Task Force Releases Report on Charlotte Mecklenburg PL
By Michael Kelley Mar 23, 2011A task force that has studied the future of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Public Library, NC, for the past six months presented a 369-page report on Monday that concluded the system would need an additional $2 million next year to avoid the closure of up to six branches.
The report from the 17-member Future of the Library Task Force, which was presented to the Board of Trustees and the County Board of Commissioners (video here), proposes the library focus on "basic library services," such as circulation, readers' advisory, information assistance, and other programming.
It also recommends redistributing the existing staff in order to expand hours at the system's regional libraries, which the task force described "as the cornerstone for successful revitalization of library services and resources." But it warns that if additional money is not found, then branch closures may follow.
In addition to the main library and a children's library (ImaginOn), the library operates six regional libraries and 12 branches.
"The amount of research done is commendable," said Charles Brown, director of libraries. "Some of the coverage last year indicated that some in the community felt the library was overfunded or overbuilt, but that was clearly contradicted," he said.
However, Brown said finding the roughly $2 million needed to sustain the library at the level recommended by the report may not be easy given the financial environment in Charlotte. The county is grappling with huge deficits in the school system, and the state is struggling to close a $3 billion deficit of its own.
"When Charlotte's economy was booming, $2 million was not a challenge, but with these potential competitors for county dollars, there's a degree of uncertainty," Brown said.
A system reeling from cuts
The library has been in turmoil since the recession hit, and because of deep funding cuts, "the award winning library of the past no longer exists," the report reads (Charlotte-Mecklenburg was the 1995 LJ/Gale Library of the Year), but the task force has the goal of providing the best services "given the fiscal constraints likely to continue."
Brown himself announced in January that he would resign effective June 30 because of the toll the changes at the library had taken on him. Over the past year, he has had to lay off at least 176 employees, close four branches, and reduce service hours by 53 percent.
The library's funding has shrunk from $41.2 million in FY09 to $25.4 million in FY11, the bulk coming from the county. The task force studied 13 peer library systems and concluded that Charlotte needs to be funded on a per capita basis of $27.89-$28.66 for FY12. The current funding is $25.84 per capita.
The task force concluded that among the 13 peer communities, Charlotte's 39 percent reduction was the greatest decrease except for the Dallas Public Library.
A January 2011 telephone survey by MarketWise conducted on behalf of the task force found that 87 percent of the respondents found the library very or extremely important to the community.
"I was very pleased by that," Brown said. "That has been the library's ace in the hole through all of this."
The survey also showed that 48 percent of the respondents want the library's funding increased (six percent wanted it decreased). Seventy-seven percent felt that branches should remain open in poor areas, even if it meant closing a branch closest to them.
Volunteers are now providing 54,000 hours of service to the library, which is the equivalent of 22 to 24 FTEs, or about nine percent of the staff. The task force said this level of volunteer staffing is not sustainable and should be reduced to about five percent.
The report also recommended making the county manager or his representative an ex-officio of the Board of Trustees and also to give the manager a formal role in the hiring of the library's new director.
A working group of three commissioners and three trustees has been formed to go over the report and decide on what to implement and how best to pursue it.
"They will delve into areas where there might be need for further discussion," Brown said.
