Sluggish Economy Boosts Sherwood Library Use, Cuts Hours

On a recent Sunday at the Sherwood Regional Library a handful of patrons waited in line for computers, while dozens wandered the stacks and another 20 gathered in a conference room for a presentation on Slovenia's history.

For Sheryl Evans it's services like these that have motivated her to drive from her home in Clinton, Maryland to Sherwood every week. She frequents the library in large part because of the home school discussion group it offers and because of the offerings for young kids.

"Most of the books my son wants to read are at Sherwood," she said.

In Fairfax County, while public library use is booming, the library system struggles to restructure itself after two years of massive budget cuts. As the county prepares for another round of tough choices concerning the 2011 budget, the library will undoubtedly be one of many community resources that could take another hit.

If there is one thing for certain it's that in a sluggish economy local residents want library services to stick around. Nearly 100,000 people attended programs in the 23 library branches in the county during the fiscal year of 2010.  And at Sherwood the amount of people who entered the library on a given week increased to 7,507 people in 2009 from 6,793 in 2008, according to statistics released by FPLS.

At Martha Washington Library, which reopened this past summer in a renovated building, more than 10,500 people visited the library in August.  

"People can't afford to buy books any longer," said Barbara Rice, Martha Washington Branch Manager.  "We are seeing an increase in all library services we provide. Internet use, meeting room use, program attendance and circulation are all higher than in years past."  

Free access to materials and information during the economic downturn has made libraries popular.  Library administrators say the web is often the main draw-especially on the busiest days--Saturday and Sunday, when patrons who can't afford to repair or purchase computers need them to apply for jobs.  

"More people need computers," said Chris LaMarca, Sherwood Assistant Branch Manager, who was busy answering questions as one of only two librarians available for questions on Sunday. Prior to the budget reductions, there were four librarians staffing the branch on Sunday. The staff reduction has caused the second floor, which houses additional internet access and conference rooms, to close on Sunday as well. Sherwood reduced its hours by eleven percent from 2009 to 2010.

"It's surprising how many people aren't aware of the budget cuts," said Rice, who is operating with half the staff she had previously. "What people complain about the most are the days we don't open until 1 o'clock."

Despite the cut in the number of hours the library is open, many of its services are accessible on the internet at any time of day. Scholarly journals for students and numerous databases allow use for everything from car repair to ancestry research, and can be accessed through the library from home. Patrons can download audio books and e-books without setting foot in the library.

"We're holding up well, but I think that's the function of technology and where we live," said Sherwood Branch Manager Denise Morgan. "We've developed ways of evolving that incorporate new technologies."

Deciding what to cut is a give and take process between the county Board of Supervisors and FCPL. Libraries review their options based on the county's budget cut requirements. The FCPL Board of Trustees makes the final decision on recommended budget cuts before presenting it to the Board of Supervisors, which has final control over all county agency funding.

"No one regrets more than I that we had to make these cuts in these tough economic times," said Gerry Hyland, Mount Vernon District representative for the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors

This year, FPLS lost nearly $3 and a half million in county funding. That included the loss of about 70 staff positions-although not 70 personnel, as employees were transferred, retired, or merged duties. This followed an even larger number of staff cuts in FY 2010. FPLS now operates with a $26 million budget.

Specifically, Sherwood lost 60 hours of circulation help and 92 hours of information help since July 1. The library is now open nine less hours per week. The cut in hours has been accommodated by staggering hours between neighboring branches.

Volunteers and The Friends of the Library have helped pick up the slack. The non-profit has funded periodical purchases and children's programming for the libraries.

"This has been a wonderfully supportive community and I think we've all adjusted, but we still have to iron out some issues after two massive cuts," Morgan said, adding the reductions might have been worse but for local patrons who aired their concerns to the Board of Supervisors.

In the fiscal year of 2010, individual and corporate volunteers donated nearly 155,000 hours to the library system. At one recent event, the non-profit Fairfax Library Foundation raised approximately $90,000 to enhance the library system.

"This is just history," said Pier Penic, President of The Friends of the Sherwood Library for the past three years. "We have to learn to adjust. The way I see it, we are in a situation the way we were in 1934--to survive this we really have to take on a different mind set and help each other out."