[Publib] Budget cuts - hours vs. materials

[Jennie J. Stoltz]

First, a question - what good does it do to be open more hours if you don't have an adequate amount of materials on the shelves?  Second, an observation - in my experience when you cut material lines in budgets it is nearly impossible to get it back when there is no longer a recession.   Third, another question - are your library's current hours truly inadequate, especially in comparison to other public services?

Jennie J. Stoltz, MLIS
Director / eco-Librarian
Pewaukee Public Library
Pewaukee, Wisconsin
(262) 691-5670, ext. 20
(262) 691-5673 fax

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----- Original Message -----
From: "Tiar, Marc" <MTiar at washoecounty.us>
Date: Thursday, August 7, 2008 1:37 pm
Subject: [Publib] Budget cuts - hours vs. materials
To: publib at webjunction.org


> Hello out there,
>  
>   
>  
>  I'm a new subscriber to the list, having just joined to post this
>  question (although I was a subscriber many years ago).  In these tough
>  economic times, we're having to make some difficult choices.  We are
>  trying to find any data, anecdotal or otherwise, to support or refute 
> a
>  decision one way or another.   We have been searching the literature 
> but
>  not doing too well - it's sort of a tough concept to put into search
>  terms, due both to such common words and the many synonyms of them that
>  appear in the journals. 
>  
>   
>  
>  Put briefly, is it better to cut hours/days of operation or
>  acquisitions?
>  
>   
>  
>  Or, the way it was phrased to us to look into:
>  
>   
>  
>  Washoe County Library has been asked to consider cutting deeply into 
> its
>  Library Materials budget in order to fill personnel vacancies, which
>  might allow some library branches to expand public hours. If you cut
>  deeply into your materials budget, did your circulation and/or visitor
>  statistics decrease?  By maintaining or increasing public hours, despite
>  cutting your materials budget, did your circulation and/or visitor
>  statistics increase?
>  
>   
>  
>  Many thanks for any information you can share.
>  
>   
>  
>  Marc Tiar
>  
>  Washoe County Library
>  
>  
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