January 2013 Correspondence with Whitchurch-Stouffville Mayor and Council (MayorAndCouncil@TownOfWS.

ca) Re: Library Funding Arnold Neufeldt-Fast Email: neufast@yahoo.ca; Twitter: @neufast See also http://www.wslibrarypetition.blogspot.ca/

Below is the collection of emails I sent this month to the Mayor and Council, Town of WhitchurchStouffville. Not only has it been a critical month for our towns libraryas documented belowbut one in which terrible, long-term decisions regarding the librarys expansion (delayed again) and operating funding/staffing have been made.

January 31, 2013 Dear Mayor and Council, In-Person visits to the town library sky-rocketed 125% between 2007 and 2010. From 2007 to 2010, there was a 36% increase in active cardholders at the WS Public Library--up 5,424, or 151 new active cardholders each month for three years (source: Prov. Library Statistics). What did this mean for our staff? The impact was larger than what one might expect (Council could have easily overlooked this): During this same period the number of in person visits jumped 125% (from 101,250 to 227,650). This is a leap from 31 in person library visits per hour (avg) to 71 (assuming 52 weeks x 62 hrs). That is very significant. During this time the library added its first full position in a decade (from 9.7 to 10.91). In comparison, in 2010 and 2011 the Aurora Public library had about 100 visitors per hour--yet with more than three times the staff (34 vs. 11 FTE) and a much larger facility . Councillor Bartley noted that he has never seen the library very busy. That is anecdotal; we need to make data-based decisions. The Corporate Efficiency Review, if followed, will make staffing at the WSPL in 2014 and 2015 even leaner (per resident served) than in any of the years above (see my email, Jan 20, 2013 below with annual statistics). Todays article in the Sun-Tribune praises the efficiency of the library and the hard work of staff. Indeed, every statistic supports it (and I have had nothing but courteous and helpful support from staff). But in the end, there is only so much help that staff can give in a busy library environment. At some point it is disingenuous simply to praise their efficiency, while at the same time passing budgets that have placed

the WSPL in last place of 30 comparator communities for staffing per residents served. It is also an insult to the community to say service is not impacted (my last email to you Jan. 29th [below] documented clearly that the reference transactions per capita are very low when compared to our other comparator communities). There is no gravy in the library--even though the CRE participants think they have found ways for achieving the same effectiveness and service with an even lower staff/resident ratio than we have today. That's not possible, or wise, or fair. In the weeks ahead, I trust that you will help to find pathways to enable us to have an at-least "average library (for our sized community) in terms of staffing, new materials budget, and space in the near future.

Sincerely, Arnold Neufeldt-Fast PS: Im planning for this to be my last email to you directly on this topic for a time (though I will welcome a data-based discussion at any time). The correspondence will remain posted online.

-------------January 29, 2013 Dear Mayor and Council, The Whitchurch-Stouffville Public Library Crisis: Reference Services After books, reference services are the most visible element of the library. A reference transaction is an exchange between a library staff member and a library user. The purpose of such a conversation is to clarify the needs of the library patron, and to aid him or her in meeting those needs. This can involve the use, recommendation, interpretation, or instruction in the use of an information source. Reference assistance can be especially helpful in an age of information overload. The Whitchurch-Stouffville Public ranks in fourth last position of thirty-one comparable communities1 with respect to total reference transactions (incl. electronic) per capita.

Source: Ministry Public Library Statistics. Comparator communities include: all York Region municipalities; two neighbouring Durham communities; communities used in the dmA Facility Study for the Town of W-S; Ontario communities grouped by pop: BMA Municipal Study 2011 & Ministry Public Library Statistics.

Reference Transactions/capita
2.5 2 1.5 1 0.5 Quinte West Lincoln Newmarket Whitchurch-Stouffville Fort Erie Aurora Georgina Haldiman County County of Prince Welland Markham Brant County Woodstock Grimsby Orillia Stratford Timmins Cornwall Orangeville East Gwillimbury Pickering Owen Sound & North Richmond Hill Belleville Vaughan Innisfil Uxbridge King Brockville New Tecumseth St. Thomas 0 Reference Transactions/capita

While the average reference transactions per capita in this group of communities is 0.66/per resident, Whitchurch-Stouffvilles transactions per capita (including electronic) are 0.26; the previous two years were even worse: 0.11 and 0.17. These numbers are troubling. This low ranking is surprising given Whitchurch-Stouffvilles relatively high percentage of active cardholders (52%). Yet the ranking is understandable given the high ratio of population served per library staff member in Whitchurch-Stouffville (see next slide). Without a sufficient number of reference librarians, a community suffers; we ask fewer questions and find fewer answers. The public library then ceases to be a place for research and exploration--whether for students, the emerging creative class of businesses, or to residents new to community and/or to Canada. Whitchurch-Stouffvilles current staffing and reference-transactions problem will be intensified in 2014 and 2015,2 when the ratio of staff to residents served will be higher than ever before in WhitchurchStouffville. Town Council, apparently, does not see this as a problem. This needs to change. However without per capita funding that is comparable to other Ontario libraries, there is little that the Library Board and CEO can do remedy the situation.

