The current budget level and staffing authorization cannot sustain existing agency services for a growing customer base . The percentage of Talking Book patrons we serve is expected to decline because funding and staffing levels are not growing as fast as the population. More funding and staffing are especially needed to accession, appraise and store state and local government records. The current budget will not enable the agency to meet customer-expressed needs for new and additional services. In addition, turnover will continue at a high level if significant adjustments to staff compensation levels are not made.
Turnover adversely affects the quality and efficiency of service operations.
As the Library and Archives Commission's staff continues to identify newer technologies to preserve documents and information and make them available to the public, the agency s budget available for investment in support of these technologies is increasingly inadequate. It is critical to achieve and maintain a high level of customer service, and failure to proactively and effectively use these technologies can jeopardize the fulfillment of the agency's mission . The agency s infrastructure to support the new technologies includes its internal information resources and its telecommunications capabilities, as well as its physical facility. This infrastructure must be maintained and enhanced to keep pace with the emergence of Web and imaging technologies that enhance document preservation and storage and information access. The wiring in the present facility must be upgraded, and the computer center requires a better emergency cooling system.