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Questions from the Citizens Alliance for the Bookmobile to Library System Director Cecy Keller and Library Board:

1. What costs are included in the $88,000 figure (salaries, repairs, etc.) used as the total cost for the Bookmobile in 2002?
2. Why is $56,000 given as being the "overall cost of the Bookmobile" in the August, 2002 Board Minutes, but $88,000 was the total cost cited in the April, 2003 Board Minutes? What made up the $32,000 difference? If extraordinary repairs accounted for the difference ("unexpected repairs" are cited in the April Board Minutes), were these repairs included in operating costs? Would a ten-year average be more accurate?
3. What percentage of 2002 was the Bookmobile not running?
4. Is the 12,000 figure comprised of Bookmobile collection books only or does it include all books delivered by the Bookmobile? If other books are not included in this figure, is the cost of delivery charged to the Bookmobile or to interlibrary delivery?
5. Was the 12,000 circulation figure a total for the year? Was it extrapolated to account for down time?
6. Is there a promotional budget for the Bookmobile? Is any marketing or promotion done at all?
7. Was a needs analysis of the county conducted? If so, who completed it and when? How was the analysis done? What areas of outreach were suggested? What has the library administration and board done to serve these areas?
8. Total bookmobile expenses in Pennsylvania average $104,503 per bookmobile. Average bookmobile cost per item in PA is $3.13. [2002/03 Annual Bookmobile Service Report] If the $7 cost-per-item figure cited by the library administration is accurate, doesn’t this high figure more likely indicate lack of support and marketing rather than excessively high costs?
9. What would be an acceptable bookmobile cost-per-unit? $3? 4? 2? Upon what would the library base this?
10. Why hasn’t the library administration pursued any of the myriad funding options for bookmobile service? [partial list of bookmobile funding sources: LSTA grants, Head Start grants, Mellon Foundation grants, Citizens Bank and other private monies]
11. What percentage of the total library budget was devoted to the Bookmobile in 2002?
12. Why has neither the library board nor the library administration followed up on the recommendations of the Bookmobile Task Force?
13. Montgomery County (four bookmobiles, staff of 14) and Berks County (three bookmobiles) have many bookmobiles and outreach vans. [phone interviews, Montco extension librarian and S. Harvard, Berks Co. librarian] Why are these counties able to afford not one but many bookmobiles, but Chester County cannot support one?
14. Bookmobile expert and librarian Carla Hole of the Alachua County Library in Gainesville, FL, tells us that, "every study I have ever done or seen says it costs significantly less to circulate a book from a bookmobile than a fixed library." She adds that if a bookmobile seems expensive, costs are being misallocated or the bookmobile is mismanaged. [e-mail, 9/02/03] Please respond to this statement, bearing in mind the following figures given by the library administration:

• -Bookmobile per-item cost: $7.01
• -Fixed library per item cost: $2.50

15. At the August board meeting, Mr. Smith of the Citizens Alliance asked the following question: If cost were not a factor, how soon could bookmobile service resume? In response, Mr. Fiorentino stated that there were factors other than cost. He declined to state what any of these factors were. Since, to date, the only publicly stated impediment to resumption of bookmobile service has been cost, we think it only fair and reasonable that any and all other factors be voiced at the upcoming meeting so that we can work together to overcome them and restore Chester County Bookmobile service promptly.