Don’t you just hate it when you search the Journal Star’s archives for a story that’s more than two weeks old and they want to charge you $3 per story to download the full text? You can always go to the library and look it up on microfilm (any year) or through their subscription to NewsBank (articles from 1991-present). Either way, you have to go to the library, probably spending $3 in gas right there. Then, if you use the computer, you have to sign in and wait for a computer to become available.

But not anymore.

The Peoria Public Library has unveiled, as of April 6, a new service called “NewsBank from Home.”

The Peoria Public Library databases have always provided information for users over the internet at the library. Now a new addition allows patrons to access newspapers from home with their library card. Newsbank contains The Peoria Journal Star, The Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post and almost 30 top news magazines like Fortune, People Weekly, Real Simple, Newsweek, Time, Popular Science and Sports Illustrated.

Newsbank is searchable and contains full-text articles that are available without charge through this database. In most cases, newspaper and magazine websites charge for full-text articles. In addition, Newsbank returns search results from the entire database at one time and allows the viewer to save the articles to a “saved articles” folder.

This new feature for Peoria Public Library patrons will allow students, the business community, educators and hobbyists to find the information they need from any Internet-connected computer. Schools and business that may have subscribed to their own electronic versions of these databases in the past may find they no longer need those subscriptions.

All I can say is, this is FANTASTIC news. Now, that’s the kind of 21st-century library service we need around here. I’m so excited — it will make researching so much easier for me.

In order to use it, you have to have a library card. If you live in West Peoria or some unincorporated areas of Peoria County that don’t pay taxes to any library system, a library card will cost you $103. But for everyone else who pays taxes to the library system, it’s free. You just have to go down to your local library and sign up for it.

Even though I’m a strong supporter of libraries, I’ve been very conflicted about this referendum. In fact, I wrote up a whole post on why you should vote “no,” but in the process I changed my mind.

Since I do a lot of research at the Peoria Public Library, I know how good our library system is, how knowledgeable the librarians are, and how much in need of updating some of the facilities are. But voters are being asked to approve giving the library $35 million so it can put this plan into effect. That plan is a mixed bag, which is why it was hard for me to come down on one side or the other.

On the positive side, I like the fact that it deals with the whole system — it’s a balanced approach to improving library service. The north side doesn’t get a new branch at the expense of the south side. All service areas get enhanced and expanded (south, central, and north). Even though the small South Side branch would be closed, the Lincoln Branch would be greatly expanded. I like that the downtown branch will remain the flagship to serve the whole Peoria area.

Nevertheless, I have a couple of reservations about the plan:

• I appreciate that they are trying to keep personnel costs down — it’s good to be conscientious about the biggest library expense: staff. But I think they’re testing our common sense when they say, “A new, revitalized Main Street Branch will be able to offer better service with a smaller staff.” I highly doubt that. I understand the premise that having an open floor plan will require fewer staff to monitor each floor. But I fail to see how reducing staff and giving the remaining librarians more responsibility is going to make them either more efficient or able to provide better service.
• Another reservation I have is the size of the north branch. I don’t see how they can justify the 35,000 square feet they’re proposing. A more modestly-sized branch that could be expanded in the future would be more reasonable. This would also bring down the $35 million pricetag.

Actually, there’s one other thing that bothers me, and that’s a matter of priorities. Libraries are fundamentally important, and I consider them an essential service for the city. But not all essential services are created equal. Police and fire protection are more important than libraries. By and large, the same council people who are enthusiastically endorsing this tax increase for libraries are the same council people who wouldn’t even consider a tax increase to fully staff fire station 11 or add more police. It was their fear of raising property taxes that resulted in the dreaded “garbage fee” being instituted. If the council is now willing to raise taxes, then their first priority should be to see that our fire stations and police force are adequately staffed and funded. Then they can provide funding for the library.

That said, the library is worthy of the funding, which is why I’m endorsing this referendum.

I went to the library this evening to look up two Journal Star newspaper articles — one from 2005 and one from 2006. Just to prove I’m not a Luddite, I decided to try one of the library’s computer stations and utilize their free NewsBank service to just e-mail the articles I wanted from the library’s computer to my personal e-mail address. I’ve actually done it before and it was pretty slick.

