I love my local library system. They just posted a sad letter on their website. It says, in part:
"The Library has made a number of significant cuts over the last six months, and we anticipate further cuts in 2010. Unfortunately, due to the difficult financial times, the library administration has been forced to make some drastic decisions that impact library hours, services, and programs. We have already implemented a hiring freeze and have now reached the tipping point where we can no longer provide full service with our reduced staff.
Regretfully, our customers will be impacted by these changes. Branches will be open fewer days and hours, and when they are open, they will be operating with reduced staff. There will be less programming, fewer titles from which to choose, and materials will not be shelved or placed on hold as quickly as customers expect."
Closed all day Sunday and Monday. No security. Less programming. Less materials. The Reading Festival has been canceled. Hard times, people. Just when public library use has been going up. Sigh.