For statistics (and links to sources), see my Jan. 20, 2013 letter to Town Council [below].

Population served per 1 Staff

4000 3500 3000 2500 2000 1500 1000 500 0 Whitchurch-Stouffville New Tecumseth Orangeville Quinte West Welland Lincoln Owen Sound & North Grey Haldiman County Georgina Markham Uxbridge Newmarket Timmins Richmond Hill Grimsby Belleville East Gwillimbury Vaughan Fort Erie Brockville Cornwall Aurora Brant County King Woodstock Pickering Innisfil Stratford St. Thomas Population served per 1 Staff

-Arnold Neufeldt-Fast, Jan 29, 2013

Jan 28, 2013 Dear Mayor and Council, As you identify areas for increased corporate efficiency, please note that departmental hiring projections should not be cut equally, because Council has not allowed each department to grow equally. Leisure expenditures grew 285% between 2006 to 2011 (from $2,050,096 to $7,892,437; Source: W-S Final Budgets) Library expenditures grew only 54% between 2006 to 2011 (from $675,350 to $1,041,607).

Library per person costs have actually been forced down over this time, while Recreation per person costs have been allowed to mushroom: Recreation, Programming and Facilities expenditures per person: up $45.58 between 2006 and 2011 Library expenditures per person: down $3.46 between 2006 and 2011

(Source: Town of W-S, 2011 Municipal Performance Measurement; 2007 Municipal Performance Measurement) Between 2010 and 2011, core collection item costs [i.e., the cost of new materials] increased 23% (cf. CEO comments, 2011 Budget Plan p. 234). Despite soaring costs, Whitchurch-Stouffville spends less per person on material acquisitions today than in 2006 (=$3.93/person vs. $3.32 in 2011; see new graphic) Library services have been cut in the name of efficiency for years. When our per person expenditures for new acquisitions are put against 30 comparable communities, we are in 26th position (click for convenient, online graphic); for staffing we are in last position (see staffing graphic). We are not a well-resourced community; we are far below average, and this impacts young and old, and the poor more than the wealthy in town. How do we get to "at-least-average"? That's a sincere question. Thanks for considering it. Arnold Neufeldt-Fast ----------------------------

Jan 27, 2013 Dear Mayor and Council, FYI, below is a new chart with the Library Staffing figures I sent to you earlier in the month. Ive created and posted the chart online (and also promoted it by Twitter, Facebook etc; also attached) http://www.scribd.com/doc/122427637/Chart-Library-Staffing-per-population-served-Understandingthe-Crisis-in-Whitchurch-Stouffville I hope that this is helpful to understand where we stand when comparing library staffing per residents served. I used the 30 comparator communities as recommended in other studies (dmA Management, BMA [by pop], Ontario Public Library Statistics [by pop], other York Region and two Durham neighbouring communities). Were in last [position re: staffing per pop served]. Ive also posted online this series of January letters to mayorandcouncil@townofws.ca for public review and comment (also promoted via Twitter, Facebook, etc.) http://www.scribd.com/doc/122361309/Whitchurch-Stouffville-Library-Funding-Crisis-Correspondencewith-Town-Council-Jan-2013#fullscreen Thanks for giving this your attention. Arnold Neufeldt-Fast

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Jan 26, 2013 Dear Mayor and Council, Chatham-Kent has just put online the new BMA 2012 Municipal Report (something, by the way, our Town should do too). 2012 Library, p. 161: W-S $26/capita; avg for communities our size: $45 (42% below average) Recreation operating costs, programming, and facilities (excluding amortization), p. 159: W-S $159/capita; prov. average: $116 (37% above average) This comparison is crucial for the "corporate efficiency" plan (NB: I realize that Council does not have authority to determine library hiring [that's the board's, acc. to the Public Libraries Act], but you hold the purse-strings to make it happen). Re Library funding/capita: we are solidly in last place again this year: Quinte West is the next closest in our category at $30. That of course limits the ability of the board again this year to fulfill its mandate to the community. Remember: in 2006 (BMA p. 133) there were many communities "with us" at around $30 per capita (see earlier email chart below) How can we work constructively for an "at-least-average" library in our community? Can we have a fair discussion, apples to apples? The Mayor said in 2010 he wanted a per capita funding plan for the library. It would be great if council could take care of that before passing the baton in 2014, with a plan for achieving at long last "at-leastaverage" library for our great community. Sincerely, Arnold Neufeldt-Fast

Jan 26, 2013 Dear Mayor and Council, How did we get to this crisis in the library's history? In 2006, the following communities were at the low end of library per capita funding in Ontario (BMA Municipal Study 2007, p. 133).

