I wanted to pass on this article from the Huffington Post, because my local library was threatened by cuts this summer as well. I do not know how it all turned out. They were supposed to have a final vote in June. There was a hearing in which the council was suggesting a huge cut, over $100,000. Apparently, they could go with this huge cut or a smaller one similar to last year which was about $30,000. The library would not be closed, but jobs would be lost and possibly hours cut, not that there are that many jobs to cut. But also, the city has a sum larger than the city’s yearly budget frozen for rebuilding its civic center. They are not using it because of the recession, but it’s frozen because it was approved.
I don’t live in the city, but the library is a regional library. My family depends on it as an educational resource. It is a big reason why we visit Bangor specifically rather than another city. A big reason why we decided to stay in Maine when my husband’s job moved out of New England. I hope that the cities will remember that the libraries bring people in, and while we do not spend money at the library, we do at local businesses. Business that will be taken elsewhere if we must find another library.
