectacular advantage. It's called the University of the State of New York. USNY is a system; a system that includes all of New York's educational and cultural institutions -- schools, colleges, archives, museums, public television, the professions, vocational rehabilitation, career and technical education and, of course, libraries. And unlike any other state, all of these are under the care of a single board, the Regents. USNY is a pipeline of opportunity. We are loosely coupled, as we should be, but we are connected.
Yet our advantage is not fully realized. We see heroic behavior at every point in the system. But if USNY is a pipeline of opportunity, it is a pipeline that leaks. We do not think and act with the awareness that the parts are interdependent.
Joint venture and collaboration are essential to meeting the two challenges posed at the Summit -- closing the gap and preparing our citizens to thrive in the global arena. And while productive collaborations are underway in all parts of USNY, much more needs to be done. We must learn how to work more effectively as a system. What does this mean?
It means communicating more frequently with our current partners and adding more partners. It means all institutions will open themselves up and build productive relationships with others. Libraries, museums, community organizations, higher education institutions, parents, and businesses -- all have assets they are willing to bring to the table. It means raising awareness of USNY and its potential as New York's competitive advantage and as a mechanism to enable joint venture.
At our Education Summit last month, William Jefferson, President of the Queensboro Public Library, spoke about some of the things his libraries are doing to help students in Queens:
The leaders at Queensboro Library understand the importance of collaborating with their USNY partners. They know that success can be achieved when the parts work together. Let's look at the ways in which libraries work to ready New Yorkers for success:
We live in an age of information, and libraries play a critical role in providing us with access to that information. They are vital to our economy and our communities. They promote literacy and lifelong learning. Here's how:
Libraries are vital not only for people of limited means, but for all New Yorkers. We turn to them for information on every subject imaginable and we're using them more than ever. New Yorkers made 107 million visits to public libraries in 2004, with circulation at 135 million items. Our libraries are bulging at the seams -- but support has not kept pace.
There is a documented $1 billion need for library renovation and construction across New York. Yet the state provides a mere $800,000 annually to address these needs.
New York -- the Empire State -- ranked 11th in the country in state funding for library construction in 2003. We should lead the nation.
In 2004, Florida spent $5.4 million on library construction and renovation; Georgia spent $4.7 million; Illinois, $2.9 million; Massachusetts, $16.4 million; and Rhode Island spent $2.1 million. In 1999, New Jersey authorized $45 million for public library construction and California authorized $350 million in 2000. Compare those figures with New York's annual $800,000 appropriation and you begin to see just how badly underfunded our library construction and renovation efforts are.
A recent survey of libraries outside of New York City reveals some disturbing facts:
What does this mean? What's the practical impact of this chronic underfunding? Here are just a few examples:
The Regents have proposed a solution. It's a bill we call New Century Libraries. This legislation would provide $30 million annually for public library construction in the form of competitive matching grants within each library system. These funds would enable libraries across the state to replace, renovate and expand deteriorating and cramped buildings; make their facilities handicapped accessible; add space for growing collections; and upgrade their facilities to accommodate computers and Internet technology. Money is desperately needed for both brick and mortar construction and high-tech, cutting edge technology. It's not a question of funding one approach or the other. We need to fund them both. And New Century Libraries would do that.
This legislation will help make our public libraries vibrant, vital and accessible places of learning for all New Yorkers -- and I urge you to join the Regents and me in advocating for its enactment in the coming year.
Global competition is fierce and gets more so every day. If New York is to thrive in this pitiless environment we will have to use every advantage available to us. Our 7000 libraries are a state treasure. They are centers of community life. But too many of them are obsolete, unsafe and inaccessible. Fund them. Embrace them. Give them the support they need to improve all of our lives.
Good Afternoon, Assemblywoman Sandra Galef and distinguished members of the Assembly's Libraries and Education Technology Committee. Thank you for this opportunity to comment on the construction needs of libraries across New York State.
I am Jennifer Morris, President of the New York Library Association, which represents over 3,100 members from public, academic, special and school libraries from across New York state. I also serve as Director of the Pioneer Library System in Canandaigua, a public library system that serves 42 libraries in Livingston, Ontario, Wayne and Wyoming Counties.
The construction needs of New York's public libraries are both immense and varied. According to the last survey conducted by the State Library in 2003, the estimated construction needs of our state's approximately 754 public libraries with 1,100 buildings was $1.3 billion. These needs ranged from $25,000 for the Hammond Library in Crown Point to $17 million for the Manhasset Library on Long Island.
Over half of our library facilities are 50 years old and 34% are not fully accessible to individuals with disabilities. 38% are not adequately wired to accommodate current technological advancements. Libraries across the state are closing due to inadequate funding (Buffalo Erie County Public Library) and outdated and unsafe facilities (Mount Vernon's asbestos issue).
