Troy Public Library, MI, Scheduled To Close July 2011

Failed millage prompts closure notice; new vote may be possible in November

Lynn Blumenstein -- Library Journal, 05/18/2010

• Severe cutbacks for upcoming fiscal year
• Award-winning library in relatively affluent city
• Friends to plan for another millage in November

The Troy Public Library, MI, which serves a city of 80,000, will close its doors on June 30, 2011, unless a last-gasp millage vote is placed on the November 2010 ballot and then passed.

City councilors, facing a $22 million shortfall over the next six years, adopted a plan that would close TPL and several other city departments, according to a report in the Daily Tribune. Several other departments would be privatized to varying degrees.

Troy, historically an affluent suburban city, has faced the double whammy of the economic downturn in the Detroit area as well as a defeat by voters in February of a property tax millage in February that would have benefited all city agencies.

If approved, the city would have raised close to $40 million through 2015, according to the city’s six-year plan. TPL is supported by the city’s general fund.

The library was most recently ranked by Hennen's American Public Library Ratings as the tenth best library in the United States for its population category. A public librarian for 35 years who works in a neighboring public library commented on the library's website that residents should not only pass a new millage but make the library independent. "Times are tough everywhere but I don't hear other communities announcing a year in advance that their libraries will close," she wrote.

Next year’s service cuts
TPL will face severe interim cuts in the upcoming fiscal year, which begins July 1. Its current budget of $3.6 million for operations plus $775,000 for materials would be diminished to $2.3 million for operations and $425,000 for materials, TPL director Cathleen Russ told LJ.

These figures reflect several years of decreased funding for a facility that circulates 1.5 million items annually. TPL will lay off seven full-time and 23 part-time staff, leaving six full-time and 64 part-time employees.

TPL, which currently is open 65 hours a week, will reduce its hours to 55 as of July 1. If the hours fall below that amount, TPL could lose state certification, said Russ, which means loss of state aid and access to a variety of cooperative resources.

"With Michigan's economy one of the most hard-hit in the country and state and local revenues dwindling, funding bodies for libraries… are obviously having to make some very tough choices," State Librarian Nancy Robertson told LJ.

Robertson said wasn’t aware of any other libraries facing closure. Still, Russ said several public libraries are applying for waivers to State Library-mandated service hours because of budget constraints.

First shock, then next steps
Many residents were shocked at the news of TPL’s closing; "they didn’t think it would happen, said Russ. They have proposed fundraisers—everything from bake sales to car washes to charging residents a library "membership" fee, she said.

Russ had to educate them about how much it actually costs to maintain adequate library operations for the size of the Troy community.

Numerous residents have commented on the library website. One resident wrote, "To all of those who voted against the millage increase (which would have increased my property taxes $20.00 per month): What is a community without a library?"

Russ doesn’t think that TPL’s closure is a foregone conclusion. She believes there are many avenues of service to explore, including a waiver for reduced hours.

The Friends of the Troy Public Library (who raised $100,000 in 2009 for the library) are investigating the possibility of bringing the question of an independent millage to the November 2010 ballot, said Russ. They have scheduled a special meeting on the future of the library for May 26.

Facing the challenge
"I hope that the good that can come of the Troy situation is that people in other communities (and maybe in Troy as well) will realize that they can no longer take library service for granted, said Robertson. "It's freely provided on a daily basis, but it is not free."

What will residents do for library service should the library close? Libraries that offer borrowing privileges to non-residents generally charge annual fees, from $50 to $200, according to a library FAQ, but "[s]everal libraries in the area will not sell library cards to non-residents at all."