Contracting for Public Library Service:
The Milan-Blackhawk Experience

James F. Warwick

No building, no staff, not a single book, yet the Milan-Blackhawk Area Public Library District exists as a legal, tax-supported public library. At the same time, their patrons have access to a collection of over two hundred thousand items, phone or walk-in reference service, a library computer database of over 770,000 MARC records and 1.9 million items, children's library service and school outreach service. The Milan-Blackhawk Area Public Library District contracts for service from the Rock Island Public Library. It is a marriage of two different types of public libraries that has advantages to both. There are currently eleven contracting libraries in the state with three in the Quad-City area, according to Illinois Public Library Statistics: A Guide for Librarians and Trustees 1991-1992.

For a number of years there have been close ties between the Village of Milan, Blackhawk Township, and the Rock Island Public Library, since the District 41 School System serves all of these areas. The Rock Island Public Library has a long standing commitment to provide library service to all students in the school district, whether parents pay for the service or not. A contractual arrangement was established with Milan in 1981 and with Blackhawk Township in 1982 for library services to be provided by the Rock Island Public Library. The amounts were much below the base set by the state for a library to receive a Per Capita Aid Grant. When revenue sharing ended, the municipalities paid the contract with local tax receipts until the state-imposed taxing limits were reached for providing local services. Blackhawk Township also had a dilemma as portions of the township were already paying taxes for established library service.

Other financial pressures were placed on the Rock Island Public Library as well. Four area industrial plants closed, two in Rock Island city proper, which placed a great strain on the tax rate. It was during this time that the Rock Island Public Library's main building reopened after being renovated and enlarged from 18,000 square feet to 30,000 square feet. While there were no staff increases, building operating costs increased and additional expenses of automating the circulation system accrued. The assessed valuation in Rock Island was decreasing and the tax rate increasing. The Rock Island City Council was not pleased that service was being provided to adjacent communities at low rate when the citizens of Rock Island were paying a higher tax rate for regular library service as well as paying the bonds on the building project. But those communities had legal constraints to paying more.

The Rock Island Library Board was approached with a proposal to apply for a Project PLUS (Promoting Larger Units of Service) Grant (now called Regional Demonstration Grants) to extend service and to educate the area to vote to become a district library. Because of the Director's involvement in the building project, the library board felt another major project was not feasible. However, once the building was completed, the City Council's concern became more vocal. Operating costs were increasing with a stagnant tax base, and the time was favorable to re-examine the issue.

A Project PLUS Grant application was approved by the State Library. An advisory committee of citizens from the projected area was created and a campaign began to inform the voters of the proposal. The City of Rock Island is located between the Mississippi and Rock Rivers. However, years ago the city annexed a portion of Blackhawk Township, on the south side of the Rock River, west of the Village of Milan. This area, referred to as South-west Rock Island, has about 3,000 residents, or the equivalent of half a city ward. It also has a small branch library, built in 1974. It is from this branch library, in the midst of the proposed district, that services were offered to the future residents of the Milan-Blackhawk Area Public Library District, (see following map)

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Project PLUS funds were used to: increase the number of hours the branch was open; purchase additional shelving, a public use computer, other equipment, and an additional public-access computer into the Quad-LINC database of twenty-one cooperating area libraries. The issue was complicated, because around the same time a vote had been taken by eight Illinois communities on a proposal to form a Super City. This had been resoundingly defeated, except in Rock Island. In Milan, it was emphasized that they were not joining Rock Island Public Library, but establishing their own library with their own locally controlled and elected library board. Concerned voters asked if the two libraries would ever join. The answer was only if voters in both areas approved. The area voted on April 4, 1989, and 78% approved forming a district library. Board members of the new district library were selected from the steering committee.

The Milan-Blackhawk Area Public Library District Board had committed itself to the idea of promoting the expansion of service to the unserved. The long-range plan decided to "explore the feasibility of writing a Project PLUS Grant to extend library service to adjacent unserved areas during Fiscal Year 1990/91." There was a missionary feeling on this issue due to recent experiences. In looking at expansion, the library system administration suggested it be done on Rockridge school district boundaries which would include all of Rock Island County to the west and south of Blackhawk Township and a small portion of Mercer County. It was finally decided not to include the entire area. The two most western townships

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had a contractual agreement with Musser (Muscatine, Iowa) Public Library, which was the commercial center for the area. Bowling Township is immediately south of Blackhawk Township. Two-thirds of this township was not served by a library. It is immediately adjacent to the branch library, and many people in that area work and shop in Milan or Rock Island. Edgington Township (just to the west of Bowling Township) is more rural, but there were still some close ties to the Milan-Blackhawk area. Parents of school district children were particularly strong supporters of annexation and library support. Because of their proximity, the two small portions in Mercer County and in the western library system were included in the grant proposals sent to the State Library.

The vote in the new district was positive. However, an adjoining library in Mercer County appealed the election based on the irregularity of the number of days between the public notification and the public hearing. As a result, the election was declared invalid. Based on the overall positive results, the District Library annexed that area to Rock Island County in January of 1993.

The first three Project PLUS Grants were written and administered by the River Bend Library System. There was a great advantage to this as it freed the Rock Island Public Library and the district from handling the administration portion of the grant. This allowed for greater concentration on promoting the project itself. The fourth and last grant was administered by the Rock Island Public Library.

