At their July 22 meeting, the Library Board of Directors approved a budget of $1,361,182 for operation of the Lincoln County Libraries in fiscal year 2011 (July 1, 2010 - June 30, 2011). Projected expenditures are about $60,000 less than the previous year’s, but because the library absorbed almost $20,000 in benefits increases, $80,000 (5.6 percent) had to be trimmed from the 2010 budget.

The library system receives 90 percent of its revenue from property taxes, and funding from property taxes remained at last year’s level, $1,200,000; however, projected revenue from other sources, including vehicle registrations, declined.

Although all budget categories were reduced, computer replacement and building improvements took the biggest cuts: 65% less for computers and about 79% less for facilities in 2011. There were no raises for library staff this year.

Providing the resources and services that community members need is top priority in all decisions that the library staff and board make, including budget decisions. Funds for purchasing books were left at last year’s levels and for children’s programs, they remained unchanged. Although there will not be funds to replace computers this year, we anticipate that patrons will continue to be well served by the technology that is currently in place.

Lincoln County libraries have followed the national trend of seeing increased usage as the economy falters. Last year the number of Lincoln County library visits increased by 37,859-23.5 percent, the greatest percentage increase of any county in the state. Circulation, the number of items checked out, increased by 37,617 or 22.67 percent over the previous year while attendance at library programs grew from 10,873 to 16,445. Public access internet computer usage likewise saw a double digit increase-28.5 percent.

For the complete article see the 07-29-2010 issue.

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