Currently, the state of New York provides a very meager $800,000 in aid for library construction, which amounts to a bit more than $1,000 per library. This aid is available to public libraries through a competitive grant process, and requires each recipient to provide a 50% match. Projects can be for site or building acquisition, construction, renovation, or rehabilitation. In my system, this matching grant program has leveraged millions of dollars of local funds to improve and restore library facilities -- not to mention the positive impact on the local economy, especially in the construction industry.
But with less than $1,000,000 targeted to this program, New York ranks 11th in the nation in per capita state aid for library construction, behind Florida ($5.4 million), Georgia ($4.7 million), Illinois ($2.9 million), Massachusetts ($16.4 million) and Pennsylvania ($2.5 million). Hundreds of millions are spent on school construction aid in this state. We need more than a token commitment to library construction.
Other states have even passed library bond acts, which have provided additional funds for libraries, like NJ's $45 million bond act in 1999, and California's $350 million bond act in 2000. California will also have a $600 million library bond act on the ballot in 2006. The New York Library Association has proposed a Library Bond Act for New York's Libraries (Senate Bill S.4181), which calls for $500 million to be spent over a 10 year period, with local matching requirements similar to bond acts passed in California and New Jersey.
Despite polling by Zogby International that shows a majority of New Yorkers supporting increasing state aid for libraries, despite the obvious needs of our libraries, which are demonstrated in the latest surveys, despite the investments in libraries that other states have made and continue to make, New York continues to neglect its libraries and its information infrastructure.
While, here in New York, we struggled to restore the Governor's $4.5 million cut in library aid, and were successful thanks to the efforts of Assemblywoman Galef and her colleagues, nearby competing states increased funding for their libraries: $6 million more for New Jersey's libraries and $2.6 million more for Massachusetts libraries.
The library community in New York has not received an increase in state aid since 1998 and we have yet to fund libraries using the 2000 Census, which would require a $2.6 million increase in library aid.
In addition, to the $2.6 million increase in operating aid, NYLA's legislative priorities include an increase of $1.85 million in library construction aid and support for a library bond act. We also have introduced legislation that would streamline the disbursement of construction aid (S.4085) and allow libraries with small construction projects to access Dormitory Authority financing (S.3110). We are currently seeking Assembly sponsors for these bills (which cost the state of New York nothing).
Nine million New Yorkers hold library cards and 75% of New York's households are served by libraries, yet these library patrons only receive one tenth of one percent of the state budget, less than libraries receive in Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania.
Libraries are essential public resources and deserve their fair share of the state budget. 2006 is the year for the state Legislature to live up to the law and to the expectations of library patrons throughout New York state. Invest in libraries. We are a united community, working together for an increase in library aid of all types.
I would like to thank you for the opportunity to comment on the Regents 2006 Legislative Priorities for Libraries, specifically on the New Century Libraries proposal for 30 million dollars in annual state aid for public library construction. I come from a library System of 20 independent libraries consisting of 33 library buildings. Over the next five years we project our member libraries will require 28 million dollars worth in new construction and major renovation.
On average our library system adds 192,000 items per year to our collection. To make room for these items alone would conservatively require 153,000 square feet of additional building space over the next 20 years. We have some libraries with limited meeting room size or no meeting room at all. The System's Central Library is in serious need of asbestos abatement, and one rural library is not ADA compliant having aisles not wide enough to accommodate wheelchairs, and having a part of their collection accessible only by stairs. These are just some examples of the need for state funding of public library construction. The Rochester Public library's ten city branches are in most need as 70% of the buildings are 20 years or older and haven't had a major renovation. There is a lack of space for the current collection and not enough space to expand, or facilitate library programs and services.
The proposed increase in state aid for Public Library Construction will not only assist in fulfilling the need for adequate collection space and public safety but will ensure the library's role within the community. Along with schools and businesses; the library and particularly the library building is the cornerstone of a vibrant community. Not only is the public library a repository for books, DVDs, CDs, and periodicals, it has become a temple of literacy, a window to knowledge, and a welcome space for young and old. The library building is a meeting location, an access point to the World Wide Web, and is a community place where lifelong learning occurs.
The public libraries' infrastructure needs to be maintained and improved so we can continue to provide the programs and services the community requires. The State funds that have become available to us helped to purchase land, remodel interior structures, and improve energy conservation. But there is much more that needs to be done. As costs increase for automation, resource sharing, and building construction, the funds to help pay for this infrastructure have been cut or held flat. This has threatened the public libraries' very existence and has provided a situation where difficult choices are being made that result in some communities not having the library facility their residents deserve.
