Difficult economic times have affected all organizations that depend on tax dollars for funding. For the 2007-2010 fiscal years, Henry County libraries were subject to a 12% cut in state funding and in 2009-2010 a 5% cut in local (county) funding, as well as a reduction in funding from the Board of Education. These cuts necessitated changes in the way the libraries operate, but we were able to make most of the cuts in administrative areas, in ways that would not affect the delivery of services to the public.

For the 2010-2011 fiscal year, the library system has received an additional 15% cut in funding from the Henry County Board of Commissioners. Taking into account reductions in funding from all sources, the annual library budget has been reduced from 2.1 million dollars to 1.7 million. Further cuts from the state are also possible.   The last year that the library received a 1.6 million dollar budget from the county was in 2005-2006 when the library had only four branches (Fairview was not operational at the time) and there were 37 staff members. 

The funding cuts are compounded by the fact that libraries, according to state law, cannot charge fees for basic services. Henry County libraries only charge for copies and overdue fines. Our current charge of $ .25 per page for copies just covers the cost of the copy equipment and supplies. Overdue fees of $ .10 per day are set at the state level and cannot be increased by the local library system. Unlike other departments affected by budget cuts, the library system has no way of generating revenue to offset decreases in funding.

The library director and the Library Board of Trustees considered every possible way to make up for the funding shortfall for the coming year. Only the most essential expenditures to operate the library system were retained in the 2010-2011 library budget.

In addition, the library director is working closely with the county manager and the county finance director to evaluate the library budget. The county is in the process of helping the library system negotiate better rates for utilities and telephone services, and the county will absorb the cost of the library system’s annual audit.

Unfortunately, after every possible cost-saving measure was implemented, it became obvious that the library system would be unable to continue to deliver the same service hours as in recent years. There is simply no way to provide the same level of service hours with reduced funding.

To imply that the budget cuts could be further made up by “belt-tightening” implies that there was a great deal of waste in the library budget in prior years. The library budget is a matter of public record and anyone who wishes to examine it is welcome to do so.

Library Trustees are volunteers, and the majority are appointed by the county commissioners. While the Library Board of Trustees is autonomous, Trustees are encouraged to communicate regularly with their appointing commissioners to make sure each district is represented fairly and that library policies are implemented in a way that provides the best possible service to the residents of Henry County. 

The decision to lay off and furlough employees was difficult and painful, and was considered only after every other possible course of action was considered. The reduction in staff then necessitated a reduction in hours. There is simply no safe way to operate a public building the same number of hours with a 40% reduction in staff. Library administrators faced the additional challenge of opening a new facility in Hampton that is triple the size of the old building, again mindful of the reduction in staff and the need to operate the building in a way that maintains safety for employees and patrons.

Our library managers keep careful records of library usage and patron visits. Saturday is consistently the day with the fewest library visitors and the fewest items checked out per hour. While there is no ideal time to cut services, Saturday closings will impact the fewest library users.

The Library Trustees and administrators look forward to a time of economic recovery, when library funding can be restored to previous levels. At that time, we will gladly restore hours and services, and rehire laid-off employees. In the meantime, we ask for the public’s patience as we adjust to the difficult changes made necessary by the current economy.