Facing $2M Budget Cut, DC Public Library Would Reduce Hours
Lynn Blumenstein -- Library Journal, 08/02/2008
- All libraries would close Fridays
- 71 positions may remain unfilled
- Budget decision may not come until October
The District of Columbia Public Library (DCPL), facing a $2 million budget cut (from a $9.4 million budget) by October 1, the start of the fiscal year, could see some 71 positions remain unfilled, three more eliminated, and significant cuts in hours: 15 hours a week at the branches and 16 at the central library, with Friday service eliminated. However, DCPL director Ginnie Cooper is optimistic that the cut will be rescinded and library service sustained.
The District of Columbia’s budget process is “extremely elongated,” she said, noting that the budget must be approved by Congress. The city council is in recess until mid-September, and DCPL may not know its final budget until October 1.
Last year DCPL, along with other city agencies, offered a voluntary early retirement option; 71 staffers took it, Cooper said. DCPL was waiting until October 1 to replace them when, in January, the mayor’s proposed budget included elimination of those positions, part of 550 job cuts citywide. DCPL subsequently was assured that the jobs would be reinstated, said Cooper, but in June, that scenario became shakier as the budget faced strain. Indeed, the cut in positions was increased to 74.
