Georgia: Gwinnett County Public Library Faces $1 Million Cut to Materials Budget

UPDATED Jan. 3, 2012, 6:45 pm: Gwinnett County Commissioners Approve Library System Cuts (via WABE Radio)

Gwinnett County Public library patrons may see fewer best-sellers on the shelves and reductions in circulation times after county commissioners unanimously voted for a one-million dollar cut to the county’s library system.
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Liz Forrester is deputy director of the Gwinnett County Public Library.
“Our items all circulate for three weeks now, so we’ll probably have to cut that shorter to spread the books around a little bit more. Probably we’ll have to eliminate certain collections, so we may not be able to have a copy of everything that’s popular in multiple formats.”
Forrester says the cuts will throw the materials budget to 2001 levels.

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Note: Gwinnett County, GA is located about 30 miles northeast of Atlanta. The county’s population has grown from about 166,000 in 1980 to more than 800,000 (2010 Census).
From The Atlanta Journal Constitution:

Gwinnett County Public Library users will see fewer best sellers, large-print editions, periodicals and new children’s books this year if a proposed $1 million cut to the library budget is approved by county commissioners Thursday.
In a letter to the county commission, dated Dec. 10, library board chairman Phillip Saxton wrote that the cut would have “irrevocable long-term consequences for the community.” It would leave the library system with a materials budget of $2.3 million — down 30 percent from 2012 and, according to Saxton, at a level last seen in 2001 when the county had 500,000 residents and 10 library branches.
Today, there are 15 branches and more than 800,000 residents, with about 310,500 people holding library cards.

Read the Complete Article
See Also: Full Text of Letter to County Commission by Library Board Chairman Phillip Saxton
See Also: Proposed Gwinnett County Budget
See Also: Gwinnett County Public Library Statistics (FY 12)

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