In 2010, the same continued to be significantly below the provincial average for per capita library funding (BMA Municipal Study 2011, p. 153 [see also NEW 2012]) Community Timmins Chatham-Kent Whitchurch-Stouffville (cf. also Town of WS 2006;2010) Barrie Welland Huntsville East Gwillimbury Provincial Average 2006 $29 $29 $30 2010 $34 $35 $23 Difference +17% +21% -23%

$30 $30 $31 $32 $36

$32 $34 $40 $38 $44

+7% +13% +29% +18% +22%

Library operating funding per capita grew an average of 17.5% in six comparator communities and 22% provincially between 2006 and 2010. In Stouffville during that same period, Library operating funding per capita dropped 23%. Annually during this period, Council members on the Library Board emphasized that budget increase in all departments must remain between 2% and 3%. If Whitchurch-Stouffville Town Council had allowed the Library Board to increase its operating budget 2.5% annually per capita -- as is the practice in almost every other Ontario community --- the 2010 operating budget would have been $32.43 per person, or (x 36,000 residents) about $325,000 more than was the case. Compared to the average contribution of other Ontario communities of similar size, the shortfall in 2010 was $756,000 ($21 x 36,000 residents).

[ New: Situation for 2011] Actual WSP Library operating funding per person If WSP Library operating budget increased 2.5% per person per year ... (base year: 2006, $29.39) Difference 2011 $25.93 (x 37,628 residents) $975,694

$33.24 ( x 37,628 residents) $1,250,754 $7.31 (x 37,628 residents) ($275,061) -22%

If WSP Library operating budget was at prov. avg. for comparable sized communities (BMA 2012 p161) Difference

$45 (x 37,628 residents) $19 (x 37,628 residents)

$1693,260 ($714,932) -73%

This documents what has happened to library funding in Whitchurch-Stouffville since 2006. Mayor Wayne Emmerson (YouTube) noted in a 2010 election speech that he had proposed a per capita funding plan for the library, but it was rejected by his fellow council members "to cut their budget." We did not have to be at this place, and there is plenty of blame to go around. In the end however, we have a well-documented library crisis at the operation funding level. This is reflected in the staff per resident ratio (which has dropped dramatically over the same period--I have documented this in an earlier email) and in the materials budget (also documented in a previous email). Capital budget is a different, but related problem. The Town's consultant recommends 0.65 sq ft per capita (less than the prov. recommendation) 2001 facility: 13,121 sq ft. [actual] (2001 pop 22,859 x 0.65 = 14,858 sq ft); not built [for 2001 or for population] growth. Council plans for expansion design in 2008; construction 2009 (cf. 2007 Budget/Capital Forecast; interviews with press) Today, plans for expansion are pushed off until ... 2016 and 2017? Again, we did not have to be at this place--and there is blame to go around. The entire community is impacted by this crisis: no quiet study space; no appropriate archival space (loss of Art Latcham Magic Collection [see below]); lack of specialists for children's literacy; adult literature; archivist; etc. High School students studying in Markham for better resources; book clubs using reciprocal relationships with other libraries to get their books, many holds on popular items ... etc. There is still more to say, which is also well-documented. There has been no evidence to suggest that these comparisons are not "apple to apple" comparisons, as Mr. Pourvahidi had said to me. Staff/resident ratio is "apple to apple" if and when compared to communities our size with only one library. New materials budget is also a good comparator. BMA Municipal Studies are only one source. The provincial public library statistics are another. Staff ratios and materials for the dmA Consultant's comparator communities can found in the provincial library statistics. We can compare ourselves on staff and new materials to other York Region and neighbouring Durham Region communities. Where do we even come close to average? We simply don't. Is this still of no concern to the Mayor and to the would-be mayoral candidates? What are we as a community to do? Asked with the greatest sincerity, Arnold Neufeldt-Fast

