Upgrades & Cutbacks
I like to get the good news first. So, let me share with you some of the recent upgrades at the library before I talk about the cutbacks that have been made.
You can now pick up your own books-on-hold. There’s a new self-service area to the left of the Front Desk. When the books or DVDs you’ve been waiting for are ready, library staff puts them on the self pick-up shelves. You just need to know the first two letters of your last name and the last four digits of your library card. Pick up your materials at your convenience, then check them out or keep looking for more books. And you can have someone else pick up your materials for you, as long as they have your library card.
It’s also easier for you to use one of the library’s computers now. You can make reservations and sign onto a computer using your name, too. Your library card number will still work. But if you forgot it, just enter your first and last name, your email user name or other unique name. Using only your first name may not work if you are “John” and someone else named “John” has already been on the computers for the day.
Library use has been through the roof this summer. There have been as many as 1600 people coming through the doors. And people are reading up a storm. This past fiscal year, patrons checked out more than 400,000 items. The library hit a new record of 414,781 materials circulated. The increases in library use are everywhere, from summer reading participants to computer sessions to database searches.
These surges in library use make it harder for me to talk about the cutbacks at the library in the face of budget reductions at the county level. The library met the commissioners’ request to reduce its budget by 5% for this year. With many fixed items continuing to rise in cost, the cuts this year went a little deeper into areas that affect library services. Most noticeable is the reduction in the library’s collections budget. Several databases have had to be cancelled because there isn’t enough money. For example, local students and researchers no longer have access to EBSCOHost’s Academic Search Premier. The library’s book collections took a hit, too. Budgets for adult and children’s books had to be reduced. Fewer new titles will be added to the collection and it will just not be possible for the library to fill many of the purchase suggestions that patrons make.
On the staff side, the library currently has several vacant positions, some of which I do not yet have permission to fill. Our County Commissioners are taking a cautious approach to the budget as they continue to watch the sales tax revenues. I can certainly appreciate their desire to be fiscally responsible. I just saddened because these vacancies mean that I have to make tough decisions about reduced services and programs for the community.
I do want you to know that in these tough times, all of us at the library — the board, the staff and the volunteers — are committed to keeping the library open seven days a week for you . We are committed to providing the best quality of service, collections and programs during those hours. There’s something for everyone at the library. Check it out!
Deb
