No new books for Wasilla library

WASILLA — Bookworms will have to shelve hopes of checking out the latest releases at the Wasilla Public Library.

The library has temporarily suspended the purchase of new material due to an approximate $72,000 budget shortfall, said Bruce Urban, recreation and cultural services manager for the city. The decision came down the chain of command from Mayor Dianne M. Keller and the hold will remain in place until the Wasilla City Council can devise a funding plan, he said.

“We have to make up that $72,000 shortfall somewhere,” Urban said.

The shortfall is a result of a 20 -percent reduction of a Matanuska-Susitna Borough block grant that provided part of the library’s funding, Urban said. Originally, the city anticipated a Borough contribution of about $365,000 and worked that amount into its 2008 budget. The city budgets on a two-year cycle with fiscal years 2007 and 2008 being budgeted prior to 2007.

“It really goes back to the Borough,” he said. “We expected to get ‘X’ amount of dollars and we didn’t.”

Overall, the library’s 2008 fiscal year operating budget amounts to $769,000, he said. The city is responsible for covering about $476,000 of the library budget.

Urban said cutting any part of a budget, whether personal or professional, isn’t a preferred option, but the shortfall needs to be made up somehow. The buying freeze is a necessary step that will ensure money is available to cover regular operating costs such as utility bills and employee wages.

“The last thing we want to do is lay off employees,” Urban said. “Our employees are very valuable and we don’t want to layoff anybody.”

KJ Martin-Albright, library director for the Wasilla Public Library, said she received notice of the buying hold on Dec. 20. The news was disappointing to hear, but she’s glad to know jobs aren’t in jeopardy. Problem is, Valley readers and users of the library will ultimately be the ones who will suffer.

The overall impact of the freeze will depend on how long the hold will last, Martin-Albright said. But she does know its going to have a negative effect.

“It’s hard to meet the information needs of patrons and meet our mission without being able to purchase new material,” she said.

The library usually orders books on a weekly basis to keep current with new publications, she said. Last year, the library added about 3,800 new items to its 55,000-volume collection, which includes books, periodicals and DVDs. Based on last year’s purchases, rough calculations show the freeze could create a reduction of about 317 new books per month.

Jeanne Troshynski, president of Friends of Wasilla Public Library, said she will attend the next city council meeting to voice her concerns about the situation.

“The new books are an important part of the library,” Troshynski said. “A lot of the patrons of the library really count on those new books.”

Not only will the hold impact patrons living in or around Wasilla, it will also affect readers across the Valley, Troshynski said. “It impacts everybody on the library network.”

As one of the Valley’s largest libraries, readers in smaller communities like Trapper Creek or Talkeetna rely on the Wasilla Public Library for its larger variety and new selections, Troshynski said.

Overall, Troshynski, Martin-Albright and Urban all agree a funding solution is needed to solve the library’s shortfall. Troshynski has a couple of ideas.

Wasilla only charges a one-time business license fee, she said. If the city began charging businesses to renew their licenses on a yearly basis, it could use that additional revenue to help cover library funding.

While the license fees might serve as a long-term solution, for now, the city has a few unfilled positions. Money that would have been reserved for salaries could be used on a temporary basis by freezing the hiring of those positions for a time. Although it may not generate $72,000, it could help keep some new books coming in, Troshynski suggested.

Contact Chris Gillow at chris.gillow@frontiersman.com or 352-2284.