Jan. 25, 2013 Dear Mayor and Council (cc: Free Press, Sun-Tribune) The story [see next email below loss of Art Latcham Magic Collection] will need to be welldocumented; and the Library Minutes are helpful in this regard. Stouffville tradition: Library budget bullying: Library Board Minutes ... [07 http://bit.ly/VVHXZ6 - see items 6.2 & 8] '08 http://bit.ly/W5ym3K '09 http://bit.ly/SOE3lX '10 http://bit.ly/SOE3lX '11 http://bit.ly/VnWm3S '12 ... lots to look at. Nicely summed up by John Relph, former [Library Board] chair, July 2011: http://www.yorkregion.com/opinion/letters/article/1046416--library-funding-not-keepingpace-with-growing-town Arnold Neufeldt-Fast

Jan. 25, 2013 Dear Mayor and Council (cc: Free Press, Sun-Tribune) An important story; I hope one of the papers investigates: News (today) Carleton University acquires Whitchurch-Stouffville's Magic Collection: http://fb.me/U1wk1Uqw Library Board Minutes, June 2012, #10.2 "Collection is deteriorating & Library does not have appropriate storage facility" http://bit.ly/WluLhD Town Council and Library Funding (see link). This is just another casualty of Council's vision for the Library; an important legacy lost. I was told at the Council meeting, that no one but me had ever said there was a crisis at the library. It's been said many times, for those who have ears to hear. Here are just two examples: Ben Embiricos, "Talk of the Town: Is There a 'Handy' Solution to the Library Crisis?," Stouffville Free Press, Aug. 2011, p. 8.

Sandra Bolan, "Giant Book Sale now paying for library essentials," Stouffville Sun-Tribune, March 25, 2011.

Sincerely, Arnold Neufeldt-Fast

January 23, 2013 Dear Mayor and Council, I was curious about your question regarding my sources. Almost all are readily available online WSP Library Board Minutes (not agenda packets; they are in the library public binder) Town of W-S Agenda Packets, Minutes, Capital Budgets; BMA Municipal Reports Ministry Library Statistics Sun-Tribune Archive Public Library Act, incl. FAQs dmA Facilities Report to Town of WS SOLS documents [Staffing; Facilities] (which typically give reference to further materials) etc.

With regard to information from Staff, you may recall the Operational Staffing Study, Dec. 2010 (which also gives a summary of the 2009 SWOT Analysis, Staffing Projections 2010-2015, etc.) That was available in hard copy at the Library together with the hard-copies of minutes and agenda. I review the binder monthly, and have done so since at least June 2011. When I stumbled across that study and the SWOT analysis, I took out my smartphone and photographed more than a dozen important pages. This staffing study continues to be important, and should be taken into account when making cuts. Thanks, Arnold Neufeldt-Fast

Jan. 23, 2013 Dear Mayor and Council, Last night after the meeting I penned a letter to the editor of the Free Press (see below). Kate Gilderdale responded this morning, and plans to run it in the February issue of the Free Press FYI, there is an important story by Pep Philpott in tomorrow's Sun-Tribune; it is an uneasy story, but highlights how critical the library is for new residents who are not otherwise finding Stouffville welcoming.

Sincerely, Arnold Neufeldt-Fast --------------Letter to the Editor: Library services are critical for a vibrant community. Literacy opens up new worlds for children. Librarians spark the imagination of young minds, and give students of all ages the tools and skills needed to explore, research and create. In Whitchurch-Stouffville, the library is also the towns commons, where new residents (some of whom are also new to Canada) find information and new connections in the larger community. The librarys many functions are important to recognize and to protect. In January, consultants presented Town Council with a corporate efficiency review. The recommendations are terrible for our library. There are provincial guidelines for the size of libraries. Council first planned for library expansion to take place in 2009. This was postponed many times. Now we learn that money is still tight, and expansion will likely not happen until 2017. There are provincial guidelines for staffing. Despite a boom in our population, the first new full-time position in a decade was added in 2011. Today we should have 21 full-time staff, but there is money for only 11. If Council acts on the recently received recommendations, 2014 and 2015 will be the worst years our library has ever seen with respect to staffing per residents served. How do we compare with other communities our size in Ontario? With respect to per capita funding, we have been in last position and dropping for a number of years. We are now 44% below that peer group average. And with respect to staffing, we are solidly in last place. This is not surprising: our per capita library funding has fallen 12% since 2006. In the meantime funding for parks, recreation and recreation facilities has increased by 38%--far above the provincial average. If council acts on the latest recommendations, the worst years for our library are still to comeeven beyond the mandate of this Council. While the Mayor and Council have done so many fine things for our community, the library has been a huge blind spot for many years. There is a feeling that Town Council may not be fully appreciating the services provided by the library. This is the very last line in Januarys 76 page Corporate Efficiency Review report. This lack of appreciation as demonstrated in annual budgets since 2007 is affecting all of us. More residents need to tell council immediately that an averagelibrary is the least we expect from our municipal tax dollars. Arnold Neufeldt-Fast

Dear Mayor and Council, I would like to add a few comments for your consideration in today's budget deliberations.

