Albuquerque residents press council to restore library funding amid branch closures and tech cuts

Albuquerque — Speakers at the City Council committee-of-the-whole budget hearing on May 1 urged the council to restore cuts to the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Library System, saying lost staff and reduced information-technology funding have caused branches to close unexpectedly and reduced services for residents.

The appeals came during the hearing devoted to the city’s social-goal departments and followed a series of public comments from volunteers, library board members and nonprofit partners who described persistent problems at branches across the city.

Janet Sayers, a member of the Library Advisory Board, asked the council to “restore the minimum of $49,000 to the budget” for board operations and to return a recurring technology line item to $500,000, saying the larger recurring IT budget supported long-term reliability for systems and scheduling. “The library is part of city government and the city government family,” Sayers said. She told the committee the advisory board was rebuilding and planned to meet regularly and provide community input.

Julia Clark, the Albuquerque Public Library Foundation representative to the Library Advisory Board, told the council unscheduled closings have become “commonplace.” She said from July 1 through April 24 the system had 385 hours of unscheduled closings “because of a lack of staff,” and argued that restoring a $500,000 recurring IT line would “is an achievable first step for consistent public service and schedule reliability.”

Cheryl Muggleston, a retired library employee, testified that branches remain understaffed, that closures have cut programs and customer service, and that the system needs an increase in recurring funds to restore staffing and technology. She asked the council to consider a $2.5 million increase to restore staffing and critical technology resources across 19 branches.

Supporters from partner organizations also spoke. Kate Kopec of the Friends of the Library, a nonprofit that supplements library programming, said the Friends’ funding “cannot include staffing, technology and other major activities” and urged the council to oppose a proposed $50,000 cut and to consider a larger increase. Neil Copperman of AMP Concerts said library events draw thousands and that the libraries’ programming network supports free community concerts and outreach.

Council exchange and budget staff answers: In departmental Q&A the mayor’s budget staff and the Department of Arts & Culture explained a portion of the apparent reduction in the library’s line items reflected changes to risk and insurance allocations and transfers to other city-managed facilities (for example, a transfer tied to railyards operations). Budget staff said reductions in risk-assessment charges—based on lower recent claims—were allocated across departments, producing an apparent net decrease in several agencies’ accounts. City budget staff offered to circulate a more detailed breakdown of risk and transfer adjustments to the council.

What it means: Library advocates told the council they want an explicit, recurring IT line restored and more staff so branches do not close unexpectedly. Library officials said temporary employees fill many roles and that the system has shifted some weekend and Sunday schedules to maintain services. Proponents argued that reinstating recurring technology funding and restoring staff would reduce unscheduled closings and support programs used by job-seekers, students and senior residents.

Looking ahead: The city’s budget process includes two more hearings before adoption. Library advocates asked councilors to propose amendments or substitutes to restore recurring IT funding and additional staffing prior to the committee-of-the-whole markup and the full council adoption meeting later in May.

Ending: Library volunteers, retired staff and non-profit partners repeatedly asked the council to treat the library as a public-service priority and to restore consistent recurring funding for technology and staffing to reduce unscheduled branch closures and support the system’s 333,000 cardholders.