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Lincoln County library system reports usage gains but warns reduced hours hurt access
Summary
Library Systems Director Missy Harris reported increased program participation and circulation but said budget-driven cuts to evening and Saturday hours have reduced access for low-income residents, working adults and students.
Missy Harris, Library Systems Director for Lincoln County, told the Board of Lincoln County Commissioners on Feb. 17 that the county library system maintained 27 staff and increased program participation, but that budget constraints forced reductions in some evening and Saturday hours.
Harris said county investment in libraries has been leveraged into more than $3.9 million in resident value through shared collections and services, and that the system secured $18,800 in grant funding during the year. Usage numbers Harris presented included 146,401 physical items checked out, 40,265 audiobooks, 28,246 e-books, 2,060 programs serving 32,367 participants and a 17.05% increase in summer-reading participation. Public computers were used 15,947 times and WiFi sessions totaled 5,367.
On service impacts, Harris said reduced evening hours and the elimination of Saturday hours in LaBarge led to "limited access for working adults, families with school-aged children, [and] students who rely on evening hours," and that the cuts "disproportionately affect low-income households." She told commissioners those reductions limit the librarys ability to meet equity goals.
Harris said the system continues to pursue external funding and partnerships to preserve services. The board did not take a formal vote on additional library funding at the Feb. 17 meeting.
