Local library officials react to possible state cuts
Tue, Sep 29, 2009 
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Update: Michigan Senate passes cut in aid to local libraries
LANSING (AP) — The Michigan House voted Tuesday to cut state aid to local libraries by 40 percent.
Lawmakers have until midnight Wednesday to erase a $2.8 billion shortfall or there may be a partial shutdown of state government.
Aid to local libraries would drop from $10 million to $6 million under a budget bill approved 74-34 Tuesday by the Democratic-led House. The Republican-controlled Senate will vote on the bill next before it heads to Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm.
The bill also includes a $160,000, or 44 percent, cut to centers that give donated books to students, seniors, substance-abuse programs, veterans' homes and prisons.
BY MARIE HAVENGA
mhavenga@grandhaventribune.com
Local library officials are concerned a large portion of state funding may soon be shelved.
"This is really going to hurt us at the cooperative level," said Loutit District Library Director Sandie Knes of a proposed reduction in library funding.
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A state Legislature conference committee voted Sunday afternoon to cut state aid to libraries by 40 percent, which is expected to be put to a vote by House and Senate members when they return to work on today.
Lawmakers have until the end of the day Wednesday to erase a $2.8 billion budget shortfall to avoid a partial shutdown of state government.
Knes said Loutit District Library in Grand Haven and Spring Lake District Library are fortunate to be largely funded by taxpayer-approved millages, otherwise the cuts would go deeper.
Knes and Spring Lake District Library Director Claire Sheridan say they expect staff levels to remain intact. But both anticipate major changes in the Lakeland Library Cooperative, an eight-county interactive network of borrowing and lending, which will directly affect local library patrons.
"The cooperative gets the majority of its operating expenses from state aid," Knes said. "That's where the real disconnect occurs."
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Anticipated changes include library patrons' ability to borrow and drop off books at various cooperative partners. For example, a library book checked out in Spring Lake would need to be returned to Spring Lake and not Loutit, as is now allowed.
Also, patrons may lose use of the Michigan Electronic Library, and several other catalogs and databases; and inter-library delivery systems, where customers can order a book and have it delivered to their home library, or even to their home.
Sheridan said the proposed state cut was tough news to hear — particularly because it's almost a certainty fund reductions will cause library loan reductions or stoppage.
"We borrow 24,000 titles a year from other libraries — that's something that may be reduced or may be eliminated," Sheridan said.
Aid to state libraries would drop from $10 million to $6 million annually under Sunday's 5-1 Legislature committee recommendation. The panel's Democratic chairman opposed the measure.
Lakeland Library Cooperative Director Sandra Wilson called the proposed cut "a devastating blow" to the cooperative's libraries in Ottawa, Kent, Muskegon, Allegan, Barry, Ionia, Montcalm and Newaygo counties.
"Libraries at the local levels might be looking at hours, staff and collections (on-shelf materials)," she said. "It's just devastating. People use us now more than ever in this economy — to research unemployment, to look for jobs, get job training or just for entertainment because they can no longer afford cable television or to rent movies from the video store."
Spring Lake District Library currently receives about $10,000 of state aid for its annual general fund budget. That amount is likely to drop to $6,000 if state legislators approve the committee recommendation.
Knes said the $11,500 that Loutit currently receives in state aid each year would be reduced to $6,900 under the proposed cut.
Loutit District Library currently has 32 full- and part-time employees. Spring Lake District Library employs 38.
"We don't anticipate any staffing cuts, but we really need to look at what we feel are the most important services for our patrons," Knes said. "It's way too early to say that we're going to cut here or cut there until the absolute budget comes through."
Knes said it's frustrating because library staff moved into a brand new building on July 1 with the hope and promise of new and expanded services.
"We're in this wonderful new building, and doing so many new programs and services — I'm just hoping we're not going to have to cut back," the Loutit director said.
