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AUSTIN LIBRARIES FOR THE FUTURE OFFERS RECOMMENDATIONS TO STRENGTHEN AUSTIN LIBRARIES

The Austin Libraries for the Future Task Force represents a broad cross-section of community leaders appointed by the Mayor. It is supported and assisted by the Community-Library Advocacy Project of Libraries for the Future, a national organization, and by the UT Graduate School of Library and Information Science.

The four traditional Library support groups (Austin Public Library Commission, Austin Public Library Foundation, Friends of the Austin Public Library, and the Austin History Center Association) and the staff of the Austin Public Library have been working with the University of Texas Graduate School of Library and Information Science on this consensus-building project. RGK Foundation is providing additional financial support for the process. The Task Force is chaired by local attorney Jim Cousar.

For seventy-five years, the Austin Public Library has been known for its high usage, its innovative programs and the staff's ability to provide considerable service with limited resources. The Austin History Center is recognized by peer institutions as a model excellence. However, the Library's development has not kept pace with that of the city. While other major urban centers, such as San Antonio, San Francisco, Seattle, Denver, Chicago, Nashville and Phoenix, are redeveloping their library systems as key components of overall revitalization, Austin has not provided the resources necessary for up-to-date, quality services, so the report finds. The Central Library is inadequate, the report finds, and the library budget, collections, and technology rank at or near the lowest quartile compared to systems in similar sized communities.

Since February 2000, the Task Force has been inviting community input about the future of our libraries. Over 1,200 individuals participated in surveys, discussions, focus groups, interviews and a town meeting about Austin's libraries. Their input, along with ideas from national library experts, underlie the Task Force's recommendations to make Austin's libraries welcoming, community-responsive centers of learning for a knowledge-based economy. This report and implementation plan are available online:

• ALFF Report
• ALFF Implementation Plan

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Deborah Edward, 512/797-6211