Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Gary Public Library Director Recommends Closing Main Library


Main branch must close, says library director.  (Post-Tribune, 1/19/2011)

Excerpt: Trustees of the city's "People's University" chafed at the public library director's recommendation to close the Main Branch, 220 W. 5th Ave., in the face of a funding crisis.

The board had until March to decide which, if any, branches will be closed to slash its operating budget from more than $5 million to about $2.4 million annually due to property tax caps, low tax collection rates and other factors.

Sherri Ervin, who once worked for Gary libraries and took over as director in November 2008, said she chose the first of five scenarios after a report from a financial consultant last December and an architect's report from 2009.

"We know this (Main Branch) needs a lot of work," Ervin said after a policy meeting Tuesday. "It's just a very hard decision with us being in the heart of downtown Gary
."

Related articles:
Library looking at 50% budget cut.  (12/12/2010)
Gary Indiana: Not Louisiana, Paris, France, New York, or Rome. (1/9/2010)
Kennedy Branch:  When it rains, it pours.  (1/9/2010)

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