by Marcus Hochstetler

Many of us find ourselves struggling this year with budget cuts. Consequently, we are being asked to review or even eliminate key services. The King County Law Library is now facing such a challenge. We’re trying to alert people to a possible reduction of services in our Kent branch and still tout our existing services. Reaching out through our blog and e-mail list is the primary way we disseminate information. Another way to argue for maintaining your services is to publicize your cause. If you find yourself in the position of having to justify staff or services, you will benefit from synthesizing your most marketable points and sharing them with superiors or decision makers.

Here are some key highlights which can be helpful:

• Speak to your direct impact on the service the organization provides to clients.

• Speak to your cost reduction efforts you to work within the current budget constraints.

• Speak to your value to the organization by citing a specific example of an individual who received your service and paid a complement to you and your staff.

• Speak to your specific services which help the organization become more efficient.

Ultimately, the decision in many cases will be out of your hands. By emphasizing these points you can at least put forward the best case for retaining the library services and funding at their current level, even in a tough economy. Some of us may even be fighting for their very existence as we are at KCLL. The proposed 2010 budget for King County does not include any funding for our branch at the Regional Justice Center in Kent. Without this funding, it is very likely that we will need to close the branch entirely. This leads us to make an all out push for support from our community partners, the public, and anyone willing to help. In the past I have created a one page message to present to the Councilmembers on the value of keeping a library in Kent. The key to our message is focusing on a primary loss to the community of a resource which provides critical access to the justice system for those in the most need.

An important part of any request is showing gratitude. We can share our gratitude for the past support of library funding and vow to continue working with decision makers to survive the current crisis. While it may come down to a cold hard facts decision about the library, making personal connections and sharing the value of your services will garner the trust of those who wield organizational power. As for our situation, you can stay tuned for further details in the coming weeks.