Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2010

Wake might close Garner library

To cut costs, county officials are thinking of closing the Garner library.

Like other Wake County departments, the library system must present a proposed budget that includes a 7-percent cut, said Ann Burlingame, interim library director. That amounts to more than $1.1 million.

In a spending plan presented to the county this week, library officials suggest closing the southeast regional branch, Burlingame said. The move would save the system about $800,000 a year, she said.

But it's not a done deal. "This isn't the only option we've considered," Burlingame said.

Library officials are also suggesting that regional libraries, like the Garner branch, close their doors on Sundays to save cash.

Last year, the library system identified five branches to close when it was asked to cut its budget by 10 percent for the current fiscal year. In the end, the cut was about 8 percent, Burlingame said, and the libraries remained open.

Burlingame said she hopes that will be the case for the next fiscal year too. "We don't want to close any library," she said.

A 7-percent budget cut would mean the library system would have to close five small branches, three medium branches or one regional branch, Burlingame said.

In their budget proposal, library leaders opted for closing a regional branch instead of several smaller libraries to minimize the impact in communities, she said.

The Garner branch, which opened in 1990, serves about 600,000 visitors a year, Burlingame said.

If the county closes the branch, Burlingame said she hopes the 25 employees could be shifted to other libraries instead of losing their jobs.

Some library patrons voiced concern for the future of the Garner site.

Talytha Moore said her 7-year-old twin sons grew up going to storytelling groups at the library. They checked out books earlier this week. Moore, a state employee, said libraries are especially important in low-income neighborhoods.

"We just don't have that money to go out and buy books," Moore said. "We come here."

Matthew Calhoun, a senior at Clayton High School, said he visits the Garner library once a week or so. He and his mother prefer going to the Garner library because it is much bigger than the library in Clayton, he said.

He said he hopes the branch stays open. "I don't know what we would do," he said.