Library seeks $1.76 million from county for staffing, hours and archives work

Amy, the library director, presented the Sheridan County Public Library’s budget request on May 20, asking the board to fund $1,759,167 from the county general fund for fiscal 26–27, an increase over last year’s allocation.

"This library is really well used," Amy told commissioners, describing high usage statewide and emphasizing the library’s mission to provide community space, access to materials and programming. The largest budget increases proposed are for staffing: three positions to expand branch hours, process archival materials in the Wyoming Room and coordinate community programming. Amy said the staff additions are driven by an inventory of uncataloged materials and a backlog of roughly 500,000 digital files that need cataloging to be accessible to patrons.

The request also includes $120,000 for books and materials (restoring a prior funding level after an 8% cut), $50,000 in capital for HVAC component replacement, and a $15,000 cash reserve restoration intended to guard against future operating gaps. Commissioners asked for a breakdown of individual positions and salary ranges; Amy agreed to provide position-level salary details before final adoption.

Library board members emphasized community demand for expanded programs and the Wyoming Room’s research value. Commissioners and staff discussed volunteer support and Friends of the Library fundraising as partial offsets for program costs, and agreed to follow up on salary comparables before acting on the final budget.