Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Library Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Eckhart Public Library reports $3.2 million community value from roughly $1.8 million in tax funding
Summary
Valerie Simmons, executive director of the Eckhart Public Library, told the Auburn Common Council the library’s 2025 tax-supported budget was just under $1.8 million and staff-calculated community value of services and materials exceeded $3.2 million; she invited council members to an Aug. 12 budget hearing and a Sept. 9 budget adoption meeting.
Valerie Simmons, executive director of the Eckhart Public Library, told the Auburn Common Council the library’s 2025 tax-funded budget was a little under $1.8 million and that her staff used the American Library Association’s Library Use Value Calculator to estimate the monetary value of checked-out materials and services. "For the period June 2025 to June 2026 we circulated $726,000 worth of teen and adult books and over $685,000 worth of children's books," Simmons said, adding nearly $1.2 million in digital circulation and almost $96,000 for physical media.
Simmons said the total calculated community value — including outreach, home deliveries, meeting-room bookings, program attendance and special collections such as museum passes and a library of things — exceeded $3,200,000. She noted the library foundation and community donations cover programming costs (citing a recent $18,000 donation supporting programming) and invited council members to the library’s budget hearing on Aug. 12 and the library board’s budget adoption meeting on Sept. 9. "We're really fortunate to have such a highly dedicated, well-credentialed staff," Simmons said, highlighting certification and master's degrees among frontline library staff.
