Toronto Councillor on Likely Outcome of Proposed Library Budget Cuts: Doors Open but Little Going On Inside

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Library chief eyes new fines, more service cuts in bid to preserve branch hours. (Toronto Globe & Mail, 12/8/2011)

Excerpt: Even before the board meets to discuss Ms. Pyper’s new cuts next week, some members are vowing to vote them down.

“The city librarian has put on the table another menu of very objectionable program cuts,” said Councillor Janet Davis. “They make sure that the library doors will be open, but very little will be happening inside.”

Ms. Pyper’s recommendations are made up of $2.8-million in program cuts, a $3-million shave to the collections budget and a $500,000 savings by replacing seven staff with automated sorters in some branches. She is also recommending branches impose $1 fines for holds not picked up. Taken together, the suggestions would terminate 37 jobs.

The program cuts would also eliminate the following:

• high school and kindergarten outreach activities
• library publications such as What’s On and What’s More
• Keep Toronto Reading Festival
• Adult literacy programs
• pre-school Ready For Reading program
• childhood Leading to Reading program
• bookmobile service

The 3.0-million collections reduction would be followed by another $785,000 cut in 2013, bringing the total budget cut for new materials to 22 per cent.

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