By Paul Minnis, The Republic
pminnis@therepublic.com
Specialized magazines and directories duplicated over the Internet are being eyed for 18-percent, or $550,000, in budget cuts at Bartholomew County Public Library.
The Library Board placed a freeze on new hires and is delaying materials purchases, all to make up for a property-tax crunch brought by state legislation.
"I think we'll be OK," said Library Director Beth Booth Poor. "We have to do what we can."
The legislation, passed last year, slashed people's property taxes and is phasing in caps over two years for tax reductions.
The city and county governments get shares of those taxes and have been looking at ways to cut their budgets. However, the library also gets a share and faces similar cuts.
In 2007, the Library Board passed an operating budget of $3.35 million for 2008, based on an assumed 0.0633 cents per $100 assessed value, Poor said.
That turned out to be too much, and the library learned that it needed to cut 18 percent over the rest of this year, just to make the books balance.
Its 2008 budget settled at $2.79 million, and the 2009 budget probably will be $3.04 million, taking into account an expected 4-percent growth in assessed values across the county.
Poor said the library next year will stop ordering some magazines and directories, primarily in the business field, because the information is easily accessible online and in databases.
"People tend to read business magazines online anyway," she said. "We don't see any good reason to offer them twice."
She said all other reference materials will remain, including the ones students need for school.
The Library Board is looking at library book bindings, which traditionally are different from those available for the same book at a local bookstore.
She did not know if that would save any money. But she said the library definitely could save money by delaying some purchases and by examining ongoing expenses during 2009.
Also, the library has placed a freeze on hiring, and it will reshuffle existing personnel to handle responsibilities of anyone who leaves his job.
The library employs about 50, of which 33 work full time, Poor said. Many of the others are teenagers who shelve books.
Poor, who promised not to lay off any workers, said the budget cuts come at a time the library is busier than ever.
Usage has risen every year for six years, indicating that people are "taking advantage of things that are free" as the cost of living rises.
"We're trying to reduce where we can without reducing our hours and core services," Poor said. "We want to make it as good for the public as possible."