Dear Senator Zakas:
I live in your district and this is the first time I have contacted you. My concern is the proposed cuts to the Indiana State Library in the current budget. I am 72 years old and am still working as a consultant. I use an excellent online resource provided by the State Library through my Mishawaka-Penn-Harris Library. It is INSPIRE.
Now I am having an especially difficult time trying to determine how the Republican platform can espouse support for education and at the same time “save” money by cutting support for INSPIRE. This $1.3 million investment by the state saves much more than that all across the state for universities, schools, public libraries and individuals doing research. Purchasing reference tools at the state level makes all of these resources available to everyone with access through a library card, public school or college.
I urge you to read the attached letter from the State Librarian to educate yourself on just what this great reference tool really is. There are, of course, many companies in our country that create research information. It is a product that they don’t make available free over the internet – they sell their product. The state buys for everyone, thus saving millions of local dollars that would be spent to purchase these important research tools.
Cutting the State Library budget is not saving anything – it is cutting out an investment in Indiana’s education network.
Please let me know what you will do about this and show me that the Republican platform support for education is not just a platitude.
Thank you.
Robert Raz
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