Libraries Feel Recession's Bite

Public and school libraries from New York to Hawaii may soon be reeling from proposed budget cuts that threaten to dramatically reduce their staff and hours, and, in one instance, shut down an entire state library.

The news of the last few months—the period when state and local governments prepare next year's budgets—has been particularly grim because of the ongoing economic slump, coupled with the aftermath of September 11. Public and school libraries are typically among the first institutions on the chopping block because legislators often think they're "something you can do without or make up some other way," says Mary Costabile, associate director of the American Library Association. She says the latest wave of cuts are ominously reminiscent of the early 1990s, when library funding in the President's budget plummeted from $137.2 million in 1990 to $35 million in 1993.

Karen Kulas, a school librarian at F. J. Gaenslen School in Milwaukee, knows the pain of budget cuts all too well. A year and a half ago, Kulas lost her part-time jobs at two city schools. Now, with Gov. Scott McCallum's recent proposal to cut school aid by nearly $20 million, Kulas is afraid she'll lose her current full-time position. (Wisconsin requires only part-time school librarians in elementary schools.) "Every year our funding is cut and criticism about our performance rises," Kulas says. " Due to a lack of understanding of the role library media specialists play in the education of students, many of these positions are being cut." McCallum also plans to close the state's $1.1 billion budget deficit by calling for a five percent, or $737,500, reduction in direct aid to the state's 17 library systems. Stories like this are being heard nationwide.

Faced with a $4.8 billion budget gap for fiscal year 2003, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has proposed a $39.3 million, or 15 percent cut, to library funding citywide. The move would amount to "the single largest funding reduction ever in the history of the Queens Library," says Gary Strong, director of the Queen Borough (NY) Public Library, which has 17 million items in circulation, the highest of any public library system in the nation. Such drastic cuts would mean slashing 200 full-time employees and reducing the current six-day-a-week services in all but a dozen of the borough's 63 branches. Strong, however, says he remains committed to providing a children's librarian in every branch. "Our hours will bridge those of the after-school day so children will continue to have a place to go after school," he says. Ironically, since September 11, circulation in New York libraries has risen 19 percent. The city's Board of Education will also be forced to cut $354 million, or seven percent, of what it receives from the city and three percent of its overall budget, and school libraries could feel the pinch.

Meanwhile, on the West Coast, a second wave of budget cuts has hit the massive Los Angles Unified School District, with 732,000 students and 792 schools. In January, a first round of $56.6 million in cuts mainly affected the central and local districts. But the most recent $51 million cut in March will directly hit schools and their libraries, says spokesperson Hilda Ramirez. Individual schools must decide where the ax will fall, and the precise impact on libraries won't be known until the fiscal year ends June 30.

Washington will be particularly hard hit if Gov. Gary Locke has his way: he's proposing to shut down the Washington State Library to help offset an enormous $1.25 billion budget shortfall over the next two years (see News, March 2002 ). If the state legislature adopts the proposal, Washington would be the only state in the country without a state library. The move—estimated to save the state $5.6 million—would put 145 people out of work.

Seattle's public schools also face a budget shortfall of at least $10 million for the 2002–2003 academic year, and individual schools will determine whether to cut teachers, librarians, or consultants when the final budget is approved in July. But the good news, says Seattle schools' Chief Financial Officer Geri Lim, is that the cuts are expected to have little impact on school librarians because "they're already cut to the bone."

Hawaii, which largely depends on tourism dollars, has been particularly hard hit by the nation's weakened economy. State Librarian Virginia Lowell says proposed three to five percent budget cuts for next year would lead to layoffs and some branch closings. A five percent cut would mean the library would have to impose a maximum five-day workweek and an eight-hour workday. A three-percent cut would wipe out bookmobile service and curtail some children's programs; and a two-percent cut would reduce acquisitions and lengthen lines for reference and circulation.

New York Daily News columnist Pete Hamill sums up the sentiment of library supporters. "In this season of post-Sept. 11 austerities," writes Hamill, "something must give. I hope it isn't the libraries."