Regarding the Special Council Meeting 2pm: Mr. Pourvahidi is wise in reminding Council of the Municipal Act and The Debt Capacity Limit. These provide important guidelines and limits to protect citizens from negligent municipal governing bodies. He does not, however, remind you of the Public Libraries Act and the respective provincial guidelines regarding staffing and space (staffing: Ontario Public Libraries, 4th ed. App. B, cited here 1:2000; facilities: cited here - at least 65,000 sq/ft, not 13,000 [actual]) These provincial guidelines are there to protect citizens from negligent municipal governing bodies. The neglect of staffing and facilities has been so overwhelming, that the provincial averages seem fanciful. This council has long neglected the latter guidelines, acting as if the library is like a pool, a rink or a ballpark (though with recreation we far exceed provincial averages in dollars spent per capita). The Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport does not regulate the numbers of pools, rinks etc. nor provide guidelines for minimum staffing and facility size. It does however track matters very carefully for library services because this is essential for Canadian communities. Of course you need to follow the Municipal Act, but the province has guidelines for informing the interpretation of the Public Libraries Act as well to protect citizens from negligent councils. -Arnold Neufeldt-Fast

January 21, 2013 Dear Council, If the CER plan is accepted on Tuesday evening, you will have inflicted a final indignity on the library. Is this your agenda? The deficit in library service in W-S is already so large, it will take any future council a decade to address. * There are Ministry guidelines, which you have disregarded (1 staff per 2000 residents served); no attempt has been made to approach that target. * There are "apple to apple" comparisons with communities our size, with only one library, where the average is just shy of the provincial standard. The BMA Reports, dmA Management Consultants to the Town of W-S, the provincial Library statistics for towns our size, or all other York Region or neighbouring Durham Region community libraries > of all 30 possible comparison town/libraries, we are solidly in last place. In light of the above, what I find unbelievable, is that the CER plan, if accepted, will make staffing at the WSPL in 2014 and 2015 even leaner. Your plan reaches into the next council's mandate to ensure that the library enters it's worst year to-date in 2015. For a long time, in the name of "efficiencies," the library has -- slowly, year by year-- lost staff per/capita (see stats below), and in since 2007 (at the latest), become a beggard (see former Chair John Relph's

depiction in Sun-Tribune, July 2011). I've traced staffing back to the early 1990s (see stats below) to give the snapshot. Shortly after I arrived in Stouffville, the 2006 election took place, and Jim Mason wrote a piece entitled: "Wayne's World: The Sequel" (Nov 16, 2006). I was a little taken by the comparison to the movie (and sequel!), hoping it was a joke. But since 1994, library staffing per capita (the surest sign of library health; easiest way of comparing with other communities) has become a target, again and again. That has something to do with Macleans' "Smart City" evaluation of our town. The legacy is almost complete--and will reach well into the future. But even the short-range infliction is brutal. There is much that has been built that is "state of the art" or "top notch" in Whitchurch-Stouffville, as the Mayor likes to say (a search of the Library's online newspaper index brings up more than a few examples). And that is great. But this second to last budget also seals the Mayor's statement on the library--undeniable after many, many years in office (despite the new building in 2001--which was not even 0.65 sq/ft per capita for that day). We have long become the most efficient library in the province; your budgets have ensured that. And now one final indignity? There is still an opportunity for change. -Arnold Neufeldt-Fast

Jan 20, 2013 Dear Mayor and Council, I've examined the Corporate Efficiency Review. Thank you for considering new staff for the library by 2016. Please note that the provincial ministry guidelines (2009) are 1 staff per 2000 residents served, or 5 FTE for 10,000 pop. Below are the calculations of staff per 10,000 residents served. If CER recommendations are followed on Tuesday, 2014 and 2015 will be the worst years to date for library staffing at the Whitchurch-Stouffville Public Library: 1988: 8 FTE/17,000 (pop) or approx. 4.7 FTE per 10,000 pop 1998: 8.1 FTE/18,642 (pop) or 4.45 FTE per 10,000 pop 2001: 9.61 FTE/22,859 (pop) or 4.20 FTE per 10,000 pop 2008: 9.91 FTE/ 30,000 (pop) or 3.30 FTE per 10,000 pop (actual prov. average: 4.72) 2009: 9.91 FTE/34,300 (pop) or 2.89 FTE per 10,000 pop 2010: 10.7 FTE/ 34,300 (pop) or 3.12 FTE per 10,000 pop 2014: 11.7 FTE (10.7 + 1 CER recomm'd)/44,550 (est. pop) or 2.62 FTE per 10,000 pop.