When given the opportunity to reach those in the community, the public library has done just that in creating
separate children and teen areas, providing wireless connectivity, and supplying adaptive technology for the disabled.
For this to occur there needs to be the funding and space available to support these endeavors. I commend you today
for considering the Regent's proposal to increase funding for public library construction.
I would like to thank the Committee for allowing me to say a few words about library construction funding.
Just a quick note about myself. I am currently the First Vice President of the New York State Association of Library Boards, a Trustee on the Onondaga County Public Library System (OCPL), and former member and past president of the Jordan Bramley Library. My experience comes from serving the Jordan Bramley Library, which I often describe as a small underfunded library in western Onondaga County.
I would like to make two points.
First, to demonstrate the need for library construction funding, I'll use Onondaga County as an example. Within the county there are 18 independent libraries and the Syracuse City libraries managed by the Onondaga County Public Library System. With in that small population 6 of the independent libraries have identified construction needs for the next three years of $6,000,000. The Branch libraries with in the City of Syracuse have identified the $6.8 million dollars worth construction or renovation needs. This represents nearly $13 million dollars within Onondaga County alone. By extending this throughout the state the need (about ¾ billion dollars ) can easily be demonstrated. The economic impact can also be demonstrated between construction jobs, materials, and the ongoing impact on neighborhoods and localities.
Secondly, it would be better to allow Association Libraries easier access to loans from the New York State Dormitory Authority. Association libraries are independent "companies" chartered by the State of New York to provide library service to a designated area. Association libraries are not taxing authorities they are not able to bond for construction projects, as public libraries are able. If I am correct, special legislation is required each time an Association Library is allowed to borrow from those funds.
OCPL Member Libraries |
|
| Dewitt |
$2,000,000 |
| Fayetteville |
$800,000 |
| Jordan Bramley |
$10,000 |
| Liverpool |
$200,000 |
| Marcellus |
$1,400,000 |
| Solvay |
$1,600,000 |
| Total |
$6,010,000 |
OCPL Branch Libraries |
|
| Beauchamp |
$1,398,600 |
| Betts |
$624,700 |
| Hazard |
$953,700 |
| Mundy |
$348,400 |
| Paine |
$688,300 |
| Petit |
$921,100 |
| Soule |
$1,042,300 |
| White |
$815,900 |
| Total |
$6,793,000 |
Grand Total |
$12,803,000 |
Assemblywoman Galef, Committee members, colleagues, and other library advocates -- my name is Lyn Swafford, and I have been the Director of Canton Free Library up north in St. Lawrence County for nearly 7 years. I am honored to have the opportunity to speak to you today about the urgent need for increased funding for library construction and as a representative of the 64 libraries that make up the North Country Library System, based in Watertown under Director Steve Bolton.
Canton Free Library, a beautiful granite building of approximately 11,000 square feet, was built in 1908, and sits on a small parcel of land donated at that time by the Village of Canton. It remained in its original state until the mid 1950s, when an energetic group of citizens determined that an addition was needed because the 50 year old building was "outmoded and outgrown." After a successful fundraising drive that garnered the required $60,000, a cement block, steel, and glass addition, the architectural standard of that era, was built -- actually, sort of tacked -- on to the original edifice. In the mid 80s, the Board of Trustees received funding from a construction grant to install a hydraulic lift in the 4-tiered building -- lower level, lobby entrance, main floor and upper (4th) level. It has served three levels since that time. When the lift was installed, the 4th floor was just a storage area and therefore public access to the space wasn't considered a necessity. That's changed now, but I will share more on the current situation if there is time. The 4th floor now houses my office -- I'm in a converted 5' x 8' closet! -- several special collections, and a computer for use by genealogy researchers. Here's an incident that happened recently that tells me it's time to change our lift. A young woman in a motorized chair was stuck in the lift for about 15 minutes because we couldn't turn her chair to let her motor out. You see, people enter our current lift in one direction and must make a 90 degree turn to leave it. Today's motorized wheelchairs require more room to maneuver than that available in old lifts.
The next major change came in 1998 when $25,000 in funding from a successful school ballot initiative enabled the library to join the North Country Library System's automated circulation system. We didn't lose much shelf and seating space, but we nearly "lost" our local electrician as he worked diligently to install wiring and outlets in ceilings with no crawl spaces and through two-foot thick concrete walls and floors! Old buildings present very special challenges as they are adapted to meet 21st century electronic needs. And the expense is not small.
