Libraries Closing Due to Budget Cuts

The announcement from the Free Library of Philadelphia that they will be closing all libraries October 2, 2009 unless PA legislators can come to an agreement on the budget was a bit of a shock this week. As a Pennsylvania resident, the state budget impasse has been disconcerting with talk of closing state parks and other state-run entities as funds run out. But the entire Free Library of Philadelphia system? From their announcement of the closure:

"We deeply regret to inform you that without the necessary budgetary legislation by the State Legislature in Harrisburg, the City of Philadelphia will not have the funds to operate our neighborhood branch libraries, regional libraries, or the Parkway Central Library after October 2, 2009."

A tentative deal could potentially release billions of state dollars for schools and social services, possibly to include libraries. But even if this deal is approved by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Ed Rendell, who is threatening a veto, legislative officials say it could take weeks for money to actually reach these groups. Meanwhile, the budget is already more than two months overdue. Other libraries across Pennsylvania are also hurting, both with the overdue payments from the state, and the threat of as much as a 50 percent cut in funding for next year. Bad news for genealogists, one of the first programs to be cut in many libraries has been inter-library loan which is a labor intensive service. Pennsylvania libraries are also laying off workers, reducing hours and programs, and taking bookmobiles off the road.

Philadelphia is just one of many library systems in several countries anticipating cutbacks, reduced hours and branch closings in response to the recession. In Michigan, Governor Jennifer M. Granholm issued an order in July which would abolish the Department of History, Arts and Libraries as part of a plan to address a $2 billion state budget deficit. As proposed, collections of the Library of Michigan would be scattered  and the state library building used for another purpose. Genealogists are so serious abot the devastating effect this move will have on the preservation of the valuable collections, they have started a petition to save the Library of Michigan. An interesting article by John N. Berry III in Library Journal, No Villains,  discusses how such public actions of support have drastically affected proposed library budget cuts in several similar situations.

The provincial government in British Columbia, Canada, has announced a $3.5 million dollar cut in funding for libraries which could result in fewer hours and service cutbacks at libraries across the province. In Seattle, Washington, the entire Seattle library system shut down for a week earlier this month to save money. Denver Public Library plans to close one branch library, cut total service hours by 18 percent, and reduce the materials budget by 25 percent.

For a little bit of positive news, ten branches of the New York Public Library (NYPL) are significantly expanding their hours, representing an increase of 65%!

Has decreased funding for your local libraries affected you? Please share your thoughts in the comments below!