After being warned by the city that its budget may be cut by $905,000, the District of Columbia Public Library has approved a plan that would cut weekday library hours citywide and close all branches other than the central Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library on Saturday.
The cutbacks, set for July 26 to September 30, were passed by a 4–2 vote July 15, the Washington Post reported July 17. The Post noted that the library system’s fiscal 2002 budget of $27.3 million was down $1 million from the previous year. The city subsequently cut $521,000 from this year’s budget.
Board President Marie Aldridge said the library has responded to past cuts by reducing maintenance and material purchases, resulting in broken air conditioners and outdated books. Any additional cut would have to be met by reducing personnel expenses, which constitute 75% of the budget.
Trustee Phil Pannell, who voted against the plan, proposed closing two of the most-visited branches, in Georgetown and Chevy Chase, to “turn up the thermostat and decibel level.” Noting that the library is largely ignored because it lacks political clout, Pannell suggested that shutting popular branches could arouse public sentiment and draw attention to the system’s fiscal problems.
Posted July 22, 2002.