Board OKs library budget with extended hours
Posted on Tuesday, July 22, 2008
The Fayetteville Public Library would like to extend its hours in order increase accessibility for customers.
The library's Board of Trustees approved a draft 2009 budget Monday with a request for an additional $ 26, 000 from the city of Fayetteville in order to keep the library open four additional hours per week.
Executive Director Louise Schaper said offering extended hours is one of the goals of the library's strategic plan based on customer input.
Schaper said there are two ways the library can extend hours: by staying open an hour later, until 9 p. m., Monday through Thursday; or an hour later, until 6 p. m., on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and opening an hour earlier on Sunday, at noon.
The library could achieve the extended hours at the bargain cost of $ 125 per hour, Schaper said, through adjusted schedules and use of part-time employees.
The extended hours would mean an additional 208 hours per year that the library would be open, she said, which would enable a projected 36, 400 more library visits and 62, 000 more books checked out per year.
Schaper said it would also improve accessibility to the library.
"Four more hours per week would make it so much more accessible to people who work," she said.
The board also approved a request for an additional $ 15, 000 for downloadable digital content, including audio books, music and film.
The proposal allows Fayetteville to participate with other public libraries in the third congressional district, with each library paying a percentage of the total subscription cost according to its circulation numbers.
The downloadable content would make a large collection of digital materials available to anyone with a library card.
The proposed budget is based on the city's 2009 funding allotment for the library of $ 1, 566, 365, the same amount as 2008, which was down $ 46, 781 from 2007. It is also based on estimated funding amounts from state aid, the city's Capital Improvement Fund, the county millage, the library foundation and Friends of the Library.
Schaper said a final budget will be brought before the board in December, after all funding sources are secured and numbers are finalized.
The library's management staff had a difficult time with 2009 projections, Schaper said, because of conflicting economic factors.
While the use of the library is generally trending upward and a recession usually results in increased library use, she said, the staff is also hearing from customers that they are making fewer trips to the library because of increased gas prices.
The board also approved two additional funding requests that until 2008 have been included in the city's funding.
The library is asking that the city pay 48 percent of the total needed for wage and salary increases, for a total grant of $ 24, 913 to meet a 3 percent merit and cost-ofliving increase.
The library is also asking that the city grant 48 percent of the cost of health insurance increases, at a total of $ 3, 067. The staff used the city's estimate that health insurance costs will increase by 5 percent.
FEEDBACK:
Something to say about this topic? Submit a Letter to the Editor online
