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September 29, 2010

Willingboro library to cut hours starting Friday

http://www.phillyburbs.com
Sept. 27, 2010

By: Rose Krebs
Burlington County Times
WILLINGBORO—The township library is set to reduce its hours starting Friday as a budgetary savings measure.

The library will be reducing its schedule by 16 hours weekly starting Friday for the rest of 2010. The new schedule is Monday, Tuesday, Thursday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The library will be closed on Fridays and Sundays for the rest of the year.

Also, effective Oct. 22, 13 employees will be laid off, including two full-time librarians; seven part-time librarians; two full-time library assistants; and two part-time library assistants. One full-time employee is being demoted to a lower paying job, said Library Director Christine King.

The library has also cut two student monitors who help shelve books. Fridays until the end of they year will serve as furlough days for the remaining staff of 15 full-time employees.

The layoffs and reduced hours stem from a $200,000 cut from the library budget approved by the Township Council. Total funding for the library for 2010 is $1.3 million.

King said the library is also cutting back on the purchase of new materials and programs will be limited.

King is also concerned about the budgetary outlook for 2011.

“I am not hopeful we will have any information on (the budget) at the beginning of 2011,” King said. “We are looking at fundraising efforts to sure up our operations.”

Advertisement King said The Friends of the Library and the Board of Trustees are both increasing fundraising efforts and trying to obtain grants to help with operations.

Since the township often doesn’t finalize the budget until late in the year — this year’s spending plan wasn’t finalized until the end of August — its is difficult for the library to plan ahead for the year, King said.

“We are left wondering what will happen,” King said. “It is difficult (to lay off staff), but we have to share the pain with the rest of the township.”

King said the library is seeking volunteers to help with operations, especially the return of materials to the shelves and troubleshooting of computer issues. Applications are available at the circulation desk.

Volunteers and fundraising will be crucial to the library’s survival, King said.

More information about fundraising efforts and library operations is available at the library’s website, www.willingboro.org. The library is located at 220 Willingboro Parkway in the town center.

BCT Staff writer Rose Krebs can be reached at 609-871-8064 or rkrebs@phillyBurbs.com

Posted by tumulty at September 29, 2010 9:31 AM

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