High Performance Government Team Report on the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library

Link to report

Link to July 11 Indianapolis Star article, "New county library plan would cut hours. City team also suggests closing some branches 1 day a week on a rotating basis".

Excerpt:   The Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library is expecting to cut hours as part of its 2011 budget -- but that may not keep the library from closing branches.

Its board previously proposed closing up to six branches in response to a projected deficit due to property tax caps. Library leaders projected a $7.3 million deficit by 2014.

In response to public protest about the proposed closures, Mayor Greg Ballard asked the city's High-Performance Government Team to review the library's budget and operations.

The team's report recommends that, at least in the short term, branch closings can be avoided by cutting hours across the system. The cuts vary by branch size but range from one to 15 hours per week. The plan also includes closing selected branches one day a week on a rotating basis.

All told, the team estimated the cuts would trim from $1.9 million to $2.4 million annually.

[snip]

The proposed cuts come at a time when demand for public libraries is especially high. People hit hard by the recession increasingly are turning to the library for employment resources, continuing education and government services.  [Emphasis added.]