There are some important factors that were responsible for the initial success of the Project PLUS Grants. There was a long standing library relationship between Rock Island and the newly-formed district. It was a positive relationship; library service was considered important by the residents. One of the few times that Blackhawk Township residents represented themselves at a public hearing on their budget was to support the service contract then in existence. Rock Island Public Library was recognized for its commitment to school children. Working through the schools and established parent groups was an important factor for success. Many people got involved to do something for the children in the area. There was a branch library available to serve the area, and finally, there are many community ties with people working or living in the adjacent communities.

The contract with Milan-Blackhawk offers the same library services to their residents as the Rock Island patrons receive. Having a branch library established close to the new district has eliminated the need for special services. We have not had to run a books-by-mail program to reach remote areas of the district. Since Rock Island is a commercial trading area, most people travel freely over the entire Quad Cities area. Reciprocal borrowing privileges is an advantage. Better utilization of the branch was made possible by providing more hours of operation during the day and opening an additional day each week. Rock Island could have extended bookmobile service to Edgington and Bowling, but funding problems had eliminated this service in 1990. This could have been a good outreach to the more remote communities.

The director of the Rock Island Public Library also serves as director to the district library. This position entails more than administrative matters (preparing the budget, annual reports, per capita grants/requirements, developing a long range plan, or attending a board meeting). The director also acts as coordinator between the interests of the city library, the district library, and the City Council. Keeping open communication helps the process work. The final benefactors are the patrons. There are no territorial disputes here because if any district territory is annexed into the city, the loss to the district is irrelevant (95% of their funds go to the city library already).

There are many factors contributing to the successful continued relationship between the two libraries. First of all, it is a mutually advantageous relationship. No party is dominant over the other. Rock Island, the city and library board, realize that Milan-Blackhawk could switch its contractual relationship to another adjacent library. There is a desire to serve the area to the best of their ability. Rock Island has resources to share directly with the area (books, audio-visual materials) which are rotated into the branch. The branch staff are conscientious and concerned about the patrons and services offered. Rock Island is also accountable to Milan-Blackhawk and must demonstrate where funds are spent. Changes in the branch's budget and the library hours are discussed so there is an understanding of the district's impact on service. District funds are currently supporting 79% of the southwest branch's operations, based on a per capita formula of city versus district residents in the area. A portion of the funds are designated to support the main library, including the administrative support to the district. A strong central library is important to the district.

This past year the expansion of the District created extra funding. The proposal was to use the surplus to obtain a Youth/Outreach Librarian. A successful

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Outreach Program to children through the elementary schools had been established already, which also served the district students. Teens, who are low users of the library, were identified as an entity in need of outreach. By using Milan-Blackhawk funds, a specific program was developed to serve both library organizations. Milan-Blackhawk recognized the need and approved the Outreach Service to teens as a contribution towards service to our area's children.

The contract was designed to foster cooperation. It is a three year contract, with the third year annually renewed. There is never an urgent need to renew under pressure to continue service. No one party dominates the other or holds the other hostage. Both sides also, know that if a separation is to occur, there will be at least two years advance notice. It would allow Rock Island time to adjust to the loss of revenue, and to examine its services. For Milan-Blackhawk it would allow time to get a working cash fund developed; to establish their own library or to negotiate a contract with another library.

There are advantages for both sides. Library services to the district are being provided at a high level, with a low cost. With an income of $130,000 it would be difficult to establish and run a quality library with an M.L.S. Librarian as required by the Grant. There is no need for the district to establish a working cash fund, an audit, or other special taxes to run the district library. The Rock Island Public Library benefits by the additional source of funding. With these funds it can keep and expand branch services, provide special services, (i.e. a youth librarian to serve each area) and provide backup service at the main library. The Rock Island Public Library has a rich collection, a shared computer system with area libraries, and information services to offer Milan-Blackhawk residents. Even though the southwest branch is small, it is computerized; it has a computer for public use, rotating collections of videos, compact discs, and books-on cassette. By this loosely combined relationship, the patrons of both libraries have gained. District residents qualify for reciprocal borrowing privileges.

What does the future hold in store for the marriage? One obvious fact highlighted in both Long Range Plans was a branch expansion. Having better facilities to serve high-growth portions of Rock Island and Milan-Blackhawk is an important consideration. Branch hours can be expanded, but a limited amount of books, videos, CDs, and equipment can be contained in such a small facility. Space is needed for story hours, class tours, and sitting room for patrons, as well as additional shelves for books and other materials. Accomplishing a branch expansion will require the cooperation of both areas. Questions of funding, expansion versus relocation and fund-raising need to be addressed to the satisfaction of all parties. The current advantages of the arrangement provide encouragement that this can be accomplished.

A significant proportion of Illinois is still unserved by libraries. A contracting district library is one way to remedy this situation. The likelihood of success is greatest in those suburban areas where city library services are valued. This may not induce the rural areas of the state to establish libraries, but the contracting method of expanding library services still has an advantage. It is easier to contract than to merge rural areas into a municipal library, which would require a conversion vote in the city to form a district library. Some citizens would see this as losing their library. There also would be a loss to the rural areas. The contract library requires involvement and commitment by local people, but a local autonomy is maintained.

*]ames F. Warwick, Director, Rock Island Public Library.

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