Article: "Can Libraries Save by Sharing Services?"

From an Article in the Des Moines Register:

Thousands of dollars in operating and administrative costs could be saved if more public library services in the Des Moines metro area were consolidated, backers of the idea say.

Polk County has more than a dozen public library systems with annual budgets that total more than $17 million. The directors of those libraries earn nearly $915,000 combined.

But a recent report on the Des Moines area’s public libraries has yet to spark major action – although service sharing ideas are being tested in Iowa and around the nation as many public libraries confront shrinking budgets despite growing demand.

Completed last fall by the Metro Advisory Council – a group of elected leaders from Polk, Dallas and Warren counties – the report details sharing agreements among some libraries that local leaders say could help pave the way for bigger ideas. The goal is to save money without service cuts or library closures.

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Hat Tip and Thanks: Collaborative Library News/Valerie Horton

Filed under: Funding, Libraries, News, Public Libraries