Yesterday we shared the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library’s bad news: The public library system we all love and adore is facing an immediate $2 million budget cut on top of an already too-tight budget. What that means for our city is that half — yes, half — of our public libraries will close in two weeks and 148 library employees (nearly a third of its staff) will lose their jobs.
The library’s Board of Trustees is meeting today at 11:30. That’s when they’ll decide which branches and employees will get the ax.
You can follow the news as it happens on Twitter. The library’s staff is using the #cmlibrary hashtag to consolidate the news. You can also follow the library’s Twitter stream @cmlibrary.
From yesterday’s post:
Said Director Charles Brown, “The decision to cut library staff and close library locations was extremely difficult. We value the contributions of our exceptional library employees. Losing their jobs in these uncertain economic times we know will place considerable hardships on them and their families. I’m heartbroken for what they face and for what we face as a community with the closure of almost 50% of our libraries. Charlotte Mecklenburg Libraries have been a critical component of the community since 1903. We provide access to self-directed education and enrichment opportunities for all, without regard to age, income, or previous level of educational attainment. We also understand the hardship that Mecklenburg County is facing as a whole. These are difficult times. Charlotte Mecklenburg libraries haven’t seen such large-scale reductions since the Great Depression when it had to close its doors completely”The library will use its Reduction in Force (RIF) policy to determine layoffs. Library closings will be made based on the overall cost of library operations, usage levels, proximity to other branches and library size.
In addition to fewer locations, hours and staff, library customers will notice other budget impacts, including less frequent building maintenance, more limited technology resources, and longer wait times for books and other materials.
Read the rest of the library’s press release here.
UPDATE:
Thanks to Twitter (and special thanks to @cmlibrary and @ericfraz) , we now know the list of libraries that will close in two weeks: Beattie’s Ford, Belmont, Cornelius, Hickory Grove, Myers Park, Carmel, Check-it Outlet, Morrison, Mint Hill, Independence Regional, Scaleybark, Sugar Creek.
This is a sad day for Charlotte-Mecklenburg.
With that, I challenge you to meet or beat my $100 donation to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Library. Can’t donate? Volunteer. There are tons of volunteer opportunities to choose from. Check it out.
Then, contact the Mecklenburg County Commissioners on behalf of the library here: countycommissioners@mecklenburgcountync.gov.
On Facebook: $2 million in one week
Further reading: Budget shortfall means big cuts for Mecklenburg County
Watch county Manager Harry Jones discuss “the new normal.”
This article appears in Mar 16-22, 2010.
People, please do not let Frank Griffin incite you with his rhetoric and gibberish. He responds like this to EVERY article, has been warned by the staff of Creative Loafing, and has been reported to authorities becauase of some of his abusive statements on here. He is the father of lies and wouldn’t know the truth if it hit him in the damn head.
His goal is to bash everything written here. He is a hateful, sad, and pathetic human being with absolutely no life. He is here daily and does nothing but just what you see here. He hates gays, democrats, the President, the Mayor, minorities in general, and anything that may be contrary to the BS of the likes of Glenn Beck and Fox news.
He thinks everything is a debate and he is the winner. Sadly, people are stating the facts, don’t care to debate, and certainly don’t feel a loss towards this sad excuse for a man.
If you take the bait, he will go on and on and on, and will always try to get the last word, even if it’s a pathetic, childish one.
I would like to know if the cuts go all the to the top. Did they consider duplicate job, etc. And for the love of Pete, Why does the Library have its own HR department and Financial Department. Why not combine the two. The Library is not a fiefdom it is part of the county, so give up the HR and Finance to the county where it belongs.
Do you know that the money that is taken in as fines is not regulated? There are no daily counts, no responsible entity would dream of handling public money without keeping excellent records. Etc. Etc.
This is a sad day. I can’t afford to donate much so instead I plan to volunteer starting tomorrow. With enough community support we ought to be able to keep at least some of those branches operating with reduced hours.
Only a pure fool would say it’s ok to close libraries. Our people are out of work and need the resources there to look up jobs on the computer. The communist George Bush is the one who ‘pissed’ the country away. Recovery of all the harm he did is being felt everywhere. Thanks Bush for your damn dictatorship and wars!
Interesting read, I really enjoyed it. Ta muchly for adding this, could be very useful in the future to me!