The Dallas Public Library has one of the best genealogy departments of any public library in the United States. Sadly, that may soon end. The department is on the chopping block for the second straight year because of budget deficits facing the Dallas City Council.
The Dallas Genealogical Society warns, "We are heading for a disaster with the Dallas City Council refusing to even consider a tax hike to cover their $130 million projected budget shortfall. Since the Dallas Public Library system shares the same budget with essential services like Police and Fire, you know who will be deemed more 'essential.' To make matters worse the Library administration has decided to sacrifice the downtown research library for the branch libraries because the council representatives hear more from their voters about curtailing services in their particular area."
The Dallas Genealogical Society warns, "We are heading for a disaster with the Dallas City Council refusing to even consider a tax hike to cover their $130 million projected budget shortfall. Since the Dallas Public Library system shares the same budget with essential services like Police and Fire, you know who will be deemed more 'essential.' To make matters worse the Library administration has decided to sacrifice the downtown research library for the branch libraries because the council representatives hear more from their voters about curtailing services in their particular area."
The Dallas Genealogical Society is trying to form a coalition with like minded groups to save what is a great local and regional resource. We would really appreciate your help in advertising our plight to the genealogical world.
The following was written by the Dallas Genealogical Society Board:
DGS and the Dallas Public Library
In 1955, the founders of the Dallas Genealogical Society set out the goals for the society in its charter. Among these, was the objective "to assist and support the Genealogy Section of the J. Erik Jonsson Central Library in Dallas, Texas, or to its legal successor."
When the new downtown library building was being planned, the Dallas Morning News, in an article by Henry Tatum on 4 Aug 1977, called the downtown site the "Central Research Library" and stated that then mayor Robert Folsom distributed to the council materials describing the need for a research facility.
The current proposed Dallas City Council budget plan will severely limit access to most floors of the central library. Floors 3 through 8 will be open Thursday through Sunday for a total time of only 24 hours. These floors make the central library the prime research library for the city of Dallas. None of the branch libraries provide the resources found there. The central library will open floors 1 and 2 Tuesday through Sunday, as if this part were a branch library. In addition, the central library staff will be reduced by nearly half. All staff who shelve books will be let go, leaving reference librarians to do this work instead of answering patrons’ questions.
Reduced access and staff for the Genealogy section of the library will hinder research efforts. Many of the other floors provide resources used by genealogists and other types of researchers. Among these are: history/social science (8th), Texas/Dallas history and archives (7th), government publications and maps (6th), business and technology (5th), and humanities newspaper collection (3rd). The reduction in hours also hampers community use of meeting rooms located on 3rd, 5th, 7th and 8th floors, making scheduling of available rooms more difficult.
Even if you do not live in the City of Dallas or are not a member of the Dallas Genealogical Society, you are in a decisive position to provide the Dallas City Council with information on the value of the J. Erik Jonsson Central Library as city budget cuts are being debated.
Individuals from outside of the city who use the J. Erik Jonsson Central Library for research bring revenue into the city of Dallas in the form of parking fees, meals at restaurants, shopping at near by stores, and sometimes hotel stays. They also donate funds for acquisitions, participate in fundraising events and donate volunteer hours to the library. These activities would be hampered by reduction in access to the research materials there. Now is the time to make your needs known to the city council.
For information on contacting the mayor and city council, click on the following url http://cts.vresp.com/c/?DallasGenealogicalSo/7257b72e3d/TEST/ede9fcfa13. You will be taken to a City of Dallas site where you can e-mail the Mayor and All Council Members, or select any individual council member. City Council District 14 covers the physical location of the downtown library.
Please make the effort to contact the Dallas City Council before the proposed changes to the downtown central library are implemented.
Thank you,
Dallas Genealogical Society Board
