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Library advocates urge council to avoid proposed budget cuts, warn of staff and service losses
Summary
Library board chair Lauren Hirsch and council members warned that proposed cuts to the Wichita Public Library budget would reduce staffing and collections and could force branch closures; council asked staff for usage data to inform budget talks.
Lauren Hirsch, chair of the Wichita Library Board of Directors, told the City Council the library system has completed branch remodels and is positioned to deliver targeted programming, but that proposed cuts would undercut those gains. “The 5% cut as has been suggested will effectively make libraries further understaffed,” she said, warning the reduction could translate into a 70% reduction in collection resources and the closure of two branches.
Hirsch described libraries as “the…
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