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Library director: state aid cuts and staffing changes slow progress toward 50 weekly open hours
Summary
Gardner’s library director told the Welfare Subcommittee the mayor’s budget maintains services for FY26 but that added paid time off and reduced state funding for e-resources will delay reaching the state-recommended 50 open hours per week.
The Welfare Subcommittee heard from Levi Haywood Memorial Library Director (name not given on transcript) that the mayor’s proposed budget holds services at current levels for fiscal 2026 but the library will not reach the state-recommended 50 open hours per week because recently added paid-time-off benefits increased staffing-coverage liabilities.
Director said the library opened additional programming and attendance climbed roughly 10 percent over the prior year; the mayor’s budget includes funds intended to preserve programming and add 30 staff hours a week, which the director said will likely be used to expand teen services and keep Saturdays open next summer. The director also noted that some state funding for e-books and reference databases will be reduced in FY26, which could affect services that the library provides to Gardner residents.
State aid for the library is provided through the state’s “cherry sheet” and amounted to about $81,472 in the Department’s projection for FY25; the director said the library building and grounds are owned by a private 501(c)(3) association that pays for most facility maintenance while the city funds staff and utilities. The director described efforts to pursue grants and energy credits (including a $10,000 transfer of net-metering credits to the library in the proposed budget) to cover utilities and keep periodicals and books spending within the state’s certification rules.
Councilors asked about staffing, hours and volunteer supports; the director said the library has 16 staff total (15 at the time of the meeting), was short roughly five hours of the state-recommended open-hours target and is exploring options such as part-time teen staff, volunteer pages and possible solar or other revenue to support expanded hours.
