The Cooperstown Public Library may have to ditch its computers and return to the old-fashioned card catalog system.

"We're looking at a pretty bleak situation," said Library Board member Kate Resnick.

The funding that has paid for the Four County Library Sys (4CLS) tem online catalog system since 1996 is beginning to dwindle, said Resnick. There is only enough funding left to pay for the service for one or maybe two years, she said. The 4CLS service currently costs $7500 annually, and the price usually increases each year.

"We have reached a point where money is starting to run out," said Library Director David Kent.

In 1996, the Friends of the Library, a group of patrons who donate to and fundraise for the library, ran a letter writing campaign asking those patrons listed in the library database for donations to help fund a new computer-based cataloging system, 4CLS.

The service allows the library to better manage the circulation of its books; allows library patrons to access all the books in the 42 other libraries participating in the four-county system; simplifies interlibrary loans and the ordering of new books; and even provides the library with internet service. The 4CLS service runs through Otsego, Chenango, Delaware and Broome Counties.

The people who use the 4CLS services, Kent said, very much appreciate it. It would be unfortunate if it were lost, he said.

The 1996 campaign, Kent said, was fairly successful. It raised about $35,000 — enough to pay for the 4CLS up to this point.

The recent campaign, aimed to replenish this pool of money enough to last five or six more years, did not fair as well, however.

Friends' Treasurer Richard Carr said the Friends have received 236 responses to the 2,569 donation requests that were sent out — only about a 10 percent response rate. Carr said the first batch of donation requests were mailed out in March of this year. The last few requests went out two weeks ago, Carr said.

Though those who gave donations did so generously, Kent said, only about $9,000 was raised — not enough money to reach the Friends goal of $35,000.

"That's not enough to cut it," said a worried Kent.

Not only would it be inconvenient to return to the card catalog method, Kent said, but the library does not even have the supplies necessary to return to that method.

Kent said there are always alternative options that the library could explore, such as charging the public for the use of its resources. Kent said, however, that he wants to avoid that situation if possible.

"The village doesn't have money in the budget to fund this," Kent said.

The Village of Cooperstown budgets approximately $60,000 a year to the library to pay for operational costs, primarily books, periodicals, and salaries, said Village Treasurer Mary Ann Henderson. No money is budgeted for the 4CLS service, Henderson said.

Even though the library has options, Kent said, it has to look at the worst case scenario.

The Friends are searching for help and for fundraising ideas from the public. To make a donation or to offer other assistance or ideas, contact the Friends of the Library, c/o Richard Carr, 22 Main Street, Cooperstown.

"It would be like going back to the Stone Age," Kent said. "It's tricky. We're sort of in limbo. We're hoping people will realize the importance of having the online catalog and everything that goes with it. But the possibility of losing it is there."