Fulton County Public Library reducing hours, staff, purchasing

The Rochester Sentinel Report

Financial constraints are prompting the Fulton County Public Library to cut the hours it is open, its staff hours and the purchase of new materials.

On Tuesday, library board members approved a reorganization plan developed by Director Linn Landis. It will bring the operating budget in line with 2007's budget of $1,088,000. The goal is to reduce 2008's expenditures by $206,700.

To accomplish that, the weekly hours of full-time employees will be reduced by 2.5 hours each. They will continue to be full-time and be eligible for statewide retirement benefits. This will take effect July 1. Also, four page positions will be eliminated and the literacy coordinator will work 15 hours rather than 20.

Landis declined to discuss the personnel reductions.

Library board president Jim Mulligan said the state property tax reassessment delays are to blame. "We don't know how much money we're going to get this year - even for 2008," he said.

Hours at the Rochester library will be reduced 12 hours a week to a total of 55 hours a week beginning July 1. They will be 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday (now 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.); 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday (now 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.) 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday (now 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) closed Sunday (now 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.)

The hours at the Fulton and Leiters Ford branch libraries will not change.

Other planned savings include buying fewer books, CDs and DVDs and no $20,000 annual transfer to the library savings account.

Said Mulligan: "We decided to step back and basically tread water and not buy very much at all. We reduced the (new book purchasing) budget by $82,000. We can't do that next year," Mulligan said.