Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Edwards Public Library warns FY'27 cuts would shrink staff, hours and shared services
Loading...
Summary
Andrea LeClaire, interim director of the Edwards Public Library in Southampton, said three FY'27 budget scenarios — a $2.5 million override, a $1.9 million override and a no‑override plan — would produce sharply different outcomes for staffing, materials spending and the library's state certification.
Andrea LeClaire, the interim director of the Edwards Public Library, told the town's FY'27 budget forum that without voter‑approved overrides the small library could be reduced to a single staff member and lose access to statewide resource‑sharing benefits.
LeClaire said the town is weighing three budget options: a $2.5 million override, a $1.9 million override and a no‑override budget. Under both override scenarios the library's materials budget would be about $44,000; under the no‑override plan it would drop to $10,000. "If we get decertified," LeClaire said, "we would lose the state resources that let our patrons borrow from other libraries and access ebooks and museum passes." She added that the town currently receives a roughly $10,000 annual state grant tied to certification.
The director said the library now operates with a staff of three and that the no‑override budget would leave only the director funded. "The idea that it would just be me ... is devastating to the kind of services that we're able to provide," LeClaire said, describing cuts to hours, youth programming and routine operations if positions are eliminated.
LeClaire outlined what those positions do: the youth librarian is the first point of contact for families and runs story time, play groups and the summer reading program that helps prevent the "summer slide;" a senior technician/cataloger maintains the collection and ordering; and the head of circulation manages desk services, basic tech help and displays. She said substitutes and volunteers provide essential coverage but cannot replace trained staff for safety and continuity.
LeClaire also described the library's community offerings that would be at risk with reduced staffing or materials: free Wi‑Fi and computer access, a "library of things" that loans nontraditional items (examples cited: a metal detector, sewing machine, drill set and a VCR‑to‑digital converter), museum and park passes (including Springfield museums, Clark Museum, the Eric Carle Museum, Massachusetts State Parks parking and Look Park) and a sensory garden at Conant Park.
On fines, LeClaire said the Edwards Public Library has eliminated overdue fines: "We are also a non fining library," she said, adding that returned items remove prior fines and that the policy encourages patrons to come back. She emphasized that many of the library's programs and borrowing privileges depend on a materials budget large enough to meet state certification thresholds and to participate in the CW MARS resource‑sharing system.
Asked about possible new hires, LeClaire said a very part‑time library technician — proposed only in the $2.5 million override scenario — would help staff busy Saturdays and reduce reliance on volunteers. On day‑to‑day operations she said utilities and maintenance are level funded across scenarios, but materials, programming and personnel drive the practical difference for patrons.
The forum closed with reminders about the annual town meeting on May 2 at Norris School and the town election on May 19. "If you haven't been to the library in a long time, we're happy to have you," LeClaire said, inviting residents to visit or use e‑resources.
The town will present budget and override information ahead of the votes; residents will decide at the polls whether to approve the larger funding options that LeClaire said are needed to maintain current services.
