Prendergast board president Tom Rankin walks the audience through a presentation focusing on the library’s budget deficit and selling the artwork during the board’s September 2015 meeting.
JAMESTOWN – The president of the James Prendergast Library board of trustees, Tom Rankin, recently sent out a letter to members of the library to address the issue regarding the Prendergast Library art collection.
In the letter, Rankin said, “We want to assure all of you that we’re focused on a local art collection that reflects our past and provides an opportunity for all of us to focus on our future as a community. We’re committed to maintaining and caring for the art that is our history–the paintings of the Prendergasts, their estate and the community. Our goal is to keep that art on display so that everyone can benefit form the richness of our history and learn form the commitment the Prendergasts had to our community.”
However, there was no indication that the entire art collection would be preserved, as much of the collection involves works of European and North American artists, much of which were purchased at the bequest of the Prendergast family but doesn’t reflect local history.
The estimated worth of the entire art collection is $3.17 million. The library board is considering auctioning off some of the artwork and placing the revenue into an endowment, which would then generate interest that can be used to help the library balance its books on an annual basis.
The library art collection was the focus of a recent public input session on Thursday, Oct. 8, 2015 in which nearly 50 people attended to offer their thoughts on the collection and what could be done to keep it from being auctioned.
The next library board meeting is Thursday, Oct. 22 at 12:15 p.m. At that time the board is expected to continue its discussion on the future of the art collection, as well as what can be done to help close a $60,000+ operating deficit.
Below is Rankin’s letter to library members:
On behalf of the James Prendergast Library Board of Trustees, I want to take a moment to thank the folks who came to last week’s community meeting about the Library’s art.
Everyone there expressed their deep concern for the financial well-being of the Library. In fact, a number of very interesting fund raising ideas came out of the meeting. We’ve put together an online survey at Survey Monkey for you to also add your ideas. Just click here to add your voice to the discussion.
We want to assure all of you that we’re focused on a local art collection that reflects our past and provides an opportunity for all of us to focus on our future as a community. We’re committed to maintaining and caring for the art that is our history–the paintings of the Prendergasts, their estate and the community. Our goal is to keep that art on display so that everyone can benefit form the richness of our history and learn form the commitment the Prendergasts had to our community. It is this commitment that keeps the James Prendergast Library an essential part of our community. The Library provides life-long learning and exposure to the new ideas that continuously help to reinvent and keep Jamestown an important anchor for Western New York.
The Library has a long history of serving our community with quality programs and services. In fact, when you calculate our circulation, program attendance, public computer use and reference services, the Library saved our community $6.17M in 2014–that is the value of what the Library provides to the community. When you divide that value by the amount of tax dollars the City provided the Library, Prendergast’s public service return on investment is $16.92. Simply put, for every tax dollar invested in Prendergast, you get back $16.92 worth of Library programs and services.
We do a lot but it is getting harder and harder for us because we have a structural debt. The City’s funding only accounts for one-third of the Library’s budget. This deficit has begun to hinder our ability to provide the services you have come to expect.
With all of these factors before us, the Library’s Board is committed to developing new ideas in order to balance our budget and to keep our doors open so that everyone can enjoy the books, DVDs, music, periodicals and library programs we provide.
Thank you for supporting our Library.
R. Thomas Rankin, President
James Prendergast Library Board of Trustees
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