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Duluth Library Foundation urges preservation of services as city faces budget squeeze
Summary
The Duluth Library Foundation reported rising usage and said any cuts to library staffing or hours would disproportionately affect vulnerable residents; foundation leaders asked the council to sustain current funding while the city addresses a projected general‑fund deficit.
The Duluth Library Foundation told the City Council and public that library visits, checkouts and program attendance have risen and that the library is operating on a constrained, largely flat operations budget that cannot absorb cuts without reducing hours or services.
Erin Krieger, executive director of the Duluth Library Foundation, said the independent nonprofit has contributed more than $1,000,000 in gifts over the foundation’s history and now manages an investment account of about $2,500,000 to support the Duluth Public Library. She said the foundation funds programming, digital services such as Hoopla, certain technology assets, capital improvements and outreach efforts.
Krieger and other speakers cited usage numbers: in‑person visits rose about 9% from 2023 to 2024; physical item circulation remains over 600,000 items; digital downloads increased about 26% to roughly 160,000 items in 2024; and program attendance increased roughly 20% to more than 47,500 attendees in 2024. Krieger said roughly 83–85% of the library’s general fund expenditures are personnel costs when workers’ compensation is included.
Krieger told councilors that the downtown branch, Mount Royal and West Duluth locations serve distinct community needs — from family programming and story time to computer access, local history research and community partner services such as MNsure navigators and CareerForce office hours. She said the library lends Wi‑Fi hotspots, offers meeting rooms and maintains a local history center and a pass program that provides free or low‑cost access to local cultural institutions.
Krieger warned that any library budget cuts in 2026 would likely result in reductions of hours and services, and would have disproportionate impacts on the community’s most vulnerable residents. She said the library’s hours are already limited: downtown and other branches have no weekend hours for a portion of the year and that adding weekend coverage would require additional staff.
During public comment several Duluth students and residents — including two students who described using library microfilm, archives and research resources for National History Day projects — urged councilors to maintain or increase funding for the library. Residents cited large increases in visits and programming without a corresponding increase in staff: one speaker said staff headcount has remained flat while usage has tripled in many measures since 2020.
Councilors asked follow‑up questions about hotspots, staffing history and hiring holds. Administrator Stanley said there is not a formal citywide hiring freeze but that hiring and rehiring requests are being carefully reviewed; he said city finance and human resources staff review requests weekly. Krieger said the foundation is undertaking a capital investment in the downtown children’s section independent of the city budget process.
Ending: Foundation and library advocates asked the council to sustain current library operations during the 2026 budget process and to consider the disproportionate effect cuts would have on families, students and other vulnerable residents.
