Library To End Sunday Hours; May Lose Charter

Because of budget constraints, the public library in Somers, NY may end Sunday operating hours. As a result, the State could revoke the library's charter.

In an email to patrons on Friday , the Board of Trustees said:

According to WLS [Westchester Library System] in 2009 we were #38 out of 38 libraries in the WLS system with the largest cut in local public funding in the county, a reduction of 9.25%. As a result we were forced to reduce our service hours and thus, we now no longer meet the New York State minimum standards for libraries. This may result in a loss of the funds we receive from the State and cause the State to revoke your library's charter as we no longer meet the State's requirements for serving a population the size of Somers. The Library wants an increase of $30,860 in its budget from the Town and said "the lack of funding will most likely result in closing on Sunday." The Trustees added: "In addition to the Sunday closing, we will unable to buy some of the books, DVDs and other materials necessary to meet our patrons' needs." Set forth below is the full text of the December 3 email from the Somers Library Director and Staff. The text is also posted on the Library's Facebook page. The Town Board held a public hearing on the budget the night before. Statement from the Somers Library Board of Trustees Presented at the Town Board Work Session on December 2, 2010 The Library Board wishes to advise our Library patrons of the likely consequences of the Preliminary Budget approved by the Town Board at their meeting on November 18. Based on current economic conditions, the Library Board put together a very conservative budget proposal for 2011, asking only for the money to enable us to keep our already reduced schedule and stay open 7 days a week. The additional costs totaled $30,860, a small fraction of the Town's $12.4 million budget. Our modest requests included the following: the sum of $15,900, representing the increase in fees to cover our usage of the Westchester Library System (namely the staff and public computers, the software which enables libraries in the county to share their collections, and the transportation of these materials from one library to another.) Additionally, we requested $14,960 for the cost to pay for substitutes to provide minimum scheduling through the day and evening within current operational hours. We advised our patrons upfront of our financial difficulties and they sent hundreds of emails to our Town Board officials in support of our request for this modest increase of $30,860 for the WLS fees and our necessary substitutes. The preliminary budget approved at the November 18 Town Board meeting did not include the increases just described. The Library Board therefore needs to inform you that we have no alternative but to reduce our Library hours. Because of the holidays and the late approval of the Preliminary budget we have not yet had sufficient time to analyze thoroughly the situation and get Library Board approval of a course of action,however, the lack of funding will most likely result in closing on Sundays. Those patrons who are away at work and cannot get to the library before it closes during the week and rely on weekend service will be most affected. In addition to the Sunday closing, we will be unable to buy some of the books, DVDs and other materials necessary to meet our patrons' needs. According to WLS in 2009 we were #38 out of 38 libraries in the WLS system with the largest cut in local public funding in the county, a reduction of 9.25%. As a result we were forced to reduce our service hours and thus, we now no longer meet the New York State minimum standards for libraries. This may result in a loss of the funds we receive from the State and cause the State to revoke your library's charter as we no longer meet the State's requirements for serving a population the size of Somers. The Library Board of Trustees wishes to ask the Town Board one more time to reconsider their decision to reject the modest increase in funding we requested, which would enable us to maintain our present level of service to the community. The Town board should remember that more than 50% of Somers residents are library patrons. Reducing hours because of inadequate funding would be a disservice to all of them and go against their expressed wishes conveyed recently via the countless emails, postcards and comments provided in the library survey.