But obviously, it had been more than a month since I used their computers, because the first question I got was, “Have you gotten on a computer since we put in our new system?”

“Um, I dunno. How new is your ‘system’?”

“About a month.”

“Then, no, I guess not.”

To make a long story short, the “old system” was to have a live library staff person wait on you and assign you to a computer workstation. The “new system” is to train you, the library patron, to do the job the live library staff person used to do for you. There’s one other “new” thing. Instead of a manual reservation, the new system is computerized. So it’s not as easy as just writing your name on a clipboard.

After being duly trained on this library administration software, I was informed that workstation 21 would be available for my use at 7:00. I looked at the clock on the wall, and it was 6:25. I asked to cancel my computer reservation.

Instead, I went over to the microfilm machines where nary a soul was around, pulled out the two microfilm reels I needed, loaded them each, found the articles I wanted, and printed off a copy, all within about five minutes. I was home by 6:40.

Score one for the old-fashioned way.

The Peoria Public Library, before going to the voters and asking for money for expansion, is holding several meetings soliciting public input. Some other public bodies in Peoria could learn from their example. The meeting dates are:

• Thursday, October 19 – 4:30 p.m.
  McClure Branch Library, 315 W. McClure
• Saturday, October 21 – 2:00 p.m.
  Lakeview Branch Library, 1137 W. Lake
• Wednesday, November 1 – 7:00 p.m.
  Dunlap Middle School, 5200 Cedar Hills Drive
• Tuesday, November 14- 7:00 p.m.
  Common Place, 514 S. Shelley
• Tuesday, December 12 – 7:00 p.m.
  Main Street Branch -107 N. E. Monroe Street

I already have some questions I’d like to ask at one of these meetings. After reading the executive summary of their proposed plan (available on their website), I’m still a bit dubious that they can offer the same or better level of service at the main branch if they take some of the employees there and move them to a new North Peoria branch.

I understand the concept of having an open floor plan, thus fewer people can staff multiple departments. But won’t we lose expertise? If you have a specialist in Business and a specialist in Art & Music, and you take the Art & Music person and put them up north, then ask the Business person to oversee Business and Art & Music… aren’t you losing something? Or at least putting more strain on the existing staff?

I know they’re trying to keep costs down, and that’s commendable. But if they’re going to add a 35,000-square-foot branch, I think it’s only realistic to expect they’ll need more staff.

Is this the face of the new North Peoria branch of the public library? That’s one idea in the library’s $35 million plan:

A proposed new 35,000-square-foot branch would cost $11 million, and include a computer lab and large children’s area. Szynaka suggested a vacant building, such as K’s Merchandise, which is going out of business, could even be retrofitted.

I suppose it’s fitting for the suburbs to have a plain-vanilla building for their library. Still, it’s a shame that civic structures warrant no special architecture anymore. Architecture — especially for civic buildings — was supposed to inspire and delight; now most buildings are “designed” more by engineers than architects, always with efficiency being paramount and aesthetics being an afterthought or add-on. The library deserves better.

On the one hand, I appreciate their willingness to consider reusing an existing building. But that building was designed to be disposable; libraries should have an air of permanence. In short, it should look like a library. Maybe that’s part of the plan. I’ve called the library and asked for a copy of the consultant’s report.

The most unrealistic part of plan as it was reported in the paper is this: “If staffed more efficiently, library officials believe they can build a new North Peoria branch without adding employees.” All this means is they’re going to take staff from the downtown branch and move them to the North Peoria branch, meaning more work for each current staff person. I doubt the library is overstaffed at the moment; they’re always hopping when I’m in there, and I often have to wait in line at the reference desk. This “efficient staffing” will probably mean a longer wait time to talk to a librarian.

Now, I sound all negative here (hey, it sells papers, right?), but really, other than these two concerns, I’m actually excited about the prospect of the library getting a facelift. I’m a big fan of the Peoria Public Library and would like to see some money and new life pumped into it. Their research materials are excellent and they have a very helpful and knowlegeable staff. I’m looking forward to hearing more details about their expansion plans in the near future.