Newstrack: Cedar Rapids Public Library, after cuts

Background

In January, the Cedar Rapids Public Library board approved recommendations to eliminate $460,000, or 7 percent, from its annual budget. This became necessary after a 27-cent library tax levy vote failed last year, and City Hall announced its intention not to give it any additional temporary funding.

While the city said it would increase permanent funding by $350,000 annually, that left the library to resolve the gap before the 2017 fiscal year that begins in July.

The library eliminated three management positions, changed operation hours — which started in late March — and cut staff's hours. Twenty operating hours total were cut at both libraries after staff examined the least busy times.

The action should result in saving $460,000.

'We had to make some cutbacks, but we were very, very strategic and careful about the hours we reduced. We examined all kinds of user data — hour by hour, day by day. And we chose hours that were the least used,' Library Director Dara Schmidt said.

'That doesn't mean there weren't some people who weren't very upset with the choices we made.'

At both the downtown library, 450 Fifth Ave. SE, and at the Ladd Library, 3750 Williams Blvd. SW, Monday through Thursday operating hours were cut by an hour, so the libraries closed at 8 p.m. rather than 9 p.m. The downtown library is closed on Sundays, and Ladd is closed on Saturdays.

What's happened since

'We've seen some reduction in numbers,' Schmidt said. 'Circulation has gone down a little bit. Door counts have gone down a little.'

If there aren't any major financial concerns throughout the busy summer season, the extra cash will roll over to next year's budget, Schmidt said.

According to information presented to the library board of trustees in May, circulation dropped over 10,000 when comparing April 2016 — the month immediately following the cutbacks — to April 2015.

On the other hand, the libraries' program attendance jumped to 3,300 in April 2016 compared to 2,500 in April 2015. Library Community Relations Manager Amber Mussman said numbers spiked this April from ongoing events at the library, and a change of mind-set after the cutbacks.

'I think it really comes down to being focused internally. The biggest ...

challenge we have this year is that we know we can't do everything we want to do,' Mussman said. 'We want to strategically use our resources, and by being more focused we are able to promote our things a little bit more and to drive traffic to all of those events.'

Library officials look forward to the coming summer months because its circulation numbers — the total books, DVDs and the like that are checked out — drastically increased due to the library's summer reading programs.

In June and July of last year, the library had a circulation of 148,000 in June 2015 and 111,000 July 2015, compared to 86,000 in April of that year.

'This summer is really our testing ground,' Schmidt said about the new reductions. 'Now that we have our busiest season, we can see if we made the right choices.'