Now, nearly 50 years later, Canton Free Library is quite simply out of room -- stuffed to the walls with books, magazines, newspapers, computers, books on CD and audiotape, videos, DVDs, music CDs, -- and people! Because we are so overcrowded, I have had to make some difficult decisions in my efforts to find, in particular, the shelving space I need in a stone building that sits on a small piece of land with no room for expansion. I've weeded books that I might otherwise have kept, such as many of the over sized art and pictorial books, and most encyclopedia sets. I used to keep several sets of older encyclopedias for patrons to check out, but I don't do that anymore because I don't have the space. We've discontinued our subscription to reference works such as Current Biography, which we had purchased from its inception in the 40s, and we no longer have bound copies of American Heritage collected from the early 1900s. Our main mission is as a popular reading library, and our patrons expect us to purchase best sellers and popular authors for both children and adults. In order to make room for the always growing adult fiction collection, for example, I've had to relocate portions of the adult nonfiction collection all around the library. Fifteen shelves of 800s are now housed in the dark and dreary lower level; cookbooks are shelved separately -- and so on. In fact, we have cut back on ordering much nonfiction as a space saving move.
Today's services still include those offered to patrons when our buildings were raised in the 19th and 20th centuries, but we do so much more now, and more is expected of us. We offer programs for toddlers, preschoolers, elementary and high school students, and for adults. We share our building with over 20 community groups who meet regularly, adding a total of nearly 4000 to our annual library visits. Our patrons have used our eight (8) Gates Foundation PCs nearly 10,000 times each year since we received them in 2000, and although computer prices have come down, Internet access costs are high in our area. We have our regulars who depend on us for that access and for their word processing work. Two of the eight computers are in the current Children's Room and are dedicated to educational software games for preschoolers through 5th graders. In both cases, we have to limit computer time because others are waiting to use them. We have no space to add more hardwired PCs on our main floor. The ones we have are dangerously jerry rigged with wires all over the place because we don't have enough outlets.
Here's a story I want to share with you. We had scare in June of 2002 that illustrates the potential danger of other old library buildings. With no warning whatsoever, a portion of our original plaster and lathe ceiling let loose and fell on the head and shoulders of a patron using a computer! She wasn't hurt seriously, but the incident was enough to result in the replacement of the entire ceiling in that portion of the building and the shoring up of the 20 foot ceiling in the main reading room at an unexpected expense of about $30,000. I wonder how many other libraries could face, or have faced, a similar situation. We were lucky because we have an endowment from which we could draw on the interest to pay for these repairs. Where are libraries without that luxury to find such assistance? They must be able to look to the state for such capital funding! That's just not possible at the current level of monies available to us.
In order to fund our much-needed renovation, Canton Free Library embarked on a capital campaign in 2004 and to date, we've raised about $650,000 of the anticipated needed amount of (we hope) $750,000. We are struggling to gather in that last $100,000 and worried that we'll actually need more than that since our project cost estimate was received before construction costs soared in response to the two major hurricanes of this past summer. Our community has been wonderfully supportive, but we are experiencing the same situation that many communities throughout the state are facing -- so many needs and too few places to find funding. Grants are available, but we can't count on receiving the needed funding when our construction bills are due. And then there's always the chance that we won't receive any grant funding at all! Also, often times the determination of those awards goes beyond the time frame of the building project. For example, there are Historic Preservation grants available to registered buildings like CFL. We applied for such a grant, we qualify for this funding, we need this funding, and yet we have been told that it could be a year or more before we know if we will be funded. This won't work because the majority of our project will be completed before then. We can't wait a year or more for these results. I wonder why the decision making process takes so long, and I propose that the library committees in both houses investigate this situation and prepare a report.
These are but a few of our building's woes, and thus my library family will begin our first major renovation in over 50 years to better utilize our remaining interior space -- the underutilized half of the lower level -- our last frontier. We are also making major improvements to our infrastructure and already have two new roofs. The 1950s renovation cost the community about $60,000; the 2006 construction price is approaching $800,000! As you are aware, that's the total amount made available by the state to all libraries for the upcoming year. NCLS's portion is just under $24,000 -- for 64 aging libraries. Visit a library in any small town and you will see that the challenge of renovating Canton Free Library is not unique. There is a similar challenge faced by a library very near you.
In conclusion, I hope that I have made a contribution to these hearings by expressing the needs not only of Canton Free Library, but of all the libraries in NYS. We need your help and ask you to continue your hard work of persuading your colleagues to increase library construction funding to $1.85 million, the proposed level of funding deemed necessary to begin to meet our communities' expectations of services. I am confident that two of your colleagues, Assemblyman Darrel Aubertine and Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava, are already on board, and I thank them often for their continued support.
Thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to speak today. And I want to thank my husband -- and chauffeur
-- of nearly 40 years for driving me here today.
Last modified on February 22, 2006 -- asm
For questions or comments contact Barbara Lilley
URL: http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/libdev/construc/hearing.htm