Local libraries are busy places these days.
Kids are out of school. Air conditioning beckons the sweaty. The unemployed need computers to find jobs, while those fortunate to remain on payrolls may be opting for DVD checkouts over first-run movie tickets.
Alas, libraries are not paid by the Curious George books they distribute or the number of mentally ill people they temporarily shelter. They're reliant instead on property taxes, a revenue stream damaged by the housing collapse.
Two headlines at today's Kansas City Kansan neatly capture the challenges of the modern librarian.
Library budget features near 14 percent cut
Last update Jul 23, 2009 @ 11:07 AM
Usage of KCK Library breaks record
Last update Jul 23, 2009 @ 11:05 AM
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Thanks for the post. This is indeed the story all over the country. Like businesses, libraries have been operating with hiring and salary freezes, travel restrictions, old equipment not being replaced and other cost saving measures. But unlike many other organizations libraries are also required to provide more services during difficult times.
Despite this, recently Johnson County Library had the highest month of circulation in its history. Apparently KCK (though in worse financial straights) has been similarly impacted. I'll bet our other two metro library systems have similar stories.
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