2015: 11.7 FTE/45,750 (est. pop) or 2.56 FTE per 10,000 pop. Currently, when compared to neighbouring communities, or to other York Region towns and cities, or to communities of like size (BMA Reports), or to the communities identified in the recent library facilities report (dmA), Whitchurch-Stouffville is in absolute last position for staff per population served. The direction set from the mid-1990s is startling. It is striking to see that staffing in years 2014 and 2015 will be worse than today, and even worse than in the crisis year of 2010 / 2011. In 2011 council finally approved the first new full position in a decade (and did so reluctantly, and only by flat-lining materials at 2010 levels, and cutting back part-time hours). In 2016, the CER recommends hiring 3.43 staff. (Does that assume library expansion as late as 2016?) With a minimum estimated population of 47,000, staffing levels will be 3.25 FTE per 10,000 pop. While this is a significant increase over 2015, it is worse than in 2008, and no progress over against the prov. average (4.72) and ministry guidelines (5.0/10,000, or 1:2000). Please remember: the citizens of Whitchurch-Stouffville are looking for a plan that gets us to a "average" library in the near future (in terms of materials, staffing and space). The staffing recommendations are shocking -- as is the assumption (??) of such a late facility expansion date. Please let me know if I have misunderstood -- but my reading of the recommendations is that Council is prepared to inflict further cuts to a library already ranked last provincially with respect to staffing (i.e., when compared to any of the 30 communities in the BMA list, by similar population (prov. library stats), York Region communities, or neighbouring communities). Please consider changes in the recommendations. Arnold Neufeldt-Fast

Dear Mayor and Council, Please consider the library this week. Town of W-S, Municipal Performance Measurement Program reports are helpful for perspective/trends showing what has occurred in your two-terms of office: 2011 vs. 2006 Library Services - operating costs per person: $25.93 (down 12%, from 2006: $29.39) Parks - operting costs per person: $29.46 (up 171%, from 2006: $10.86) Recreation programs - operating costs per person: $25.87 (up 75%, from 2006: $14.82) Recreation facilities - operating costs per person: $133.59 (up 13.5%, from 2006: $117.65) Total for parks, recreation and rec. facilities per person: $188.91 (up 32%, from 2006: $143.33) Our spending on Recreation exceeds by far the provincial averages. Our spending on Library is far below the provincial averages and all of our neighbouring communities. Encouragement: leave a balanced legacy.

Anecdotal: You may or may not use the library regularly, but in our household the following example from last week, repeated by many households in our community, is not abnormal: 1 hold (me) 4 holds (my daughter) My wife travelled to Markham to get a book for her book club. This relates to new materials budget, which, as I mentioned earlier has only gone up $0.41/capita since 1998! Staffing, as you know, is even more pressing. Capital has been pressing for years (see 2007 Five Year Budget Forecast, p. 29). It's clearly another year for sports; federal funding and private donations are wonderful. But library patrons (more than half of our community) appear to be set for more short-term bad news. There is still a chance for a change of heart. The mayor gave his word last January about expansion 2014 ("as long housing stays strong"). Let's finish strong. Arnold N-F

January 16, 2013 Dear Mayor and Council, Please remember when looking for efficiencies and planning for 2013-14: Staffing: Library Staffing FTE 2001: 9.66; more than a decade later: 10.91 (2001 close to recommended prov avg of 1:2000 pop) Compare with Parks and Facility F/T staffing: 9 new FTEs over past five years alone (2007: 14; 2011: 23). Operating Costs Library Services operating costs per person: 2006: $29.39 (Town of W-S, MPMP, 2007); 2011: $25.93 (Town of W-S, MPMP, 2011) Compare parks, recreation and facilities operating per person: 2006: $143.33 (Town of W-S, MPMP, 2007); 2011: $188.91 (Town of W-S, MPMP, 2011) Stouffville Library neglect? Since 2006, per person operating costs drop 12% to $25.93; Parks & Rec soars 38% to $188.91. Despite a spike in the cost of materials in past years, the per capita library is lower today than in 2006 (even in 2000 it was over $31); today 48% below the prov. avg. for comparable communities ($44; BMA 2011) Parks/Rec/Facilities spending however has been and is well above the prov average (2010: $143, or $32 above prov. avg BMA 2011);

