Budget crunch takes toll on Jacksboro library. Periodic closures set for rest of year. (Wichita Falls Times-Record-News, 8/16/2011)
Excerpt: Funding cuts have checked in at the Gladys Johnson Ritchie Public Library in Jacksboro.
The library board recently voted to close the library periodically for the remainder of 2011 to deal with a funding shortfall, said Library Director Lanora Joslin. The library will be closed Aug. 22 to 27, Sept. 19 to 24, Nov. 21 to 26 and Dec. 19 to 24.
"Instead of closing completely, we are just closing a week a month to try to make it through last year's budget appropriation," she said.
The library needs approximately $5,000 each month to operate, Joslin said. Private donations, memorials and fees generate enough money for two months' operational costs, meaning the library needs roughly an additional $50,000 each year to stay open.
The funding crunch started several years ago when the new Jacksboro Elementary School opened, Joslin said.
Previously, the public library also served as the elementary school library. The school district provided two-thirds of the library's funding each year, with the city and county each chipping in an additional $7,500.
When the new elementary school opened, which contained its own library, the school ceased funding of the public library, she said.
2010 population: 4,511
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