By Susan Dickson
Staff Writer
Following the release of preliminary county budget proposals to close the Carrboro Branch Library, members of the Carrboro Board of Aldermen said they would support the Friends of the Carrboro Branch Library in their efforts to encourage the county to keep the library open.
“I’ve made it really clear to the county commissioners that while we all recognize that these are tough economic times, that county library services are really important to Carrboro residents,†Mayor Mark Chilton said. “I’m optimistic that they’ll come up with something that will still meet the needs of southern Orange County residents.â€
Preliminary budget projections indicate county revenues will be $8.7 million less in fiscal year 2009-10 than they were in 2008-09, according to county budget documents. County Manager Laura Blackmon directed county departments to submit budget requests this year that reflected a reduction from last year’s approved funding levels.
The proposed closing of the Carrboro Branch Library would save $37,000, and all staff would be relocated to the main Orange County Library.
According to the county, the Carrboro Branch Library, which is open 26 hours per week, sustains the largest operational cost of all the branches.
Staff also proposed closing the Cedar Grove Branch Library, which would save $17,243. Staff from the Cedar Grove Branch Library would also be relocated to the main county library.
Nerys Levy, a member of the Friends of the Carrboro Branch Library and director of the Library Arts Program, said it is unfair to move all library resources to the center of the county, far from the huge population base in the southern part of the county.
“Only open 26 hours a week does not take into account all the families and public patrons who use the facility on a nightly and weekend basis to take care of their lives,†Levy said in a statement to the board of commissioners, adding that the need for the library far outweighs the savings that would be sustained from closing it.
While there is a library in the southern part of the county in Chapel Hill, it’s not part of the county library system and is funded by the town. The Chapel Hill Town Council has said recently that they would consider charging fees to non-Chapel Hill residents to use the library.