Library: Level-Funded Budget Could Threaten Certification

A level-funded library budget in the 2012 fiscal year would require a waiver from the state for the to maintain its certification, the library’s director told the Board of Selectmen on Monday night.

Library Director Helena Minton said a level-funded budget would be $445,175. A level-services budget would be $451,372.

Libraries must meet certain criteria to obtain certification from the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, including:

• Operating at least 40 hours per week, a minimum of five days a week and some evenings
• Meeting a municipal appropriation requirement of an average of the last three years plus 2.5 percent
• Having a minimum materials expenditure of at least 16 percent of the budget
• Being open to all state residents

The $445,175 level-funded budget would not meet the minimum appropriation requirement, which would force the library to seek a waiver to maintain its certification, Minton said. A level-services budget would meet the minimum appropriation requirement.

A loss of certification would prevent North Reading residents from borrowing materials from other libraries, among other issues, Minton said. The library also could lose grant money and state aid.

To receive a waiver, the library’s budget cannot be cut disproportionately to all other municipal departments, Minton said.

Minton told selectmen that a technology specialist will retire in June, and she could fill the position at slightly fewer hours to save $5,800 under a level-funded budget. The remaining balance could be filled with cuts from postage and programming line items, she said.

Board of Selectmen Chairman Robert Mauceri asked Minton whether the Internet negatively affected libraries, with people able to access more material online from their homes.

“People said the Internet would be the end of the library, and the library is getting busier and busier,” Minton said. “I think libraries will try to adapt.”

The library saw more than 39,000 visits in fiscal year 2010, the last year for which data was available, Minton said.

Selectmen Jeff Yull said libraries serve as a gathering place for the community, despite the evolution of digital and online technology.

“Libraries offer something that I think is very unique,” Yull said. “It’s a location where people can get online, and a central location to get information. I think the numbers show that libraries are somehow fitting into this.”

Yull and Selectman Stephen O’Leary floated the idea of offering passport application services at the library to generate additional revenue. The town clerk’s office will stop providing that service at the end of the month after new federal regulations prohibited municipal employees who handle vital records from processing passport applications.

Minton said she had heard other libraries had considered that step, but she was not aware of any that would begin offering passport services.