Circulation Situation

It has become apparent throughout these uncertain economic times that the library as an institution remains an important resource to members of a given community. Take for example the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library in Kansas. In November of 2009, the library received four out of five stars in a review by The Library Journal in recognition of its excellent service to patrons during tough times. Local patrons access the library for both personal education and entertainment needs and take advantage of the free exchange of information and ideas. In a period where citizens are tightening their budgets and becoming more concerned about economic matters, libraries such as TSCPL are proving to function as helping hands. The Library Journal reported in 2009 that almost eight in ten libraries that responded to a recent survey reported increased circulation. With increased circulation and public usage of libraries, we may see a more informed public that is sympathetic to the needs of local libraries.

Library Crisis in the News

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

On June 11th, The Today Show did a segment called "Beyond Books: Libraries Lend a Hand in Recession." This video does a good job in summing up all the difficulties faced by libraries, from budget cuts to helping patrons find jobs and use the internet.

If video does not load, visit http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/31237988#31237988

A Library's Open System to Dealing with its Budget

Canton - not just home to IKEA, they also have quite a noteworthy public library.

Like any other city, Canton has seen its ups and downs during these tough economic times. For instance, take a look at the Budget,

2008 Budget: $6.4 Million

2009 Budget: $ 5.8 Million

2010 Budget: $ 5.2 Million

Notice a trend?

It does not take a mathematician to see that the past two years has led to more than $1.2 Million in budget cuts. At the same time, library usage is up 25% since 2007.The library knew it was going to have to cut the budget for 2010, so it did the unthinkable – in June the library Director, Eva M. Davis, posted an article explaining the situation and made an open forum where library patrons could voice their say about what should be cut or preserved. Davis responded to each post,

and the amount of participants was surprising - over 40 responses in two weeks!

By September, big decisions and budget cuts arrived. The library preserved its ability to stay open 7 days a week, with 72 hours of operation total. Reasons are listed for why the cuts were necessary and ranged from fewer property tax dollars (94% of the budget), to reducing the library millage rate from 1.5437 to 1.4980 - cutting taxes by $6 for every $100,000 in taxable value (millage rate is the amount per $1,ooo that is used to calculate taxes on property). There also still is fear of what will happen with the statewide revenue and its funding of MeL Cat, which affect statewide Databases and Interlibrary loans.

This library does not hide its facts, instead it forewarns patrons of things to come: longer lines, less staff, longer waits for books on hold, waiting on upgrade computers, less programs for computer classes & story time…the list for this library (like many others) continues.

PDF of 2010 Budget

Images from Flickr