Oak Lawn Library Board Faces $90K In Lost Revenue, New Leadership

OAK LAWN, IL — Like many other community entities, the Oak Lawn Public Library has been impacted heavily by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

After being closed for nearly four months, the library reopened on a limited basis last week, which has helped to restore a bit of normalcy. But the closure took a toll on the library’s bottom line in the form of at least $90,000 worth of lost revenue, according to Kathy Szott, who is expected to be appointed as the library board's interim director at a special meeting Thursday night.

Szott’s move into the leadership role became necessary after Jim Deiters, who has served as the library’s executive director for the past several years, resigned this week. According to Deidre Brennan, the executive director of RAILS, which serves as an advisory group to libraries across northern Illinois, Deiters submitted his resignation effective this week due to ongoing disagreements he has had with the library board in Oak Lawn.

Now, as the library attempts to regain its footing as the pandemic continues, the board will need to make adjustments to its operating budget due to the loss of revenue, Szott said Wednesday. While the interim director does not anticipate any serious changes - including layoffs - Szott, who is the library’s business and personnel services manager, said Wednesday that the board will have to be mindful of how money is being spent moving forward.

The budget revisions will be on the agenda for Thursday’s meeting, which will be held at 6:30 p.m. at the library.

In addition to suspending fines and fees for late and lost books, the library board has been forced to spend money on pandemic-related expenses such as personal protection equipment, unforeseen cleaning services and other expenses that could not have been imagined before the pandemic set in earlier this year. As a government agency, the library was not eligible for federal Payroll Protection Plan loans, which, coupled with the loss of at least $90,000 in revenue - has brought the library's leadership to make financial changes.

“This is a whole new world we are living in and we just had to tweak things while keeping the bottom line the same, but just redistributing our funds and what’s available to us to make everything work if possible,” Szott said.

“We’re just trying to go along as normal as possible, but we know funds are limited and we know the taxpayers of Oak Lawn are struggling also. So we’re going to try to be as frugal as we can with our funds and provide the best possible service at the same time.”

As Szott takes over in the interim role while the board searches for Deiters's permanent replacement, she said her biggest goal is to establish some consistency in what have been very uncertain times.

Szott refers to the “ebbs and flows of the pandemic”, which have caused library board members to re-evaluate how the group’s budget is handled. Now, just as the library has reopened for what it calls grab and go services, board must bracing itself for what could happen if coronavirus cases spike in Illinois, which could lead to the library to close its doors again.

If that step is needed, Szott said the board hopes to learn from what it experienced in March when the library was forced to close and shut off normal service to the community while attempting to offer some services remotely.

“We’re just trying to be a good Boy Scout here and be as prepared as possible,” Szott said.