Kalazmazoo Public Library Cuts Bookmobile Service

Link to November 12 Kalamazoo Gazette article.

Excerpt: Kalamazoo Public Library’s bookmobile service, which began in 1956, will be eliminated by June 30 as part of an effort to cut $550,000 from next year’s library budget. The library’s board will hold a retreat at 4 p.m. Monday at the library system’s central library, 315 S. Rose St., to discuss other potential cuts in the face of declining funds, including a decrease in property-tax revenues. “I think patrons love the personalized service that the bookmobile provides,” library Director Ann Rohrbaugh said. “But it’s not a logical service for a community our size. By our size, I mean our geographical service area. Libraries that have bookmobiles often are county systems that cover areas in the hundreds of miles.”

Not the first time bookmobile service has come under scrutiny.