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Hernando Today

New Library Hours Tell Story Of Budget Cuts

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By TONY MARRERO Hernando Today

The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 23, 2008

BROOKSVILLE - Helen Choate hadn't heard about the new library hours for the main branch on Howell Avenue.

So she was disappointed last week when a reporter told her that the branch would no longer be open on Saturdays. While Choate visits the branch during the week, Saturday is the day she likes to lounge a little, looking through the latest magazines and taking her time browsing the DVDs and CDs.

"That really affects me," Choate said. "I can come during the week, but on Saturdays I like to spend time here."

"That's a shame," she said.

Starting Sept. 2, the hours at all four of the county branches will change, and all four will see a drop in the total number of service hours.

The Brooksville branch and the West Hernando Branch on Blackbird Avenue will go from 54 to 40 hours per week; the East Hernando Branch on Windmere Road in Ridge Manor will drop from 48 to 37 hours; and the Spring Hill Branch on Spring Hill Drive will drop from 54 to 38 hours.

Gone are some evening hours and, in the case of Brooksville and the West Hernando, no more Saturdays. The Spring Hill and East Hernando branches will close on Mondays.

It's a last resort for the library system, said Director Barbara Shiflett.

"We had to make decisions based on the number of staff we had," Shiflett said.

The library has cut the equivalent of 11.5 full time employees since last fiscal year due to budget cuts and the county's hiring freeze, Shiflett said.

The library system was asked to eliminate two full-time staffers last year and more than $222,000 from this year's budget. All told, the library has cut $800,000 in funding and staff costs between this and next fiscal year. That will drop the budget to about $2.5 million for 2008-09 she said.
Shiflett has already scratched some online databases and magazine subscriptions. Starting in October, patrons will no longer receive mailed overdue notices.

"We're at the bare bones now," she said. "That's why staff had to be cut."

There was a methodology and logic behind the hour changes, however, and patrons may enjoy some benefits, Shiflett said.

The library kept track of visitor numbers at all the branches to decide how to cut and rearrange hours of operation. Visitor counts tended to drop to a trickle in the later evening hours, and Saturdays were slow at the Brooksville and West Hernando branches.

Branches will now stay open until 6 p.m. most weeknights.

Janet Dunleavy, president of the county's Library Advisory Council, which approved the new hours, said the state's tax reform has created "a second crisis" that is prompting communities to make tough decisions that are affecting "real services for real people." She said she is most concerned about the county's low-income residents who can't afford the gas to drive to other branches that are open on Saturdays.

"These are the people who need the library the most," Dunleavy said.

County Commission Chairman Chris Kingsley said county officials are coping with what the state-mandated property tax cuts and the housing market have dealt them.

"The reduction in revenues and the reduction in (property) values throughout the community requires cuts, and the library is one of them," Kingsley said.

Chris Stringer of Brooksville said he had "mixed feelings" about the new hours.

Making it to the library by 6 p.m. on weekdays can be difficult for him and his family, but the extra hour on some of the weekdays is still helpful.

"It's nice to be able to have that consistency," he said.

Patron counts on the rise

The reduction in hours and services comes during a clear upward trend in patron counts. The library system saw 521,000 visitors in the 2005-06 fiscal year and 595,000 the following year. With two months left in this fiscal year, the library is on track to see as many as 630,000 visitors, Shiflett said.

As money gets tighter and patron counts go up, the contributions from Friends of the Library are all the more crucial, library officials said. The nonprofit group raises money by selling donated books at the Little Red Schoolhouse on Kenlake Avenue in Spring Hill.

The Friends purchased equipment for the library's teen programs and recently agreed to pay for all of the system's children and adult programs - a $15,000 expense this year, Shiflett said.

The new hours of operation aren't set in stone, she said. The library is still doing visitor counts and accepting feedback from patrons to help tweak the times to provide the best service, she said.

Peter Collins of Brooksville says he hopes officials will do their best to return to the hours.

As he scanned online help wanted ads at the main branch Thursday, Collins said he sees plenty of people like him who frequent the main branch on Saturdays.

"It's money well-spent," he said.

Shiflett, who has worked in the county library system for 26 years and served as director for the last eight, admitted the cuts are discouraging.

"I feel like we're fortunate we've made progress over the years, and it's just a shame that instead of the status quo, we're having to go backwards," she said. "That's disheartening."

New library hours
Here is a rundown of the new library hours, effective Sept. 2:

•Main Library branch, 238 Howell Ave., Brooksville, and West Hernando branch, 6335 Blackbird Ave., Brooksville: 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Mondays; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. Closed Saturdays and Sundays.

•Spring Hill branch, 9220 Spring Hill Drive, and East Hernando branch, 6457 Windmere Road, Ridge Manor: 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesdays; 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. Closed Sundays and Mondays.

For more information, call 754-4043 or visit to www.hcpl.lib.fl.us. To provide feedback about the hours, click on the Library Advisory Council link.

Reporter Tony Marrero can be reached at 352-544-5286 or lmarrero@hernandotoday.com.

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