"Cutting libraries in a recession is like cutting hospitals in a plague."
Effective October 1, 2010 (the beginning of our fiscal year) the cuts imposed by the City go into effect. If you want to complain, contact the Mayor or your alderman. Click here for their names and contact information.
- Less Staff. One staff member was let go. We were short staffed to begin with, so this means you may have to wait longer to get help. Please be patient with us.
- Reduced Hours. Rather than closing on Saturday, we're opening later on Saturday and closing earlier on three days. New hours are listed here.
- Increased fees. Overdue fines for books was raised from 10¢ to 15¢ a day. Copying and printing went from 15¢ to 25¢ a page.
- Magazines Cancelled. About half our magazines will not be renewed, including American History, Antiques & Collecting, Create & Decorate, Education Digest, Essence, Familyfun, Fitness, Forbes, Jet, Kiplinger, Martha Stewart Living, Natural History, New Yorker, O: Oprah, Oxford American, People, Popular Mechanics, Prevention, Psychology Today, Real Simple, Road and Track, Saturday Evening Post, Southern Lady, Victoria, Woman's Day, Workbench/My Home My Style. If you want to help, a very nice affordable gesture would be to donate a year's subscription to one of these magazines. Email if you're interested.
- No Online Databases. Ancestry Library Edition and World Book will not be renewed. The databases provided by the State through MAGNOLIA will still be available. Heritage Quest is provided by the Friends of the Library and will still be available.
- Newspapers Cancelled. New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal will not be renewed. Fortunately, we received a grant (for one year only) to receive these online.
- No New Equipment. Our public computers are eight years old and heavily used. If any need to be replaced, there will simply be one less computer.
- No New DVDs. We were just beginning to transition from videos to DVDs. Fortunately, we just received a $3000 grant to buy new ones.
- Charge for Using Meeting Rooms. Use of our meeting rooms used to be free. Now there is a charge of $15 for half day and $25 for all day.
Why not open an hour later and close at your old time? This would help out those who work and have to drive their kids to the library after work. Retirees and other stay-at-homers have all day to come in.
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