Faced with a $1.2-million deficit, the board of the Berkeley (Calif.) Public Library approved a plan March 10 to lay off 16 employees, close the central library on Sundays, reduce other operating hours systemwide, and slash the materials budget by $300,000—a 25% cut.
Director Jackie Griffin explained that the shortfall resulted in large part from a huge increase in the library’s payments into the California public-employees retirement fund, due to the poor performance of the stock market. She also noted sizable increases in salaries and health-insurance premiums.
Griffin told American Libraries that library management considered “every scenario” before arriving at the proposal presented to the board. “They felt they wanted to preserve as many of the public services as possible,” she said, including story hours and homebound services. “We tried as hard as we could to make it not seem like we were punishing the community.”
In addition to the 16 layoffs, which will take effect before July 1, the library has already frozen nine positions, including that of the deputy director, who will retire this year. Central will lose 16 operating hours weekly, and the four other branches 13 hours weekly.
Griffin said the board has yet to decide whether to seek a tax increase on next November’s ballot. The city passed its first library tax measure in 1982 in the wake of the statewide Proposition 13 antitax initiative. In 1988 the tax was renewed to allow central to open on Sundays. “Berkeley has always been incredibly supportive of the library,” said Griffin. “I would hope that continues.”
Posted March 12, 2004.