Jones Library copes with impact of $78,000 in cuts

By Scott Merzbach
Staff Writer

Published on September 18, 2009

Several magazine and newspaper subscriptions will be canceled, multiple copies of best-selling books will no longer be purchased and far fewer classical music CDs will be bought, as the Jones Library deals with the fallout of cuts to its budget.

The changes to library services started in July when the main branch began closing on Friday afternoons.

Library Director Bonnie Isman said last week that the $78,000 cut in the materials budget, allowed under a new formula approved by the Board of Library Commissioners, means that about one-third of the normal acquisitions are no longer possible.

It is a process, Isman said, that involves a lot of study, including learning what people can get online and what can be borrowed from other libraries.

Isman expects that 60 of the 300 magazine and newspaper subscriptions will not be renewed during the course of the year.

Amy Anaya, head of circulation services, will be responsible for these decisions, Isman said. Anaya is conducting interviews with patrons to learn what magazines and newspapers they enjoy the most, tracking in-house use of these materials and also examining which are the most popular for being checked out.

Isman calls this process a balancing act. She said cuts won't necessarily be made to only the less popular magazines, pointing out that some magazines can be read more easily online, while others, including those with many photos, may be easier to read in hand.

On the list for potential cuts are the Hartford Courant and Berkshire Eagle newspapers and magazines including Businessweek, Audubon, New England Quarterly and New England Journal of Medicine.

About half of the 20 magazine titles in the children's section will be allowed to expire, Isman said.

The library is already planning to eliminate the purchase of multiple copies for virtually all best-sellers, and will spend only $3,000 on classical CDs, a cut of $6,000 from last year.

The library and its supporters are still trying to restore some of this lost funding for materials, as well as bringing back Friday hours through events like an all-you-can eat barbecue fundraiser Oct. 4 at the Harp on Sunderland Road.

Meanwhile, Isman, trustees President Patricia Holland and trustee Carol Gray recently met with Town Manager Larry Shaffer about a number of issues, discussing the possibility of waiving certain fees, including for building inspections and banners, as well as other ways to generate revenue.

Isman said the library pays the town $6,500 to use the Munson Memorial Library in South Amherst, while all bills for use of the North Amherst Library total just $4,000.

Shaffer said he would like to help the library as much as possible. He pointed to the opportunity for creating paid parking next to the library, continuing the discussion on collection of fines for overdue materials, and soliciting support from trustees for a Proposition 2½ override next spring.

"It has had quite an impact, and we're still struggling with how to deal with that," Isman said.