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Managing budget pressure is a way of life for library administrators. But as librarians gather in New Orleans for the 2011 ALA Annual Conference, a snapshot of public library budgets across the nation shows the lingering "Great Recession" is still devastating library services—even as demand for those services rises.

Just how bad is it out there? According to Library Journal's latest annual book buying survey, adult book budgets for 2011 are down 8%, following dips of 2.3% and 4.9% in 2009 and 2010 respectively. For the first time in the survey's 13-year history, "cuts were reported for every region of the country, and every size of population served." Children's and YA book budgets also decreased in amounts consistent to their portion of the overall budget.

100-Year Disaster

In New York City, the New York Public Library (NYPL) system is celebrating its centennial—and facing potential funding cuts totaling $40 million, the worst hit in its 100-year history. 

Indeed, despite absorbing a cut in FY2010, NYPL logged 40 million physical visits to libraries throughout New York City last year alone—more than all the local sports teams combined. In addition, there were 29 million visits to the NYPL Web site. If the proposed cuts go through, officials estimate the library may have to cut 650 full-time positions; hours would be trimmed to an average of three to four days per week; five million fewer items would circulate, and new book acquisitions would be cut by a third. One million fewer children and young people would be served by the library, and overall attendance would dip by an estimated six million. NYPL supporters are fighting back (takeaction.nypl.org), but it promises to be a tough battle.

Things aren't much better elsewhere in the Atlantic states. At the Harford County Public Library, in Belcamp, Md., the materials budget remains flat after sustaining a 20% cut in FY10. In North Carolina, the Charlotte Mecklenberg Library system has seen its proposed materials budget drop from $3.39 million in FY08 to $1.8 million in FY11. For the FY12 budget, the library has requested approximately $2 million be restored, and administrators are hopeful that the request will be considered.

With government help, the auto industry made a remarkable comeback in 2011—libraries in the industrial heartland could now use some support as well. The Detroit Public Library's FY12 budget, originally set at $35.5 million, is set to be reduced to $23 million. Tax revenues through 2015 are expected to be lower by almost 30%, according to spokesperson Atiim J. Funchess. Just last March, facing a $7.49 million deficit, Detroit laid off 20% of its library work force and lowered salaries by 10%.

In Dallas, the public library's materials budget has decreased from $3.9 million in FY06–07 to $1.6 million in FY10–11. In Houston, the Public Library's FY12 budget will shrink to $32 million, down from $39.3 million in FY10.

In the Pacific Northwest, the Seattle Public Library recently endured a midyear cut of $1.43 million, the latest in a series of reductions totaling $3.7 million in FY11. That amount includes an $882,000 reduction for collections. Thankfully, Seattle's Friends group rallied to make up for the gap, establishing the "Help Us Make $1 Million for the Library" campaign—aided greatly by an anonymous donor who stepped up to contribute $500,000.

Indeed, faced with deep library cuts, citizens are beginning to make a difference. In Oregon, the Hood River County Library, which closed on July 1, 2010, is poised to reopen this coming July, thanks to the community backing the formation of a new tax district, according to State Librarian Jim Scheppke.

In California, meanwhile, comes one of the few bright spots in this year's budget battles. After the Los Angeles Public Library was forced to impose major cutbacks in July 2010, citizens rallied to approve Measure L last March, which apportioned more of the current property tax assessment for libraries. Library funds from the assessment will almost double over the next four years, eventually garnering as much as an additional $18 million annually for the system.

State & Federal Cuts

As local governments wrestle with the immediate problems of lower tax revenues, state and federal support for libraries is also problematic.

Virtually no state is immune to the current budget stress. In Austin, Tex., librarians devoted one day of the recent Texas Library Association Annual Conference on April 13 to protest the proposed elimination of $13 million-plus in database funding and other services.

The State Library of Louisiana has a $10.4 million proposed budget for FY11–12, down from $13 million. "The situation is not going to get better anytime soon," says Louisiana State Librarian Rebecca Hamilton. "Public libraries have made it clear that they are grateful for us pushing forward in hard times," she notes, but with staff down to 51 from 75 just five years ago, librarians now "have a moderate backlog of work that is growing over time."

Michigan has proposed a FY 2011–12 budget of $13.7 million for all library services, a $2.3 million reduction, or a 9.4% cut from the previous year. But that figure represents a stunning 76% decrease to regional library cooperatives since 2000.

In addition to pressure on state libraries, library cooperatives, which provide similar services to those of some state libraries, are also reeling, with funding cuts forcing consolidations, or, in some cases, closures. Illinois's 10 regional coops have merged into three, as the state could not provide enough funding for all. In New York, Nylink, a consortium of hundreds of libraries of all kinds, will close next month. The New York State Higher Education Initiative, among other initiatives, will try to take up some of the slack in offering discounted database packages, but smaller colleges and other nonprofits may not have the funds to renew some subscriptions.

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