If the goal is to keep tax increases to a minimum and to stand pat or keep to a holding pattern, please be honest with residents and confess that this was possible only on the back of the library (e.g., per capita increases in parks/rec by $45.58 in your term of office, but a decline in library per capita by $3.46. In one area you aimed to be above average -- at the expense of letting another area wither to well-below average). Those are decisions our town will live with; it would be dignified, however, to say as much, if this is indeed the equation with which your council wishes to retire. This being said, I still hold to the mayor's word last January: library planning in 2013 and building in 2014 as long as housing stays strong. I am glad that Mr. Hargrave supports this as well. Now we need two more. Thanks for considering the library as part of your legacy. Arnold Neufeldt-Fast

January 8, 2013 Dear Mayor and Council, I've submitted another item to the press (attached) --this time to www.StouffvilleConnects.com (online)-- with new materials and many supporting links regarding library funding and expansion. If accepted, Stouffville Connects has the right web-design for good community discussion. In the article I document library funding decisions made since 2006 and their consequences for our community. In the next days and weeks I will use social media (Twitter search term: "Stouffville"; follow: @neufast) to draw attention to the material, as I am doing with the other articles. I have already sent the Library CEO and Board Chairs (past and present) a copy. The Free Press is interested in receiving another article from me to be submitted on Jan 22 (after the Special Budget Meeting) for February publication. Perhaps what I chronicle in the attached article will sway some on Council to think differently about the state of the library and about what might still be done in this term of office. It is about the legacy of this Council. For those considering re-election in 2014, this document summarizes best the ways in which I will ensure that the library becomes the issue to which each must give account. I quote Mr. Pourvahidi in the article, so I have also cc'd him on this email (no ill-will, but your quote in the Sun-Tribune in July 2011 is important for the story!). Since I first spoke before Council a few years ago, I was convinced (as I am today) that you have done very well in many areas. But by 2011 there were already large and multiple signs that the library--a central community pillar--was in serious difficulty, and required immediate and focused budgetattention.

Time has passed, and I am disappointed and surprised that nothing was done to seriously address the yawning, growing gap between our library and the provincial (or dmA or BMA or regional or neighbouring) averages with respect to operating funding, staffing, materials and space. I will tell this story loudly--not to embarrass--but to highlight the priorities and guiding vision of these years in office. Especially for those seeking re-election, I will emphasize the desperate need for change. As you can expect, I will be tenacious. But when I get good answers, I hope I'm gracious as well. (I have and will say good things about your tenure too!). Agreeing to disagree, with sincerity, and for the good of the residents Whitchurch-Stouffville, Arnold Neufeldt-Fast (PS: Some book club members have encouraged me revive the petition site: http://wslibrarypetition.blogspot.ca/ --which I have gladly done!)

Dear Mayor and Council, I have read the 2013 Budget Guidelines & Approval Timetable . Please remember that in the 2012 Capital Budget forecast (p. 235), $600,000 is budgeted for Library Expansion design. Postponement of the expansion design and scuttling the expansion until after the next election will surely bring further delays. I was at the Library Board Meetings a year ago when Ms. Hilton strategically navigated the budget process to inch up the low per capita spending, and keep the expansion plans for 2013-14, as approved by Councillors Hargrave and Bartley as well. I was at the January 2012 Council meeting when the 2012 budget was passed and heard the words of the mayor re: the library expansion for 2014. I told people what I heard ("as long as the housing market doesn't slow"), and that we could count on a library expansion in 2014. I had brought 400plus signatures to council, and went on record to praise the budget, mayor and council (I have the emails to prove it). I was at the Oct. 25, 2011 Council Meeting when the little boy asked for another skate-board park (and the Mayor's Youth Council reported as well). The mayor was clearly moved by the little boy's request. But the high school students? After the delegation at that council meeting I spoke with the book-ish Shagun Jindal in the foyer, and she noted how she travels to the Angus Glen Library (25 min) to do her projects (she is also interviewed and quoted in Kim Zarzour's library article in the Sun-Tribune in Feb). One year later, the planning for the skateboard park is in high-gear: After a $175,000 fundraising campaign, a further $250,000 will be found in the budget to fulfill the dream of the skateboarders. It's great that the mayor's heart goes out for sports-requests/ projects like this. After six years I now know and can accept that mayor and council do not get excited about the library in the same way as for a skateboard park, arena, ball park etc. Please remember, however, that if the

