"Charlotte Mecklenburg libraries haven't seen such large-scale reductions since the Great Depression".

Link to March 17 Charlotte Observer, "Mecklenburg library plans 12 branch closing, 140 layoffs".

Excerpt: Mecklenburg County’s library board will vote Thursday on a proposal which would close half the county’s branches and lay off 140 employees within a matter of weeks.

The proposal, announced to employees Wednesday morning, is the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library’s way of coping with a 6.3 percent funding reduction in the current fiscal year.

The layoffs and closing of 12 library branches would happen by April 3, according to library officials.

County Manager Harry Jones said Tuesday that all branches of county government – including the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and the Department of Social Services – must return millions of dollars to help the county cope with a big budget deficit.

The deficit is a direct result of the recession, caused by a big drop in consumer spending and resulting sales taxes.

[snip]

“These are difficult times,” Brown said. “Charlotte Mecklenburg libraries haven’t seen such large-scale reductions since the Great Depression, when it had to close its doors completely.”