Budget cuts in libraries

As we move into a budget with significant cuts, I am reminded of the 20 plus years I spent working in California libraries during the budget cutting era following the passage of Prop. 13. Since I believe we can learn from the past, I'm sharing some observations on what I learned, experienced and felt during those years.

#1 Be really, really, really thankful that we already use volunteers extensively in our libraries. Soon well-meaning patrons will come in and explain to you how much money we could save by simply having volunteers do your job. Patrons who know that their own job could never be done by volunteers will suggest that the library could re-instate those closed hours using volunteers. You will have to have a conversation with them, and it will really help you to explain how many volunteers and volunteer hours we already use. You might go on and on about it a bit, so they see that we are already using so many volunteers that there wouldn't even be room for any more in the building! Our volunteers are great and this is just one more thing they do for us.