Library planning and building does not happen for 2013/14, the library expansion is dead in this council's mandate. Practically, that means that the kids starting high school next fall will go through their entire high school career without an adequate public library (i.e., Shagun's experience). Since members of this council have been promising the expansion since the 2007 Capital Forecast (also promised in Sun-Tribune, Feb 1, 2007 article, and as recorded in Library Board Minutes beginning in 2007: here's one example), if the library is not constructed before the next municipal election it is clear that the issue has not been money or respect for the taxpayer, but the fruit of a particular set of priorities (or vision). Though the library is not a passion for council, I choose to take you at your word: library expansion planning in 2013 and building in 2014. That will require pre-approval in Dec to get the design process completed in time for expansion in 2014. Please let me know if I have misunderstood your intentions or if they have changed for some reason. Sincerely, Arnold Neufeldt-Fast W-S Library Petition Blog: http://wslibrarypetition.blogspot.ca/

January 4, 2013 Dear Council and Mayor, I'd like to encourage you to stick with the plan for library expansion and "average" per capita library funding. I read the comments by Councillor Ferdinands in the Sun-Tribune last night, and would like to ask you to reconsider the importance of robust library operating funding, as well as an expansion in 2014. I've sent the following letter to the editor in response to Mr. Ferdinands's comments. I'd be happy to discuss this with any of you. My sources are referenced at the bottom of the letter. Best wishes for the new year. Sincerely, Arnold Neufeldt-Fast ---Re: Stouffville council ready to stand pat, January 3, 2013 [published Jan 24, 2013] Whitchurch-Stouffville Town Councillor Ken Ferdinands wants to stand pat and put-off library expansion until after this councils term is completed. He is also satisfied to keep library operating expenditures in check with a long overdue reciprocal borrowing agreement with Newmarket; the only library left to forge a similar agreement with Whitchurch-Stouffville is Aurora.

This begs the question: Why have neighbouring municipalities like Newmarket and Aurora been hesitant to forge reciprocal agreements with us? The reasons are obvious: Auroras total library operating expenditure per resident is almost double ours: $55 vs. $28. The average of our nine neighbouring municipalities is $44. And compared to libraries in sixteen Ontario communities our size, WhitchurchStouffville is solidly in last place. This makes a difference in staffing, equipment, and materials. While Auroras population is 51% greater than ours, it has three times the total paid, full-time staff (33.8 to 10.91); it has 92% more computer workstations (46 to 24), and it spends $6.51 per person on new materials (we spend $3.33). Though we have a large rural population, Aurora subscribes to 34 electronic databases compared to our 27; that translates to 10,000 fewer items available for download in Whitchurch-Stouffville. It is understandable that Councillor Ferdinandss rural ward would appreciate a reciprocal library agreement with Aurora. Arguably, Aurora has space to spare as well. Both Aurora and Whitchurch-Stouffville built new libraries in 2001; Auroras has 0.83 square feet per resident; ours has less than half that space (0.41 square feet per resident). The need to expand in Whitchurch-Stouffville has been urgent for years. A better resourced libraryfunding, staffing, materials, equipment, spaceresults in higher circulation. Ours per active cardholder is 9.74 items per year; Auroras is 20.34. Communities without an "average" library in these regards have difficulty attracting "the creative class" and their businesses. Council has stood pat with library operating and capital funding long enough that it can be properly labelled neglectan unfortunate legacy for a Council that has done well in so many other areas over two terms. For our own good, I would encourage Aurora to refuse a reciprocal agreement with our town until our Council endorses a plan to increase per capita library to the provincial average for communities our size by 2015; over 400 residents petitioned Council for such a plan in September 2011. I would also encourage Council to ensure that they leave office knowing they have built a balanced community over their tenure; to date, library expansion is one of the largest and critical missing pieces of that puzzle. -Arnold Neufeldt-Fast, Stouffville
--Most of the figures are from the most recent Ontario Public Library Statistics (published every Fall): http://www.mtc.gov.on.ca/en/libraries/statistics.shtml For one comparison, I use the most recent BMA Municipal Report (published every Spring): http://www.greatersudbury.ca/content/dept_cfo/documents/Greater_Sudbury_full_report.pdf , pp. 152f. [update: BMA 2012 here] The sq.ft/resident calculation is based on the 2011 Stats Canada population figures

For earlier press items and information, please visit the original petition site: http://wslibrarypetition.blogspot.ca/