Lexington Public Library, KY, Cuts Positions, Freezes Pay

With flat budget, materials spending to dip

Norman Oder -- Library Journal, 05/20/2010

• Salary freeze; part-timers lose hours
• Overdue fines go up
• 30 positions lost over two years

Facing flat revenue and $838,000 in increasing costs, the Lexington Public Library, KY, Board of Trustees has passed a $13.9 million budget for FY 11 that includes the loss of ten positions through attrition and a reduction in materials spending to 9.9 percent of the total budget.

Other budget trims include a freeze on pay and cutting hours for part-time employees from 20 to 18 per week. The basic overdue fine will rise to 15 cents per day from ten cents, and free parking at the Central Library will last two hours rather than three.

In this year and next, the library will have cut 30 positions.

Larry Smith, chairman of the board, said, “We are doing more with less, but the library is absolutely committed to maintaining the quality of our services.”