MA Library's Game of Survival
Haverhill Public Library narrowly escapes closure; now faces hurdle over accreditation
By Kathy Ishizuka -- School Library Journal, 1/1/2004
This isn't the first tense moment for Haverhill. The library was spared from having to close its doors last summer, after the city slashed the library's 2003 budget by 78 percent—from $1.3 million to $279,000. Haverhill was prepared to release all staff and shut down on August 15. But the library was saved when patrons and other supporters demonstrated before the city council and submitted petitions with more than 4,000 signatures defending the library. Then, just a day before the library was set to close, the city restored its budget to $1.1 million.
The move has kept the library operating, although weekly service has been reduced by 11 hours, and the staff of 35 is now down to nine. The problem now, however, is that the library's budget appropriation falls short of the $1.3 million required to ensure state accreditation, which comes with $70,000 in aid. "It's not a bed of roses by any means," says Haverhill's Library Director Nancy Rea.
Rea credits the community for saving the day. "I have no doubt that we would not be funded to this level without the outcry from the public," she says, adding that the 600 supporters who attended public meetings spoke eloquently for two hours about what the library means to them. Haverhill is certainly a pro-library town—74 percent of its 60,000 residents are registered library users.
Whether the library's fans can help it retain its accreditation status remains to be seen—the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners will vote on a waiver in February.
